Joanna Princess Of England

Notes:

MILITARY: Battles and Wars> Invaded Ireland intent on conquest, 1171; by Christmas 1171, Waterford, Wexford, Limerick, and Cork were in his hands and all the Irish princes, except the King of Connaught, gave him hostages and promised tribute.

HONORS: Knighted, 1149.
TITLES: Succeeded 1st cousin one time removed Stephen, King of England, in 1154 as King of England, crowned 19 Dec 1154, reigned 25 Oct 1154-1189.
TITLES: Became Duke of Normandy et of Maine, and Count of Anjou by inheritance from his mother and father.
TITLES: In right of his wife, Duke of Aquitaine.

PROBATE: Died testate.

King Henry was styled as, "Rex Angliae, Dux Normaniae et Aquitaniae et Comes Andigaviae". This appears to be the first official use of the title, "King of England", rather than "King of the English", although modern historians give the title to all sovereigns from William the Conqueror.

Crowned by Theobald, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Henry supported a petition to Rome to make Edward the Confessor a saint. Edward was canonized in 1161, and on 13 October 1163, Henry was present at a ceremony in Westminster Abbey at which Archbishop Thomas Becket elevated Edward's remains. Henry was known for his excellent memory, as well as for his occasional fits of bad temper, which involved rolling on the floor and biting furniture. It was said that Henry could speak every language used in Europe, from France to the Holy Land--but he probably could not speak English. Henry was very interested in learning. Peter of Blois said, "With the King of England, it is school every day; there is always conversation with learned men and discussion of learned problems". Traditionally, Henry's dying words are supposed to have been, "Shame, shame on a conquered king", referring to his sons' insurrections.

Name: King Henry II
Born: March 5, 1133 at Le Mans, France
Parents: Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, and Empress Matilda
Relation to Elizabeth II: 22nd great-grandfather
House of: Angevin
Ascended to the throne: October 25, 1154 aged 21 years
Crowned: December 19, 1154 at Westminster Abbey
Married: Eleanor of Aquitaine, Daughter of William X, Duke of Aquitaine
Children: Five sons including Richard I and John, three daughters and several illegitimate children
Died: July 6, 1189 at Chinon Castle, Anjou, aged 56 years, 4 months, and 1 day
Buried at: Fontevraud, France
Reigned for: 34 years, 8 months, and 11 days
Succeeded by: his son Richard

King of England 1154-89. The son of Matilda and Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou, he succeeded King Stephen (c. 1097-1154). He curbed the power of the barons, but his attempt to bring the church courts under control was abandoned after the murder of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1170. The English conquest of Ireland began during Henry's reign. On several occasions his sons rebelled, notably 1173-74. Henry was succeeded by his son Richard (I) the Lionheart.

Henry was lord of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, and Count of Anjou, Brittany, Poitou, Normandy, Maine, and Gascony. He claimed Aquitaine through marriage to the heiress Eleanor in 1152. Henry's many French possessions caused him to live for more than half his reign outside England. This made it essential for him to establish a judicial and administrative system which would work during his absence. His chancellor and friend, Becket, was persuaded to become archbishop of Canterbury in 1162 in the hope that he would help the king curb the power of the ecclesiastical courts. However, once consecrated, Becket felt bound to defend church privileges, and he was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral 1170 by four knights of the king's household.

In 1171 Henry invaded Ireland and received homage from the King of Leinster. In 1174 his three sons Henry, Richard and Geoffrey led an unsuccessful rebellion against their father.

Quotes:
Here I am, not a traitor of the king, but a priest of God. Why do you want me?' - Thomas Becket addressing his murderers, 29 December 1170

