Henry II 'Curtmantle' King Of ENGLAND

Other Events and Attributes:

• Also Known As: Henry II Curt mantel Plantagenet
• Fact: Count of Maine and Anjou
• Fact: Reigned until 1189
• Name: Henry Of Anjou
• Name: II Henry
• Birth: 25 Mar 1133
• Fact: Between 1154 and 1189, King of England
• Crowned: 19 Dec 1154, Westminster Abbey

Notes:

Henry was crowned December 19, 1154 at Westminster Abbey. He was called Curtmantle because of the short capes he preferred over the stylish longer capes.

Name:
He became Duc de Normandie et du Maine, and Comte d'Anjou by inheritance from his mother and father. By his marriage to Eleanore of Aquitaine, Henry acquired the duchy of Aquitaine together with Gascony, Poitou and Auvergne. By the Treaty of Winchester in 1153 Henry was recognised as King Stephen's heir. He reached England on 8 Dec 1154, and crowned King of England on 19 Dec 1154, with direct rule over England and southern Wales, and a claim to the overlordship of northern Wales. His domain of England, Wales, and the French lands acquired from inheritance and marriage (ruled as separate components), was termed the 'Angevin empire' (as his father was Cote d'Anjou). The overlord of his French lands, the king of France, had directed control of a much smaller domain than henry himself. In 1171 Henry annexed Ireland though controlling the eastern part only. He had little difficulty in curbing the disorder of Stephen's reign and restoring the royal authority. He encouraged the development of juries of presentment of local men in the investigation of crimes, and trial of those accused by royal justices. His writs to sheriffs improved the disposition of claims over possession of property and benefices thereby discouraging local self-help violent ejection and usurpation. By relying on financial and legal experts and a permanent court at Westminster he fostered the establishment of those two professions and the replacement of Roman law by English common law. Henry's reassertion of the king's rights over the church, in particular that clerics were subject to his courts and not solely to ecclesiastical courts, led to the quarrel with his former chancellor Thomas Becket, who, as Archbishop of Canterbury, was murdered in his cathedral at Henry's instigation in 1170. Henry spent much of his reign in France, upholding his authority in his numerous lordships and attempting to extend his rule. There he encountered the hostility of the French kings, who encouraged the grievances of his quarrelsome sons. Henry II of England, King of England, died at Chinon in Normandy on 8 July 1189 in the midst of a rebellion by his sons. They were buried at Fontevralt Abbey in Anjou, where their tomb effigies may be seen.

The Plantagenets
1154-1399

The surname of this remarkable family derives from the nickname borne of Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, between 1129 and 1251. Geoffrey, the father of Henry II, wore a spring of flowering broom (Planta genista) as his personal badge.

The first Plantagenet king of England was Henry II, and he is generally regarded as the greatest of them. Thirteen more kings followed him in a dynasty that ruled for 331 years, although for the last 86 years, rival families within the dynasty struggling to seize the crown took the names of Lancaster and York, even though all were Plantagenets. for much of this long period, the kings were involved in costly and largely unproductive wars with France and Scotland, and in power struggles with the over-mighty barons at home. As a dynasty, the Plantagenets made their greatest contribution in the development of English law, especially the unique Common Law, and by sponsoring a splendid architectural heritage.

Henry's succession in 1154 made him lord of a vast empire, and he was equipped with all the intellectual and physical qualities to rule it well. Henry began by destroying the castles built by rebellious barons during Stephen's reign, and then set about regulating the power of the Church. Although the latter years of his reign were plagues by family revolts, his vast empire was still intact when he died in 1189.

When Henry I became King of England in 1154 he was already Count of Anjou and of Touraine, andDuke of Normandy and of Aquitaine. As such, he was lord of an empire that stretched from the Cheviot Hills down to the Pyrenees, his territories in France exceeding even those of the French king. Known as the Angevin Empire (because the country of Anjou lay at its heart), this vast domain was held together by diplomacy and force of arms, and remained intact up to the death of Richard I in 1199.

In 1164 Henry se out various Church reforms in the Constitutions of Clarendon. These included the proposal that the clergy or others associated with the Church, if charged with a criminal offence, should be tried in the civil courts, and tat no appeal could be made to rome without the Kings consent. Despite fierce opposition from the Church, these reforms were adopted. The King quarreled with Thomas a Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, over the new laws and, although the two men were reconciled, they again quarreled in 1170. In exasperation, henry cried out: 'Will not someone rid me of this turbulent priest?' Four of Henry's knights responded to the King's outburst and set off for Canterbury, where they pursued the archbishop into his cathedral and murdered him in front of the altar.

