Ktir-K: Studying Civ ...

Henry had had 9 children including 6 sons, two of them became kings of England: Richard and John. Neither were good sons nor indeed good kings. After some 20 years of rule, 3 of his sons Henry, Richard and Geoffrey egged on by their mother, started a separatist rebellion against him in Plantagenet France supported by Louis 7th the French King. This family rebellion was ruthlessly crushed by Henry within a year. A year later, there was a Barons revolt in England supported by the King of Scotland against Henry’s efforts to bring the Barons under the rule of law. This rebellion was swiftly crushed with the help of the loyal Baron Ralph de Glanville. 10 years after the first rebellion by his sons, they did it again. As before crushed by Henry but this time two of his sons, Henry and Geoffrey died. A third rebellion, headed by Richard and supported by Phillip the King of France, succeeded in ousting Henry from Touraine France. When Henry learnt that his favourite son John was also involved with this rebellion, he died within the year of a broken heart. Henry, therefore, can be remembered as being the most powerful King in Europe at this time but with dreadful family life; his sons, egged on by their mother, rebelled against him. The writing was therefore on the wall for the loss of his French territories because:

-His son Richard wanted to rule the French territories himself in opposition to his father.

-This was initially supported by the King of France, Philip Augustus who was destined to become the greatest king for France during this period.

-Richard and then his brother John, when they became King of England were useless territorial defenders.

Ireland 1166

Early in his reign, Henry was visited by one of the rulers of Ireland, Dermot King of Leinster, (Ireland was still divided into small tribal Kingdoms), who asked him to come to Ireland to sort out an inter-tribal quarrel. Henry sort advice from the Pope who gave him permission to invade and conquer Ireland with the religious objective of bringing the renegade Irish Church under the strong arm of Rome. Henry, who had many more important things to do, sent one of his Barons, Richard de Clare, The Earl of Pembroke, nicknamed Strongbow, who quickly reinstalled Dermot who then conveniently died. Strongbow rapidly filled the vacuum making himself King of Leinster in his place. Henry, jealous of his vassal’s rise to fortune, visited Ireland with sufficient show of strength to persuade Strongbow and the other Kings of Ireland to pay him homage. Henry’s territory in Ireland was small only some 5th of the land and centred around Dublin which became known as the “English Pale”. Oxford University

In 1168, some English scholars were expelled from Paris. When they returned home, they were permitted by Henry to set up a University at Oxford. Along with Cambridge, these have remained the premier universities in Britain until this day.