Henry II of England

Henry II, born on 5 March 1133 in Le Mans, Maine, and died on 6 July 1189 in Chinon Castle, Touraine, was King of England from 19 December 1154 until his death. His reign saw the control of England, parts of Wales and Ireland, much of France, including Normandy, Aquitaine, and Anjou, which later became known as the Angevin Empire. He also held power over Scotland and the Duchy of Brittany. At age fourteen, Henry became involved in his mother Matilda’s claim to the English throne, which was then held by her cousin Stephen of Blois. Henry’s father, Geoffrey, made him Duke of Normandy in 1150, and he inherited Anjou, Maine, and Touraine upon Geoffrey’s death in 1151. His marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine brought control of the Duchy of Aquitaine, thus expanding his French territories.

Henry’s energetic and often ruthless rule was driven by a desire to restore the royal lands and prerogatives of his grandfather, Henry I. He restored the royal administration in England, re-established hegemony over Wales, and had a contentious relationship with the English Church, culminating in the murder of Thomas Becket in 1170. His conflicts with Louis VII of France were protracted, and despite numerous treaties, no lasting peace was achieved. Henry’s children, three of whom would become kings, were part of his challenges, with tensions over future inheritance encouraged by Louis VII and his son Philip II. Henry’s legal changes laid the basis for English Common Law, and his interventions in various regions shaped their development. His empire collapsed under his son John, but Henry’s reforms had long-term effects.