Henry II (1133-1189) and Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204)

[CyrilVladisla]

Thomas Becket murdered in Canterbury Cathedral

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoinuYENsKw

[Hector Fenwick]

I might write about more kings in the future, if people follow my blog.



https://historystories123.blogspot.c...rable-boy.html

[Blog Real]

Henry II seems to struggle to make an impact upon popular history. His reign falls in a century flanked by the Norman Conquest and Magna Carta. As great grandson of William the Conqueror, husband to Eleanor of Aquitaine and father of two of our more familiar monarchs, Richard the Lionheart and King John, it would seem understandable that he is often forgotten.

https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryU...II-of-England/

[CyrilVladisla]

King Henry II's mother, the Empress Matilda wrote strongly to discourage Henry from promoting Thomas Becket to archbishop. Henry did not listen to his mother. Becket became archbishop.

[Prinsara]

So his mother would have rid him of the troublesome priest and spared him the 'incitement to murder' part, if he'd listened to her?

[An Ard Ri]

The Empress Matilda did not approve of Thomas Becket being nominated as Archbishop in 1161 following the death of Theobald of Bec whom Matilda had a good relationship with.
Thomas Becket was also Lord Chancellor since 1155 and from the start Matilda made it very clear of her dislike for Thomas but the king ignored her.
However Matilda was very pious and would not have approved of the murder of the Archbishop despite her personal dislike of him.
Matilda had worked behind the scenes as a royal mediator between the king and Archbishop up until her death in 1167.

[Prinsara]

I mean Henry would never have wound up inciting a murder if he had listened to her and simply not appointed Becket to start with.

[An Ard Ri]

Originally Posted by Prinsara

I mean Henry would never have wound up inciting a murder if he had listened to her and simply not appointed Becket to start with.

Had he listened to his mother and her advice he would not have nominated Thomas as Archbishop but he was also Lord Chancellor prior to this and they had clashed several times!

[CyrilVladisla]

If Thomas had remained Lord Chancellor, would there have been any way for King Henry II to incite a murder?

[Prinsara]

It's quite possible he would have had someone else (or even still Becket) inadvertently murdered. He was pretty temperamental, it was pre-Magna Carta, and people were that eager to curry favor.

[An Ard Ri]

From further reading it turns out that Thomas Beckett was related to Theobald of Bec who was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1139 to 1161.

[Denville]

The disputes between Becket and Henry largely occurred because of his support for the Church

[An Ard Ri]

From day one conflicts arose between the new Archbishop and the king and started when Becket resigned as Lord Chancellor.
By 1170 Matilda was dead and Becket no longer had the King's mother mediating between the king and Archbishop.

In June 1170,Henry the Young King was crowned but the king did not invite the exiled Archbishop of Canterbury but instead had the Archbishop of York,Bishop of London, and Bishop of Salisbury perform the ceremony at at Westminster Abbey.

[CyrilVladisla]

In The Plantagenets the author Dan Jones wrote:
In 1156 Henry II was forced to leave England to deal with a rebellion in Anjou led by his younger brother Geoffrey, who believed that under the term of their father's will, Henry's accession as king of England ought to have triggered the handover of Anjou, Maine, and Touraine to Geoffrey.

[An Ard Ri]

Originally Posted by CyrilVladisla

In The Plantagenets the author Dan Jones wrote:
In 1156 Henry II was forced to leave England to deal with a rebellion in Anjou led by his younger brother Geoffrey, who believed that under the term of their father's will, Henry's accession as king of England ought to have triggered the handover of Anjou, Maine, and Touraine to Geoffrey.

There was a second rebellion in 1173-74 by his wife and 3 sons!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolt...3%E2%80%931174

[CyrilVladisla]

Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine interceded for her son Prince John
http://www.gettyimages.com/license/463982079