The Dynasty which ruled England from 1154 to 1485 includes the Angevin kings (Henry II to Richard II), the Lancastrian kings (Henry IV, V, and VII and the Yorkist kings Edward IV,V, and Richard III). The name "Plantagenet" was originally the nickname of Count Geoffrey of Anjou (1113-1151) who wore a spray of bloom (in French "Plante genet") in his cap while hunting.
Geoffrey married the widow Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England and their son Henry II became England's king at the death of King Stephen in 1154.
Two of the sons of Henry II and his queen, the fiery Eleanor of Aquitaine, succeeded him in turn.
The elder, Richard I, (1189-1199) was a poet and the musician as well as king. Richard was known as the "The Lion Heart." The younger brother was John. (1199-1216)
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Henry II King of England (A grandfather) (Dennett Side)
Henry II, King of England, was born at LeMans, Normandy, March 5, 1133. The son of Count Geoffrey Plantagent of Anjou and Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England.
He was to young to play any part in his mother's unsuccessful war with her cousin Stephen for the English crown.
In 1150, Henry became Duke of Normandy and, on his father's death in 1151, Count of Anjou.
In 1152, he married Eleanor of Aquitaine and so acquired the duchy of Aquitaine.
When Henry became King of England, at Stephen's death in 1154, he ruled over one of the most extensive realms in western Europe, and in 1171 he was accepted as Lord of Ireland.
The early years of his reign he spent in bringing order out of the chaos of Stephen's misrule, in re-establishing the royal power, and in recovering the northern English countries from the Scots.
Henry's later years were largely taken up with the squabbles of his four sons, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey and John, over power in France.
His greatest achievement were the drawing up of laws and the organizing of courts to administer them; by this means he reduced the power of the barons and kept stern and efficient order.
Possessed of amazing vigor, of a violent temper not always under control, of a passion for hunting, and of a real love for learning, he gave England peace and more justice than the country had previously known.
Broken by the attacks of his sons, he died on July 6, 1189, at Chinon, France.
He was to young to play any part in his mother's unsuccessful war with her cousin Stephen for the English crown.
In 1150, Henry became Duke of Normandy and, on his father's death in 1151, Count of Anjou.
In 1152, he married Eleanor of Aquitaine and so acquired the duchy of Aquitaine.
When Henry became King of England, at Stephen's death in 1154, he ruled over one of the most extensive realms in western Europe, and in 1171 he was accepted as Lord of Ireland.
The early years of his reign he spent in bringing order out of the chaos of Stephen's misrule, in re-establishing the royal power, and in recovering the northern English countries from the Scots.
Henry's later years were largely taken up with the squabbles of his four sons, Henry, Richard, Geoffrey and John, over power in France.
His greatest achievement were the drawing up of laws and the organizing of courts to administer them; by this means he reduced the power of the barons and kept stern and efficient order.
Possessed of amazing vigor, of a violent temper not always under control, of a passion for hunting, and of a real love for learning, he gave England peace and more justice than the country had previously known.
Broken by the attacks of his sons, he died on July 6, 1189, at Chinon, France.
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