Henry II

Timeline

1. 1133–1142Le Mans · AnjouBorn at Le Mans, eldest son of Matilda and Geoffrey Plantagenet. Trained in knighthood and governance in Anjou and Normandy from childhood, he was regarded by his mother and the nobility as the eventual heir to the English throne, growing up amid the fires of the Anarchy.
2. 1142–1147Bristol · BristolAround 1142 his mother sent him to England, where he was placed under the guardianship of his uncle Robert of Gloucester and western allies, gaining practical combat experience at Bristol and elsewhere. During this period he witnessed the brutality of the civil war and began to accumulate the contacts and military experience needed for his future rule.
3. 1149Carlisle · CumbriaIn the summer of 1149 Henry crossed the sea with armies from Anjou and Normandy, operating in northern England, capturing some castles and meeting King David I of Scotland. Short of supplies and with Stephen's reinforcements approaching, he could not expand his gains, but this was his first appearance on the English political stage as an independent commander.
4. 1150–1151Rouen · NormandyIn 1150 his father Geoffrey invested Henry with the title of Duke of Normandy, making him one of the most important lords on the French mainland. After Geoffrey's death in 1151 Henry also inherited Anjou and continued diplomatic and military preparations for the English succession.
5. 1152–1154Winchester · EnglandHis lands expanded greatly after marrying Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152. The Treaty of Wallingford in 1153 confirmed his status as heir, and Stephen's son Eustace died the same year. Stephen died in 1154, and Henry returned to England and was crowned at Winchester, ending the Anarchy and founding the Plantagenet dynasty.