Great Seal ofKing Henry II of England (reigned 1154 – 1189).Henry II wasthe son of Empress Matilda a

Great Seal ofKing Henry II of England (reigned 1154 – 1189).Henry II wasthe son of Empress Matilda and Geoffrey Plantagenet, the Count ofAnjou.  This made him the first Plantagenet king.Stephen’s reignhad been disastrous for England, and Henry set about restoring peaceto the country.  The illegal castles built by unruly barons were torndown.  He had incredible energy, constantly moving around with hiscourt, and he preferred to administer justice in person.  However, hespent most of his reign on the continent, so he created a system thatcould function in his absence, including Anglo-Saxon elements withinint.  During his reign, the English common law began to emerge.Henry appointedhis friend Thomas à Becket, son of a prosperous London merchant, ashis Chancellor (chief minister).  Then, because he wanted morecontrol over the Church’s judicial system (which was very lenient),he had him appointed Archbishop of Canterbury.  The pope resistedthis change, and so did Becket himself, but Henry would not backdown.Becket wasenthroned as Archbishop in June 1162, and promptly switched to beinga staunch defender of the Church, which was not what Henry had had inmind.  The king the next eight years trying to bring him undercontrol, and he spent six of those years in exile in variousBurgundian abbeys.  The two men worked out a cautious peace in 1170,and Becket returned to Canterbury – and to his old defiant ways.At Christmas,Henry II was in Normandy.  Three bishops arrived to complain aboutBecket, who had excommunicated them for taking part in a symboliccoronation ceremony of Henry’s eldest son.  Henry became furious, andapparently cried out, “Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?” The bishops took him at his word, and left to deal with them.  WhenHenry realized where they’d gone, he sent messengers to send themback, but it was too late.  The bishops had murdered Becket inCanterbury Cathedral.All of Europewas horrified.  Henry himself did penance, having himself whipped atBecket’s tomb.  Becket was England’s greatest saint and martyr forthe next 350 years, until Henry VIII had his shrine destroyed.Henry IIsubdued every rival in his lifetime (including a large part ofIreland), except the Church and his own family.  In 1173, his sonsHenry, Geoffrey and Richard rebelled against him, supported by theirmother, Eleanor of Aquitaine.  This led to the deaths of Henry andGeoffrey, and the imprisonment of Eleanor.  In 1189, Richard yetagain rebelled, due to fears that his father would make his youngerbrother John king instead of him.  He defeated Henry, who died soonafterwards.  His last recorded words were, “Shame, shame on aconquered king!” -- source link

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