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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 45 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Henry II
Geoffrey of Anjou. Geoffrey of Anjou is the accepted father of Henry II. He wore a sprig of the Planta Genesta, a yellow gorse plant, in his helmet. It was from this plant that the name Plantagenet arose. William Clito was the son of Robert, Duke of Normandy, whose place on the English throne was taken by Henry I. Henry I was Henry II's grandfather. Stephen of Blois was the nephew of Henry I and was Henry's mother's rival for the throne of England. There are some grounds for the belief that Stephen was in fact Henry's father. Matilda, Henry's mother, was estranged from her husband Geoffrey and was in England in 1132. She hastily returned to France and reconciled with Geoffrey. Henry was born in 1133. In his will, Geoffrey left all his estates to his second son, Geoffrey, in the event that Henry became king of England. Henry did not honour that bequest.
Empress Matilda. The Empress Matilda was the widow of Holy Roman Emperor, Henry V. After the drowning of her brother William she returned to England and was proclaimed heiress to the throne. She did not marry Geoffrey willingly since she felt that it was beneath her to take a mere count as her second husband. Her father, Henry I, was successful in convincing her but the marriage had its difficulties. Matilda of Flanders was the wife of William I and Henry II's great grandmother. Matilda of Boulogne was the wife of Stephen of Blois, Matilda's rival for the English throne. Matilda of Scotland was Henry II's paternal grandmother.
Eleanor of Aquitaine. Eleanor of Aquitaine was a great heiress bringing with her almost all of southern France. Her first husband was Louis VII with whom she went on Crusade. She and Louis had two daughters. Her marriage to Louis was dissolved in Beaugency on March 18, 1152 and shortly after, on May 1, 1152, she married Henry II. Eleanor of Castile was the wife of Edward I. Eleanor of Provence was married to Henry III. Eleanor of Richmond was Henry II's granddaughter. King John held her in captivity due to her superior claim to the throne.
8. Henry II and Eleanor had five sons and three daughters only one of whom, their first born son, died in infancy. Henry also had at least 12 illegitimate children by five or more women.
| In an effort to govern his extensive empire, Henry envisaged a plan whereby his sons would act as viceroys of various parts of his empire while he would retain overall control. His plan, however, failed to take into account the fact that his sons came to believe that their positions should carry with them authority rather than just a title. Which of his sons did he have created king of England? | Henry II Part I
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Henry. Henry II had his eldest surviving son, Henry, crowned king of England. Due to his dispute with Becket who was Archbishop of Canterbury, the crowning was done by the Archbishop of York - which fact further alienated Becket. Henry, (the young king) married Margaret, the daughter of Louis VII of France. They had one child, William, who died in infancy.
| English kings often were given nicknames. What nickname was applied to Henry II? | Henry II Part I
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Curtmantle. Henry appeared at his coronation dressed in a doublet and short Angevin cloak and hence earned his nickname Curtmantle. Beauclerk was the nickname given to his grandfather Henry I. Henry V was known as Henry of Monmouth. Longshanks was the nickname given to Edward I due to his great height.
| One of the first tasks facing Henry was to take from the barons the virtual dictatorial powers they had assumed during the lawless years of the civil war between Matilda and Stephen. What action(s) did Henry take to accomplish this? | Henry II Part I
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all of these (sending home Stephen's mercenary soldiers, the demolition of unlicensed castles, appointing new sheriffs to administer justice and collect taxes). The civil war was one of unprecedented destruction. The common people had suffered from the raiding armies of both Matilda and Stephen. Justice had suffered, strongholds for local war lords had been built and foreign soldiers employed by Stephen remained in England. In the early years of the reign practically all of the 1100 unlicensed castles were torn down.
| Nicholas Brakespeare was the only Englishman ever elected pope. He assumed that office in 1154, the same year as Henry II was crowned. What papal name did he take? | Henry II Part I
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Adrian IV. Nicholas Brakespeare came to the attention of Pope Eugenius III and was sent on a delicate diplomatic mission to Scandanavia to resolve a dispute with respect to the creation of additonal bishoprics in the area. He was elected unanimously to the papacy after the death of Pope Anastasius IV. He was a strong pope but, due to the brevity of his reign, a forgotten one. Adrian VI was from Utrech, Holland. Elected to the papacy in 1522 he was the last non-Italian pope until the election of John Paul II in 1978. Pope Innocent III was the pope that placed England under an interdict during the reign of King John.
