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Henry II
Henry II (1154-89) through a series of astonishing dynastic coups became the ruler of an enormous European empire. One of the most dynamic, restless and clever men ever to rule England, he was brought down both by his catastrophic relationship with his archbishop Thomas Becket and his debilitating arguments with his sons, most importantly the future Richard I and King John. His empire may have ultimately collapsed, but in Richard Barber's vivid and sympathetic account the reader can see why Henry II left such a compelling impression on his contemporaries.
244 pages, ebook
First published April 30, 2015
31 people are currently reading
262 people want to read
About the author
Richard Barber
165 books32 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Richard William Barber is a prominent British historian who has been writing and publishing in the field of medieval history and literature ever since his student days. He has specialised in the Arthurian legend, beginning with a general survey, Arthur of Albion, in 1961, which is still in print in a revised edition. His other major interest is historical biography; he has published on Henry Plantagenet (1964) and among his other books is the standard biography of Edward the Black Prince, Edward Prince of Wales and Aquitaine. The interplay between history and literature was the theme of The Knight and Chivalry, for which he won the Somerset Maugham Prize in 1971 and he returned to this in The Holy Grail: Imagination and Belief (2004); this was widely praised in the UK press, and had major reviews in The New York Times and The Washington Post.
His other career has been as a publisher. In 1969 he helped to found The Boydell Press, which later became Boydell & Brewer Ltd, one of the leading publishers in medieval studies, and he is currently group managing director. In 1989, Boydell & Brewer Ltd, in association with the University of Rochester, started the University of Rochester Press in upstate New York. The group currently publishes over 200 titles a year.
Richard William Barber is a prominent British historian who has been writing and publishing in the field of medieval history and literature ever since his student days. He has specialised in the Arthurian legend, beginning with a general survey, Arthur of Albion, in 1961, which is still in print in a revised edition. His other major interest is historical biography; he has published on Henry Plantagenet (1964) and among his other books is the standard biography of Edward the Black Prince, Edward Prince of Wales and Aquitaine. The interplay between history and literature was the theme of The Knight and Chivalry, for which he won the Somerset Maugham Prize in 1971 and he returned to this in The Holy Grail: Imagination and Belief (2004); this was widely praised in the UK press, and had major reviews in The New York Times and The Washington Post.
His other career has been as a publisher. In 1969 he helped to found The Boydell Press, which later became Boydell & Brewer Ltd, one of the leading publishers in medieval studies, and he is currently group managing director. In 1989, Boydell & Brewer Ltd, in association with the University of Rochester, started the University of Rochester Press in upstate New York. The group currently publishes over 200 titles a year.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 19, 2021
On to the Plantagenets! It’s interesting to read these volumes in chronological order and follow not just the course of history but the development of the historical record. There’s less and less all the time in the way of theorizing and historiographical hand-wringing, and more of a sense of coming into contact with people and events directly. This is obviously an illusion when it’s all reconstructed from miscellaneous sources, of course, but it’s an illusion that is easier all the time for these authors to sustain.
Henry Curtmantle (reigned 1154 to 1189) was the great Angevin empire-builder, though the empire in question was short-lived, all but collapsed by the time of the reign of his son John, leading to the consolidation of Normandy, Brittany and Aquitaine under the French crown, a parallel story in these early days of an English history that’s very Anglo-Norman. Henry II was a literate man devoted to justice, order, and sound administration, and he’s often considered more or less the originator of English common law. Barber’s is an excellent account of Henry’s reign, with the two key moments of crisis here being of course the mid-story climax of his Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket’s violent martyrdom, and later the Great Revolt, the rebellion of Henry’s own sons. Most people know something of the first story, perhaps through T. S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral. The other is very different but also compelling, a complex set of familial conflicts involving not just Henry, Richard, and John but their mother, the formidable Eleanor of Aquitaine—all of which was stoked and further complicated by the French King Louis VII and later Philip II. (Bonus: the story of the Revolt occasions the use of the clarifying phrase “Henry’s young son Henry,” a very twelfth-century thing to say.)
(By the way, there’s an interesting anecdote here about “Henry’s young son Henry” that I hadn’t heard before: “Prince Henry, who was henceforth known as ‘the young king’, showed his true character, proud and quarrelsome, when his father served him at table…. The Archbishop of York commented that no other prince in the world had such a distinguished servant, whereupon the young king replied, ‘Why are you astonished? Shouldn’t my father do this? He is of lower rank than me, as son of a queen and a duke, while I come from royal blood on both sides!’ It was a portent of storms to come.” Perhaps it’s just as well that he died before he could be anything more than a kind of co- or under-king who was crowned during his father’s lifetime but was ultimately survived by the elder, “lower-ranked” Henry.)
