Angevin Empire

• Henry and his brothers were known as the Angevins after their father, Geoffrey of Anjou.
• Henry II was King of England, Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou, and Count of Maine due to inheritance from his mother and father.
• The Angevin empire included all lands ruled by Henry II and his sons Richard and John.
• Henry the 2nd married Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152, gaining the territories of Aquitaine [spreading all over Spain]. In his reign he also controlled areas of France.
• In 1166 Dermot of Leinster [Ireland] asked Henry II for help against another Irish ruler.
• Henry sent an army over for support but the knights and barons used it as an opportunity to seize land for themselves. By the 1170s, the English controlled more land than the Irish.
• Henry used his control in Ireland to strengthen and build fortifications and to develop Dublin as a centre of trade. This gave him extra money and defence against invasions.
• Henry II died in 1189.
• Richard I became king when Henry died and spent a long period in his reign in France or on crusades. He lost French land to King Philip II, due to John's scheming.
• John was crowned king in 1199 and had no military experience. His brother Richard had left England with a small force so there were few soldiers available to defend the country.
• The loss of Normandy made England vulnerable to invasion from France. It also cut off trade routes between England and other parts of Europe.
• After John became king he dealt with attacks from those who believed his brother, Arthur, should become King, and from King Philip II of France. He lost Brittany, Anjou, Normandy and Maine because of this.
• From 1202 - 1205, Philip of France conquers Normandy, Anjou, Maine and Brittany.
• In 1215, John signed the Magna Carta, limiting a King's power from then on.
• People in England under John's reign had to pay high taxes to pay for attempted invasions to get French land back.
• John rarely listened to his barons.
• The barons raised an army against John and occupied London. John needed their support to stay in power so he agreed to their demands, leading to the signing of the Magna Carta.