Family/Spouse: YKENAI. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Henry married Eleanor Of AQUITAINE on 18 May 1152 in Bordeaux, France. Eleanor (daughter of William X Duke Of AQUITAINE and Eleanor DE CHATELLERAULT) was born about 1122 in Chateau De Belin, Bordeaux, Aquitaine; died on 31 Mar 1204 in Poiters, Poitou, Aquitaine; was buried in Abbeye De Fontevrault, Fontevrault, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Rosamond DE CLIFFORD. Rosamond (daughter of Walter DE CLIFFORD and Margaret DE TONI) was born about 1136 in Clifford Castle, Cliford, Herefordshire, England; died about 1176 in Woodstock, Oxfordshire, England; was buried in Godstow Nunnery, Wolvercote, Oxfordshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Nest BLOET. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Also Known As: Geoffrey of Plantagenet

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou
• Fact: Henry the Young King
• Crowned: 14 Jun 1170, Westminster Abbey
• Crowned: 27 Aug 1172, Winchester

Notes:

Henry was crowned June 14, 1170 at Westminster Abbey, and again when his wife was crowned, August 27, 1172, Winchester. Also known as Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou.

Name:
Henry of England, born 28 Feb 1155, Duc de Normandie, Comte d'Anjou et du Maine, crowned joint King of England 14 June 1170, died at Martel 11 June 1183 s.p., v.p.

Henry married Margaret Of FRANCE on 02 Nov 1160 in Neubourg, Normandy. Margaret (daughter of Louis VII and Constance Of CASTILE) was born about Mar 1158; died between 1197 and 1198 in Acre. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Matilda died 8 days before the death of her father; buried aata cathedral church of S. Flasius, Brunswick, of which she had been co-founder, eldest daughter, third child, and ancetor of the house of Burnswick. She was betrothed in 1165.

Matilda married Henry V Duke Of SAXONY on 01 Feb 1168 in Cathedral Chruch in Minden. Henry was born in 1129; died between 01 Apr and 06 Aug 1195. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: Richard I the Lion-Heart
• Crowned: 03 Sep 1189, Westminster

Notes:

Richard I the Lion Heart, died while beseiging the castle of Chalus.
From "Eleaor of Castile 1290-1990, pg 16: His heart was buried at Rouen.
From " The Plantagenet Chronicles, pg 173: His entrails were buried at Charroux in Poitou.

Richard I, though king of England, spent less than a year there, seeing his hingdom as only a source of revenue to suppport his love of fighting. He raised money "by fair means and foul" and was quoted as saying that he would sell London itself if he could find a buyer. He considered the Aquitaine his home and never learned to speak English. His crowned queen, Berengaria, never visited England.

Richard and Berengaria had no children.

Illegitamate Issue: Philip (Philip de Cognac) born before his father came to the throne; died about 1211. His mother is unknown. He was given by his father the castle and honor of Cognac; it is possible he was given as a wife Ameli, the daughter of the Lord of Cognac. He later sold his lordship to Richard's successor, John.

Name:
Richard of England 'Coeur de Lion', third but eldest surviving son, born 8 Sep 157, Duc d'Aquitaine, Comte de poitou; succeeded father as king of England (and the French lands) and was crowned 3 Sep 1189; immediately set about organizing an army to join the French and Germans on the Third Crusade, whose aim was to recover Jerusalem, captured from the westerners by the Muslins in 1187, to the shame of western Christendom. Richard left England on 12 Dec 1189; secured Acre and Jaffa and defeated the Muslims in the battle of Arsuf, but his forces were not sufficiently strong to gain Jerusalem. He had to be content with making truce with the Islamic leader Saladin, who much admired him. On Richard's journey home he was imprisoned in Germany; he was released in 1194 on payment of a huge ransom; returned to England on 13 Mar 1194. His brother John had stirred up tensions in England by challenging the rule of his deputy 9justiciar) there. His overlord in France, Philippe Augustus encouraged dissidents there. But after his return Richard turned his formidable military talent to wage war against the French King. In 1199, during a minor siege at Chalus in Aquitaine, Richard was fatally injured by a crossbow bolt; died 6 Apr 1199 s.p. buried with his parents at Fontevrault Abbey.

Richard I captured the popular imagination with his crusading zeal and his chivalry. However, England saw him for only seven months of a ten-year reign, and paid dearly for his faraway campaigns and the huge ransom that secured his freedom, only to see him return to France where he died.