Here again, the author manages to make the subject read a bit like a character in fiction. This is perhaps the most thoroughly engaging story so far of the ones in this series I’ve read. This is partly just down to Barber’s graceful telling. But it’s also presumably because in the relationship between Henry II and Thomas Becket we have some of the classic stuff of tragedy. Close friends early on, they are driven apart by personal conflicts arising from the clashes between their respective spheres and roles. Then the one basically accidentally calls for the murder of the other, and then, later crushed by deep and enduring grief, he does whatever penance he can with the rest of his years. There’s great drama here, as Eliot’s play about some of these events reminds us.
Henry Curtmantle (reigned 1154 to 1189) was the great Angevin empire-builder, though the empire in question was short-lived, all but collapsed by the time of the reign of his son John, leading to the consolidation of Normandy, Brittany and Aquitaine under the French crown, a parallel story in these early days of an English history that’s very Anglo-Norman. Henry II was a literate man devoted to justice, order, and sound administration, and he’s often considered more or less the originator of English common law. Barber’s is an excellent account of Henry’s reign, with the two key moments of crisis here being of course the mid-story climax of his Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket’s violent martyrdom, and later the Great Revolt, the rebellion of Henry’s own sons. Most people know something of the first story, perhaps through T. S. Eliot’s Murder in the Cathedral. The other is very different but also compelling, a complex set of familial conflicts involving not just Henry, Richard, and John but their mother, the formidable Eleanor of Aquitaine—all of which was stoked and further complicated by the French King Louis VII and later Philip II. (Bonus: the story of the Revolt occasions the use of the clarifying phrase “Henry’s young son Henry,” a very twelfth-century thing to say.)
(By the way, there’s an interesting anecdote here about “Henry’s young son Henry” that I hadn’t heard before: “Prince Henry, who was henceforth known as ‘the young king’, showed his true character, proud and quarrelsome, when his father served him at table…. The Archbishop of York commented that no other prince in the world had such a distinguished servant, whereupon the young king replied, ‘Why are you astonished? Shouldn’t my father do this? He is of lower rank than me, as son of a queen and a duke, while I come from royal blood on both sides!’ It was a portent of storms to come.” Perhaps it’s just as well that he died before he could be anything more than a kind of co- or under-king who was crowned during his father’s lifetime but was ultimately survived by the elder, “lower-ranked” Henry.)
Here again, the author manages to make the subject read a bit like a character in fiction. This is perhaps the most thoroughly engaging story so far of the ones in this series I’ve read. This is partly just down to Barber’s graceful telling. But it’s also presumably because in the relationship between Henry II and Thomas Becket we have some of the classic stuff of tragedy. Close friends early on, they are driven apart by personal conflicts arising from the clashes between their respective spheres and roles. Then the one basically accidentally calls for the murder of the other, and then, later crushed by deep and enduring grief, he does whatever penance he can with the rest of his years. There’s great drama here, as Eliot’s play about some of these events reminds us.
June 5, 2018
An short biography of Henry II that emphasizes his achievements in holding together the Angevin Empire and initiating legal reforms that would shape the development of English common law. Barber makes clear that Henry was more than Eleanor of Aquitaine's husband and Thomas Becket's adversary though there is analysis of church and family conflict throughout the book. Barber divides the book into three sections about Henry's appearance and character, his life story and his achievements and the final section should have been expanded to highlight the specific legal developments discussed in the text. Barber achieves a good balance between the personal and the political and readers will come from the book with a good sense of Henry's character and kingship.
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December 28, 2022There’s an adage that authors of nonfiction books are ready to write their works the moment they have finished doing so. It may seem like a paradox, but it gets to a truth about such works, which is that the author never fully completes their research and thinking about the subject until they have finished the book. Yet that is the moment when the author then walks away from the subject, usually never to return excepting for the occasional review article or other short-form piece. This is the reason why I found Richard Barber’s selection as the author of the Penguin Monarchs volume on Henry II so intriguing. Given how infrequently a biographer writes two books about the same figure, I was curious to see what new insights he had gained on top of the understanding he had reached at the end of his previous biography nearly a half century before.
For the rest of my review, click on the link:
https://www.bestbritishbios.com/2022/...
For the rest of my review, click on the link:
https://www.bestbritishbios.com/2022/...
