46th Generation (Continued)
Family of Empress Matilda Queen of England (299) & Geoffrey Plantagenet V Count of Anjou & Maine

329. Henry II FitzEmpress Curtmantle King of England, 28G Grandfather, M. Born on 25 Mar 1133 in Le Mans, Anjou, France. Henry II FitzEmpress Curtmantle King of died in Chinon Castle, France on 6 Jul 1189, he was 56.

Henry II was born in 1133, the son of Geoffrey Plantagenet , Count of Anjou and Matilda, daughter of Henry I . He grew up in Anjou, but visited England as early as 1142 to defend his mother's claim to the disputed thron e of Stephen ; educated by famous scholars, he had a true love of reading and intellectual discussion. Geoffrey of Anjou died in September 1151, leaving N ormandy and Anjou to Henry. Henry's continental possessions more than doubled when he married Eleanor of Aquitane, ex-wife of King Louis VII of France. Af ter a succession agreement between Stephen and Matilda in 1153, he was crowne d Henry II in October 1154. Eleanor bore Henry five sons and three daughters between 1153 and 1167; the relationship between Henry, Eleanor and their sons Henry, Richard and John proved to be tumultuous and treacherous. The empire ruled by Henry and his sons was considerably larger than the lone English isl and - the French Angevin positions extended from Normandy southward to the Pyrennes, covering the counties of Brittany, Maine, Poitou, Touraine and Gasc ony, as well as Anjou, Aquitane and Normandy. Henry was extremely energetic a nd traveled quickly and extensively within the borders of his kingdom. Henry revitalized the English Exchequer, issuing receipts for tax payments and kee ping written accounts on rolled parchment. He replaced incompetent sheriffs, expanding the authority of royal courts, which brought more funds into his co ffers. A body of common law emerged to replace feudal and county courts, whic h varied from place to place. Jury trials were initiated to end the old Germa nic customary trials by ordeal or battle. Henry's systematic approach to law provided a common basis for development of royal institutions throughout the entire realm. The process of strengthening the royal courts, however, yielded an unexpected controversy. Church courts, instituted by William the Conquer or , became a safe haven for criminals of varying degree and ability, for one in fifty of the English population qualified as clerics. Henry wished to tra nsfer such cases to the royal courts, as the only punishment open to the Chur ch courts was demotion of the cleric. Thomas Beckett, Henry's close friend an d chancellor since 1155, was named Archbishop of Canterbury in June 1162. In an attempt to discredit claims that he was too closely tied to the king, he v ehemently opposed the weakening of Church courts. Henry drove Beckett into ex ile from 1164-1170. When the Archbishop returned to England, he greatly ange red Henry over his opposition to the coronation of Prince Henry. Exasperated, Henry publicly announced a half-hearted desire to be rid off Beckett - fou r ambitious knights took the king at his word and murdered Beckett in his ow n cathedral on December 29, 1170. Henry is perhaps best remembered for Becket t's murder, but in fact, the realm was better off without the contentious Arc hbishop. Henry endured a rather limited storm of protest over the incident, b ut the real threat to his power came from within his family. Henry's sons - Henry the Young King, Richard, Geoffrey and John - were never satisfied with any of their father's plans for dividing his lands and titles upon his death. The sons, at the encouragement (and sometimes the treatment) of their mother , rebelled against the king several times. Prince Henry, the only man ever to be crowned while his father still lived, wanted more than a royal title. Thu s from 1193 to the end of his reign Henry was plagued by his rebellious sons, who always found a willing partner in Louis VII of France. The death of Henr y the Young King in 1183 and Geoffrey in 1186, gave no respite from his child ren's rebellion - Richard, with the assistance of Louis VII, attacked and d efeated Henry, forcing him to accept a humiliating peace on July 4, 1189. Henr y II died two days later, on July 6, 1189. A few


abt 1176 when Henry II FitzEmpress Curtmantle King of was 42, he first married Ida of England, 28G Grandmother, F.

They had one child:
357 i. William Longespee Earl of, M (1176-1225)

REFN13727

On 18 May 1152 when Henry II FitzEmpress Curtmantle King of was 19, he second married Eleanor Duchess of Aquitaine, 29G Grandmother, F, daughter of Guillaume X le Toulousan Duc de Aquitaine, M (1099-9 Apr 1137) & Eleanor\Aenor de Chastellerault, F (1103-aft 1130), in Bordeaux, France. Born abt 1122 in Chateau de Belin, Guinne, France. Eleanor Duchess of died in Fontevraud Abbey, Maine-et-Loire, France on 1 Apr 1204, she was 82. Buried in Fontevraud Abbey.

Other sources say she died 26 Jun 1202 and she was born Chateau de Belin. Burke thinks she died 1162. Countess of Saintonge, Angoumois, Limousin , Auvergne, Bordeaux, Agen.

They had the following children:
i. William Count of, 28G Uncle, M. Born on 17 Aug 1152.