| Thomas Becket's first diplomatic task was a mission from Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury to Pope Eugenius III. What was the purpose of that mission? | Henry II Part I
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persuade the pope to refrain from accepting Eustace as Stephen's heir. Stephen exerted every effort to have the pope recognize his son Eustace as his successor. Becket was dispatched to convince the pope that to do so would continue the divisions that existed in England. He was also to portray Henry as a man with the potential of being a good king, while Eustace did not have the same potential. The result of this mission was that the Angevin succession had quiet papal support.
| Another aspect of Becket's diplomatic skills was the negotiation of the marriage of Henry's eldest son to the daughter of the King of France, Louis VII and Constance of Castile. Who was the daughter? | Henry II Part I
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Margaret. Margaret was only seven at the time of her betrothal and she was sent to England to be brought up with her husband only slightly older. She and Henry were placed in the chancellery with Becket as tutor to them both. Alice, the daughter of Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine was married to Theobald V, count of Blois. Mary, another of Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine's daughters was married to Henry, count of Champagne. Adela, daughter of Louis VII and Constance of Castile was betrothed to Richard the Lionhearted. Rumour had it that Henry II took her as a mistress and when Richard came to the throne, he returned her to her father. She was later married to Count William III of Ponthieu.
| When Henry came to the throne one of the things he did was reform the currency which had been debased. At that time, what denominations of currency were in use? | Henry II Part II
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only the penny. Henry recalled all the old currency and issued new pennies to replace those which had been debased in previous reigns. Although records indicate pounds, marks and shillings, they existed only as "coins of account" ie paper entities. The first pound was issued in 1487 and was called a sovereign due to the depiction of the enthroned king with crown, orb and sceptre. The first shilling was minted in 1504. The mark, equal to 100 pennies, was never minted.
| As part of his imperial concept, Henry had his eldest surviving son (also Henry) crowned as king of England. What title was given to his next son Richard? | Henry II Part II
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Duke of Aquitaine. Henry, the young king, received Normandy and Anjou as well as England. Richard, the favourite of his mother Eleanor, was made Duke of Aquitaine. Henry deposed Conrad Duke of Brittany for his failure to control his vassals. He then had Conrad's daughter, Constance, betrothed to his son, Geoffrey, with Brittany as her dowry. John was made Lord of Ireland - even more symbolic than the others since at that time England did not control Ireland. Henry, although seemingly devolving authority upon his sons, in fact retained control himself with his sons as figureheads.
| During the Norman and Plantagenet eras, what city was the capital of the Duchy of Normandy? | Henry II Part II
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Rouen. Rouen was the capital of the duchy. It was in Rouen that Joan of Arc was tried and burned. Geoffrey of Anjou and his wife Matilda are buried in the cathedral there. Caen is the burial place of William the Conqueror and his wife, Matilda of Flanders. Falais was the birthplace of William the Conqueror and Le Mans was the birthplace of Henry II.
| According to legend, Henry II had his most well known mistress Rosamonde Clifford secreted in a bower in a maze near which of his palaces? | Henry II Part II
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Woodstock. The legend of the fair Rosamonde usually ends with Rosamonde being poisoned by the jealous queen Eleanor. The whole relationship between Henry and Rosamonde is cloudy. Costain in "The Conquering Family" (a very readable history) states that Henry met Rosamonde prior to his marriage to Eleanor - during the civil war between the Empress Matilda and Stephen. They had a child named William. Henry returned to France while Rosamonde remained in England. When Henry returned to England after his marriage to Eleanor, he resumed a relationship with Rosamonde and another child, Geoffrey, was born. Soon after Henry's crowning, Rosamonde retired to the convent of Godstow where she remained until her death some 20 years later. Henry liberally endowed Godstow, gave lands to William and Geoffrey was raised at court, made bishop of Lincoln but did not take holy orders. When in 1181 the pope demanded that Geoffrey take holy orders he resigned as bishop and was appointed chancellor, a post he retained until the death of Henry II. Other historians say that the relationship with Rosamonde only commenced after Henry had imprisoned Eleanor following the first rebellion of his sons and that his two acknowledged illegitimate sons were not Rosamonde's children.