Timeline for King Henry II
Year Event
1154 Henry II accedes to the throne at the age of 21 upon the death of his second cousin, Stephen.
1154 Pope Adrian IV (born Nicholas Breakspear) becomes the first English Pope 1154-1159.
1155 Henry appoints Thomas a Becket as Chancellor of England, a post that he holds for seven years.
1155 Pope Adrian IV issues the papal bull Laudabiliter, which gives Henry dispensation to invade Ireland and bring the Irish Church under the control of the Church of Rome.
1162 On the death of Archbishop Theobald, Henry appoints Thomas a Becket as Archbishop of Canterbury in the hope that he will help introduce Church reforms.
1164 Henry introduces the Constitutions of Clarendon, which place limitations on the Church's jurisdiction over crimes committed by the clergy. The Pope refuses to approve the Constitutions, so Thomas Becket refuses to sign them.
1166 The Assize of Clarendon establishes trial by jury for the first time.
1166 Dermot McMurrough, King of Leinster in Ireland, appeals to Henry to help him oppose a confederation of other Irish kings. In response to the appeal, Henry sends a force led by Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke, thereby beginning the English settlement of Ireland.
1168 English scholars expelled from Paris settle in Oxford, where they found a university.1170Pope Alexander III threatens England with an interdict and forces Henry to a formal reconciliation with Becket. However, the two of them quarrel again when Becket publishes papal letters voiding Henry's Constitutions of Clarendon.
1170 Becket is killed in Canterbury Cathedral on 29 December by four of Henry's knights.
1171 Henry invades Ireland and receives homage from the King of Leinster and the other kings. Henry is accepted as Lord of Ireland.
1171 At Cashel Henry makes Irish clergy submit to the authority of Rome.
1173 Canonization of Thomas Becket.
1173 Eleanor of Aquitaine and her sons revolt unsuccessfully against her husband Henry II.
1174 Henry's sons Henry, Richard, and Geoffrey lead an unsuccessful rebellion against their father.
1176 Henry creates a framework of justice creating judges and dividing England into six counties.
1185 Lincoln cathedral is destroyed by an earthquake.
1189 Henry dies at Chinon castle, Anjou, France

Henry married Eleonore Princess Of Aquitaine on 11 May 1152 in Bordeaux, Gironde, Aquitaine, France. Eleonore (daughter of Guillaume X Duke Of Aquitaine and Elbeanor De Chatellerault) was born in 1121 in Chcateau DE Belin, Bordeaux, Aquitaine, France; died on 31 Mar 1204 in Poitiers, Aquitaine, France; was buried in Abbaye DE Fontevrault, Fontevrault, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Eleanor's name appears on a charter for the first time in 1129, when shewas seven. She, her parents and her brother witnessed the parchment, andshe signed her initials in ink.

Eleanor went on crusade with first husband Louis VII.

Eleanor's marriage to Louis was an"ed on the grounds of consanguinity.

When Eleanor married Henry, she brought with her 42 gowns, 14 pairs ofshoes, 5 mantles, and 10 undershirts.

Eleanor's ancestral palace at Poitiers is now the Palace of Justice. Someof the changes that she made can still be seen.

A character in Shakespeare's play, King John.

Constance of Brittany makes a bitter speech--the use of baby talk makesit one of the most cynical in all of Shakespeare's plays, which is sayinga lot--to her son Arthur and his grandmother Eleanor, who has backed Johninstead of Arthur: "Do, child, go to it grandam, child; Give grandamkingdom, and it grandam will Give it a plum, a cherry, and a fig. There'sa good grandam!..." King John Act 2, scene 1

Source: RoyaList

Notes:

Geoffrey was knighted by King Henry I on 10 June 1128, in Rouen.

Geoffrey's habit of wearing a sprig of broom plant (planta genesta) inhis hat is the origin of the name "Plantagenet."

Source: RoyaList

Geoffrey married Matilda (Maud) Empress Of Germany on 22 May 1127 in Le Mans, Sarthe, France. Matilda (daughter of Henry I King of England and Matilda "Atheling" Princess Of Scotland) was born on 7 Feb 1102 in London, London, England; died on 10 Sep 1169 in Notre Dame, Rouen, Normandy, France; was buried in Bec Abbey, Le Bec-Hellouin, Eure, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Matilda and her brother William were possibly twins.

According to some accounts, Matilda was named Alice at birth, but herfather Henry I changed her name to honour her mother, Matilda of Scotland(who had herself changed her name to honour Henry's mother).

Matilda's marriage to Geoffrey was mostly stormy. In 1131, three yearsafter they married, Matilda returned to her father, Henry I. Then,according to Henry of Huntingdon, she was sent back to Geoffrey "andgiven a reception fitting for such a virago."

According to some sources, Matilda died in 1169.

