The Anarchy and Henry FitzEmpress

Question 1

When was Henry born and when did he ascend the throne?

Answer 1

Born in March 1133 and became king in December 1154

Question 2

Who were Henry II’s parents?

Answer 2

Geoffrey Plantagenet and Empress Matilda

Question 3

What was Henry I to Henry II?

Answer 3

Grandfather (through Matilda)

Question 4

Where was Henry II born in?

Answer 4

County of Anjou; town of Le Mans

Question 5

What did Henry attempt in 1147 and what was the result?

Answer 5

He attempted to invade England with a small mercenary force.

King Stephen paid off his mercenaries and allowed Henry to cross the Channel back to Anjou

Question 6

When had Geoffrey, Count of Anjou brought Normandy under Angevin control

Answer 6

1144

Question 7

When and why did Henry become Duke of Normandy?

Answer 7

In 1150, Geoffrey granted him the ducal title due to his Norman heritage

Question 8

Which French house did Louis VII belong to?

Answer 8

House of Capet

Question 9

Why was 1151 a significant year for Henry II?

Answer 9

Geoffrey, his father, died, leaving Henry to rule over Anjou

Question 10

Why and when was Eleanor initially married to Louis VII?

Answer 10

Following death of her father, William X, Louis VI married Eleanor to his son in 1137 to bring Aquitaine under Capetian control

Question 11

When and why were Eleanor and Louis divorced?

Answer 11

In 1152, as they failed to produce male heirs and had contrasting personalities

Question 12

What was the result of Henry’s marriage with the divorced Eleanor?

Answer 12

Made him Duke of Aquitaine and Gascony jure uxoris, and thus he ruled over half of France’s land mass

Question 13

2 political reasons for Louis VII’s hostility to Henry

Answer 13

He was aware of the weakening of House Capet against the growth of Anjou, furthered by Henry’s marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine
Henry’s control of Aquitaine jure uxoris was that formerly harnessed by Louis

Question 14

2 personal reasons for Louis VII’s hostility to Henry

Answer 14

Henry and Eleanor, technically Louis’ vassals, had never asked his permission to marry and thus were in defiance of royal authority
Louis saw Henry as an adversary who could eventually extend his grasp to the French throne - he already had more power than Louis

Question 15

Who was Henry and Eleanor’s first son and when was he born?

Answer 15

William of Pointiers, born 1153 and dies at the age of 2

Question 16

Who was Eustace of Boulogne?

Answer 16

Stephen’s son, fearful that Henry had the power to deny his succession to the English throne

Question 17

When did Henry invade England?

Answer 17

Early 1153, after fighting off Louis VII in Aquitaine

Question 18

When was Henry crowned king of England, and after what treaty?

Answer 18

19th December, following the Treaty of Winchester of the previous year and Stephen’s subsequent death

Question 19

What did King Stephen do as he became besieged in the Anarchy?

Answer 19

He neglected Henry I’s peace-time administration, granting self-governance to barons who had ties to the House of Blois or Normandy

Question 20

What was an adulterine castle?

Answer 20

Castles constructed without royal leave

Question 21

What was the name of the mercenary companies used in the Anarchy of 1138 to 1153

Answer 21

Routiers

Question 22

What ended the Anarchy?

Answer 22

The treaty of Winchester, summer 1153

Question 23

Why did growth of baronial power during the anarchy result in allegiance shifts

Answer 23

During the stalemate of 1141, barons changed their allegiances from House of Blois to Anjou (or vice versa) depending on the concessions Stephen of Matilda were prepared to grant

Question 24

When did Eustace of Boulogne die?

Answer 24

1153

Question 25

How had royal income fallen at the start of Henry II’s reign, compared to that of his grandfather

Answer 25

Averaged £7,000, compared to Henry I’s £24,500

Question 26

How did baronial power contribute to the deterioration of Stephen’s royal authority?

Answer 26

After 1141, royalists barons became aware that Stephen lacked the resources to defeat Matilda. Thus they began to shift their allegiance in the stalemate

Question 27

2 economic problems in England in 1154

Answer 27

Estimated that Stephen had yielded £3,000 of royal land to barons, lowering royal demesne
Growth of baronial power made Henry I’s justice-in-eyre system ineffective - suspension of royal justice lowered royal income

Question 28

2 social problems in England 1154

Answer 28

Presence of Breton and Flemish routiers was source of hardship to the commoners due to their lawlessness
Abeyance of royal justice meant there was a general lawlessness in England after the civil war