| Why was Henry II angered at the final resolution of the court case of Philip de Brois? | Henry II Part II
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it showed the leniency of clerical courts. Philip de Brois held a clerical office and was of Norman descent. He killed a man whose daughter he had raped. The local sheriff took him into custody; however the church intervened and took him into clerical custody. Henry attempted to be moderate and an agreement was made to hear the case in a clerical court, with a jury made up in equal parts of churchmen and laymen. The verdict deprived Philip of the revenues of his clerical office for two years, and he was flogged naked by the sheriff. Henry felt that the sentence in no way reflected the severity of the offences and determined to ensure that all criminal cases be tried in civil courts.
| As a result of Becket's refusal to accept the Constitutions of Clarendon, Henry began to put pressure on Becket on matters arising from his term as chancellor. As a result of this pressure, Becket fled to France. Where was his refuge in France? | Henry II Part II
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the Cistercian monastery at Pontigny. Becket's exile lasted for more than seven years. He was given refuge initially at the Cistercian monastery at Pontigny. Henry then exerted pressure on the monks by threatening the English Cistercians with confiscation of their lands if their Pontigny brothers continued to harbour Becket. Becket then fled to Sens to live in proximity with Pope Alexander III - much to the pope's discomfort. William I was buried in the Abbaye aux Hommes at Caen. Both Cluny and Clairvaux were important abbeys in France but did not host Becket.
| Of the four knights who left Henry's court and set off for England to dispatch Thomas, one had served under Thomas's banner. Which was he? | Henry II Part II
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Reginald Fitzurse. Reginald de Fitzurse was part of Thomas's retinue at the Battle of Toulouse when Thomas, as chancellor, fielded a force of his own to support Henry's battle against Louis VII to support the claim of Eleanor and Henry to the overlordship of Toulouse.
| Although the brunt of the blow was taken on the arm by Grim, a monk of Canterbury, who struck the first blow against Becket? | Henry II Part II
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William de Tracey. Although the first blow shattered Grim's arm, the point of the blade did strike the scalp of Becket and he began to bleed. A second blow, also by de Tracey was followed by blows from the others. The last words of Becket were reported to be "I am prepared to die for Christ and for His Church."
| There have been two remarkable films dealing with Henry II and his life. The first was entitled "Becket" and the second "The Lion in Winter". Who played Becket in the first of the movies? | Henry II Part II
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Richard Burton . Both films, although they do take some limited dramatic license with the facts, are a good depiction of the time and events.
Stay tuned for Henry II Part III.
| During Henry's reign, he was often in conflict with his wife's first husband, the king of France. Who was this king? | Henry II Part III
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Louis VII. Louis VII (aka the Young) and Eleanor of Aquitaine were married for fifteen years and had two daughters - Mary and Alice. Their marriage was annulled on the basis of consanguinity after a church council at Beaugency. Philip II (aka Philip Augustus) was the son of Louis VII by his third wife Adela of Champagne. Louis VI (aka Louis the Fat) was the father of Louis VII. Louis VIII (aka the Lion) was the son of Philip II.
| Resolution of disputes often resulted in the need for face to face meetings between the English and French sovereigns. Where was the usual meeting place for such conferences? | Henry II Part III
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under an elm tree in Gisors. Gisors was located in an area known as the Vexin. The Vexin was a buffer state between the English possessions and the territory directly under the control of the French king. It was part of the dowry of Margaret, wife of Henry, the Young King. When the young king died, Henry refused to return the Vexin to France. Fort St George in Chinon was an English stronghold and therefore unacceptable to the French for security reasons. Rouen and Paris were also strongholds, one English (Rouen) and one French (Paris) and were likewise unacceptable. The last conference at Gisors was held in 1188. After three days of fruitless discussions, Philip II had the tree cut down. Although most authorities indicate that the tree was a great elm tree, Thomas B. Costain in "The Conquering Family" says it was an oak tree.
| In 1173 Henry II had to face a rebellion led by his sons, who were aided by Louis VII. Which of his sons were involved in this rebellion? | Henry II Part III
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Henry, Richard and Geoffrey. The revolt lasted until 1174, at which time a truce was reached between Henry and his sons. In this rebellion the barony of England, used to the freedom of action that the Matilda and Stephen conflict had allowed them, began chaffing at the bit of Henry's control and joined in.
