Eleanor of Aquitaine
1122?
31 Mar 1204?
11 May 1152?
William, Prince of England
1153?
1156?
Henry the Young King, King of England, Duke of Normandy, Count d'Anjou
1155?
1183?
Matilda (Maud), Princess of England
1156?
1189?
Richard I, Coeur de Lion, King of England
1157?
1199?
Geoffrey of England, Duke of Brittany
1162?
1214?
Joan, Princess of England
1165?
1199?
Eleanor of Aquitaine entering......
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[1911] King Stephen was forced to recognize Henry as his heir; when Stephen died the English warmly welcomed the new ruler.
Henry enlarged the kingdom - in 1157 he forced the Scottish king to submit to him and to yield his claim to Northumbria - he made
allies of the Welsh - in 1175 he invaded Ireland and secured the submission of all the native kings (and made his youngest son, John,
lord of Ireland) - in 1160 he took the French Vexin (key piece of land between Normandy and the French royal lands). Henry was
one of the most powerful rulers of his era, full of energy and an able military leader. He was tall and had broad shoulders, with
strength and endurance. "His dress was usually informal - like that of a huntsman - and his manner courteous and charming, although
he was quick to take offence if he felt his authority as king was being threatened. His sense of humour was strong and his wit
mordant, but his temper was unpredictable and he could be bitterly vindictive.... Generous to the poor, he gave alms
frequently, and often in secret. ...had a serious and scholarly side...[which] emerges in the many legal, administrative and
financial developments of his reign, developments for which he had been much praised by posterity.
"The Plantagenet Chronicles," ed. by Elizabeth Hallam. 1986, pp.94-5.} Henry was crowned at Westminster Abbey on the
Sunday before Christmas, 1154. He wore his reddish hair close-cropped. {-see the detailed description of him in
"Seven Medieval Kings," Joseph Dahmus (Doubleday, 1967, pp.148ff.).} Also see "Henry Plantagent: A Biography of Henry II of England," by
Richard Barber (London, 1964, reprinted 1972), and Barber's "The Devil's Crown: Henry II, Richard I, John" (London, 1978).