Henry II of England: Power, Conflict and Legacy of the Plantagenet King

Henry II: Kingship, Conflict and Empire

Henry II owed his Kingship of England to his Norman mother, Matilda, daughter of Henry I, and his vast lands to his father, the Count of Anjou, and his wife Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine. Henry II strengthened royal administration but suffered from quarrels with Thomas Becket and with his own family.

Early Rule and Expansion of Territories

In 1150-1151, Henry became ruler of Normandy and Anjou after the death of his father. In 1152, he married Eleanor of Aquitaine, the greatest heiress in western Europe. In 1153, he crossed to England to pursue his claim to the throne, reaching an agreement that he would succeed Stephen upon his death, which occurred in 1154.

Restoring Order and Reforming the Judicial System

Henry began to restore order. Using his talented chancellor Thomas Becket, Henry began reorganising the judicial system. Thomas Becket was Henry II's Chancellor before the King made him Archbishop of Canterbury, even though he had never been a priest.

The Murder of Thomas Becket

Henry is mostly remembered for his quarrel with Thomas Becket, and Becket's subsequent murder in Canterbury Cathedral on 29 December 1170. Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, was slaughtered in the cathedral by four knights acting on the rash words of the king, who is said to have proclaimed in a fit of temper: "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?"

Henry was devastated and ordered himself to be lashed hundreds of times as penance.

Dover Castle and Displays of Power

Henry spent at least 6,440 pounds throughout the 1180s, more than a quarter of his average annual income, building and furnishing the impressive keep at Dover Castle in Kent. The great tower is thought to have been constructed as a show of wealth and power to "impress" foreign pilgrims on their way to the shrine of Thomas Becket.

The Expansion into Ireland

In 1169, an Anglo-Norman force landed in Ireland to support one of the claimants to the Irish kingship. Fearing the creation of a separate Norman power to the west, Henry travelled to Dublin to reaffirm his overlordship of the territory they had won. And so, an English presence in Ireland was established.

In the course of his reign, Henry had dominion over territories stretching from Ireland to the Pyrenees.

Family Disputes and the Final Years

Henry now had problems within his own family. His sons, Henry, Geoffrey, Richard and John, mistrusted each other and resented their father's policy of dividing land among them. There were serious family disputes. The King's attempt to find an inheritance for John led to opposition from Richard and Philip II of France. Henry was forced to give way.

News that John had also turned against him hastened Henry's death on 6 July 1189.