she was imprisoned at Winchester. Although from time to time she was released for particular reasons, for the next sixteen years Eleanor was confined, sometimes more strictly than others, at Winchester. Henry did make overtures to the pope for a dissolution of the marriage, but nothing came of these approaches.
| Henry's sons did not always fight against their father. Sometimes they fought amongst themselves. In 1183 this brother died while helping the Aquitanian rebels against his brother Richard. Which brother was it? | Henry II Part III
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Henry, the young king. In addition to assisting the rebels, the brothers raided monasteries in the region. John took no part in the quarrel while brother William died in infancy. Arthur was Geoffrey's son and was not born until after Geoffrey had died.
He died of dysentery. Henry contracted dysentery in Martel France. He and his brother Geoffrey had joined forces with rebels in Aquitaine against their brother Richard and their father Henry. The young king asked his father to visit him on his deathbed, but Henry II felt that the illness was a ruse in order to trap him and refused to visit his son. Young Henry's sins weighed heavily and he rambled about the need for forgiveness and repentance. Nearing the end, he asked for a bed of cinders and lay on it clad in a crusader's cloak with a noose around his neck, expiring shortly thereafter.
| Henry II outlived three of his sons, William, Henry and Geoffrey. Geoffrey died in 1186. What was the cause of his death? | Henry II Part III
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He was trampled to death in a tournament.. Although Geoffrey, like his brothers, fought against his father, his death was accidental. He left a daughter, Eleanor the Fair Maid of Brittany and Arthur who was born posthumously. His wife Constance was in fact the Duchess of Brittany with her husband, Geoffrey, being its duke by marriage although, in accordance with the time, he exercised authority. Upon his death, Constance took over rule until she abdicated in favour of her son, Arthur, in 1196.
| Louis VII was succeeded by his son Philip Augustus. Like Henry II, he had his heir crowned while he was still alive. Before the date set for the coronation, November 1, 1179, something occurred which rendered Louis unable to take an active part in government. What happened to Louis? | Henry II Part III
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He was paralysed by a stroke.. Just before the date scheduled for his coronation, Philip Augustus, aged fifteen, caught a chill while hunting which developed into a dangerous fever. Louis VII travelled to England to pray at the shrine of Thomas Becket for his son's recovery. He was joined in these prayers by Henry II. Philip recovered and the new date set. Prior to the coronation, however, Louis suffered a stroke which paralysed him and rendered any participation in government impossible. Philip therefore, at 19 became the effective ruler of France.
| At the coronation of Philip Augustus, who held the crown above Philip's head during the coronation ceremony? | Henry II Part III
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Henry, the young king, son of Henry II. Henry the young king, Richard and Geoffrey all attended the coronation ceremony. As a king, Henry the young king, held the crown over the head of Philip Augusutus. Bertrand de Got, as pope Clement V removed the papal seat to Avignon beginning the so-called Babylonian captivity.
| In 1189 Henry II and Philip Augustus reached yet another peace settlement. Henry again had faced rebellion from his sons aided by Philip, and this time Henry's cause was less than successful; indeed he had to flee from his birthplace, Le Mans, which was burned. As part of the terms of the settlement, Henry II obtained a list of the rebels. Why was this significant? | Henry II Part III
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His favourite son John had joined the rebellion against him.. Although only 56 at the time, Henry was ailing. At the conference, Philip and his son Richard achieved virtually all of their demands. Henry, however, was successful in getting a list of the English subjects who had supported Richard. The inclusion of his favourite son was the final straw - Henry died a few days later. William the Marshal was one of the finest knights in Europe. He was at Henry's deathbed.
Fontevrault. Henry died at Chinon and was buried at nearby Fontevrault Abbey. This abbey also houses the bodies of his son Richard (the Lionheart), his wife Eleanor and his daughter-in-law Isabella of Angloueme. During the French Revolution, the abbey served as a prison.
| There have been two excellent films dealing Henry II and his life and times. The first was "Becket" and dealt primarily with the conflict between church and state. The second, "The Lion in Winter" dealt with Henry in his old age. The same actor played Henry II in both films. Who was he? | Henry II Part III
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Peter O'Toole. Peter O'Toole was nominated for a best actor Academy Award for both "Becket" and "Lion in Winter".
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