And so it began....
I didn’t get to post this yesterday, but December 19th, 1154 was a very important day for the Angevins and future historical novelists. On this date the Plantagenet dynasty began with the coronation of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. My friend Kasia made the interesting observation, that their son Hal, the future Young King, was present, too, since Eleanor was six months pregnant at the time, giving birth to Hal on February 28, 1155. She wonders if that would qualify as a third coronation for him?
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RJay
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Dec 26, 2013 01:18PM
So sad that even though Hal was crowned 2 (possibly 3) times he never had the opportunity to rule. Another IF ONLY ....
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I think he'd have been a terrible king, Rosemary, so I've always seen that as lucky for England. But I don't think it is far that he is not counted as one of England's kings. He was anointed and crowned, not once but twice, whereas Edward IV's son was neither and yet history calls him Edward V. Very illogical!
Hi Sharon-Yes I agree that Hal probably wouldn't have made a good king - my IF ONLY had more to do with IF ONLY his parents had raised their children to be good rulers. But instead of Hal, England got Richard (with taxes to fight the crusades and a ransom that practically bankrupted the country) followed by John - do you think Hal would have done worse than John? Wouldn't that be a great debate?
I totally agree, Rosemary, that Henry and Eleanor had some major failings as parents. It is both interesting and frustrating to speculate how history might have been different if they'd only engendered some brotherly solidarity among their sons instead of that cut-throat competition. I think John was more intelligent than Hal, but he was also more emotionally damaged, for whatever reasons. I don't think Hal was anywhere near as mistrustful as John was; he may have been too quick to give his trust! And you're right; it would be a lively debate!
Maybe on the next R3 tour, this could be a topic. I know it isn't about Richard, but many of those on the trip will have read your Eleanor/Henry trilogy. What fun!
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