To build your own Itinerary, click to add an item to your Itinerary basket.
Already saved an Itinerary?
You are here: UK History > Royal History > House of Normandy > Henry II | The first Plantagenet
Following the civil war between King Stephen and Empress Matilda, a new royal house was introduced. Welcome to the Plantagenets, a royal family that would shape the course of British history through the War of the Roses.
Born: 5th March 1133, Le Mans, France
Died: 6th July 1189 (aged 56), Chinon Castle, Touraine, France
Reign: 19th December 1154 – 6th July 1189
Parents: Empress Matilda and Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou
Predecessor: Stephen of Blois (cousin)
Successor: Richard I (son)
Spouse: Eleanor of Aquitaine
Children: William IX Count of Poitiers; Henry the Young King; Matilda Duchess of Saxony; Richard I of England; Geoffrey II Duke of Brittany; Eleanor Queen of Castile; Joan Queen of Sicily; John of England. Also Geoffrey, Archbishop of York and William, Earl of Salisbury (illegitimate.)
Royal House: Plantagenet via the House of Normandy
The Plantagenet name comes from Geoffrey Plantagenet, the second husband of Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I. Rather than following Henry's wishes and crowning Matilda, which would give England its first queen, Henry’s nephew, Stephen of Blois, took the throne instead causing years of civil war. Perhaps in a bid to end the war, or maybe because he thought his own sons wouldn’t be up to the task, King Stephen named the Empress Matilda’s oldest son, Henry Plantagenet as his heir, bringing in a whole new era of family feuds and a legacy that has lasted to this day.
Image: Henry II
Henry Plantagenet, also known as Henry Curtmantle and Henry Fitzempress, was born in Le Mans, France on 5th March 1133. He was the eldest child of the Empress Matilda and her second husband, Geoffrey Plantagenet, the Count of Anjou. Matilda was the oldest daughter and only surviving legitimate child of Henry I, so Henry II had a pretty strong claim to the throne.
Henry II spent his time between England and France as a child. From a young age, he was a prominent member of his mother’s court and started to become actively involved in her campaign for the throne at around 14 years old. He started leading his own forces and engaging mercenaries to attack his uncle, King Stephen’s lands. Though you might think that this would make Stephen turn against his nephew, he actually paid off the mercenary forces when Henry couldn’t afford to and allowed them to surrender gracefully, Henry also spent time as a member of the royal household under Stephen, so their relationship was clearly a complex one. Historians still argue to this day why Stephen behaved the way he did towards Henry, but either way, following several skirmishes between the pair, they would eventually sign a treaty which saw Stephen name Henry as his adoptive son and heir.
After Stephen died of a short illness, Henry Plantagenet, along with his wife Eleanor were crowned at Westminster Abbey on 19th December 1154. On his coronation, he became known as Henry II King of England, Count of Anjou and Maine, Duke of Normandy, Count of Nantes and Duke of Aquitaine, so as you can imagine, he was a busy man. It wasn’t an easy mantle to take up from King Stephen either, thanks to years of civil war, the royal treasury was almost empty, there were unauthorised castles popping up all over the place and several of the policies and laws that his grandfather had brought in had been discarded. He certainly had his work cut out when it came to establishing himself and historians consider him to be a ruthless ruler, driven by his desire to restore his grandfather’s ideas. He might not have been popular at the time, but many of his legal changes are considered to have laid the basis for English Common Law which is still in place today. Over the first few years of his reign, he restored the royal administration, lands and privileges of Henry I, re-established hegemony over Wales and regained control of Anjou, Maine and Touraine on the continent. In fact, he travelled widely across his empire and brought in a number of regional governmental reforms, allowing for a more local administration and it is thought that his intervention in places such as Wales, Brittany and Scotland shaped the development of the governmental systems that have lasted to this day.
Aside from his legacy as a legislative king, Henry II is remembered for a couple of other very important historical incidents. Firstly, he is thought to be the first king of England to use a heraldic design, in Henry’s case, it was a signet ring featuring big cats, which went on to form the Royal Arms of England. He has also gone down in history for the controversy surrounding the murder of Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Initially, Thomas Becket and Henry had a good relationship. Henry intended to reform the church and his relationship with the clergy varied considerably across his reign. He was not an especially pious king, unlike many in this time period, but he did provide a steady patronage to the monastic houses and set up religious hospitals in both England and France. However, though he was happy to do this, he didn’t establish many new monasteries, something that didn’t go down well with the rest of Europe. Historians believe that Thomas Becket, who was initially the Chancellor, was appointed as Archbishop because Henry thought that having someone who was close to him and not a church man in such a position would give him more control over the church. This backfired somewhat when Becket took to his new role and abandoned his previous lifestyle, becoming a staunch protector of church rights which led to many disagreements between the pair. At one point, the fighting became so bad, that Becket fled to France where he sought sanctuary with King Louis VII.