Source: RoyaList

Guillaume married Elbeanor De Chatellerault in 1121 in , , , France. Elbeanor was born about 1103 in Chatellerault, Poitou, Aquitaine, France; died after Mar 1130. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Henry married Matilda "Atheling" Princess Of Scotland on 11 Nov 1100 in Westminster, Middlesex, London, England. Matilda was born in 1079 in Dunfermline, Fifeshire, Scotland; died on 1 May 1118 in Westminster, Middlesex, London, England; was buried in Jun 1118 in Church Of St Peter, Westminster, Middlesex, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Guillaume married Philippa (Mathilde Or Maude), Countess Of Toulouse in 1094 in , , , France. Philippa was born about 1073 in Toulouse, Languedoc, Haute Garonne, France; died on 28 Nov 1117. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Born around 1028, William was the illegitimate son of Duke Robert I of Normandy, and Herleve (also known as Arlette), daughter of a tanner in Falaise. Known as 'William the Bastard' to his contemporaries, his illegitimacy shaped his career when he was young.

On his father's death in 1035, William was recognised by his family as the heir - an exception to the general rule that illegitimacy barred succession. His great uncle looked after the Duchy until 1037, and his overlord, King Henry I of France, knighted him at the age of 15. From 1047 onwards, William successfully dealt with rebellion inside Normandy involving his kinsmen and threats from neighbouring nobles, including attempted invasions by his former ally King Henry I of France in 1054 (the French forces were defeated at the Battle of Mortemer) and 1057. William's military successes and reputation helped him to negotiate his marriage to Mathilda, daughter of Count Baldwin V of Flanders. At the time of his invasion of England, William was a very experienced and ruthless military commander, ruler and administrator who had unified Normandy and inspired fear and respect outside his duchy.

William's claim to the English throne was based on his assertion that, in 1051, Edward the Confessor had promised him the throne (he was a distant cousin) and that Harold II - having sworn in 1064 to uphold William's right to succeed to that throne - was therefore a usurper. Furthermore, William had the support of Emperor Henry IV and papal approval. William took seven months to prepare his invasion force, using some 600 transport ships to carry around 7,000 men (including 2,000-3,000 cavalry) across the Channel.

On 28 September 1066, with a favourable wind, William landed unopposed at Pevensey and, within a few days, raised fortifications at Hastings. Having defeated an earlier invasion by the King of Norway at the Battle of Stamford Bridge near York in late September, Harold undertook a forced march south, covering 250 miles in some nine days to meet the new threat, gathering inexperienced reinforcements to replenish his exhausted veterans as he marched.

At the Battle of Senlac (near Hastings) on 14 October, Harold's weary and under-strength army faced William's cavalry (part of the forces brought across the Channel) supported by archers. Despite their exhaustion, Harold's troops were equal in number (they included the best infantry in Europe equipped with their terrible two-handled battle axes) and they had the battlefield advantage of being based on a ridge above the Norman positions. The first uphill assaults by the Normans failed and a rumour spread that William had been killed; William rode among the ranks raising his helmet to show he was still alive. The battle was close-fought: a chronicler described the Norman counter-attacks and the Saxon defence as 'one side attacking with all mobility, the other withstanding as though rooted to the soil'. Three of William's horses were killed under him. William skilfully co-ordinated his archers and cavalry, both of which the English forces lacked. During a Norman assault, Harold was killed - hit by an arrow and then mowed down by the sword of a mounted knight. Two of his brothers were also killed. The demoralised English forces fled. (In 1070, as penance, William had an abbey built on the site of the battle, with the high altar occupying the spot where Harold fell. The ruins of Battle Abbey, and the town of Battle, which grew up around it, remain.)

William was crowned on Christmas Day 1066 in Westminster Abbey. Three months later, he was confident enough to return to Normandy leaving two joint regents (one of whom was his half-brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, who was later to commission the Bayeux Tapestry) behind to administer the kingdom. However, it took William six years to consolidate his conquest, and even then he had to face constant plotting and fighting on both sides of the Channel.

In 1068, Harold's illegitimate sons raided the south-west coast of England (dealt with by William's local commanders), and there were uprisings in the Welsh Marches, Devon and Cornwall. William appointed earls who, in Wales and in all parts of the kingdom, undertook to guard the threatened frontiers and maintain internal security in return for land.

