Henry II

1154 - 1216

aka Curtmantle

Henry was strong in mind, body and resolution. Recognisable by his red hair and known for his fiery temper, he was charismatic and handsome. He took the crown from Stephen by force, arriving in 1153 from Anjou with 3,000 battle-hardened soldiers. When Henry came to the throne he commanded a stretch of land from Scotland through France, known as the Angevin Empire. He built an even bigger Empire during his reign, making England prosperous again. England had endured a long civil war. The people were poor and had been treated badly by their lords and masters. After ‘the anarchy’ and collapse of England’s infrastructure, the common people were ready for strong leadership.

Henry reined in the barons who had rebelled against King Stephen. He began by destroying the castles they built on the land they had taken from the Crown. By introducing the foundations of ‘common law’, people were treated more fairly than they had been under King Stephen. Courts were run no longer by the local barons but by Henry’s officials. One of Henry’s legal reforms, the Assize of Clarendon, saw the introduction of trial by jury. Prior to this system, the accused individual was required to walk barefoot over hot metal or remove a pebble from a boiling cauldon. Innocence was proven if the resulting blisters were cured by God within three days.

Henry also wanted to reform the church and appointed his best friend and advisor Thomas Becket to the influential role of Archbishop of Canterbury. He believed Becket would work with him to bring the church under royal command. Unusually, Becket disagreed with him and even went into exile for four years. On his return, the two quarrelled again and Henry’s anger with Thomas became public. In the mistaken belief that this was the King’s desire, four of his knights killed Becket inside the cathedral. This was a hugely shameful act. It was blasphemous and arrogant in the extreme. Henry expressed his remorse by mourning for three days and accepting a night of flogging by monks. Despite Henry’s battles with the church, monasteries were important to the common people. They grew crops on wasteland, prioritised learning and took care of those in need. This was vital work in the aftermath of Stephen and Matilda’s ruinous feud.

Life at Court was influenced by French style. Clothes were fashionable, and art, culture and education was wide-ranging, influenced by european ideas. Henry spent most of his reign living in France. He kept a strong hold on both France and England by travelling widely, with apparently boundless energy.

While he was known as a strong and just ruler, Henry’s family life was turbulent. He had a long-running feud with his wife Eleanor. This was caused in part by Henry’s devotion to his mistress the ‘fair Rosamund’. When they met in 1151, Eleanor was instantly enamoured by Henry. He was 19 and she was 31. She caused a scandal by quickly divorcing her husband the King of France. This was a bold move from a powerful woman. As Duchess of Aquitaine, she had already led her own army at the second Crusade. During the Great Rebellion of 1173, she dressed as a man in order to fight against her husband alongside her sons. Despite her military experience, Henry was victorious. He imprisoned Eleanor the following year. She was incarcerated for fifteen years, her release coming after Henry’s death.

During this time, in 1183, Henry’s eldest son died. The Crown should then have settled on Richard, but Henry refused to name him as his successor. His preference was for his younger son John to rule on his death. John was the son to whom Henry had showed favour, sparking the Great Rebellion. Again Eleanor intervened and encouraged Richard to form an alliance with King Philip of France. This time, John joined his family and fought against his father. Henry was dispirited and reluctantly made Richard his heir. He died two days later. His last words expressed his feeling of shame that he had been ‘conquered’.

Henry II Factfile