Henry II

Henry II
Author: Wilfred Lewis Warren
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 750
Release: 1973
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780520022829

Henry II was an enigma to contemporaries, and has excited widely divergent judgements ever since. Dramatic incidents of his reign, such as his quarrel with Archbishop Becket and his troubled relations with his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, and his sons, have attracted the attention of historical novelists, playwrights and filmmakers, but with no unanimity of interpretation. That he was a great king there can be no doubt. Yet his motives and intentions are not easy to divine, and it is Professor Warren's contention that concentration on the great crises of the reign can lead to distortion. This book is therefore a comprehensive reappraisal of the reign based, with rare understanding, on contemporary sources; it provides a coherent and persuasive revaluation of the man and the king, and is, in itself, an eloquent and impressive achievement.

Henry II

Henry II
Author: Christopher Harper-Bill
Publisher: Boydell Press
Total Pages: 436
Release: 2007
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9781843833406

Henry II is the most imposing figure among the medieval kings of England. His fiefs & domains extended from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, & his court was frequented by the greatest thinkers of his time. Best known for his dramatic conflicts, it was also a crucial period in the evolution of legal & governmental institutions.

Henry the Young King, 1155-1183

Henry the Young King, 1155-1183
Author: Matthew Strickland
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 507
Release: 2016-09-13
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0300219555

This first modern study of Henry the Young King, eldest son of Henry II but the least known Plantagenet monarch, explores the brief but eventful life of the only English ruler after the Norman Conquest to be created co-ruler in his father’s lifetime. Crowned at fifteen to secure an undisputed succession, Henry played a central role in the politics of Henry II’s great empire and was hailed as the embodiment of chivalry. Yet, consistently denied direct rule, the Young King was provoked first into heading a major rebellion against his father, then to waging a bitter war against his brother Richard for control of Aquitaine, dying before reaching the age of thirty having never assumed actual power. In this remarkable history, Matthew Strickland provides a richly colored portrait of an all-but-forgotten royal figure tutored by Thomas Becket, trained in arms by the great knight William Marshal, and incited to rebellion by his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine, while using his career to explore the nature of kingship, succession, dynastic politics, and rebellion in twelfth-century England and France.

Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine

Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine
Author: Matthew Lewis
Publisher: Amberley Publishing Limited
Total Pages: 544
Release: 2021-09-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1445671573

The powerful medieval couple who formed an empire beyond England, and whose children included Richard the Lionheart and King John.

The Lion in Winter

The Lion in Winter
Author: James Goldman
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Total Pages: 130
Release: 2004-12-14
Genre: Drama
ISBN: 0812973356

Insecure siblings fighting for their parents’ attention; bickering spouses who can’t stand to be together or apart; adultery and sexual experimentation; even the struggle to balance work and family: These are themes as much at home in our time as they were in the twelfth century. In James Goldman’s classic play The Lion in Winter, domestic turmoil rises to an art form. Keenly self-aware and motivated as much by spite as by any sense of duty, Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine maneuver against each other to position their favorite son in line for succession. By imagining the inner lives of Henry, Eleanor, and their sons, John, Geoffrey, and Richard, Goldman created the quintessential drama of family strife and competing ambitions, a work that gives visceral, modern-day relevance to the intrigues of Angevin England. Combining keen historical and psychological insight with delicious, mordant wit, the stage play has become a touchstone of today’s theater scene, and Goldman’s screenplay for the 1968 film adaptation won him an Academy Award. Told in “marvelously articulate language, with humor that bristles and burns” (Los Angeles Times), The Lion in Winter is the rare play that bursts into life on the printed page.

Henry II

Henry II
Author: John Hosler
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 287
Release: 2007-04-30
Genre: History
ISBN: 9047419340

There are no book-length studies in any language on the military career of King Henry II of England (1154-1189). Historians have generally regarded his warfare as cautious and limited, and the king himself, while noted for his considerable political and legal accomplishments, is not considered one of the great commanders of the Middle Ages. This book reexamines the medieval evidence and situates Henry II within the context of practiced warfare of the twelfth century. It sketches a narrative of his military activities from boyhood to death and examines his use of fortifications, manpower, strategy, tactics, and weaponry in the prosecution of war. The result is a revision of the king's military legacy: far from a passive or disinterested general, Henry II sought to vanquish his foes and expand his empire by way of direct military confrontation and was, in reality, a proficient commander of men.

When Christ and His Saints Slept

When Christ and His Saints Slept
Author: Sharon Kay Penman
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company
Total Pages: 784
Release: 2010-04-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1429939524

In When Christ and His Saints Slept master storyteller and historian Sharon Kay Penman illuminates one of the lesser-known but fascinating periods of English history. The next addition in this highly acclaimed historical fiction series of the middle ages, and the first of a trilogy that will tell the story of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. When Christ and His Saints Slept begins with the death of King Henry I, son of William the Conqueror and father of Maude, his only living legitimate offspring.

The Restless Kings

The Restless Kings
Author: Nick Barratt
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Total Pages: 264
Release: 2018-09-04
Genre: Art
ISBN: 0571329128

Longlisted for the HWA Non-Fiction Prize 2019 'A vivid and humane study of the Plantagenets' diabolical and devious first family - a real joy to read.' Dan Jones, author of The Plantagenets In The Restless Kings Nick Barratt presents the tumultuous struggle for supremacy between the first Plantagenet king, Henry II, and his four sons. This conflict tore apart the most powerful family in Western Europe and shaped the future of both Britain and France, with a significance which still resonates today. Exploring the personalities and crises facing this extraordinary family, The Restless Kings brings to life some of the most remarkable, complex, flawed and brilliant monarchs ever to have sat on the English throne, and will challenge everything you thought you knew about the medieval world.

Time and Chance

Time and Chance
Author: Sharon Kay Penman
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 513
Release: 2002-03-04
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1101157410

The sequel to Sharon Kay Penman's acclaimed novel When Christ and His Saints Slept, Time and Chance recounts the tempestuous marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Henry II in a magnificent story of love, power, ambition, and betrayal. He was nineteen when they married, she eleven years his senior, newly divorced from the King of France. She was beautiful, headstrong, intelligent, and rich. It was said he was Fortune's favorite, but he said a man makes his own luck. Within two years, Henry had made his, winning the throne of England and exercising extraordinary statecraft skills to control his unruly barons, expand his own powers, and restore peace to a land long torn by banditry and bloodshed. Only in one instance did Henry err: Elevating his good friend and confidant Thomas Becket to be Archbishop of Canterbury, he thought to gain control over the Church itself. But the once worldly Becket suddenly discovered God, and their alliance withered in the heat of his newfound zeal. What Becket saw as a holy mission-to protect the Church against State encroachments-Henry saw as arrant betrayal, and they were launched inevitably on the road to murder. Rich in character and color, true to the historical details, sensitive to the complex emotions of these men and women, Time and Chance recreates their story with all the drama, pain, and passion of the moment.