Lion in Winter Henry ll and Eleanor of Acquitane Reigning in England from

Henry’s Background

 His mother was Matilda, who should have reigned as queen of England upon her father’s death (He was Henry I), but her cousin, Stephen, successfully challenged her for the crown.

Henry’s Father  Geoffrey was the Norman Duke of Anjou and very much interested in his Norman holdings.  He didn’t pay much attention to Matilda’s need to get her country back, even though he had been King of England when she had it!  Little Henry was born to them in 1133 and was made Lord of Normandy in 1150

back to our Henry …much later HHHHenry was made Duke of Normandy - in 1150 IIIInherited some small countries upon his father, Geoffrey’s death, in 1151

In the meantime, Henry met Eleanor of Acquitane who had recently been queen of France. She encouraged him to seek the English crown, along with Henry’s mother Matilda (remember, she thought it should have been hers in the first place).

Some things about Eleanor  Very intelligent  Very gutsy  Wealthiest woman on earth with her ownership of the Acquitane  Was called the most beautiful woman in the world in her youth  Interested in art, poetry, education & loved to travel  Louis of France annulled their marriage because she only bore girls for him

WWWWith her egging him on, Henry went to England and forced Stephen (England’s King at the time) to name him as the next heir to the English throne.

Henry’s Reign  His first objective was to restore order and authority to a land ravaged by civil war.  Then he started working on political issues…

Henry likes ROYAL AUTHORITY  At the time, England was under Norman influence, which meant feudalism was in full swing.  Feudalism says GOD is the top man on the totem pole, and it is GOD that puts people in authority!

 If GOD is the one with all the authority, then that made the church leaders pretty important, even in matters of law and how to run the country.

 Though Thomas a’Becket had been Henry’s friend, they came into conflict when Thomas became the Archbishop of Canterbury and didn’t agree with everything Henry said or did.

What happened to Thomas?  Thomas a’Becket was mysteriously murdered soon after he had given Henry a very difficult time about the jurisdiction of the church courts…. hmmm

Henry moves right along  With little opposition, Henry strengthened the jurisdiction of the royal courts.  He also got to work taking over more provinces to add to England’s territory.

Who’s in Charge?  Eleanor and Henry had eight children in all  Four sons lived into adulthood, but things got a little confusing … –The oldest son, Henry III, was given the crown of England before his father died. (Henry II wanted early retirement) However, the young Henry died before his father did, so Henry II took the kingship back again.

Trouble in Paradise  About the time young Henry was having his coronation, the family received a 7-year-old girl to raise. The King of France (that’s right, Eleanor’s EX!) sent Alys to them, hoping she would marry one of their sons – the one who would be king … at that time … young Henry ALYS

So Many Questions!!  Who will Alys marry now that young Henry has died?  How can old Henry rule the country?  Who will he choose to be the next king – the oldest son? Or his favorite, John?  Why doesn’t anyone think of Geoffrey?

A New and Shameful Twist WWWWhen she becomes a teenager, old Henry falls in love with Alys!! And she falls in love with him!

Eleanor does NOT approve! * When Eleanor tries to stop the affair, by starting a civil war against Henry, Henry punishes her by locking her up in a tower. * He lets her out sometimes, but only on special occasions … to keep up appearances … you understand!

Are you following this? Maybe watching the movie will help Our story begins … at Christmas time … (a special occasion)