Richard was tall, long-legged, athletic, and powerful. A well-educated man, he showed tremendous personal courage in battle and was justifiably known as the Lionheart (Coeur de Lion).

Richard married Berengaria Princess Of NAVARRE on 12 May 1191 in Chapel of St. George, Limasol, Cyprus. Berengaria (daughter of Sancho VI King Of NAVARRE and Sancha Of CASTILE) was born about 1163 in Pampeluna, Navarra, Spain; died about 1230 in Abbey De Espans, Sarthe, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: Count of Brittany
• Fact: Earl Of Richmond
• Fact: Between 1171 and 1186, Duke of Brittany

Notes:

Also known as Count of Brittany, Duke of Brittany 1171-1186, Earl of Richmond. Geoffrey was a killed in a jousting tournament in Paris. Arthur Of Brittany, son of Geoffrey and Constance, is believed to have been murdered by his uncle, John, King of England. Their daughter, Eleaor, was kept by John in honourable confinement until her death.

Geoffrey married Constance Of BRITTANY in Jul 1181. Constance (daughter of Conan IV and Margaret Of HUNTINGDON) was born about 1162; died on 4 Sep 1201 in Nantes; was buried on 24 Nov 1225 in Villeneuve. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Alianor married Alfonso VIII "the Good" in 1170 in Burgos. Alfonso (son of Sancho III and Blanche Of NAVARRE) was born on 11 Nov 1155 in Soria, Castile; died on 06 Oct 1214 in Gutierre Munoz, Avila, Castile; was buried in Monastery of Las Huelgas, near Burgos, Spain. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Joanna married February 13, 1177, William II the Good.

Joan married William II 'the Good' King Of SICILY on 13 Feb 1177. William died on 18 Nov 1189 in Palermo; was buried in Church Of Monreale. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Joan married Raymond VI Count Of TOULOUSE in Oct 1196 in Rouen. Raymond (son of Raymond V Count Of TOULOUSE and Constance Of TOULOUSE) died in Aug 1222. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Also Known As: John Plantagenet
• Fact: Between 1199 and 1216, King of England
• Crowned: 27 May 1199, Westminster Abbey

Notes:

[Hulett FTW from MC Scott.FTW]

http://www.dcs.hull.ac.uk/cgi-bin/gedlkup/n=royal?royal01364
Reigned 1199-1216. Signed Magna Carta in 1215 at Runnymede. His reign saw renewal of war with Phillip II Augustus of France to whom he has lost several continental possesions including Normandy by 1205. He came into conflict with his Barons and was forced to Sign the Magna Carta. His later repudiation of the charter led to the first barons war 1215-17 during which John died. Burke says he was born in 1160. King of Ireland 1177, Count of Mortain 1189, Earl of Gloucester.Called Lackland because by the time he was born, his older brothers' inheritances had been decided, and there was little left for him (Warren, King John, pg 28). Barber, The Devil's Crown, pg 53 states: that "no provision was made for John, who, born nine years after the last son's birth, was too young to be considered in an age when infant mortality was very high."

