King Henry II

     King Henry II was born on 5 March 1133 at Le Mans, Maine, France.¹ He was the son of Geoffrey V of Anjou and Matilda (Maud), Princess of England. King Henry II married Eleanore of Aquitaine, daughter of William X of Aquitaine and Aenor of Châtellerault, on 11 May 1152 at Bordeaux, Gironde, France; Henry and Eleanor had eight children, three becoming King.¹ King Henry II died on 6 July 1189 at Chinon Castle, Chinon, Indre-Et-Loire, France, at age 56.¹ He was buried at Fontevrault Castle, Fontevrault, Maine-et-Loire, France.
     He succeeded King Stephen (c. 1097–1154). He curbed the power of the barons, but his attempt to bring the church courts under control was abandoned after the murder of Thomas à Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1170. The English conquest of Ireland began during Henry's reign. On several occasions his sons rebelled, notably 1173–74. Henry was succeeded by his son Richard (I) the Lionheart.

Henry was lord of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, and Count of Anjou, Brittany, Poitou, Normandy, Maine, and Gascony. He claimed Aquitaine through marriage to the heiress Eleanor in 1152. Henry's many French possessions caused him to live for more than half his reign outside England. This made it essential for him to establish a judicial and administrative system which would work during his absence. His chancellor and friend, Becket, was persuaded to become archbishop of Canterbury in 1162 in the hope that he would help the king curb the power of the ecclesiastical courts. However, once consecrated, Becket felt bound to defend church privileges, and he was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral 1170 by four knights of the king's household.

In 1171 Henry invaded Ireland and received homage from the King of Leinster. In 1174 his three sons Henry, Richard and Geoffrey led an unsuccessful rebellion against their father.²