Angevin Timeline

The Battle of Hastings begins.

William, Duke of Normandy, is victorious.

William, Duke of Normandy, is crowned King William I of England.

The Domesday Book is presented to William I.  It is a “Great Survey” of England and parts of Wales that had been commissioned by William.

The death of William I, King of England and Duke of Normandy.  His oldest son, Robert Curthose, became Duke of Normandy, and his second son, William Rufus, became William II, King of England.

William Rufus, King William II of England, dies under mysterious circumstances.  During a hunting expedition, he was killed by a single arrow which reportedly struck him in the chest.

The coronation of Henry I.  He seized the throne of England after the death of his older brother, William Rufus.

The Battle of Tinchebray between Henry I, King of England, and his older brother, Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy.  Henry’s victory resulted in the English crown’s control over the Duchy of Normandy for the next century.

The sinking of the White Ship off the coast of Normandy.  Henry I’s only legitimate son and heir, William Adelin, drowns.  Henry I’s remaining legitimate child was a daughter, Matilda, who was married to the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry V.  This event created a crisis of succession that would not be resolved until 1154.

The wedding of the widowed Empress Matilda, daughter and heir to Henry I, and Geoffrey Plantagenet, whose family ruled the counties of Anjou, Touraine, and Maine, which were strategically located along Normandy’s southern border.

The death of Henry I.  Although he had named his daughter, Empress Matilda, as his heir, a dispute over the succession immediately arose.

Stephen of Blois, nephew of King Henry I, seizes the throne of England after Henry’s death, despite Henry’s desire for his daughter, Empress Matilda, to inherit the throne of England.

When Stephen of Blois seized the throne of England, it marked the beginning of a twenty year civil war commonly called, “The Anarchy”

This conflict dragged on for many years.  At various times, both Stephen and Matilda were teetering on the brink of total defeat, yet managed to recover sufficiently to continue fighting.

A famous incident occurred at Christmas of 1141, when Matilda found herself trapped by Stephen’s forces, which were besieging Oxford Castle.  With a group of loyal knights, Matilda escaped from the castle (most likely through the postern gate) and avoided capture.

Henry Plantagenet, son of Empress Matilda and Geoffrey Plantagenet, marries Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, whose marriage to Louis VII of France been annulled only eight weeks prior to their wedding.

With the death of his father, Henry is now Count of Anjou, and he is leading the fight to recover the throne from Stephen of Blois.

The agreement reached to end hostilities between Stephen of Blois and Empress Matilda’s son, Henry Plantagenet, took shape over the summer and autumn of 1153 and was finalized on November 6.

Sometimes called, “The Treaty of Winchester” (or Wallingford, or Westminster), it is more accurately referred to as a charter or settlement.  Stephen agreed to make Henry his heir, Stephen’s only surviving son surrendered his claim to the throne, and Stephen would be allowed to retain the throne until his death.

The death of Stephen of Blois, King of England, in the Dover Priory.  He had been suffering from a stomach ailment.

Henry Plantagenet is crowned Henry II, King of England.  His wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine becomes queen.

The son of the Count of Anjou, he rules more land in France than the French king, Louis VII.

The people of Anjou are called Angevins, and Henry II becomes the first Angevin king of England.

Between August of 1153 and December of 1166, Henry II and Eleanor had eight children.  The oldest died in infancy, but the remaining seven survived to adulthood.

William IX, Count of Poitiers (1153-1156)
Henry the Young King (1155-1183)
Matilda, Duchess of Saxony (1156-1189)
Richard I, King of England (1157-1199)
Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany (1158-1186)
Eleanor, Queen of Castile (1162-1214)
Joan, Queen of Sicily (1165-1199)
John, King of England (1166-1216)

Henry II’s oldest surviving son is crowned as “junior” king, a practice that had originated with the Capetian kings of France.  He became known as Henry the Young King.

Henry the Young King was frustrated by his father’s refusal to grant him any power.

The murder of Thomas Becket by four of Henry’s knights horrified the country, especially since he was murdered at the altar.  Thomas Becket’s murder made him a martyr in the eyes of the people.

In April of 1173, Queen Eleanor, along with her three oldest surviving sons (Henry the Young King, Richard, and Geoffrey) led a rebellion against Henry II.

The uprising was defeated after eighteen months.

As a consequence, Queen Eleanor was imprisoned for the next sixteen years, until Henry’s death.

Henry II and his sons attend the coronation of Philippe II, “junior” king of France, whose father, Louis VII, is in declining health.  Less than a year later, on 18 September 1180, Louis will die, and the young Philippe will become sole King of France.

Henry the Young King, aged 28, dies of dysentery.

Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany, and fourth son of Henry and Eleanor, dies at the age of 27.  He was trampled to death in a jousting tournament in Paris.

The Battle of Hattin.  The army of Saladin defeats the Crusaders and takes control of most of the Holy Land.  Jerusalem falls to Saladin’s army on October 2, 1187.

These Christian defeats prompted the Third Crusade, which was led by Richard the Lionheart and Philippe II of France in 1189.

A series of skirmishes along the Normandy-French border led to heightened tensions between King Henry and King Philippe.  Prince Richard began to demand that Henry formally name him as successor.  Of the five sons born to Henry and Eleanor, only two were still living by 1188:  Richard and John.