REFN: 3721
ii. Henry the Young King of, 28G Uncle, M. Born on 28 Feb 1154/55 in Bermondsey Palace, Surrey. Henry the Young King of died in Martel Castle, Turenne, France on 11 Jun 1183, he was 29. Buried in Rouen Cathedral, Rouen, France.

REFN: 3722

On 2 Nov 1160 when Henry the Young King of was 6, he married Margaret Capet Queen Consort of England, 3C27R, F, daughter of Louis VII Capet the Younger King of France, M (1120-18 Sep 1180) & Constance of Castile, F (aft 1140-4 Oct 1160), in Neubourg, Normandy. Born abt 1158. Margaret Capet Queen Consort of died in Acre, Palestine in 1198, she was 40.

REFN: 3940

REFN14232
iii. Mitilda/Maud, 28G Aunt, F. Born in Jun 1156 in Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England. Mitilda/Maud died on 28 Jun 1189, she was 33.

REFN: 3723

On 1 Feb 1167/68 when Mitilda/Maud was 10, she married Henry V the Lion Duke of Saxony & Bavaria, 6C25R, M, son of Henry IV Brunswick Duke of Brawnsweig, M (abt 1100-20 Oct 1139) & Gertrude of Saxony, F (18 Apr 1115-18 Apr 1143), in Minden Cathedral, Saxony, Germany. Born in 1129. Henry V the Lion Duke of Saxony & died in Brunswick on 6 Aug 1195, he was 66.

REFN: 4906 The son of Henry the Proud, duke of Saxony and Bavaria, who lost hi s lands to the Hohenstaufen Conrad III, Henry spent most of his early years recovering his ancestral lands of Saxony (1142) and Bavaria (1154-56). He fo unded the city of Munich (1157), Lubeck (1159), and Schwerin (1160). Brunswic k was developed by the duke to become the political and spiritual center of h is domain. In Bavaria, he had the right to hold markets, to mint coins and co llect custom duties. In the lands east of the Elbe River he prepared the grou nd for German colonization. Under his reign the basic features of a territori al state developed in Saxony. Henry the Lion died in Brunswick on August 6, 1 195.

REFN14236
iv. Richard I Coeur de Lion King of, 28G Uncle, M. Born on 8 Sep 1157 in Beaumont Palace, Oxford, England. Richard I Coeur de Lion King of died in Chalus, Limousin, France on 9 Apr 1199, he was 41. Buried in Fontevraud Abbey.

REFN: 3724 Reigned 1189-1199. Prisoner in Germany 1192-1194. A hero of Mediev al legends spent all but 6 months of his reign abroad. He became Duke of Aq uitaine in 1168 and of Poitiers in 1172. He joined the 3rd cursade in 1189 an d conquered Messina and Cyprus before arriving in the Holy Land. His victory at Arsuf gained Joppa (1191). On his way home he was capture in Austria and w as only released by Emporer Henry VI after payment of an enourmous ransom (11 94).He returned briefly to England but died in France.

On 12 May 1191 when Richard I Coeur de Lion King of was 33, he married Berengaria of Navarre, F, in Chapel of St. George, Limasol, Cyrus. Born in 1163 in Pamplona. Berengaria of died in L'Epau Abbey, Near le Mans, Anjou aft 1230, she was 67.

REFN: 3728 After the death of King Richard she fixed her residence at Mans, in Orleannois, and passed her latter years in pious retirement within the wal ls of the Abbey of L'Espan, which she had founded. Some sources say she was b orn after 1170. It is said that she never visited England, but this is untrue

REFN14254
v. Geoffrey II Plantagenet Duke of, 28G Uncle, M. Born on 23 Sep 1158. Geoffrey II Plantagenet Duke of died in Paris, France on 19 Aug 1186, he was 27.

REFN: 3725

In Jul 1181 when Geoffrey II Plantagenet Duke of was 22, he married Constance Duchess of Brittany, 1C26R, F, daughter of Conan IV la Petit Duke of Brittany, M (-20 Feb 1170/71) & Magaret of Huntingdon Countess of Hereford, F (1154-1201). Born abt 1161. Constance Duchess of died in Villeneuve Abbey, Nantes, Brittany on 24 Nov 1225, she was 64.

REFN: 5255

REFN14275
vi. Eleanor, 28G Aunt, F. Born on 13 Oct 1162 in Domfront Castle, Normandy. Eleanor died in Burgos, Castile on 31 Oct 1214, she was 52. Buried in Abbey of Las Huelgas, Burgos, Castile.

REFN: 3726

In 1177 when Eleanor was 14, she married Alfonso VIII King of Castile, 4C27R, M, son of Sancho III King of Castile, M (1134-31 Aug 1158) & Blanca de Navarre, F (1135-24 Jun 1158), in Burgos Cathedral, Castile. Born on 11 Nov 1155 in Soria. Alfonso VIII King of died in Gutierre Munoz on 6 Oct 1214, he was 58.