In 1069, the Danes, in alliance with Prince Edgar the Aetheling (Ethelred's great-grandson) and other English nobles, invaded the north and took York. Taking personal charge, and pausing only to deal with the rising at Stafford, William drove the Danes back to their ships on the Humber. In a harsh campaign lasting into 1070, William systematically devastated Mercia and Northumbria to deprive the Danes of their supplies and prevent recovery of English resistance. Churches and monasteries were burnt, and agricultural land was laid to waste, creating a famine for the unarmed and mostly peasant population which lasted at least nine years. Although the Danes were bribed to leave the north, King Sweyn of Denmark and his ships threatened the east coast (in alliance with various English, including Hereward the Wake) until a treaty of peace was concluded in June 1070. Further north, where the boundary with Scotland was unclear, King Malcolm III was encroaching into England. Yet again, William moved swiftly and moved land and sea forces north to invade Scotland. The Treaty of Abernethy in 1072 marked a truce, which was reinforced by Malcolm's eldest son being accepted as a hostage.

William consolidated his conquest by starting a castle-building campaign in strategic areas. Originally these castles were wooden towers on earthen 'mottes' (mounds) with a bailey (defensive area) surrounded by earth ramparts, but many were later rebuilt in stone. By the end of William's reign over 80 castles had been built throughout his kingdom, as a permanent reminder of the new Norman feudal order.


William and his wife Matilda of Flanders had at least nine children. The birth order of the sons is clear, but no source gives the relative order of birth of the daughters.

Robert was born between 1051 and 1054, died 10 February 1134. Duke of Normandy, married Sybilla of Conversano, daughter of Geoffrey, Count of Conversano.
Richard was born before 1056, died around 1075.
William was born between 1056 and 1060, died 2 August 1100. King of England, killed in the New Forest.]
Henry was born in late 1068, died 1 December 1135. King of England, married Edith of Scotland, daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland. His second wife was Adeliza of Louvain.
Adeliza (or Adelida, Adelaide) died before 1113, reportedly betrothed to Harold Godwinson, probably a nun of Saint Léger at Préaux.
Cecilia (or Cecily) was born before 1066, died 1127, Abbess of Holy Trinity, Caen.
Matilda was born around 1061, died perhaps about 1086. Mentioned in Domesday Book as a daughter of William.
Constance died 1090, married Alan IV Fergent, Duke of Brittany.
Adela died 1137, married Stephen, Count of Blois.
(Possibly) Agatha, the betrothed of Alfonso VI of León and Castile.

There is no evidence of any illegitimate children born to William.

Christened:
During Norman conquest, as an adult.

William married Matilda Countess Of Flanders Queen Of England in 1050 in Castle Of, Angi, Normandy, France. Matilda (daughter of Baudouin V Count of Flanders and Adaele Capet) was born in 1031 in , Flanders, Belgium; died on 2 Nov 1083 in Caen, Calvados, Normandy, France; was buried in Eglise DE La Sainte Trinitbe, Caen, Normandie, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Guillaume married Hildegarde, Princess Of France in 1068 in , , , France. Hildegarde, (daughter of Robert Prince Of France and Ermengarde, Countess Of Anjou) was born about 1049 in Burgundy, Marne, Aisne, Hauts-de-France, France; died after 1104. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Robert the Magnificent (French: le Magnifique;[a] 22 June 1000 – 1–3 July 1035), was the Duke of Normandy from 1027 until his death in 1035.

Owing to uncertainty over the numbering of the Dukes of Normandy he is usually called Robert I, but sometimes Robert II with his ancestor Rollo as Robert I. He was the son of Richard II and brother of Richard III, who preceded him as the Duke. Less than a year after his father's death, Robert revolted against his brother's rule, but failed. He would later inherit Normandy after his brother's death. He was succeeded by his illegitimate son, William the Conqueror who became the first Norman king of England in 1066, following the Norman conquest of England.

Robert was the son of Richard II of Normandy and Judith, daughter of Conan I, Duke of Brittany. He was also grandson of Richard I of Normandy, great-grandson of William I of Normandy and great-great grandson of Rollo, the Viking who founded Normandy. Before he died, Richard II had decided his elder son Richard III would succeed him while his second son Robert would become Count of Hiémois. In August 1026 their father, Richard II, died and Richard III became duke, but soon afterwards Robert rebelled against his brother, was subsequently defeated and forced to swear fealty to his older brother Richard.

