Henry II, king of England 1154-1189

b. 1133; d. 1189

Henry was the son of Geoffrey, Count of Anjou and the Empress Matilda (so called because she had previously been married to the Holy Roman Emperor Henry V). His mother's claim to the English crown resulted in a long civil war with King Stephen which was only resolved in 1153 when, following Henry's campaign to raise support against Stephen, the Treaty of Winchester was signed. This recognised Stephen as king and Henry as his heir. Henry didn't have have long to wait because Stephen died in 1154 and on 19 December Henry was crowned, becoming the first of the Plantagenet kings of England.

Henry was already duke of Normandy, count of Anjou and Maine - all of which he had inherited from his parents - and, through his marriage to Eleanor, duke of Aquitaine. To these and his English lands he was to add over the next few years the overlordship of Ireland, Brittany, Gwynedd and those parts of northern England which David I and then Malcolm IV of Scotland had seized during Stephen's reign. To maintain such a vast Empire required a strong character, energy and political skill, and Henry had all of these. He was often absent from England - for more than four years at a time on occasions - and during these periods he delegated his authority to a justicar or chief minister.

Perhaps his most famous legacy is his battle of will with the church, in the person of Thomas Becket. Henry had appointed Becket to the role of chancellor in the month after he had become king and Becket had carried out his duties with skill and zeal, often to the annoyance of the church. So when Henry made him Archbishop of Canterbury, on 3 June 1162, he was no doubt expecting that Becket would continue to demonstrate his loyalty. But Becket was set on frustrating the king's attempts to subject the clergy to the secular powers and in 1164 he was condemned at the Council of Northampton for contemptuous behaviour towards the king. Becket fled to France and remained there until 1170 when terms were agreed for his return. He again challenged Henry's authority and was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral on 29 December by four knights who believed they were carrying out the wishes of the king. The murder shook the Christian world and Henry was forced to do penance.

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