HENRY II, king of England, the first of the line of the Plantagenets: b. Normandy, 1133; d. Castle of Chinon, near Saumur, France, 6 July 1189. He was the son of Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, and the Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I. He was invested with the duchy of Normandy, by the consent of his mother, in 1150. The next year he succeeded his father in the possession of Anjou and Maine, and by a marriage with Eleanor of Guienne, just divorced from Louis VII, Icing of France, annexed that province with Poitou to his other dominions. He succeeded Stephen as king of England in 1154. Although involved with his brother Geof frey, who attempted to seize Anion and Maine, and in a temporary dispute with France, he reigned prosperously till the memorable con test with Thomas Becket. Anxious to dom inate the clergy, Henry in 1164 summoned a general council of nobility and prelates at Clarendon, which assembly passed the famous constitutions named from that place, the effect of which was to render the Church and ecclesi astical dignitaries subject to the temporal au thority. (See CLARENDON, CONSTITUTIONS 01?). After the murder of Becket, Henry receded from his position and restored the Church to its rights. Before this matter was terminated, Henry, in 1171, undertook an expedition into Ireland, and having left Earl Richard in the post of seneschal of Ireland he returned to England—proceedings so important to the future destinies of both countries having occu pied only a few months. Being an indulgent father, Henry had assigned to each of his four sons a provision out of his extensive territories. The eldest son, Henry, was not only declared heir to England, Normandy, Anjou, Maine and Touraine, but actually crowned in his father's lifetime. On paying a visit to the court of his father-in-law, Louis VII of France, the prince was induced by the French monarch to demand of his father the immediate resignation either of the kingdom of England or of the dukedom of Normandy. This request being refused, he withdrew from his father's court and was openly supported in his claim by Louis. Henry's various gallantries, exemplified in the popular and not altogether unfounded legend of fair Rosamond, or Rosamond Clifford, also em broiled him with his queen, Eleanor, who in cited her other sons, Richard and Geoffrey, to make similar claims. A general invasion of
Henry's dominions was in this way concerted, and began in 1173 by an attack on the frontiers of Normandy, but the king presently subdued his opponents and entered into an accommoda tion with his sons on less favorable terms than they had previously rejected. Henry now em ployed himself in regulations and improvements which equally manifest his capacity and love of justice. He partitioned England into four judi ciary districts, appointed itinerant justices to make regular excursions through them, 'revived trial by jury, discouraged that by combat, and demolished all the newly-erected castles as shelters of violence and anarchy. The turbu lence of his sons still disquieted him; but Henry, the eldest, was cut off by fever in 1183, and three years after the death of the equally rest less Geoffrey occurred. Philip Augustus, then king of France, however, continued to foment the differences between Henry and his sons, and Richard was again prompted to rebel. A war followed, the event of which was so unfavor able to Henry, that he was at length obliged to agree that Richard should receive an oath of fealty from all his subjects. He also stipulated to pay a sum of money to the French lung, and to grant a pardon to all Richard's adherents. The mortification of Henry at these humiliating terms was aggravated to despair when he saw the name of his favorite son, John, at the head of the list of delinquents whom he was required to pardon. Henry II ranks among the greatest kings of England. His wisdom and love of justice were acknowledged by foreign poten tates, who made him arbiter of their differences and regarded him as the first prince of the age. Consult Stubbs, 'The Early Plantagenets' (1876) ; Green, Mrs. J. R., 'Henry II' (1888) ; Norgate, 'England Under the Kings' (1887) ; Davis, 'England Under Normans and Angevins' (1905).