August 6, 2024
picked this up after reading marie de france’s lais, which she dedicated to henry ii. only twelve pages in, i was informed that henry ii didn’t really care for them, preferring works on government as his reading matter of choice (poor marie). small details like that made this short book very readable. separated into three sections, barber provides a character portrait, henry ii’s story, and his legacy. the second dominates most of the book and focuses primarily on the two significant crises of henry ii’s life: his hostile relationship with thomas becket and the conspiracies of his three sons and wife. i found the way symbols played a part in the former intriguing; henry’s absolute refusal to grant thomas the kiss of peace eventually led to his martyrdom—an extreme conclusion for an act that initially appeared to be nothing more than ceremony. overall, a marvelous read about an overlooked figure. i only wish that barber’s narrative on henry ii’s creation of the angevin empire (rescuing england from a time contemporarily described as “when christ and his saints slept”) and his template for english common law was given a bit more room to breathe.
April 1, 2018
My new favorite Plantagenet
February 4, 2026
The Whole Norman Dynasty As A Customised Collection!
I was so excited to learn that there is a series of every English Monarch all with their own separate book in the Pengiun Monarchs Series.
They are quite small with around 90 pages but it gives you the history.
This being, i expected these to be an easy read but as with William 1st, William ii & Henry 1st it is quite heavy going, quite bland and difficult to understand as with this Henry ii book.
Though i do recognise if these were to be 300 plus page books there would be more scope to spread things out and to maybe include the much needed descriptiveness to make it a more pleasant and smoother read.
But I respect the nature of these handy books.
In addition I'd purchased another 4 as I wanted a decent book about the Norman Dynasty and how England was under Norman rule from start to finish but i couldn't seem to find a book that was selling me that specific content (though i was close to buying Marc Morris' Norman Conquest book but it doesn't mention if it includes the full aftermath and Norman rule) so I thought it a wonderful idea to buy from this series William 1st, William ii, Henry 1st, Stephen & Henry ii (descendant from Norman to Plantagenet).
I learned a hell of a lot about the aftermath of 1066 and their Monarchs the first 20 years being the William 1st book then up to 1100 with William ii. Though not so much about Henry i up until 1135. King Stephen book was great, the better of the 5 whereby I learned a great deal.
I expected to come away knowing a lot about Empress Matilda's son Henry but it was more about Thomas Beckett and which was so tedious. Then there's the dull complexities of political paperwork and the monotonous Church against Monarchy that goes on and on.
Very similar to William ii & Henry 1st books.
William 1st & Stephen is rated 4 star. They told us more about the figures themselves and they read like an adventure!
It actually started quite promising with the opening chapter The Man until it plummeted.
There's not much on how normal people were affected, it focuses on the Monarchy, Religion and the military campaigns.
So I now have that Dynasty but only as a lovely collection as Penguin Monarchs which I'll keep for dipping in.
The paperbacks of this series are so bland here with its paperback version, but on saying that, the hard covers look amazing but they are so expensive to get hold of now.
The paper quality is poor and the cover much worse in look and feel.
There are some illustrations in the centre of the book in black & white which are a nice touch.
I'm very satisfied that i chose to have the literature presented this way by means of a collection with each monarch being a separate book giving me the Norman Dynasty as a whole.
Highly recommended for obtaining the history as a quick read and for creating a customised collection!
Though don't expect any excitement from these books!
I was so excited to learn that there is a series of every English Monarch all with their own separate book in the Pengiun Monarchs Series.
They are quite small with around 90 pages but it gives you the history.
This being, i expected these to be an easy read but as with William 1st, William ii & Henry 1st it is quite heavy going, quite bland and difficult to understand as with this Henry ii book.
Though i do recognise if these were to be 300 plus page books there would be more scope to spread things out and to maybe include the much needed descriptiveness to make it a more pleasant and smoother read.
But I respect the nature of these handy books.
In addition I'd purchased another 4 as I wanted a decent book about the Norman Dynasty and how England was under Norman rule from start to finish but i couldn't seem to find a book that was selling me that specific content (though i was close to buying Marc Morris' Norman Conquest book but it doesn't mention if it includes the full aftermath and Norman rule) so I thought it a wonderful idea to buy from this series William 1st, William ii, Henry 1st, Stephen & Henry ii (descendant from Norman to Plantagenet).
I learned a hell of a lot about the aftermath of 1066 and their Monarchs the first 20 years being the William 1st book then up to 1100 with William ii. Though not so much about Henry i up until 1135. King Stephen book was great, the better of the 5 whereby I learned a great deal.
