Claim to the English throne
Matilda, Henry's mother, was heir to the English throne as she was the eldest daughter of Henry I, King of England. But Matilda's cousin Stephen had claimed the throne with some backing from the English Barons who were opposed to a female ruler. Matilda's attempts to reclaim the throne led to a damaging civil war in England but Matilda and Henry were victorious and in Stephen was forced to recognise Henry as heir to the throne. On Stephen's death in Henry became King of England as Henry II. Henry's empire now str
Biography
The future King Henry II was born the eldest child of Geoffrey Plantagenet, son and heir to the Count of Anjou, and his wife, Princess Matilda, widow of Holy Roman Emperor Henry V and the only surviving legitimate offspring (and therefore the official heir) of King Henry I of England. Due to his parentage, Henry was set to inherit a vast amount of territory. He was the ultimate heir to the counties of Maine, Anjou and Touraine (through his father) and the duchy of Normandy and the kingdom of England (through his mother). Unfortunately, when Henry I died in December , the claims of Matilda were brushed aside in favor of her cousin, Stephen of Blois, who was subsequently crowned and anointed King of England just weeks after the old king’s death.
Stephen was a grandson of King William the Conqueror, through the latter’s daughter Adela, and was therefore a nephew of King Henry I. The Anglo-Norman barons had no interest in being ruled by a woman (and a presumptive and arrogant one at that) and jumped at the opportunity to put Stephen on the throne, despite their earlier oaths to Henry I that they would recognize his daughter as their rightful sovereign. Another facto
Henry II
Henry II or Henry Curtmantle was King of England during middle to late 12th Century. He was also Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Lord of Ireland and Count of Nantes. He briefly ruled Scotland, Brittany and Wales as well. He belonged to the House of Plantagenet. Henry II was an energetic man who was obsessed with the idea of taking back the territories once ruled by his maternal grandfather Henry I.
He is remembered for tremendously increasing his Anglo-French domain and strengthening Royal control over these territories. In doing so he resorted to incredible violence and brute force at times. Henry II squabbled with Thomas Beckett, Archbishop of Canterbury to assert control over administration of his kingdom and reform relationship with church. His later life was marred by power struggle against his sons and wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine.
This in-house strife brought his downfall. However, he left lasting influences on the future of England and is widely considered one of the most important rulers of the country’s long recorded history.
Early Life: Henry II was born on March 5, in Le Mans, France. His father, Geoffrey the Fa
Henry II (5 March – 6 July ). King of England (–) Henry II achieved some significant accomplishments in his time asking. He helped end the infighting which had plagued the country during the reign of Stephen and re-established the central control that his grandfather Henry I had established. He also laid a framework for common law and the right for citizens to be tried in courts &#; the forerunner of our modern criminal justice system. He is often best remembered for his dispute with Thomas a Becket &#; a former friend, who on becoming Archbishop of Canterbury refused many of Henry&#;s wishes to strengthen the power of the state over the church. After expressing his frustration, knights loyal to Henry II murdered Thomas a Becket in Canterbury Cathedral. It was an event that shocked Europe and was a definining part of his reign.
Henry II was born in France and was the father of Geoffrey Plantagenet, the grandson of Henry I, and the great-grandson of William the Conqueror. In he became the Duke of Normandy. In , he married Eleanor of Aquitaine who was the heir to lands in Aquitaine, France. Eleanor was recently divorced from King Louis VII of France, and this led to a long riv
Biographies you may also like
Zahiruddin muhammad babur biography of donald Babur was the founder of the Mughal Empire in India. His original name was Zahiruddin Muhammad. He was related to Timur from his father's side and to Chengiz Khan through his Missing: donald.
Charles donald fegert biography channel Read the full biography of Charles Donald Fegert, including facts, birthday, life story, profession, family and g: biography channel.
Biography rachel field Rachel Lyman Field (September 19, – March 15, ) was an American novelist, poet, and children's fiction writer. She is best known for the Newbery Award–winning Hitty, Her First .
Biography book report form free These fun, free printable book report template pages are perfect for older kids in 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, and 6th grade students. Being no-prep, these book report forms Missing: biography.
John mayer biography imdb pro John Clayton Mayer is an American guitarist, singer-songwriter, and producer. Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, and raised in Fairfield, he attended Berklee College of Music in Boston. He Missing: imdb pro.
Tamasaburo bando biography of michael Bandō Tamasaburō V is a Kabuki actor, and the most popular and celebrated onnagata currently on stage. He has also acted in a handful of films. Born in , Shin"ichi Morita was adopted Missing: michael.
Wordpress show author biography for book Plugin that shows the author's biography in the foot of the posts. Add WP Author Profile Widget with easy way. Provides the [author_bio] shortcode for embedding the bio of an author .
Keddy sutton biography books Dr. Paul Keddy has been a professor of ecology for 30 years, and has published over scholarly papers and six books. He has been designated a Highly Cited Researcher .