.
.
Thomas Becket was appointed
Chancellor by Henry II in
1155. In this job he proved himself to be a faithful member of the king’s court. When Theobald, the existing Archbishop of Canterbury died, Henry seized the chance to dominate the church by appointing the trustworthy Becket to succeed him.
Having a loyal friend in the most senior religious position in England made sense to Henry. However, as Archbishop of Canterbury, Becket’s allegiance quickly switched to siding with the church. This frustrated Henry who asked Becket to sign the
Constitutions of Clarendon in
1164 to extend the king’s authority over the clergy. Becket refused and, shortly after being summoned to the king to explain his actions, fled to France.
Becket returned to England in
1170, but not before excommunicating two senior members of the clergy for supporting Henry. This act led to him being the target of an angry outburst by the king. It is highly unlikely, however, that Henry screamed out the words ‘Who will rid me of this troublesome priest?’
Whatever Henry said was enough to encourage four knights to travel to Canterbury and kill the Archbishop inside the Cathedral. The event was recorded in a later history by the monk Edward Grim. He claimed that the fatal blow split Becket’s skull as he knelt in front of the altar.
Becket was
canonised by Pope Alexander III barely two years after the murder, and in
1174 the king himself walked barefoot to Becket’s tomb in Canterbury in
penance.
Henry II
Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as
Henry Curtmantle (Court-manteau),
Henry FitzEmpress, or
Henry Plantagenet, was
King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189. He was the first king of the
House of Plantagenet. King
Louis VII of France made him
Duke of Normandy in 1150. Henry became
Count of Anjou and
Maine upon the death of his father,
Count Geoffrey V, in 1151. His marriage in 1152 to
Eleanor of Aquitaine, whose marriage to Louis VII had recently been
annulled, made him
Duke of Aquitaine. He became
Count of Nantes by treaty in 1158. Before he was 40 he controlled England, large parts of Wales, the eastern half of Ireland and the western half of France; an area that was later called the
Angevin Empire. At various times, Henry also partially controlled Scotland and the
Duchy of Brittany.
Henry was the son of Geoffrey of Anjou and Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England. He became actively involved by the age of 14 in his mother's efforts to claim the throne of England, then occupied by Stephen of Blois, and was made Duke of Normandy at 17. He inherited Anjou in 1151 and shortly afterwards married Eleanor of Aquitaine, whose marriage to Louis VII of France had recently been annulled. Stephen agreed to a peace treaty after Henry's military expedition to England in 1153, and Henry inherited the kingdom on Stephen's death a year later.
Henry was an energetic and sometimes ruthless ruler, driven by a desire to restore the lands and privileges of his grandfather Henry I. During the early years of his reign the younger Henry restored the royal administration in England, re-established hegemony over Wales and gained full control over his lands in Anjou, Maine and Touraine. Henry's desire to reform the relationship with the Church led to conflict with his former friend Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury. This controversy lasted for much of the 1160s and resulted in Becket's murder in 1170. Henry soon came into conflict with Louis VII and the two rulers fought what has been termed a "cold war" over several decades. Henry expanded his empire, often at Louis' expense, taking Brittany and pushing east into central France and south into Toulouse; despite numerous peace conferences and treaties, no lasting agreement was reached. By 1172, he controlled England, large parts of Wales, the eastern half of Ireland and the western half of France, an area that would later come to be called the Angevin Empire.
Henry and Eleanor had eight children. As they grew up, tensions over the future inheritance of the empire began to emerge, encouraged by Louis and his son King Philip II. In 1173 Henry's heir apparent, "Young Henry", rebelled in protest; he was joined by his brothers Richard and Geoffrey and by their mother, Eleanor. France, Scotland, Brittany, Flanders, and Boulogne allied themselves with the rebels. The Great Revolt was only defeated by Henry's vigorous military action and talented local commanders, many of them "new men" appointed for their loyalty and administrative skills. Young Henry and Geoffrey revolted again in 1183, resulting in Young Henry's death. The Norman invasion of Ireland provided lands for his youngest son John, but Henry struggled to find ways to satisfy all his sons' desires for land and immediate power. Philip successfully played on Richard's fears that Henry would make John king, and a final rebellion broke out in 1189. Decisively defeated by Philip and Richard and suffering from a bleeding ulcer, Henry retreated to Chinon castle in Anjou, where he died.
Henry's empire quickly collapsed during the reign of his youngest son John. Many of the changes Henry introduced during his long rule, however, had long-term consequences. Henry's legal changes are generally considered to have laid the basis for the English Common Law, while his intervention in Brittany, Wales and Scotland shaped the development of their societies and governmental systems. Historical interpretations of Henry's reign have changed considerably over time. In the 18th century, scholars argued that Henry was a driving force in the creation of a genuinely English monarchy and, ultimately, a unified Britain. During the Victorian expansion of the British Empire, historians were keenly interested in the formation of Henry's own empire, but they also expressed concern over his private life and treatment of Becket. Late-20th-century historians have combined British and French historical accounts of Henry, challenging earlier Anglo-centric interpretations of his reign.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_England
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_I_of_England
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John,_King_of_England
