Henry was the son of Henry I's only legitimate heir Matilda and her second husband Geoffrey, count of Anjou (who was nicknamed 'Plantagenet'). Apart from four years living in Bristol, Henry spent most of his childhood in Anjou and spoke only basic English.
When he was 18, he became ruler of Normandy, his mother's fiefdom, and inherited Anjou when his father died in 1151. The following year, his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine added Poitou and Guienne to his growing empire. As a result, by the age of 19, Henry had become the richest prince in France, more powerful than even Eleanor's ex-husband, Louis VII of France.
Henry sailed to England in 1153 where the embattled King Stephen was still embroiled in a civil war against Matilda. The embittered English ruler, whose own son Eustace had only recently died, was persuaded to accept Matilda's son as heir. Some two months after Stephen's death in October 1154, Henry and Eleanor were crowned jointly as king and queen of England.
One of Henry's first acts was to tear down virtually all the castles illegally erected by self-aggrandising barons during the civil war. It was a sign that he would be no push-over.
He soon set about expanding his territories. He set up garrisons in Scotland, conquered Brittany and forced the Welsh princes to pay homage. In 1171, he invaded Ireland, where he was recognised as overlord by most of the Irish kings.
Henry was less successful at managing his friends and family. Charismatic, energetic and intelligent, he was also possessed of a fiery temper and had a disastrous protracted feud with his chosen archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket.
Becket was Henry's closest adviser and friend when he was appointed as archbishop. Henry had assumed that Becket would be an ally in his squabbles with the Church, but latter went native, backing the Church's independence from the crown.
Facing a treason charge, in 1164 Becket fled to Flanders, where he set up his own monastic court in exile, and continued to send propaganda across the Channel, excommunicating anyone who sided with the king. Nevertheless, in 1170, the former friends reached an accommodation and Becket returned. But he still refused to bow to Henry's wishes, leading the king to wonder aloud who would eliminate this source of irritation.
Four knights took it upon themselves to get rid of Becket, murdering him in Canterbury Cathedral. Henry was still regretting their actions four years later, when he did penance at Becket's tomb, walking barefoot to the shrine, prostrating himself and being whipped by monks.
Henry was also at war with his own family. In 1173, his wife Eleanor and his sons rebelled against him. Although he had announced who was to inherit what, they felt he was not granting them enough power in the present. Even though Henry kept Eleanor in semi-imprisonment for 10 years, the plotting continued until his death.
Despite these distractions, Henry is credited with the advancement of English common law, by which a network of courts used 'writs' (standardised royal orders) to administer a uniform system of justice across the country. In 1176, he divided the country into six 'circuits', with their own judges.
However, he was unpopular with his contemporaries for appointing corrupt judges, meddling in Church affairs and allowing quarrels with his family to upset the running of the government. He died soon after hearing that even his youngest son, the future King John, was among those conspiring against him.
Henry II by W L Warren (Yale University Press, 2000)
This biography provides a comprehensive reappraisal of Henry II, the man and king. The author has explored a whole range of contemporary sources to illuminate the king's policy and personality, as well as the events of his reign. Get this book
Henry Plantagenet: A biography of Henry II of England by Richard Barber (Boydell, 2001)
This biography offers both a study of Henry's character and an estimate of his work as a ruler, work that is, in a sense, the history of his life since it occupied his entire energies from his accession at the age of 21 to his death 35 years later. Get this book
Fontevraud Abbey In France in Maine et Loire, south of Normandy, south-west of the D751, about 12 kilometres from Saumur The superb 12th-century Romanesque abbey church in the Loire valley was greatly favoured by the Plantagenets – first, as counts of Anjou and then as kings of England. Here you will find the tombs of Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Richard I Lionheart and Isabel of Angoulême, wife of King John.
Channel 4 Television takes no responsibility for the content of third-party sites.