When Richard III died a year later, there were suspicions that Robert had something to do with his death. Although nothing could be proved, Robert had the most to gain. The civil war Robert I had brought against his brother Richard III was still causing instability in the duchy. Private wars raged between neighbouring barons. This resulted in a new aristocracy arising in Normandy during Robert’s reign. It was also during this time that many of the lesser nobility left Normandy to seek their fortunes in southern Italy and elsewhere. Soon after assuming the dukedom, possibly in revenge for supporting his brother against him, Robert I assembled an army against his uncle, Robert, Archbishop of Rouen and Count of Évreux. A temporary truce allowed his uncle to leave Normandy in exile but this resulted in an edict excommunicating all of Normandy, which was only lifted when Archbishop Robert was allowed to return and his countship was restored. Robert also attacked another powerful churchman, his cousin Hugo III d'Ivry, Bishop of Bayeux, banishing him from Normandy for an extended period of time. Robert also seized a number of church properties belonging to the Abbey of Fecamp.

Despite his domestic troubles Robert decided to intervene in the civil war in Flanders between Baldwin V, Count of Flanders and his father Baldwin IV whom the younger Baldwin had driven out of Flanders. Baldwin V, supported by king Robert II of France, his father-in-law, was persuaded to make peace with his father in 1030 when Duke Robert promised the elder Baldwin his considerable military support. Robert gave shelter to Henry I of France against his mother, Queen Constance, who favored her younger son Robert to succeed to the French throne after his father Robert II. For his help Henry I rewarded Robert with the French Vexin. In the early 1030s Alan III, Duke of Brittany began expanding his influence from the area of Rennes and appeared to have designs on the area surrounding Mont Saint-Michel. After sacking Dol and repelling Alan's attempts to raid Avranches, Robert mounted a major campaign against his cousin Alan III. However, Alan appealed to their uncle, Archbishop Robert of Rouen, who then brokered a peace between Duke Robert and his vassal Alan III. His cousins, the Athelings Edward and Alfred, sons of his aunt Emma of Normandy and Athelred, King of England had been living at the Norman Court and at one point Robert, on their behalf, attempted to mount an invasion of England but was prevented in doing so, it was said, by unfavorable winds, that scattered and sank much of the fleet. Robert made a safe landing in Guernsey. Gesta Normannorum Ducum stated that King Cnut sent envoys to Duke Robert offering to settle half the Kingdom of England on Edward and Alfred. After postponing the naval invasion he chose to also postpone the decision until after he returned from Jerusalem.

Robert's attitude towards the Church had changed noticeably certainly since reinstating his uncle's position as Archbishop of Rouen. In his attempt to reconcile his differences with the Church he restored property that he or his vassals had confiscated, and by 1034 had returned all the properties he had earlier taken from the abbey of Fecamp.

After making his illegitimate son William his heir, he set out on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. According to the Gesta Normannorum Ducum he travelled by way of Constantinople, reached Jerusalem, fell seriously ill and died on the return journey at Nicaea on 2 July 1035. His son William, aged about eight, succeeded him.

According to the historian William of Malmesbury, decades later his son William sent a mission to Constantinople and Nicaea, charging it with bringing his father's body back to Normandy for burial. Permission was granted, but, having travelled as far as Apulia (Italy) on the return journey, the envoys learned that William himself had meanwhile died. They then decided to re-inter Robert's body in Italy.

By his mistress, Herleva of Falaise, he was father of:
William the Conqueror (c. 1028–1087).

By Herleva or possibly another concubine, he was the father of:
Adelaide of Normandy, who married firstly, Enguerrand II, Count of Ponthieu. She married secondly, Lambert II, Count of Lens, and thirdly, Odo II of Champagne.

Robert married Harlette De Falaise about 1023. Harlette was born about 1003 in Falaise, Calvados, Normandy, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Guillaume married Agnaes Countess Of Burgundy before Mar 1018 in , , , France. Agnaes (daughter of Otto Guillaume Count Of Burgundy and Ermentrude (Irmtrude) Countess Of Rheims) was born about 987 in Burgundy, Marne, Aisne, Hauts-de-France, France; died on 10 Nov 1068. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Robert married Ermengarde, Countess Of Anjou about 1048 in , , , France. Ermengarde, was born in 1018 in Anjou, Isere, Rhone-Alpes, France; died on 18 Mar 1076 in Anjou, Isere, Rhone-Alpes, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]