Henry II (1133-1189) was the first king of England to come from the Plantagenet family. He reigned from 1154 until his death on July 6, 1189. Henry carried on policies started by his grandfather Henry I that increased the power of the English throne. Known as the founder of the English system of common law, Henry II revived the use of traveling circuit judges to apply the law equally throughout the land. He also introduced the use of juries into many legal procedures.
Henry was born in Le Mans, France, on March 25, 1133. He was the son of Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou, and his wife, Matilda, daughter of Henry I. His marriage in 1152 to Eleanor of Aquitaine made him Duke of Aquitaine. He became king of England in 1154 when King Stephen died. At the height of his power, Henry ruled England and almost all of what is now western France. He also claimed authority over Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. In Henry’s later years, his sons rebelled against him. Two of them, Richard the Lion-Hearted and John, became the next two kings of England.
Several of Henry’s policies, including his efforts to curb the independence of the church, brought him into conflict with Thomas Becket, archbishop of Canterbury. In 1170, four of Henry’s knights, who believed they were acting on the king’s orders, murdered Becket in his cathedral.