Name:
John of England (Lackland), brother and heir, youngest son, was born at Oxford on 24 Dec 1167. His father's attempt to provide territory in France for him provoked rebellion by is older brothers. His father granted him the lordship of Ireland in 1177, and arranged his succession to the earldom of Gloucester. His father's continued favour to him contributed to the rebellion of John's older brother Richard I, though at the end of Henry's reign John deserted his father to support Richard who, on accession as King in 1189, made John Comte de Mortagne in Normandy. John was married for the first tine at Marlebridge on 29 Aug 1189 to Isabel of Gloucester, Countess of Gloucester, youngest daughter and co-heiress of William FitzRobert, Earl of Gloucester, by Hawise, daughter of Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester. Henry had arranged the marriage before his death, but it was delayed because Baldwin, Archbishop of Canterbury, had forbidden it on account of consanguinity (the were both great-grandchildren of King Henry I). On appeal to Rome the papal legate in England annulled the Archbishop's interdict. John became Earl of Gloucester 'jure uxoris'. Richard, who was childless, acknowledged that his successor as King of England was his and John's nephew Arthur, son of their deceased brother Geoffrey. While Richard was on crusade John broke his promise not to enter England during Richard's absence and, on learning of Richard's imprisonment in Germany, attempted, though unsuccessfully, to seize control of England. On Richard's return John was banished and disinherited though he was pardoned and recognized as heir when Arthur fell into the hands of the king of France, Philippe II. On the death of Richard in 1199, John took the Throne, and was crowned King of England on Ascension Day 27 May 1199. In 1199, through the Archbishop of Bordeaux and the Bishops of Poitier and Saintonge, and after a ten-year childless marriage, John obtained a divorce from his wife on the grounds of consanguinity. This enraged the Roman Curia as presuming to dissolve what had been joined by their authority. He intervened in the politics of his county of Poitou, and in trying to settle the quarrel between the rival families of Lusignan and Angouleme, was married for the second time at Bordeaux on 24 Aug 1200 to Isabelle D'Angouleme, daughter and heiress of Aymer Taillefer, Comte d'Angouleme, by Alice, daughter of Pierre de France, Seigneur de Courtenay. She was born in 1188, and had been betrothed to Hugues IX de Lusignan, Cote de La Marche. She was crowned on 8 Oct 1200. War with France followed John's refusal to appear before Philippe II concerning the grievance of the Lusignans. At first John was successful in defending his Frence lands, capturing his nephew Arthur (who died in custody), but in 1204 lost Normandy, Anjou, Maine and Touraine to the French king. For the next ten years John resided almost permanently in England (the first such Angevin king) and attempted to restore his finances for further warfare in France by determined taxation and exploitation of his feudal prerogatives (later the basis for the charge of tyranny). When he insisted on his, rather the Pope's right to nominate the Archbishop of Canterbury, Pope Innocent III in 1208 imposed an Interdict on England suspending all religious services, and excommunicating King John. After five years of amassing the revenues of vacant or appropriated sees and abbeys, John agreed to become a vassal to the Pope for an annual tribute of one thousand marks, with absolution from excommunication and the lifting of the Interdict. John continued his fight with the French, now with the Pope as his ally, but attempts finally collapsed with the defeat of his continental allies at Bouvines in 1214. An alliance of barons took advantage of this defeat to launch a rebellion which was successful in forcing John to a comprehensive and humiliating Magna Charta ensuring the feudal rights of the barons and the reinstatement of English law, signed at Runnymede on 19 June 1215. John soon repudiated the charter and civil war resumed. John of England, King of England, died suddenly in the midst of campaigning at Newark on 19 Oct 1216, and was buried at Worcester Cathedral where his effigy is to be seen on his tomb.

John's loss of the French dominions, his disputes with Rome, and a high level of taxation had the English nobility up in arms against him. In 1215 they forced the King to sign the Magna Carta, guaranteeing their rights in relation to those of the crown. This led to civil war, which only ended with John's death.

Despite his problems with France and the English barons, recent historical research suggests that John was a keen administrator, a good general, an astute diplomat, and a hard-working and intelligent ruler with a strong sense of justice.

Family/Spouse: Joan Of WALES. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

John married Isabel Of GLOUCESTER on 29 Aug 1189 in Marlebridge. Isabel (daughter of William FITZ ROBERT and Hawise DE BEAUMONT) died on 14 Oct 1217; was buried in Canterbury Cathedral. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

John married Isabella Of ANGOULEME on 24 Aug 1200 in Bordeaux, Gironde, France. Isabella (daughter of Aymer "Taillifer" DE VALENCE and Alice DE COURTENAY) was born in 1188 in Angouleme; died on 31 May 1246 in Fontevraud; was buried in Fontevrault Abbey. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Also Known As: Earl of Salisbury

Notes:

William was the illegitimate sone of Henry II, King of England.
According to the Dictionary of National Biography edited by Stephen and Lee: there is no positive evidence in favour of William being the son of Rosamond.

William married Ela Countess Of SALISBURY in 1198. Ela (daughter of William FITZ PATRICK and Eleanor DE VITRE) was born about 1187 in Amesbury, England; died on 24 Aug 1261 in Lacock, Wiltshire, England; was buried in Lacock Abbey, Lacock, Wiltshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Fact: 1201, Provost of Beverley Minster
• Fact: 1213, Bishop-elect of Durham

Notes:

Morgan was provost of Beverley minster in 1201 and Bishop-elect of Durham in 1213.
According to Given-Wilson and Curteis, pgs 9, 99, 179: Morgan was added to the list of identifiable bastards of Henry II, suggesting that the reason this illegitimate son of Henry II is so little known is that the King died before Morgan was old enough to profit from his father's assistance and influence in his career. Having been elected to the see of Durham, Morgan in 1213 requested and was refused papal confirmation to the see because of his illegitimacy. It also was stated that "Pope Innocent" offered to confirm Morgan as Bishop of Durham if Morgan would swear that he was the son of Nest and her husband Ralph Bloet, rather than the son of Nest and Henry II. Morgan refused to deny his parentage.