Henry Plantagenet: Henry II, First of the Plantagenet Kings

Contents7

• Henry Plantagenet at a glance
• How Henry Plantagenet won the crown
• Law and government
• The Becket crisis
• Henry II's sons and their revolts
• The other Plantagenet kings named Henry
• Verdict: Henry Plantagenet's legacy

Henry Plantagenet is the name most often used for Henry II, the first Plantagenet king of England. He reigned from 1154 to 1189 and ruled more land than any English king before him. This page covers his life and reign and the crisis over Thomas Becket. It covers the revolts of his sons. It also covers the four later Plantagenet kings who shared his name.

TL;DR: Henry II (born 1133, king 1154-1189) was the son of Geoffrey of Anjou and Empress Matilda. He held England, Normandy, Anjou and, through his wife Eleanor, Aquitaine. He reformed royal justice and clashed fatally with Thomas Becket. He died in 1189 while at war with his sons Richard and John.

Henry Plantagenet at a glance

How Henry Plantagenet won the crown

Henry's mother, Matilda, was Henry I's named heir. When Stephen took the throne in 1135, she fought him for years. Her son carried on the claim.

In 1153 Henry landed in England with an army. The Treaty of Wallingford ended the war. Stephen stayed king, and Henry became his heir. Stephen died in October 1154, and Henry was crowned at Westminster that December.

By then Henry already ruled a large part of France. He held Normandy from his mother and Anjou from his father. His marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152 added her duchy in the south-west. Historians call the whole block the Angevin empire. The Royal Family website notes that Henry spent only 13 years of his 34-year reign in England.

Law and government

Henry II is often called the founder of the English common law. He sent royal judges on regular tours of the counties, and he made greater use of juries. The Assize of Clarendon in 1166 set out how serious crimes should be reported and tried. He also turned the sheriffs into royal agents who enforced the law and collected taxes.

These changes outlasted his family's lands in France. Much of the framework of English courts still traces back to his reforms.

The Becket crisis

Thomas Becket was Henry's chancellor and friend. In 1162 Henry made him Archbishop of Canterbury, expecting an ally. Becket instead defended the Church's rights against the Crown. Above all he defended the right of clergy to be tried in Church courts.

The quarrel lasted eight years and drove Becket into exile. Soon after his return, Henry lost his temper in public. Four knights took his words as an order. They killed Becket in Canterbury Cathedral on 29 December 1170. Becket was made a saint in 1173, and Henry did public penance at his tomb in 1174.

Henry II's sons and their revolts

Henry and Eleanor had four sons who grew to adulthood. Their quarrels shaped the last years of his reign.

A first son, William, died as a small child in 1156. In 1189 Richard allied with Philip II of France against his father. Henry, ill and beaten, agreed to terms, and he died at Chinon on 6 July 1189. He is said to have learned just before his death that John had joined his enemies.

The other Plantagenet kings named Henry

Four later kings of the house of Plantagenet shared the name. Any of them can be called "Henry Plantagenet" in genealogy sites.

The full line, and the debate over whether Lancaster counts as Plantagenet, is on the house of Plantagenet page. The story behind the surname is on the Plantagenet page.

Dan Jones tells the story of Henry II and his heirs in The Plantagenets. It is one of eight picks in our guide to the best books about the royal family.

Verdict: Henry Plantagenet's legacy

Henry Plantagenet, meaning Henry II, built the widest realm of any medieval English king. He left England a stronger system of royal justice. His reign also produced the murder of Thomas Becket and a family civil war that outlived him.

His sons Richard and John followed him. His house held the crown until 1485. For the full list of monarchs, see the England royal family hub.

Sources checked for this page

• The Royal Family, "Henry II 'Curtmantle'"
• Britannica, "Henry II: Angevin Empire, Plantagenet Dynasty, Law Reforms"
• Britannica, "Angevin empire"
• Britannica, "St. Thomas Becket: As archbishop"
• The Royal Family, "The Angevins"

Questions people also ask

Who was Henry Plantagenet?

Usually Henry II, born in 1133 at Le Mans, son of Geoffrey of Anjou and Empress Matilda. He was king of England from 1154 until his death in 1189.

Why was Thomas Becket killed?

Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, clashed with Henry II over the rights of the Church. Four of Henry's knights killed him in Canterbury Cathedral on 29 December 1170, after Henry's angry words were taken as an order.

Where is Henry II buried?

At Fontevraud Abbey in Anjou, France, beside Eleanor of Aquitaine and their son Richard I.

What was Henry II's nickname?

Curtmantle, from the short cloak he wore. The Royal Family website uses it in its title for him.