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n 1173 he had four legitimate sons, from oldest to youngest: Henry, called the "Young King", Richard "the Lionheart", Geoffrey, and John "Lackland", all of whom stood to inherit some or all of Henry’s possessions. Henry also had an illegitimate son named Geoffrey, born probably before the eldest of the legitimate children. Henry the Younger In June 1170, the fifteen-year-old Henry was crowned king during his father's lifetime. On 2 November 1160, he was betrothed to Margaret of France, daughter of King Louis VII of France and his second wife, Constance of Castile, when he was 5 years of age and she was 2. The marriage was an attempt to finally settle the struggle between the Counts of Anjou and the French Kings over possession of the frontier district of the Norman Vexin, which Louis VII acquired from Henry II's father. He would lead the unsuccessful rebellion against HII. He died of dysentery in 1183 Richard Richard, Born in 1157. he was 16 at the time of the rebellion, he was knighted by Lois VII. Richard, ignored a chance of a truce andfought hard against his father narrowly avoiding capture. When peace was agreed with Louis and Henry the Younger, in 1174, Richard was excluded. This would force Henry and Richard into direct battle. At this point Richard was forced to seek the forgiveness, weeping he fell at his fathers feet in Poitiers. Richard was offered four castles in Aquitaine and half of the income from the duchy, he was also given two castles in Poitou. Eleanor was kept as prisoner to ensure his compliance
Geoffrey Aged 15 at the time of the Revolt, he joined Henry the younger, Eleanor of Aquitaine and Richard. He would reconcile with Henry in 1174, and would then be involved in a war against Richard in 1180. He was supporting his elder brother Henry the Younger. Richard had refused to pay homage to him. Geoffrey would be betrothed to Constance of Brittany in 1181, they had 3 children. He was to die aged 27, trampled to death in a tournament in 1186. John Although only 5 at the time, John was the centre of the revolt. This was due to Henry's decision to bequeath the territory of Anjou to his youngest son as part of the arrangements for John's marriage to the daughter of the Count of Maurienne. Henry II transferred the castles of Chinon, Loudun and Mirebeau into John's name. To Henry the Younger it seemed that his inheritance was disappearing as was his wealth.
Henry 'the Young King' was 18 years old in 1173 and praised for his good looks and charm. He had for a long time been married to the daughter of Louis VII, the King of France and Eleanor's ex-husband. Henry the Young King kept a large and glamorous retinue, but was constrained by his lack of resources: "he had many knights but he had no means to give rewards and gifts to the knights". The young Henry was therefore anxious to take control of some of his ancestral inheritances to rule in his own right. Henry the Younger Louis VII
The immediate practical cause of the rebellion was Henry's decision to bequeath three castles, which were within the realm of the Young King's inheritance, to his youngest son, John. This was part of the arrangements for John's marriage to the daughter of the Count of Maurienne. John was 5 years old At this, Henry the Young King was encouraged to rebel by many aristocrats who saw potential profit and gain in a power transition. It is vital to remember the context of 1170-73. This had been the aftermath of the greatest crime witnessed in all of Christendom- the murder of Thomas Becket. HII was in a vulnerable position and many believed they could capitalise upon this. Henry the younger was supported by his step father Louis VII and Counts of Flanders Blois, Flanders and Boulogne on the continent. In Britain, the Earls of Chester, Leicester and Norfolk rebelled. The King of Scotland William the Lion also invaded the North. The murder of Becket 1170
1167- Birth of HII and Eleanor of Aquitaine's last child John. Eleanor was now around 45 years old, her childbearing years were at an end. So was their relationship. Henry was besotted by his mistress Rosamond Clifford. In 1167 Eleanor had gone to Poitiou where she stayed happily for five years before returning to England. On her return rebel barons ambushed the queen and her protector, Patrick- Earl of Salisbury. The Earl was stabbed in the back and his nephew William came to his rescue. William was eventually subdued and Eleanor ransomed him. William became Marshall of England and the greatest knight of his age. Eleanor's court at Poitiou became a centre for tournaments and culture, visited by most of the established and highly respected troubadours and poets of the time. While in Poitou Eleanor began to secretly plot against Henry making sure that the lords of Aquitaine and Poitou's first loyalty was to her and not to the king. During the revolt, Eleanor hoped she would benefit by getting back Aquitaine, which she intended to rule with her son Richard. Eleanor of Aquitaine
As the revolt began to falter and fail, Eleanor took refuge with her uncle, but when Henry II laid siege to the castle she escaped to Paris dressed as a nobleman. Shortly before reaching safety a group of Henry's knights intercepted her entourage and captured her. She spent a few months imprisoned in one of the towers of Henry's castle at Chinon in Touraine. Henry's fury at Eleanor's treason knew no bounds. She spent the next fifteen years his prisoner, mostly in his castle at Winchester. Only briefly was she allowed to travel to Aquitaine where she gave her duchy to her son Richard. When Henry the Younger died of dysentery in 1183, his last plea was that Eleanor be released. This was not granted though her imprisonment was relaxed somewhat allowing her travel and even spend a Christmas with Henry, Richard and John.
