Henry the Second King of England
THIS monarch, b. in 1133, son of GEOFFREY PLANTAGENET, Count of Anjou, by Maud, his wife, widow of the Emperor Henry IV., and dau. and heir of HENRY I., KING OF ENGLAND, ascended the throne at the death of King Stephen, in 1154, and inherited a greater extent of territory than had ever been held by an English sovereign, which he still further increased by the conquest of Ireland and Brittany, and by his marriage in 1151, with ELEANOR, the divorced Queen of Louis VII. of France, and the richly portioned dau. and heiress of WILLIAM V., DUKE of AQUITAINE, and Count of Poictou. By this lady, who d. in 1202, Henry had issue:
i. William, b. in 1152, d. 1156.
ii. HENRY, b. in 1155, crowned by command of his father, King of England, in 11 70. This prince, who broke out into open revolt against his father, m. Margaret, dau. of Louis VII, King of France, but d.s.p. in 1183. His widow m. 2ndly, Bela III, King of Hungary.
iii. RICHARD, successor to the throne (see RICHARD I.)
iv. GEOFFREY, Earl of Bretagne, b. in 1158, accidentally slain in a tournament at Paris, in 1185. He m. Constance, dau. of Conan le Petit, Earl of Richmond, and Duke of Brittany, and left a posthumous son, and a dau., viz.:
ARTHUR, put to death by his uncle, King John, 3 April, 1203. v. JOHN, successor to his brother, Richard (see KING JOHN.)
i. Matilda, b. in 1156, who m. Henry the Lion of Saxony, and had issue,
1. HENRY, Longus, of Zelle, who became Count Palatine of the Rhine, from 1195 to 1215. This prince partitioned his father’s dominions with his brother Otto; and d. in 1227, leaving two daus., the elder m. to Otto the Illustrious, Duke of Bavaria, and the younger m. to Herman IV, Margrave of Baden.
2. OTTO, Duke of Brunswick, elected Emperor in 1198, d. in 1218.
3. WILLIAM, surnamed of Winchester, from the place of his birth. This prince, b. in 1184, was one of the hostages for the payment of the ransom of his uncle Richard Coeur de Lion. He m. Helen, dau. of Waldemar I., King of Denmark, and left at his decease in 1213, an only son,
OTHO, surnamed Puer, who, at the death of his uncle Henry, of Zelle, laid claim to Brunswick as heir male, in opposition to that prince’s daughters, and establishing his right by the sword, was created by the Emperor Frederick II., DUKE of BRUNSWICK LUNENBURGU. He m. Matilda, dau. of Albert II., Elector of Brandenburg, and dying in 1252, was succeeded by his eldest son,
ALBERT the Great, Duke of Brunswick, a renowned soldier, who, at the head of the Bohemians and Brunswickers, defeated a powerful army of Hungarians, and captured their king. In 1258, he took the fortress of Asseburg after three years’ siege, and also acquired by conquest, the lordship of WOLFENBUTTEL. His successful career terminated in 1279. From him directly descended the DUKES of BRUNSWICK, and the ELECTORS of HANOVER, as will be shown hereafter.
4. LUTHER, who d. in 1191.
i. Maud, who m. Henry Burewin 1., Prince of Wenden, and from this marriage derived the House of Mecklenburg, and Queen Charlotte, consort of George III, of England.
ii. Eleanor, who m. Alphonso VIII.. King of Castile, and was mother of Blanche, Queen of Louis VIII. of France.
iii. Joan, m. 1st, to William II., King of Sicily, and 2ndly, to Raymond, Count of Thoulouse. Henry II. d. 6 July, 1189, aged 57.
The Royal House of Plantagenet derived its surname, according to Rapin, from the following circumstance : “Fulk the Great, Count of Anjou, being stung with remorse for some wicked action, in order to atone for it, went a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and was scourged before the Holy Sepulchre with broom twigs—” plants de genet,” which grew in great plenty there. Earlier authorities, however, assign for origin of the appellation, the custom of Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, who bore a full blossomed branch of the yellow broom, by way of plume in his helm.
The first Count of all Anjou, was
FULK, the Red, who d. in 938, and whose son,
FULK II, surnamed the Good, succeeded to tile country of Anjou, at the death, in battle, of his eldest brother, Ingelger. By Gerverga, his wife, he was father of
GEOFFREY 1., surnamed Grisegonelle, who received in requital of his gallant services against tile Emperor Otho, a grant from King Robert, of the dignified office of Seneschal of France. He m. Adelais, of Vermandois, dau. of Robert, Count of Troyes, and dying 21 July, 987, was succeeded by his Son,
FULK III, surnamed the Black, Count of Anjou, whose dau.
ERMENGARD, heiress of her brother Geoffrey Marsel, Count of Anjou, wedded Geoffrey, surnamed Ferole, Count of Gastinois, and was mother of
FULK IV., surnamed the Rude, who succeeded as Count of Anjou, at the decease, in prison, of his elder brother, Geoffrey the Bearded. Fulk d. 14 April, 1106, leaving a dau. Ermengard; m. 1st, to William, Duke of Aquitaine, and 2ndly, to Alan IV, Count of Bretaign, and a son,
FULK V., Count of Anjou, who m. 1st, Ermengard, dau. and heir of Helias, Count of Maine, and had by her
GEOFFREY, his heir.
Helias, Count of Mayenne, whose dau. and heir, Mary, m. John I., Count of Alençon.
Sibylla, m. 1st, to William of Normandy, Count of Flanders, and 2ndly, to Theodore, of Alsatea, Count of Flanders.
Fulk, m. 2ndly, Melesend, dau. of Baldwin II. King of Jerusalem, and became king himself at the death of his father-in-law. His eldest son, by his first wife,
GEOFFREY PLANTAGENET, Count of Anjou, who m. 3 April, 1127, the Empress Maud, widow of the Emperor Henry IV., and dau. and heiress of HENRY I., King of England, and had by her, who d. 10 Sept. 1167, a son and successor,
HENRY, Count of Anjou, who ascended the throne as HENRY II.
Geoffrey Plantagenet, a prince of great justice and charity, d. in Sept. 1150, and was buried at Mans, in St. Julian’s church.