Top 10 Surprising Facts about King Henry II

Portrait of Henry II – Wikimedia Commons

Top 10 Surprising Facts about King Henry II

Henry II also known as Henry Curtmantle Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189. He was the first king of the House of Plantagenet. King Louis VII of France made him Duke of Normandy in 1150. Henry became Count of Anjou and Maine upon the death of his father, Count Geoffrey V, in 1151.

Early in his reign, Henry obtained from Malcolm IV of Scotland homage and the restoration of Northumberland, Cumberland, and Westmorland, and later in the reign (1174) homage was exacted from William the Lion, Malcolm’s brother, and successor. In 1157 Henry invaded Wales and received homage, though without conquest.  

His career may be considered in three aspects: the defense and enlargement of his dominions, the involvement in two lengthy and disastrous personal quarrels, and his lasting administrative and judicial reforms. Let’s look at the top 10 surprising facts about King Henry II

1. Henry became actively involved by the age of 14 to claim the throne of England

This was in line with the efforts of his mother Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England, to claim the throne of England, then occupied by Stephen of Blois. Stephen agreed to a peace treaty after Henry’s military expedition to England in 1153, and Henry inherited the kingdom after Stephen’s death a year later.

Henry was an energetic and ruthless ruler, driven by a desire to restore the lands and privileges of his grandfather Henry I. During the early years of his reign the younger Henry restored the royal administration in England, re-established hegemony over Wales, and gained full control over his lands in Anjou, Maine, and Touraine. 

2. Henry’s desire to reform the relationship with the Church led to conflict with the Archbishop of Canterbury

King Henry II – Wikimedia Commons

The Church of England is the established state church in England, whose supreme governor is the monarch. Other Christian traditions in England include Roman Catholicism, Methodism, and Baptists. Henry’s efforts of reconciliation led to conflict with his former friend Thomas Becket.

This controversy lasted for much of the 1160s and resulted in Becket’s murder in 1170. Henry soon came into conflict with Louis VII, and the two rulers fought what has been termed a “cold war” over several decades. Henry expanded his empire at Louis’s expense, taking Brittany and pushing east into central France and south into Toulouse; despite numerous peace conferences and treaties, no lasting agreement was reached. 

3. Henry invested heavily in the construction of prestigious new royal buildings

Henry presented himself as the legitimate heir to Henry I and commenced rebuilding the kingdom in his image. Although Stephen had tried to continue Henry I’s method of government during his reign, the younger Henry’s new government characterized those nineteen years as a chaotic and troubled period, with all these problems resulting from Stephen’s usurpation of the throne.

Henry was also careful to show that, unlike his mother the Empress, he would listen to the advice and counsel of others. Various measures were immediately carried out although, since Henry spent six and a half years out of the first eight years of his reign in France, much work had to be done at a distance. The process of demolishing the unauthorized castles from the war continued. Efforts were made to restore the system of royal justice and the royal finances.

4. Henry understood a wide range of languages

Henry II of England by David Cole – Wikimedia Commons

Henry was said to have understood a wide range of languages, including English, but spoke only Latin and French. In his youth Henry enjoyed warfare, hunting, and other adventurous pursuits; as the years went by he put increasing energy into judicial and administrative affairs and became more cautious, but throughout his life, he was energetic and frequently impulsive.

Despite his surges of anger, he was not normally fiery or overbearing; he was witty in conversation and eloquent in an argument with an intellectually bent mind and an astonishing memory who much preferred the solitude of hunting or retiring to his chamber with a book than the entertainments of tournaments.

5. Henry was the first king of England to use a heraldic design

Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display, and study of armorial bearings also known as armory. ​​Armory, the best-known branch of heraldry, concerns the design and transmission of heraldic achievement. The achievement usually includes a coat of arms on a shield, helmet, and crests, together with any accompanying devices, such as supporters, badges, heraldic banners, and mottoes.

Henry was the first king of England to use a heraldic design: a signet ring with either a leopard or a lion engraved on it. The design would be altered in later generations to form the Royal Arms of England.

6. Henry’s son was named his father’s co-ruler rather than a stand-alone king

Kings of England: Henry II and his eldest son Henry the Younger by Matthew paris – Wikimedia Commons

Henry and Eleanor had eight children, three daughters, and five sons. Three of his sons would be king, though Henry the Young King was named his father’s co-ruler rather than a stand-alone king.

As the sons grew up, tensions over the future inheritance of the empire began to emerge, encouraged by Louis and his son King Philip II. In 1173 Henry’s heir apparent, “Young Henry”, rebelled in protest.

The Great Revolt was only defeated by Henry’s vigorous military action and talented local commanders, many of them “new men” appointed for their loyalty and administrative skills. Young Henry and Geoffrey revolted again in 1183, resulting in Young Henry’s death

7. Henry had a problematic relationship with Louis VII of France 

The two men had already clashed over Henry’s succession to Normandy and the remarriage of Eleanor, throughout the 1150s. Louis invariably attempted to take the moral high ground in respect to Henry, capitalizing on his reputation as a crusader and circulating rumors about his rival’s behavior and character.

The disputes between the two drew in other powers across the region, including Thierry, Count of Flanders, who signed a military alliance with Henry. The resulting military tensions and the frequent face-to-face meetings to attempt to resolve them have led historian Jean Dunbabin to liken the situation to the period of the Cold War in Europe in the 20th century.

8. Henry controlled more of France than any ruler during his time

King Henry II Kissing the knee of the Popes Legate coming into England by John Foxe – Wikimedia Commons

All these lands, combined with his possessions in England, Wales, Scotland, and much of Ireland, produced a vast domain often referred to by historians as the Angevin Empire. 

The empire lacked a coherent structure or central control; instead, it consisted of a loose, flexible network of family connections and lands. Different local customs applied within each of Henry’s different territories, although common principles underpinned some of these local variations.

9. Henry’s wealth allowed him to maintain the largest royal court, in Europe

His court attracted huge attention from contemporary chroniclers and typically comprised several major nobles and bishops, along with knights, domestic servants, prostitutes, clerks, horses, and hunting dogs.

Within the court were his officials, ministerial, his friends, amici, and the familiares Regis, the King’s informal inner circle of confidants and trusted servants. Henry’s familiares were particularly important to the operation of his household and government, driving government initiatives and filling the gaps between the official structures and the King.

10. Henry’s reign saw significant legal changes, particularly in England and Normandy

By the middle of the 12th century, England had many different ecclesiastical and civil law courts, with overlapping jurisdictions resulting from the interaction of diverse legal traditions.

Henry greatly expanded the role of royal justice in England, producing a more coherent legal system, summarised at the end of his reign in the treatise of Glanvill, an early legal handbook.