English Royalty. French Aristocracy. Born the second son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine at Bermondsey Palace in London. He was recognized as heir presumptive behind his elder brother, William. William died the following year at age two, making Henry heir apparent. He was betrothed to Margaret, daughter of Louis VII of France in 1160 and married in 1173. He gained the title of Duc de Normandie and the title of Comte d'Anjou. Henry II, determined to secure the succession, had him crowned king of England in June 1170 at Westminster by the Archbishop of York. The coronation was repeated in August 1172, when he and Margaret were crowned together at Winchester by the Archbishop of Rouen. Between 1175 and 1182 he made a name for himself as a tournament knight, described as having the Plantagenet height and golden hair, he was a sport celebrity of his day; a contemporary description claimed “...never was seen a knight so skilled, so warlike, whose fame resounded so around the world.” But his frustrations at being called king without the authority of one, eventually boiled over. He demanded his father give him full possession of some part the lands which fell to him and was was refused. In response, he refused to ratify a grant of lands to his brother, John, and then retreated to France and his father-in-law's court. Louis received him as sole lawful king of the English, and assisted young Henry in preparing a fleet for the invasion of England, even as rebellious barons made war upon Henry II. The uprising was quashed, however, and the two men made a wary peace in 1174. In November 1179, he represented his father at the coronation of Philip Augustus at Reims. In 1182, he fell out with his ablest advisor, William Marshal, and joined rebels to his brother Richard's rule in Aquitaine at Limoges. His father's appearance led to a pacification, and there followed a renewed demand from his eldest son to be put in possession of his heritage, again refused. That winter, young Henry and his brother, Geoffrey, followed Richard to Aquitaine planning to rise of the country against both Richard and Henry II. Their father besieged the rebels in Limoges; twice young Henry made offers of submission, but each time the offer was a feint. Young Henry's wholesale plunder of the region eventfully lead the local populace to drive him from their gates. He took a fever shortly thereafter and begged his father to come and speak with him final time. Suspecting treachery, the king's advisors convinced him to send only his ring in token of his forgiveness. Young Henry dictated a letter to his father, asking him to pardon all his fellow rebels, to make atonement for the sacrileges which he had committed, and to bury him in the cathedral of Rouen. He succumbed to illness at age 28. The people of Le Mans seized his body from the funeral cortege and buried it in their own cathedral. The people of Rouen then threatened to reclaim it by force, and Henry II had to order the remains disinterred and sent to Rouen for re-burial according to his son's last request.
English Royalty. French Aristocracy. Born the second son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine at Bermondsey Palace in London. He was recognized as heir presumptive behind his elder brother, William. William died the following year at age two, making Henry heir apparent. He was betrothed to Margaret, daughter of Louis VII of France in 1160 and married in 1173. He gained the title of Duc de Normandie and the title of Comte d'Anjou. Henry II, determined to secure the succession, had him crowned king of England in June 1170 at Westminster by the Archbishop of York. The coronation was repeated in August 1172, when he and Margaret were crowned together at Winchester by the Archbishop of Rouen. Between 1175 and 1182 he made a name for himself as a tournament knight, described as having the Plantagenet height and golden hair, he was a sport celebrity of his day; a contemporary description claimed “...never was seen a knight so skilled, so warlike, whose fame resounded so around the world.” But his frustrations at being called king without the authority of one, eventually boiled over. He demanded his father give him full possession of some part the lands which fell to him and was was refused. In response, he refused to ratify a grant of lands to his brother, John, and then retreated to France and his father-in-law's court. Louis received him as sole lawful king of the English, and assisted young Henry in preparing a fleet for the invasion of England, even as rebellious barons made war upon Henry II. The uprising was quashed, however, and the two men made a wary peace in 1174. In November 1179, he represented his father at the coronation of Philip Augustus at Reims. In 1182, he fell out with his ablest advisor, William Marshal, and joined rebels to his brother Richard's rule in Aquitaine at Limoges. His father's appearance led to a pacification, and there followed a renewed demand from his eldest son to be put in possession of his heritage, again refused. That winter, young Henry and his brother, Geoffrey, followed Richard to Aquitaine planning to rise of the country against both Richard and Henry II. Their father besieged the rebels in Limoges; twice young Henry made offers of submission, but each time the offer was a feint. Young Henry's wholesale plunder of the region eventfully lead the local populace to drive him from their gates. He took a fever shortly thereafter and begged his father to come and speak with him final time. Suspecting treachery, the king's advisors convinced him to send only his ring in token of his forgiveness. Young Henry dictated a letter to his father, asking him to pardon all his fellow rebels, to make atonement for the sacrileges which he had committed, and to bury him in the cathedral of Rouen. He succumbed to illness at age 28. The people of Le Mans seized his body from the funeral cortege and buried it in their own cathedral. The people of Rouen then threatened to reclaim it by force, and Henry II had to order the remains disinterred and sent to Rouen for re-burial according to his son's last request.
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