Henry II seems to have lost his interest in Eleanor, he had a long standing mistress Rosamond Clifford. "Fair Rosamond" (Rosa mundi, the Rose of the world) Henry and Rosamond around 1163. It isn’t clear as to whether she had children with Henry- some historians claim she did not whilst others claim that she is the mother of Geoffrey, Henry’s favourite bastard son who would later become AB of Y and who would be the son by his side on his deathbed. Mistresses were not unusual, Henry had had mistress before but had been discreet, the relationship with Rosamond was very public. This was probably a direct attempt to try and provoke Eleanor into seeking a divorce, this she refused. Divorce would result in the loss of Aquitaine. It is thought the relationship with Rosamond lasted until 1176 when she had retired to a nunnery, She died shortly after. Rosamond Clifford
Hugh Bigod, Earl of Norfolk became a controversial figure in history, known for his frequent switching of loyalties and hasty reactions towards measures of authority. In 1173 Henry the Younger raised a revolt against his father, Henry II. This gave Hugh Bigod, yet another chance for rebellion, along with the league of the English barons with the kings of France and Scotland in his favour. He at once became a leader in the cause, perhaps eager to revive the feudal power, which Henry II had curtailed. The custody of Norwich Castle was promised by the young prince as his reward. He was unsuccessful in the rebellion, he was defeated by HII’s Justiciar Richard de Lucy and was forced to negotiate for peace. Hugh Bigod
The continental revolt Hostilities began in April 1173 when the Counts of Flanders and Boulogne invaded Normandy from the east. The King of France and young Henry from the south. The Bretons attacked from the west. These all failed. The Count of Boulogne was killed. Louis defeated and kicked out of Normandy and the Bretons routed with great loss of life and treasure. Richard continued to try and raise a rebellion in Aquitaine but was unsuccessful.
The rebellion in Britain The Earl of Leicester, a supporter of young Henry who had been in Normandy and chief of the aristocratic rebels, took up the charge next. He raised an army of Flemish mercenaries and crossed from Normandy back to England to join the other rebel barons there, principally Hugh Bigod, Earl of Norfolk. The Earl of Leicester was intercepted by the English forces returning from the north in Scotland, led by Justiciar Richard de Lucy, and was completely defeated. Henry II's barons supposedly said to him, "It is a bad year for your enemies.“ In the 1174 fighting continued. David of Scotland, brother of William "the Lion", moved back south to attempt the conquest of northern England and took up the leadership of the rebel barons. On July 8, 1174, Henry II, who had been in Normandy fighting his enemies, landed in England. His first act was to do penance for the death of Thomas Becket, The following day the Scots were taken by surprise and captured at Alnwick castle
The consequence With England taken care of, Henry returned to Normandy and set about a settlement with his enemies and on September 30 King Henry, the king's son, and his brothers, returned to their father and to his service, as their lord. William Marshal, who was loyal to young Henry during the revolt, said "Cursed be the day when the traitors schemed to embroil the father and the son". The revolt had lasted 18 months, stretched from Scotland to Brittany. Blame for the rebellion lay with Henry the Younger. Throughout this Henry remained calm and un-panicked, his position in 1174 was, it could be argued, the strongest of his entire reign. Rebel barons had been defeated and crushed. The king of Scotland was defeated, made to pay homage and Scotland was returned as a fief (the Treaty of Falais). The Welsh Princes had agreed to a settlement. King Connaught of Ireland became Henrys vassel. Henry the younger had been brought to heel. He was given an allowance of £15,000 and just 2 Norman castles. Eleanor was imprisoned. Richard was sent to Aquitaine to rule the Barons. Louis VII was never a threat again and died in 1180. His son Phillip II would succeed, aged 15 and would be almost mentored by Henry. Geoffrey was married off to Constance of Brittany in 1181 and was to rule in her name. Henry was now using his dynasty to rule his lands.
