Henry II was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, about 34 and a half years.

Henry was the first of 14 Plantagenet English kings to sit on the English throne - a dynasty that would last 331 years until Henry VII, of the House of Tudor, took over.

Two of his sons would also sit on the English throne after his death - the Crusading King Richard the Lionheart and Bad King John, famed for signing Magna Carta and for his portrayal as the villain in the Robin Hood legends.

Henry II’s reign was marked by his vigorous military expeditions in which he expanded his Kingdom into northern France and Ireland and for the conflict with his own family, which spilled over into an all-out rebellion by his sons and his own wife.

Like the House of Tudor’s most famous King, Henry VIII, however, Henry II is perhaps best remembered for his conflict with the Church.

Specifically with the most senior member of Church in England at the time, the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Beckett who, as a result of his feud with the King, would end up hacked to death.



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