England during the Crusades
Henry II (1154-1189)
Henry II was the most important English king of the period, in almost every respect. During his reign, England became a major producer of wool, acquired extensive holdings in France, and became the most centralized monarchy in Europe. Not all these things came about solely due to Henry, but he certainly played an important part. His reign was also marked by controversy and crises.
Becket
Henry was crowned king in December 1154. By January he had appointed his long-time friend Thomas á Becket as his chancellor. The act was significant in two respects. First, it symbolizes a new trend in English government, with the king relying on non-noble servants as his advisors. Second, despite their long friendship, Becket and Henry eventually found themselves on opposite sides of the conflict between Church and State. When the old Archibishop of Canterbury died, Henry was free (by the terms of the agreement of the first Henry with Anselm) to nominate a candidate as successor. He nominated Becket. Thomas accepted the job somewhat reluctantly, but once he became Archbishop, he became an ardent defender of the interests of the Church.
Becket was made Archibishop in 1162. By 1163 he was defying the king. Henry made a number of demands over which they disagreed, but the most notorious was the status of "criminous clerics" -- that is, members of the clergy who had committed civil crimes such as assault, theft and murder. Henry claimed they should be tried in royal courts. Thomas insisted they could be tried only in clerical courts. The disagreement grew so heated that in 1164, like Anselm before him, Becket sought refuge in France.
Through the auspices of Pope Calixtus III, King and Archbishop were reconciled in 1170, and Thomas returned to England. No sooner had he returned, however, than the two fell to quarelling again, for neither would yield on their principles. Then, late in that same year, three knights went to Canterbury and murdered Thomas while he knelt in evening prayers. They later claimed that the king had said he wished someone would rid him of that "troublesome priest." Henry claimed to be heart-broken, and perhaps he was. He was pardoned by the pope in 1172 and did penance at Becket's tomb in 1174.
The Becket affair is highly colored by the personal relationship between the two men (there's a famous play and movie "Becket" based on it). But it also illustrates just how powerful the Church was, even in a land where the king was exceptionally powerful. At the same time, it shows that, in the end, the monarch was the ultimate ruler in his own land. This lesson would be learned in different (and less colorful ways) in every European kingdom.
The Angevin Empire
Henry was a consummate dynast. He himself had married Eleanor of Aquitaine, recently divorced from Louis VII of France, in 1152. This marriage greatly increased his estates, for Aquitaine was one of the greatest duchies of France. He first settled England on his son, William. After William died, the crown went to Prince Henry, along with Normandy and Anjou. The Prince was actually crowned co-king in 1170. Richard (Queen Eleanor's favorite) was given Aquitaine in 1167. Geoffrey got Brittany. John became Lord of Ireland in 1177, but he did not receive any actual fiefs, so he got nicknamed John Lackland. Henry's daughters married well, too: Matilda to Henry the Lion of Saxony; Eleanor to King Alfonso VIII of Castile; and Joanna to King William of Sicily (note the Norman connection).
English law
The English legal system took shape in the 12th century. Henry I made the first steps, but Henry II made even greater contributions. He's the one who created Justices of the Peace, who travelled about the realm enforcing royal justice. English common law was formalized under Henry for the first time, and here too we see trial by jury becoming a permanent part of the legal system. It was Henry who made the local sheriff (=shire reeve) into a royal official, thus setting the stage for the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham (smile). All this was mainly so Henry could enforce his will in the countryside, but his successors retained and extended his work.
Henry and the crusades
Henry had a complicated relationship with the Crusades. Part of his penance for the murder of Becket was that he gave a huge amount of money to the Templars, to be held against the day he could go to the Holy Land. He may have taken the vow in 1177 with Louis VII, but the evidence isn't clear. In 1183, when the Patriarch of Jerusalem was in Europe begging for help, he talked about going on crusade but pleaded circumstances. When Jerusalem fell, the Templars gave to King Guy the money Henry had given to them (some of that money eventually went toward freeing 7,000 from the hands of Saladin at Jerusalem). But even after the fall of Jerusalem, Henry himself never set out. By that time, though, he was fully engaged in a serious civil war with his own sons.
Henry and his family
Henry had a violent temper, and he had a violent relationship with his sons. Eleanor gave him five sons and three daughters. Three sons—William, Henry, and Geoffrey, predeceased their father. Geoffrey was one of the key plotters against his father, rising twice in rebellion. John and Richard also rebelled against their father. In every case, it was a matter of the sons thinking their father was not giving them the power and honor they deserved. In the later years, the king of France was Philip II, who proved a cunning opponent, so Henry's last years were spent trying doggedly to hold on to what he had built. At his death, he was forced to recognize Richard as the next king, and Richard was probably the son he liked least.