REFN: 3952

REFN14101
vii. Joan, 28G Aunt, F. Born in Oct 1165. Joan died on 4 Sep 1199, she was 33.

REFN: 3727

In Oct 1196 when Joan was 31, she first married Raymond VI Count of Toulouse, 3C27R, M, son of Raymond V Count of Toulouse, M (-1194) & Constance Capet of Toulouse, F (abt 1128-16 Aug 1176). Born on 27 Oct 1156. Raymond VI Count of died on 2 Aug 1222, he was 65.

REFN: 7942

REFN31075

On 13 Feb 1176/77 when Joan was 10, she second married William II the Good King of Naples & Sicily, M, son of William I the Bad King of Naples & Sicily, M (-1166), in Palermo, Sicily. Born in 1166. William II the Good King of Naples & died on 18 Nov 1189, he was 23.

REFN: 6702

REFN31078
viii. John I Lackland King of, 28G Grandfather, M. Born on 24 Dec 1167 in Beaumont Palace, Oxford, England. John I Lackland King of died in Newark Castle, Newark, Nottinghamshire, England on 19 Oct 1216, he was 48. Buried in Worcester Cathedral, England.

John (reigned 1199-1216) was an able administrator interested in la w and government but he neither trusted others nor was trusted by them. Heavy taxation, disputes with the Church (John was excommunicated by the Pope in 1209) and unsuccessful attempts to recover his French possessions made him u npopular. Many of his barons rebelled and in June 1215 they forced the King t o sign a peace treaty accepting their reforms. This treaty, later known as Mag na Carta, limited royal powers, defined feudal obligations between the King a nd the barons, and guaranteed a number of rights. The most influential clause s concerned the freedom of the Church; the redress of grievances of owners an d tenants of land; the need to consult the Great Council of the Realm so as t o prevent unjust taxation; mercantile and trading relationships; regulation o f the machinery of justice so that justice be denied to no one; and the req uirement to control the behaviour of royal officials. The most important clau ses established the basis of habeas corpus ('you have the body'), i.e. that n o one shall be imprisoned except by due process of law, and that 'to no one w ill we sell, to no one will we refuse or delay right or justice'. The Charte r also established a council of barons who were to ensure that the Sovereign observed the Charter, with the right to wage war on him if he did not. Magna Carta was the first formal document insisting that the Sovereign was as much under the rule of law as his people; and that the rights of individuals were to be upheld even against the wishes of the sovereign. As a source of fundame ntal constitutional principles, Magna Carta came to be seen as an important d efinition of aspects of English law, and in later centuries as the basis of t he liberties of the English people. As a peace treaty Magna Carta was a fail ure and the rebels invited Louis of France to become their king. When John di ed in 1216 England was in the grip of civil war.

On 29 Aug 1189 when John I Lackland King of was 21, he first married Isabella de Clare Countess of Gloucester, 28G Aunt, F, daughter of William FitzRobert Earl of Gloucester (328), M (-23 Nov 1183) & Hawise de Beaumont, F (-24 Apr 1197), in Marlborough Castle, Wiltshire. Born bef 1176. Isabella de Clare Countess of died on 14 Oct 1217, she was 41.

REFN: 3612 John divorced her on the ground of consanguinity; her grandfather R obert being an illegitimate son of Henry I. Burke also names her as Avisa. Al so known as Hawise, Joan, Eleanor. The Complete Peerage vol.V,pp689-692.

Custom Field:<_FA#> 1199 _MENDDivorce REFN13468

John I Lackland King of second married Agatha de Ferrers, 28G Grandmother, F, daughter of William de Ferrers Earl of Derby, M (abt 1136-bef 21 Oct 1190) & Sibyl de Braose (361), F (1147-1246). Born in 1168 in Charltey, Staffordshire, England.

It is known that Agatha was a mistress of John, but it is only su pposition that she is the mother of his child.

REFN13467

On 24 Aug 1200 when John I Lackland King of was 32, he third married Isabella Taillefer de Angouleme Queen of England, 4C26R, F, daughter of Aymer Taillefer de Valence Ct de Angouleme, M (1160-16 Jun 1202) & Alice de Courtenay, F (-abt 14 Sep 1211), in Bordeaux, France. Born abt 1188 in Angouleme, Charente, France. Isabella Taillefer de Angouleme Queen of died in Maine-et-Loire, France on 31 May 1246, she was 58. Buried in Fontevraud Abbey.

REFN13423

abt 1186 when John I Lackland King of was 18, he fourth married Suzanne de Warenne, 2C26R, F, daughter of Hamelin de Warrene of Anjou V Earl of Surrey, M (abt 1129-7 May 1202) & Isabel de Warenne, F (abt 1136-12 Jul 1203). Born in 1166 in England.

REFN: 14173

REFN60052

REFN13471

Previous * Next
Contents * Index * Surnames * Contact