Westminster. Rouen. Chinon. Poitiers. The Four Centres Of Power For Henry II Plantagenet. Mediæval King Of England 1154 – 1189. Friend And Foe Of Thomas à Becket. (Part Three).

Soundtrack from Simon Schama’s

“A History of Britain”,

which included King Henry II's reign.

Sung by Emma Kirkby (Soprano)

Music by John Harle.

Available on YouTube

HERE

Text from Wikipedia - the free encyclopædia,

unless stated otherwise.

The Norman invasion of Ireland provided lands for his youngest son, John, but Henry struggled to find ways to satisfy all his sons’ desires for land and immediate power.

King Philip of France successfully played on Prince Richard’s fears that King Henry II of England would make Richard’s brother, Prince John, the next King of England, and a final Rebellion broke out in 1189.

Decisively defeated by Philip and Richard, and suffering from a bleeding ulcer, King Henry II retreated to Chinon, in Anjou, France, where he died.

Henry’s Empire quickly collapsed during the Reign of his youngest son King John. Many of the changes Henry introduced during his long Rule, however, had long-term consequences. Henry’s legal changes are generally considered to have laid the basis for the English Common Law, while his intervention in Brittany, Wales and Scotland shaped the development of their societies and governmental systems.

Historical interpretations of Henry’s Reign have changed considerably over time. In the 18th-Century, scholars argued that Henry was a driving force in the creation of a genuinely English Monarchy and, ultimately, a unified Britain.

During the Victorian expansion of the British Empire, historians were keenly interested in the formation of Henry’s own Empire, but they also expressed concern over his private life and treatment of Thomas à Becket. Late-20th-Century historians have combined British and French historical accounts of Henry, challenging earlier Anglo-centric interpretations of his Reign.

English: 

Chinon Castle. France. One of King Henry II’s 

four centres of power in the 12th-Century.

Français: 

Vue du château de Chinon 

de la rive gauche de la Vienne.

This File: 23 March 2009.

User: Citypeek.

(Wikimedia Commons)

During the Middle Ages, Chinon, France, developed, especially under King Henry II (Henry Plantagenêt, Count of Anjou, and Crowned King of England in 1154).

PART FOUR FOLLOWS.