I expected to come away knowing a lot about Empress Matilda's son Henry but it was more about Thomas Beckett and which was so tedious. Then there's the dull complexities of political paperwork and the monotonous Church against Monarchy that goes on and on.
Very similar to William ii & Henry 1st books.
William 1st & Stephen is rated 4 star. They told us more about the figures themselves and they read like an adventure!
It actually started quite promising with the opening chapter The Man until it plummeted.
There's not much on how normal people were affected, it focuses on the Monarchy, Religion and the military campaigns.
So I now have that Dynasty but only as a lovely collection as Penguin Monarchs which I'll keep for dipping in.
The paperbacks of this series are so bland here with its paperback version, but on saying that, the hard covers look amazing but they are so expensive to get hold of now.
The paper quality is poor and the cover much worse in look and feel.
There are some illustrations in the centre of the book in black & white which are a nice touch.
I'm very satisfied that i chose to have the literature presented this way by means of a collection with each monarch being a separate book giving me the Norman Dynasty as a whole.
Highly recommended for obtaining the history as a quick read and for creating a customised collection!
Though don't expect any excitement from these books!
November 21, 2025
I see a lot of complaints about the organization of this book and I am on the fence about it. The majority of it is taken up by a single section which covers the events of Henry's reign, and to the frustration of other reviewers, it focuses on a single issue at a time rather than being a purely chronological overview. I did actually like this approach, especially as later subsections would tie back to touchpoints mentioned in previous ones, but I think it could have benefitted from some more explicit separation, with headers that made it clear what each subsection would focus on. I would also have been quite happy with this section doubling in length, I think there's a lot to get into here that was glossed over -- I found his campaign in Ireland of particular interest, but it is barely touched upon.
Though, for full disclosure, I already had a rough chronological overview of his reign in mind, and was specifically looking for a better drilldown into the various long-running threads that characterized it.
The emphasis on medieval distaste for innovation was incredibly helpful at contextualizing conflicts I'd previously been confused by (particularly Becket's resistance to the proposed change in method of tax collection from sheriffs to the exchequer -- which previous biographies had emphasized would barely have effected Becket, if at all, but not really explained why he then opposed it).
The final section wraps up the biography with a summary of Henry's legacy, which I greatly appreciated. This ties his reign into the present, which is interesting in its own right, but more relevantly for my personal enjoyment, it does an absolutely excellent job of painting a picture of the England Henry leaves behind at the close of his reign, thus setting the stage for me to continue my journey through the medieval English kings with the entrance of Richard I.
Though, for full disclosure, I already had a rough chronological overview of his reign in mind, and was specifically looking for a better drilldown into the various long-running threads that characterized it.
The emphasis on medieval distaste for innovation was incredibly helpful at contextualizing conflicts I'd previously been confused by (particularly Becket's resistance to the proposed change in method of tax collection from sheriffs to the exchequer -- which previous biographies had emphasized would barely have effected Becket, if at all, but not really explained why he then opposed it).
The final section wraps up the biography with a summary of Henry's legacy, which I greatly appreciated. This ties his reign into the present, which is interesting in its own right, but more relevantly for my personal enjoyment, it does an absolutely excellent job of painting a picture of the England Henry leaves behind at the close of his reign, thus setting the stage for me to continue my journey through the medieval English kings with the entrance of Richard I.
August 17, 2019
I knew nothing about Henry II and was very vague about Thomas à Beckett. I am still a bit confused about the ins and outs of what occurred but I understand it was an argument about church and state legal rights - an issue that persists to this day with Catholic Archbishops declaring that they will go to jail rather that break the confessional confidentiality in child sex abuse cases. I also understand that it wasn't Henry who murdered Thomas, but 4 knights who heard him say 'who will rid me of this troublesome priest.' He seems to have had bad press. In fact he would seem to be one of the great kings of England and he achieved a lot. He seems to have lived simply and avoided war when he could. His fear about the country breaking up, due to his childhood during the war between his mother, Matilda and his cousin, Stephen, poisoned his relationship with his sons and how tragic is that! He had to hold onto power at all costs and although he tried to devolve to his sons, they could not be happy and conspired against him, siding with his enemies. He was endlessly forgiving which is to his credit. I am interested in untold story of Elenor of Aquitaine, his wife who sided with his sos, and am off now to see if I can find out more about her
June 2, 2024
A mainly very clear account of an important king of whom I knew rather little. The author contextualises the reign very clearly, showing how Henry II established strong rule after a period of civil war and uncertain succession. The family dynamics of the dynasty are well covered, especially Henry’s difficult relations with his sons - not least his eldest son, promoted to be joint king to secure the succession but who then turned against his father. While the young king died young, Henry’s other sons similarly allied with the French king against him. The background to the conflict with Thomas Becket is similarly well covered. Towards the end of the book, the tight page count means that explanations of the complex battles with neighbouring counts in Henry’s continental territories are less clear - a few more pages to explore this area would have been welcome. The conclusion uncovers Henry’s significant contribution to England’s political, legal and fiscal consolidation - this is well explained, but left this reader wanting more. Overall, a solid and concise introduction to an important monarch.