Henry II dies at the age of 56 from a stomach ailment, perhaps a bleeding ulcer.

He had suffered a series of humiliating defeats at the hands of King Philippe and Prince Richard.

Richard, also known as “The Lionheart,” is crowned King of England.  He immediately makes plans to lead the Third Crusade.

Richard and Philippe begin their journey to the Holy Land for the Third Crusade.  They arrive in Sicily in September and spend the winter of 1191 in Messina.

King Richard marries Berengaria of Navarre, a kingdom on the southern border of Aquitaine.  The marriage took place on the island of Cyprus, and Berengaria accompanied Richard to the Holy Land.

Richard’s marriage to Berengaria further strained his tenuous relationship with King Philippe, as Richard had been betrothed to Philippe’s half-sister.

King Richard arrives in Acre.  King Philippe had arrived on May 20th, but he was unsuccessful in his efforts to end the Siege of Acre.

King Philippe becomes very ill with dysentery.

July 12:  the Siege of Acre ends with a victory for the Crusaders.

July 31:  King Philippe leaves the Holy Land and returns to France.  Richard worries that Philippe may try to take control of disputed lands.

The Massacre of the Saracen prisoners, ordered by King Richard.

Richard begins his march to Jerusalem.

The Battle of Arsuf was an important victory for Richard and his Crusaders.

They defeated Saladin’s forces and were able to continue their march south towards Jerusalem.

Although Richard is only 12 miles from Jerusalem, he retreats without laying siege to the city.  His army is dispirited, but it is winter, and there are logistical challenges that cannot be easily overcome.

Meanwhile, back in France, Philippe tries to trick the Norman barons into surrendering their lands to him while Richard is in the Holy Land.

While rebuilding the city of Ascalon, Richard returns to Acre on February 20th to settle disputes between the Genoans, who are allied with France, and the Pisans, who are allied with Richard.

These disputes between the Pisans and Genoans are symptomatic of the larger tensions building between Richard’s men and the forces loyal to Philippe.

Richard is making plans to leave the Holy Land.  He has determined that, although Jerusalem could be taken, it could not be held.

In July, Saladin attacks Jaffa, and the Battle of Jaffa reveals that the two sides are exhausted and ready to end the war.

King Richard and Saladin sign a peace treaty following Saladin’s defeat at Jaffa.

The end of the Third Crusade was a three year truce which gave safe passage to pilgrims.

King Richard leaves the Holy Land and begins his journey home.

Richard’s Journey from Acre to Vienna

Near Vienna, Richard is captured and taken hostage by Duke Leopold of Austria. One of the many legends surrounding Richard’s capture is that he tried to disguise himself as a cook and was found by Leopold’s soldiers in the kitchen turning a spit, as depicted in this illustration dating c. 1470

Duke Leopold transfers custody of Richard to Henry VI, the Holy Roman Emperor.

King Philippe and Prince John attempt to bribe Emperor Henry VI to either keep Richard captive until the end of September or transfer custody of Richard to King Philippe.

Eleanor delivers the ransom to the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VI, and Richard is released from captivity.

King Richard, accompanied by Eleanor, returns to England.

King Richard lays siege to Nottingham Castle and defeats the last of John’s supporters.

King Richard visits Sherwood Forest for the first and only time. The chroniclers record that it “pleased him greatly.” There are many legends about Richard meeting Robin Hood and his Merry Men on this day.

Easter Sunday, Winchester Cathedral: Richard’s crown-wearing ceremony. This was not a second coronation, but it was an affirmation of Richard as King of England after his long absence.

Richard and Eleanor sail for Barfleur with a fleet of 100 heavily laden great ships. Neither Richard nor Eleanor will ever set foot in England again. At this time, John is in Evreux, and he will not return to England until after Richard’s death.

Although Prince John had conspired with King Philippe to keep him imprisoned, King Richard forgave John at the behest of his mother, Eleanor.

John is named Richard’s heir, although Richard was still hoping to father a child with Queen Berengaria.

After his return from captivity, Richard spent the remainder of his life in Normandy, battling Philippe and building fortifications along the Normandy border, such as Chateau Gaillard.

On March 25, he was wounded in the shoulder by a crossbow bolt, believed to have been accidently fired at the king.  The wound became gangrenous, and Richard died on April 6, in his mother’s arms.

 

Coronation of John, King of England.

The Treaty of Le Goulet between King John and King Philippe was intended to settle many of the long-standing disputes over the borders of Normandy and the Angevin lands.

In reality, it strengthened Philippe’s position and only lasted two years.

During this time, John suffered a number of defeats on the continent, as Philippe continued to advance against Normandy and the Angevin lands.

In April of 1204, Eleanor died and the Duchy of Aquitaine passed to John.

By August of 1204, Philippe had taken Normandy and occupied Anjou and Poitou.  All of John’s continental lands were under Philippe’s control except for Aquitaine.

John would devote the next ten years to fortifying England against attack and preparing battle plans to retake Normandy and the Angevin lands.

The Battle of Bouvines ended the war between France and England.  King Philippe’s victory confirmed his soveigntry over Normandy and the Angevin lands.

England’s Angevin Empire ended.

King John is forced to sign the Magna Carta.

The death of King John, the last Angevin King of England.

The House of Plantagenet would continue to rule England until 1485.