Henry II

The great seal of king Henry I on a charter for Holy Trinity Prior established by Matilda, c.1108. The National Archives. Public Domain.

‘Empress Matilda’ by Elisabeth van Houts review

Empress Matilda: Queen of the Romans, Ruler of the English by Elisabeth van Houts is a sympathetic biography of the woman who would be king.

Coronation of the young Henry, 1170. English manuscript, 13th century. Bridgeman Images..

Henry the Young King is Crowned

On 14 June 1170 Henry II crowned his successor. Rather than secure the Angevin realm, it set the stage for rebellion.

Henry VI of England arrives in France and is crowned king of France, c. 1450-1470. Koninklijke Bibliotheek. Public Domain.

How French Was Medieval England?

The Norman Conquest brought French kings, language and culture across the Channel. What did that mean for medieval England?

Angevin family tree showing Henry II and his children. From left: William, Henry, Richard, Matilda, Geoffrey, Eleanor, Joan and John. Niday Picture Library/Alamy Stock Photo.

How Henry II Survived the Great Rebellion

In 1173 the Angevin empire looked set to fall, facing rebellion on all sides. Against incredible odds Henry II won a decisive victory, silencing kings, lords – and his own children.

Stephen (left) and Henry II, from Les Roys de Engeltere, Anglo-Norman manuscript, late 13th century.

Anarchy in the Waste Land

Following the death of Henry I, England was plunged into a civil war that reduced the country to a charred ruin. With the barons split between rival claimants, the people suffered.

The murder of Thomas Beckett, from the De Grey Hours, c.1390. Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru – The National Library of Wales. Public Domain.

Was Thomas Becket a Saint or a Troublemaker?

Four historians consider the reputation of Henry II’s ‘turbulent priest’. Was Thomas Becket’s martyrdom his redeeming feature?

The martyrdom of St Thomas Becket appears in a fourteenth-century stained glass interpretation, which is known as the Becket Window, in Christ Church, Oxford.

The Trouble with Thomas: The Controversies of St Thomas Becket

Becket continues to be an enduring figure of controversy in the public eye. Why was he considered a saint in the first place?

King Edward’s Vineyard: Aquitaine under the Plantagenet Crown

Anthony Dent describes how this rich French province remained a royal English vineyard for a good three centuries.

Gerald of Wales, Part II: 1188-1223

J.J.N. McGurk describes how Gerald’s later years were filled with his excellent books on Wales and his unsuccessful struggle for a bishopric.

Gerald of Wales, Part I: Early Life and Works

The son of a Norman Marcher lord and a Welsh princess, J.J.N. McGurk writes, ‘Giraldus Cambrensis’ was a brilliant recorder of British life in the twelfth century.

Henry II (r. 1154-89)

The first Angevin monarch, he controlled extensive territories in France, and his empire became the foremost political power of western Europe. Henry ruled by itinerant government, displaying great military and administrative skills. He began the conquest of Ireland and consolidated royal power in England after Stephen's reign. His program of legal and administrative reforms included clarification of common law, establishing the Exchequer and developing an efficient civil service. He clashed with Thomas Becket in his unsuccessful attempt to impose the authority of royal courts over ecclesiastical ones (as he had done with feudal courts).