6. Henry II and his reign. Richard the Lionhearted.

In the 20^th century a new dynasty has established in England – the dynasty of Plantagenet. Henry II became king of England when he was 25.

Henry II was ruler of far more land than any previous king. As lord of Anjou he added his father's lands to the family empire. After his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine he also ruled the lands south of Anjou. Henry Il's empire stretched from the Scottish border to the Pyrenees.

England provided most of Henry's wealth, but the heart of his empire lay in Anjou. And although Henry recognised the king of France as the overlord of all his French lands, he actually controlled a greater area than the king of France. Many of Henry's nobles held land on both sides of the English channel.

Henry II was the first unquestioned ruler of the English throne for a hundred years. He destroyed the castles which many nobles had built without royal permission during Stephen's reign, and made sure that they lived in manor houses that were undefended. The manor again became the centre of local life and administration.

At his administration Henry was supported by his chancellor Thomas Becket. In 1155, King Henry II appointed him chancellor of England. Becket adopted a luxurious life style and became Henry's favouri­te companion. In 1162, Henry made Becket Archbishop of Canterbury apparently against his will and without taking into consideration that Becket wasn’t even a priest. It was done in order to weaken the church and to consolidate the state, because Henry decided that the church is becoming too powerful. Becket took his new position seriously and changed the whole manner of his life. He turned off all his brilliant companions, drink only water, eat plane food, lived in a small cell and took as a habit to wash the feet of 13 people every day. People began to talk about it as a saint. He became even more popular. He lived more simply and became a champion of the church against royal power. A series of bitter conflicts fol­lowed between Becket and Henry over the king's attempts to gain control of the church in England. Becket resisted Henry's efforts to collect taxes from landowners and on church lands, and to try church officials accused of serious crimes. Becket opposed Henry's at­tempt to regulate the relations between church and state. In 1164, fearing for his safety, Beck­et fled to France, but he returned to England in 1170 and quickly renewed his opposition to royal authority. He condemned the arch­bishop of York and six other bishops, who had, in Becket's absence, crowned Prince Hen­ry, the heir apparent, at Henry II's request. The Archbishop of York and the six bishops fled to Henry in Normandy and told him of Becket's actions. Becket's new defiance irri­tated the king. In the hearing of his knights, Henry asked if anyone was brave enough to rid him of a single troublesome priest. Four knights took Henry's remark as a royal request. The knights murdered Becket while he was at evening prayers in Canterbury Cathedral. His struggle to keep the English church free from royal control led to his dramatic death. The murder of Becket shook the whole of Christendom. His body was placed in the crypt, and two days later that series of miracles began which in 1173 was to warrant Thomas a Becket's canonisation. Pope Alexander III declared Becket a saint.

Henry II was the strongest and most able king of England since Alfred, and during his reign England prospered. Henry II established strong royal rule over his empire and reformed the operation of the law with the new jury system, among other important legal procedures. All his life Henry had to rule an immense territory, he rode from one port of his empire to another giving an impression of being everywhere at once. But the size of the kingdom stimulated the creating of local governments. He organized local body to deal with the matters of justice and finance. The government was becoming increasingly bureaucratic.

However, Henry quarreled with his beautiful and powerful wife, and his sons, Richard and John, took Eleanor's side. It may seem surprising that Richard and John fought against their own father. But in fact they were doing their duty to the king of France, their feudal overlord, in payment for the lands they held from him. In 1189 Henry died a broken man, disappointed and defeated by his sons and by the French king.

Henry was followed by his rebellious son, Richard. Richard 1 has always been one of England's most popular kings, although he spent hardly any time in England. He was brave, and a good soldier, but his nickname Coeur de Lion, "lionheart", shows that his culture, like that of the kings before him, was French. He spent most of his youth at his mother's court famous for its troubadours and their songs of chivalry and courtly love. He was sufficiently well educated to be able to speak Latin and to write verse in French and Provencal. But above all he was educated in the art of war. To this end he took an active part in tournaments and knightly exercises. He was crowned on 3 Sep­tember, 1189, at Westminster.

Richard I was a great soldier. Almost im­mediately on becoming king he set off for the Holy Land to join the third Crusade against the Moslems (1189-92).

Richard was everything expected from the king; tall, powerful, well-educated, musical, and immensely courageous. He spoke little English, which did not matter much because during his reign he spent no more than seven months in England. The rest of the time he was fighting abroad.

Richard financed his Crusade by selling offices, lands, estates or rights. He even con­templated selling London, but could not find anyone rich enough to buy it. The Crusade was financed by heavy taxes, which were bit­terly resented.

Richard was everyone's idea of the perfect feudal king. He went to the Holy Land to make war on the Muslims and he fought with skill, courage and honour.

On his way back from the Holy Land Richard was captured by the duke of Austria, with whom he had quarreled in Jerusalem. The duke demanded money before he would let him go, and it took two years for England to pay. Shortly after, in 1199, Richard was killed in France. He had spent no more than four or five years in the country of which he was king. When he died the French king took over parts of Richard's French lands to rule himself. He gained nothing.