HENRY II 1154-1189

25/10/1154 STEPHEN DIED

1154 - Henry II became king of England following the anarchy and civil war of Stephen's reign.
Henry II was the first unquestioned ruler of the English throne, one of the strongest, most
energetic and imaginative rulers.
Britain experienced rapid population growth , clearance of forest for fields, and the
establishment of new towns
The country witnessed the renaissance in the arts
In 1154 Pope Adrian IV becomes the first English Pope 1154-1159.
Henry II destroyed the castles which many nobles had built without royal permission during
Stephen's reign, and made sure that they lived in manor houses that were undefended. The
manor again became the centre of local life and administration
In 1171 Henry invades Ireland and receives homage from the King of Leinster and the other
kings. Henry is accepted as Lord of Ireland.
Henry II quarrelled with his wife, and his sons, Richard and John, took Eleanor's side.
In 1173 Eleanor of Aquitaine and her sons revolt unsuccessfully against her husband Henry II.
In 1176 Henry created a framework of justice creating judges and dividing England into six
counties
06/07/1189 Henry II died in France, at war with his son Richard, who had joined forces with
King Philip of France to attack Normandy.

RICHARD I LIONHEART 1189-1199

In 1189 Richard I becomes King of England upon the death of his father Henry II
Richard was one of England's most popular kings, he was brave, and a good soldier, because of
that his nickname was lionheart.
Richard was everyone's idea of the perfect feudal king.
He went to the Holy Land to make war on the Muslims and he fought with skill, courage and
honour.
In 1189 William Longchamp is appointed Chancellor of England and governs the country during
Richards absence abroad
In 1189 Richard sets out with Philip of France on the Third Crusade to the Holy Land
In 1191 William Longchamp falls from power and Richards brother, John, takes over the
government
In 1191 Richard captures the city of Acre, Palestine, and defeats Saladin at Arsuuf, near Jaffa
In 1192 Richard was captured by the duke of Austria, who demanded money before let him go,
and it took two years for England to pay.
In 1192 Richard reaches an agreement with Saladin to guarantee Christians safe pilgrimage to
Jerusalem
In 1192 on his way back to England from Palestine, Richard was captured and handed over to
Henry VI, Emperor of Germany, who demanded a ransom for Richards release from prison
In 1194 the ransom is raised in England. Richard is released from captivity.
In Richard's absence, King Philip of France failed to obtain Richard's French possessions through
invasion or negotiation.
In 1199, Richard was killed in France
When he died the French king took over parts of Richard's French lands to rule himself.

JOHN LACKLAND 1199-1216

In 1199 John accedes to the throne on the death of his brother, Richard I.
John was nicknamed Lackland, probably because, as the youngest of Henry II's five sons, it was
difficult to find a portion of his father's French possessions for him to inherit.
The legend of Robin Hood dates from this time
John was unpopular with the nobles, the merchants and the Church because he was greedy
John took many cases out of their courts and tried them in the king's courts, taking the money
for himself
John increased the amount feudal lords and nobles had to pay.
John kept the dead nobles land for a long time, to benefit from its wealth.
John taxed merchants and towns at a higher level than ever before.
In 1204 the French king invaded Normandy and the English nobles lost their lands there
In 1205 John refuses to accept Stephen Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury
In 1206 the Mongol Empire is founded.
In 1207 King John founds Liverpool
In 1208 Pope Innocent III issues an Interdict against England, banning all church services
except baptisms and funerals
In 1209 Pope Innocent III excommunicates John for his confiscation of ecclesiastical property
In 1209 Cambridge University founded
In 1212 john hanged 28 hostages, sons of rebel Welsh chieftains
In 1212 Pope Innocent III declares that John is no longer the rightful King.
In 1213 John submits to the Popes demands and accepts the authority of the Pope
In 1214 Philip Augustus of France defeats the English at the Battle of Bouvines
In 1215 John hoped to recapture Normandy but his lords no longer trusted him.
In 1215 John met the English barons and agreed to their demands, and signed the Magna Carta
which set limits on the powers of the monarch, lays out the feudal obligations of the barons,
confirms the liberties of the Church, and grants rights to all freemen of the realm and their heirs
for ever. It is the first written constitution.
Magna Carta marks a clear stage in the collapse of English feudalism.
Every king recognised Magna Carta, until the Middle Ages ended
The nobles refused to fight for more than forty days, so the king was forced to pay soldiers to
fight for him.
In 1216 John dies of a fever at Newark and is buried Worcester Cathedral.

SOURCES:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/middle_ages/
http://www.angus-donald.com/history/king-richards-return-imprisonment-and-ransom/
http://www.britroyals.com/kings.asp?id=richard1
http://www.britroyals.com/kings.asp?id=henry2
http://www.britroyals.com/kings.asp?id=john