With the accession of Henry as king, hope in England was reborn. The population had been left with a depressing sense of being downtrodden as the civil war between Stephen and Matilda rumbled on. However, the English people, in Henry, could see an energetic and vibrant young king ready to provide a return to the days of law and order of his grandfather Henry I. A couple of years before becoming king, Henry had made a spectacular marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine, the former wife of Louis VII of France. Eleanor had not been happy with her marriage to the French king. Rumours had spread that Eleanor had an affair with her uncle during the disastrous Second Crusade, of which she and Louis participated in. On their return to the West, Eleanor forced a divorce from Louis before rapidly marrying Henry, the then 18 year old Duke of Normandy. Eleanor was over a decade older than her new husband. The match with Eleanor made Henry a dangerous rival for Louis and the French king knew it and even more so when Eleanor quickly gave Henry a son, William who was born in 1153, something that she had failed to do for Louis.
Henry and Eleanor’s marriage would be one that would go down in history.
By the time of his coronation, the week before Christmas of 1154, everything looked good for Henry. He had a wife who brought with her extensive territories, helping Henry to build his Angevin empire, and who would also produce for him a number of sons and heirs after William and there was genuine enthusiasm for his rule. Henry was crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Theobald of Bec, at Westminster Abbey and he set to work almost immediately.
Image: Henry and Eleanor.
One of Henry’s first acts was to remove the swarm of mercenaries that had been hired by Stephen during the anarchy. Many of these mercenaries had been invited over from Flanders. No doubt, Henry wished to be rid of them as they were a living and breathing reminder of the troubles that had gone before. The king made it clear, in no uncertain terms, to the mercenaries that they were to adhere to the departure date given to them or their lives could be in jeopardy. Unsurprisingly, they did as they were told and exited the country without delay. There were other reminders of the civil war too. Castles and other structures had popped up over the last twenty years. Henry demolished a number of them although kept some for strategic purposes.
Henry proactively ensured that law and justice was kept throughout the land. The king kept a close watch on his judges and other law enforcers to ensure they abstained from corruption. The church also benefitted as Henry made sure, when vacancies arose, they were awarded to honest members of the clergy. Under the watchful eye of the king and his chancellor Thomas Becket, as well as the nobility whom Henry had managed to unify, England began to enjoy, as one chronicler puts it, “a second springtime”.
In the early months of his reign, Henry toured the country, granting extensive numbers of charters. In January 1155, Henry was at Oxford where he oversaw a legal issue for a certain Abbot named Bernard. From there, he travelled northwards. Henry would gain a reputation as a king who not only travelled far and wide but moved at a phenomenal pace as well. You had to be on your toes if you were part of his royal entourage. Not only did Henry travel long distances at an incredible rate, he also gave his entourage very mixed information when it came to travel arrangements. For instance, he would say that he and his people were to set off first thing in the morning, only for the king to stay in bed until midday. Other occasions, he would state they were to set off later in the day only for him to change his mind and set off early, leaving everyone else scrambling to catch up. It may well be Henry took some enjoyment out of creating such chaos. One chronicler accuses Henry of telling his entourage, when they were travelling, that they’d be staying overnight in comfortable lodgings, only to change plans again and, in the words of that same chronicler, leave his people to stay in a hovel not fit for a pig. Henry definitely enjoyed watching the arguments that followed as people fought over who slept where. Henry was definitely a man with a sense of humour.
In February of 1155, Henry arrived at Nottingham. It’s possible that he travelled there to investigate the mysterious death of the Earl of Chester. The man who was suspected of playing a part in the Earl’s death had been residing at Nottingham. When he heard that the king was close at hand, the suspect fled. That same month, Eleanor gives birth to a son, who is named after his father. This boy would be known to history as the Young King. This name came about after he was crowned co-king alongside his father in 1170. However, this would prove to be a mere symbolic gesture on the part of Henry II and the Young King, alongside his younger brothers, would gradually become increasingly frustrated under what they considered their father’s rather suffocating hold over them.
Henry then gained possession of two castles which had been held by the Earl of Hereford who had previously been at odds with the crown. This would have been pleasing for the king as it demonstrated that he was getting very much to grips with what had been a lawless country during the reign of Stephen. It may only have been a relatively small gain but the symbolism would not have been lost on Henry.
Henry then turned his thoughts to the future. He wanted to ensure the nobility’s loyalty to his two sons, the infant William and the new born Henry. So, he held a council at Wallingford where oaths of loyalty were taken. Things appeared to be going well for the new king but matters would soon become more difficult for Henry. In May of 1155, a man by the name of Hugh De Mortimer goes into revolt against the king. The dispute drags on for a couple of months, which involves several sieges, until, at Bridgnorth, a peace is agreed.
Whilst the squabble with De Mortimer was going on, Henry received some bitter news. His oldest son William, just a toddler, had tragically died. In an age of high infant mortality, this was not exactly unexpected but a gut wrenching blow for the king. On a more coldly pragmatic note, William’s death left the king with one new born as his heir. To protect his dynasty, Henry would have to produce more sons to guard against the perils of childhood in the 12th century.
Empress Matilda was still playing a significant role on the political scene. She warned her son against the risks of a campaign he planned to make in Ireland, one of potential conquest. It would have been a seriously risky move for a new king and Henry duly continues his progress throughout England. Henry spends the Christmas of 1155 in London where he makes plans to travel to France to pay homage to Louis VII for his French possessions that had come to him through right of his marriage to Eleanor and from his inheritance of the lands previously held by his father. While he is gone, England’s administration is entrusted to Eleanor.
Eleanor would require help with running the country as, at the time of Henry’s departure for the continent, she was pregnant again. And in the summer of 1156, she gave birth to a daughter, named Matilda. Meanwhile, in France, the king was capturing territories that were rightfully his but whose citizens were refusing to acknowledge him as their ruler.
Henry enjoys Christmas at Bordeaux and, alongside his mother who appears to have joined him, he establishes an abbey at Cherburgh early in the New Year. Both Henry and Matilda also grant a charter to Silly Abbey in Argentan. In attendance of the confirmation of this charter is chancellor Becket.
Despite their potential rivalry, Henry and Louis VII remain on good terms and Henry is granted possession of an abbey at Tours by the French king.
Over a year after his departure for France, Henry finally returns to England in April of 1157. Henry’s attentions are then turned northwards to Scotland and their king Malcolm IV. Malcolm relinquishes his claims to Newcastle and Carlisle. The Scots king agrees to meet Henry at Derbyshire and spends some time at the English court. Malcolm accompanies Henry to Chester where he pays the English king homage.
Wales proved to be a little more problematic for Henry but, after some initial rebellions, he managed to subdue the Welsh who then paid him homage. To further bolster security in Wales, Henry then significantly strengthened his castles there. 1157 had been a good year for Henry and, in September, it got even better as Eleanor gave birth to a boy, called Richard. This little baby would grow to be a force of nature and cause his father no end of problems but Henry, of course, was not to know this and the birth of Richard was a cause of great joy for the king and queen. The first three years of Henry's reign had been a success with England being given so much needed stability by this young, energetic king.
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