Reigned 1100-1135. Duke of Normandy 1106-1135.
His reign is notable for important legal and administrative reforms, and for
the final resolution of the investiture controversy. Abroad, he waged several
campaigns in order to consolidate and expand his continental possessions.
Was so hated by his brothers that they vowed to disinherit him. In 1106 he
captured Robert and held him til he died. He proved to be a hard but just
ruler. He aparently died from over eating Lampreys!Return to Henry I Beauclerc
NSFX King of England Henry II, perhaps the greatest king of
England, ruled a vast Anglo-Norman domain from 1154 to 1189,
founding a structure of government both flexible and well
defined and patronizing toward scholarship and literature. The
son of Geoffrey Plantagenet, count of Anjou, and MATILDA,
daughter of Henry I and briefly queen of England, Henry
was born in France on Mar. 5, 1133. Made duke of
Normandy in 1150, he inherited his father's lands in 1151 and in 1152
married ELEANOR OF AQUITAINE, thus acquiring her large
domain. After several unsuccessful attempts to recover his
mother's throne, Henry invaded England in 1153 and was recognized
as the heir of King STEPHEN, whom he succeeded in 1154.
Henry was a man of high intelligence, practical wisdom, and physical
vigor. His early years as king were occupied with recovering
his royal rights from the barons who had wrested them from
Stephen. Although he could not effectively rule the entire
so-called ANGEVIN empire, Henry created a stable royal
government within England. Under Henry many governmental reforms
were instituted. A new class of professional royal officials
emerged, and new record-keeping practices reflected the
increasing complexity of English society. The king ordered
inquiries into the operations of local government and a survey (1166)
of knight service. During his reign, money payments called
scutage replaced knight service as the principal means of
raising his army, the largest and most highly organized in
Europe since the days of the Roman Empire. Perhaps Henry's
greatest accomplishment was the development of the system of
royal justice and hence of COMMON LAW, which was to become the
basis of the legal systems of most English-speaking peoples.
Common law employed the jury, made the king's legal
initiative (in the form of a writ) available to all free men
for a modest price, and began DUE PROCESS under the law. Henry
was primarily interested in extending royal law at the expense of
feudal jurisdictions and reaping the financial benefits that
accrued. Nonetheless, the ultimate effect of the legal
reforms of this reign was to protect the weak from abuse by
the strong. The most famous episode of Henry's reign was the
king's quarrel with his friend Thomas BECKET, whom he had
made archbishop of Canterbury. Henry had hoped to isolate
his kingdom's church from papal leadership and thereby
subject it to his own. Becket, however, firmly opposed this policy,
often unsupported by his own bishops. His murder (1170) in
Canterbury Cathedral, inadvertently instigated by Henry
himself, caused considerable uproar but little change in
Henry's relations with the church. Henry's final years were
troubled by quarrels with his wife and four sons. They
rebelled against him several times, most notably in 1172-74. When
Henry II died on July 6, 1189, he was succeeded by his second
son, RICHARD I; the latter was succeeded in turn by his
youngest brother, JOHN. Bibliography: Warren, W. L., Henry II
(1973). ABBR G. E. Cokayne's (new revised) Complete peerage V 7
TITL G. E. Cokayne's (new revised) Complete peerage V 736.
ABBR 1992 Grolier Electronic Publishing, Inc. TITL 1992 Grolier
Electronic Publishing, Inc.
Reigned 1154-1189. He ruled an empire that stretched from the Tweed to the
Pyrenees. In spite of frequent hostitilties with the French King his own
family and rebellious Barons (culminating in the great revolt of 1173-74) and
his quarrel with Thomas Becket, Henry maintained control over his possessions
until shortly before his death. His judicial and administrative reforms which
increased Royal control and influence at the expense of the Barons were of
great constitutional importance. Introduced trial by Jury. Duke of NormandyReturn to Henry II Curtmantle
REF RC. Possibly daughter of Hilderic, King of Vandals. If so
the royal Vandals line goes back to Genseric, who conquered
much of Africa about 425-455.
"Royalty for Commoners",
Roderick W. Stuart, 1992, 2nd edition.
This book lists all of the known ancestors of John of Gaunt,
which amounts to most of the Medieval royalty of Europe. Also
see the following article: "A Mediaeval Miscellany:
Commentaries on Roderick W. Stuart's Royalty for Commoners,"
The American Genealogist 69 (April 1994)Return to Hildis