During their period of estrangement, Henry was seeking to change the laws of leadership. He desperately wanted one of his sons to rule alongside him, with the pair of them sharing the throne, but in order to do this, he needed the support of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Because Becket refused to speak to the king, Henry asked the Bishop of York to overlook the proceedings instead. The pope saw this as a slight and intervened, which at least got Becket and Henry talking again, but when Becket ex-communicated several prominent members of Henry’s court, an order went out for his arrest.
Four knights made their way to Canterbury to arrest him, but he refused to be threatened in a house of God. So, the knights killed him there instead. Becket’s murder would go on to haunt Henry for the rest of his reign, it caused further tensions internationally, especially when Henry refused to arrest the knights in question. He did promise the pope that he would go on crusade to repent, and though there is some evidence to prove that he did follow the Pilgrim's Way through surrey, there isn't anything to suggest he went on crusade.
Another historic event that Henry was involved in was the ‘cold war’ with France. Henry II and his French counterpart, Louis VII had an interesting relationship to say the least. Throughout both their reigns and the reigns of their sons, they constantly threatened outright war on each other and swapped alliances so often that it can be hard to tell if they ever did truly support each other. Whether their tempestuous relationship was caused by Henry owning territory that Louis believed was rightfully his or the fact that Henry married Louis’ ex wife is largely up for debate. Eleanor of Aquitaine had initially married Louis VII, but the marriage was annulled. She went on to marry Henry II, making him the Count of Aquitaine along with his other titles. Together the pair had 8 children, five sons and three daughters. Out of their five sons, three of them would have the throne at various points and one of them became very famous indeed.
Their oldest was known as Young Henry and for a time, King Henry wanted Young Henry to be his co-ruler, which led to much of the difficulty between the church and the crown. Louis and his son, Philip, in France saw tthe obvious favourtism of Young Henry as a way to encourage tension between King Henry's other children. Young Henry ended up being killed during a revolt in 1183 and by 1189, there were only two sons left: Richard and John, who continued to argue over the throne. Richard was worried that Henry would name John king instead of him, worries that were enhanced by Philip and Louis, while John, who historians say was the favourite son, was worried that his older brother would inherit. The family was fraught with infighting, with even Eleanor getting involved on behalf of her children at various points. Eventually, Richard joined forces with Philip in France to defeat Henry while he was travelling around his French lands.
Henry’s final years saw him becoming increasingly more concerned with the matter of succession. John was thought to be the favourite son (after Young Henry) but with constant interference from France and Richard and John fighting between themselves, it was never going to be an easy choice. After Young Henry’s untimely death, Richard demanded that their father name him heir as he was next in age, but Henry was reluctant to do so. In retaliation, Richard headed to France to get Philip’s support and stage a coup, perhaps knowing that his sick father wouldn’t be able to put up much of a fight. The three met together on the continent to discuss matters and Henry, who was too weak to even dismount from his horse, agreed to name Richard as heir and abdicate. He headed to one of his nearby homes to recuperate, but on arrival, heard that his favourite son John had publicly humiliated him by siding with Richard and Philip, something that devastated him to the point where he lost consciousness. Henry came to long enough to make confession before dying at the age of 56 on 6th July 1189. As a final insult, he couldn’t even be buried where he wanted, as the weather was too bad to transport him. His final resting place ended up being at Fontrevraud Abbey in France.
All in all, Henry II’s reign was a busy one. From family fighting to being accused of organising the murder of an archbishop and narrowly avoiding an all out war with France, there was a lot going on. He firmly set the Plantagenet name into English history and set in stone many of the common laws that are in place today. Plus, he is the father of perhaps one of England’s most celebrated kings, Richard the Lionheart. Sadly, much of his empire and the restorations he brought in collapsed once King John ascended.
Bermondsey Square, London
The ruins of Bermondsey Abbey can be found here, Henry celebrated Christmas there in 1154 and at least one of his children was born there.
Bowes Castle, County Durham
The remains of the castle can still be seen, the castle was built for Henry in 1171
Canterbury Cathedral, Canterbury
There is a shrine to Thomas Becket located there.
Devizes Castle, Wiltshire
Henry used the castle as a base, while fighting for his mother's right to the throne.
Museum of London
You can see depictions of the murder of Thomas Beckett here.
Orford Castle, Suffolk
There were no royal castles in Suffolk when Henry became King, so he built this one.
The Pilgrim's Way, Surrey
This series of paths show the routes pilgrims took as they journeyed from London to Canterbury. Henry II is said to have followed on of those routes during his atonement for the killing of Thomas Beckett.
Salisbury Cathedral, Salisbury
Henry's illegitimate son, William Longspree is buried here. Not only is he believed to have been the first person to be buried at the site, but he also brought the Magna Carta to Salisbury.
Scarborough Castle
Henry II had this castle built
Westenhanger Castle and Barn, Kent
Rosamund’s Tower at the castle is believed to be where Henry and his mistress Rosamund de Clifford met.
© Visit Heritage 2025. All Rights Reserved