King Henry II of England ruled from 1154 to 1189. He expanded his territories across western Europe through marriage and war. Henry had numerous conflicts with church leaders like Thomas Becket and faced revolts from his sons and wife Eleanor, leading to her imprisonment. Henry established new legal systems and made Ireland part of his domain before dying in 1189.

1. King Henry II of
England
BY: SHANICIA YOUNG

2. Background
 Henry was born at Le Mans in northwest
France on March 4th, 1153.
 His father was Count of Anjou and his
mother’s name was Matilda.
 Matilda was the daughter of Henry I of
England.
 Originally, Matilda was the successor to
Henry I’s throne, but on December 22nd,
1135, her cousin Stephen took over
instead. Eventually in 1347, Matilda gave
up her right to the throne.
Matilda

3. Lifetime
 In 1147, Henry (Matilda’s son)
attempted to invade England, but
instead he failed. He tried to invade
England again in 1149, but Stephen
drove him back to Normandy.
 On May 22nd of 1149, Henry was
knighted by David, King of the Scots.
 In 1150, after his father’s death, Henry
was given the title Duke of Normandy,
by his father.
 In 1151, King Louis VII of France
declared war because he did not like
the fact that Henry was given the title
Duke of Normandy. The war ended
with Henry paying homage to King
Louis.
David, King of Scots

4. Lifetime
 On May 18th, 1152 Henry married Eleanor of
Aquitaine. This in turn made him powerful and
very wealthy.
 On November 5th, 1154 the Treaty of Wallingford
was signed that would allow Henry to be the
successor to Stephen’s throne.
 On December 19th, 1154 he was crowned at
Westminster Abbey as King Henry II of England.
 In 1154, Thomas Beckett was appointed as
Chancellor and Henry and Thomas became
good friends. Thomas Becket

5. Lifetime
 In 1155, Henry the Young King became the
first child of Henry II and Eleanor.
 In 1161, Thomas Becket was appointed
Archbishop of Canterbury.
 In 1163, at the July Council at Woodstock
King Henry II and Thomas Becket argued
over the control of payments to Sheriffs. The
two very good friends became enemies.
Henry the
Young King

6. Lifetime
 In 1163, at the October the Council of
Westminster Henry put forward plans to
reduce the power of the Church. He
planned to do this by merging the
Church courts with the English judicial
system. However, Thomas Becket
opposed Henry’s plan.
 In 1164, at the October meeting at
Northampton King Henry planned to
accuse Becket of being a traitor.
 Then finally in November of 1164 Becket
left England and went into exile in
France. Henry confiscated all his
property in turn.
King Henry II

7. Lifetime
 In 1169, an Anglo-Norman
force landed in Ireland to
support of one of the
claimants to the Irish high
kingship. Henry travelled to
Dublin to assert his lordship
of the territory they had
won. Therefore, an English
presence in Ireland was
established. Throughout his
reign, Henry gained power
over the territories ranging
from Ireland to the Pyrenees. Map of Ireland

8. Conflict
 In 1170, Richard de Hastings attempted to
recover the differences between King Henry II
and Thomas Becket. Becket and Henry meet
at Freteval where as show of friendship is
made and Becket's power is partially restored
 On December 1st of 1170, Becket returned to
Canterbury and threatened to
excommunicate Henry for attempting to
oppose and reduce the power of the church.
 On December 29th, 1170 four knights found
Becket inside Canterbury Cathedral and
killed him, due to some things that Henry had
said.
Canterbury Cathedral

9. Family Problems
 In 1173 Henry began his affair with
Rosamund Clifford - 'Fair Rosamund'. Upon
hearing this, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine
plotted against King Henry. She would use
her sons in the dispute. Specifically allowed
the Henry the Young King to launch a revolt.
Henry (the Young King), Geoffrey joined
Richard in Paris in an effort to rise up against
their father. King Henry had his wife Eleanor
arrested and she was treated as a prisoner
for the next 15 years. Even though she was
still expected to fulfill his needs. Through all
of this, Henry’s sons never forgave their
father.
 On July 7th, 1174, Henry II was whipped by
the monks of Canterbury for the part he
played in the death of St Thomas a Becket.
Even though he was cleared of any
involvement, he was still whipped.
 In 1179, Richard joined in an alliance with his
father, King Henry II to stop Henry the Young
King, Geoffrey and the barons.
Eleanor

10. Death
 In June of 1183, Henry the Young King
died of dysentery and this allowed
Richard to become the heir to the throne
of England
 In July of 1186, Geoffrey, son of Henry II
died In a tournament.
 On July 6, 1189, King Henry II died and he
was buried in the Fontevraud Abbey.
 King Henry II was succeeded by his sons as
King Richard the Lionheart and King John.
Richard the
Lionheart

11. Accomplishments of King Henry II
 Henry II established courts in different
parts of the country and he was also
the first king to grant power to
magistrates.
 He was the first of the Plantagenet or
Angevin Kings.
 He made Ireland a part of his vast
domain.

12. Sources
 http://www.lordsandladies.org/timeline-of-king-henry-ii.htm
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/henry_ii_king.shtml
 http://www.lordsandladies.org/king-henry-ii.htm