April 24, 2019
A concise if somewhat loosely structured overview of the life of Henry II, one of England's most accomplished medieval kings. I enjoyed the focus on his personality and appearance, as I often find history books overlook the human aspects of their subjects in favour of recounting their deeds. I did find that the narrative was a little bit difficult to follow, and seemed to jump around in terms of chronology, but not to any benefit that I could tell. Overall though an enjoyable read and I am looking forward to collecting more of the Penguin Monarchs paperback series.
January 19, 2025
Another interesting volume in the Penguin Monarchs series. Henry II is probably best known for his relationship with Thomas Becket, and this book gives a very clear picture how deep friendship turned to hostility and ‘martyrdom’, but his reign also saw reform and recording of both law and governance, as well as the usual mediaeval insurrections and wars, mainly in France.
My only quibble is the layout: three themed chapters of 20,73 and 7 pages which, as well as being unbalanced, involves repetition.
My only quibble is the layout: three themed chapters of 20,73 and 7 pages which, as well as being unbalanced, involves repetition.
February 3, 2026
This is the best of the Penguin Monarchs so far for me. Admittedly you’ve got a great starting point if you get given Henry II to write about, but I really enjoyed the structure of this book. Barber talks about Henry’s personality first, then his acts and finished with a little bit of opinion and summarising. Pithy, not too much detail on ecclesiastical court wrangling or tax policies, but still informative. Excellent little book.
Read
March 4, 2026highly readable, informative, compelling short account of henry's life and achievements. the feud with becket and the rebellion of 1173 were particularly interesting!! i NEED to 1) watch becket 2) rewatch the lion in winter 3) read the lion in winter 4) read warren's biography of henry ASAP.
May 14, 2018
good overview
March 19, 2021
A good summary, could have done with a 'key dates' timeline as well as the family tree
October 22, 2023
I read this after ‘The White Ship’ to see how Henry II got on. This a brief, but very informative account of his life and his reign.
September 8, 2016
"Henry may only be remembered now as Becket’s nemesis and as the husband of Eleanor of Aquitaine, but it is he, rather than his swashbuckling son Richard, who deserves to have a statue outside the Houses of Parliament"
This book is a fantastic read and provides a brilliant look at perhaps one of the most overlooked Plantagenet kings. As the quote above indicates, Henry was an incredibly influential king who shaped English common law but has been overlooked, it is argued here partially due to his distaste towards ostentation.
I was thoroughly excited for the release of this book and it did not disappoint, I myself have found in my reading that Henry's accomplishments are overshadowed by the failures of his reign, his relationships with his wife, his sons and the church. This provides a personal look at Henry up close which is incredibly well written.
Those unacquainted with the Angevins may enjoy this but I think it is perfect reading for those who are knowledgable on the topic but find Henry to sometimes be a forgetful figure.
This book is a fantastic read and provides a brilliant look at perhaps one of the most overlooked Plantagenet kings. As the quote above indicates, Henry was an incredibly influential king who shaped English common law but has been overlooked, it is argued here partially due to his distaste towards ostentation.
I was thoroughly excited for the release of this book and it did not disappoint, I myself have found in my reading that Henry's accomplishments are overshadowed by the failures of his reign, his relationships with his wife, his sons and the church. This provides a personal look at Henry up close which is incredibly well written.
Those unacquainted with the Angevins may enjoy this but I think it is perfect reading for those who are knowledgable on the topic but find Henry to sometimes be a forgetful figure.
Read
December 4, 2016A short but well-written introduction to Henry II, probably my favourite English king, certainly one of my historical heroes. For anyone who knows nothing about this fascinating character, I would recommend this. I am guessing that the Penguin Monarchs series must be of a good standard from this exemplar.
December 8, 2019
Detailed and informative on one of England's most energetic albeit forgotten kings.
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