Henry and Ireland

In Henry's rein began the attempt of the English to conquer Ireland and to bring the half-civilized Celtic tribes under the authority of the English king. These tribes, vexed by the Danes and fighting with each other, had led a tumultuous existence for three centuries. The right to conquer Ireland had been granted to Henry (1155) by Hadrian IV, the only Englishman who ever became pope, on the ground that all islands belonged to the jurisdiction of the papal see, a striking instance of the claims of the church at this time. Henry was slow to take advantage of the grant; but some of his barons, notably Richard de Clare, known as Strongbow, began the conquest in 1169. In 1171 Henry himself went over, but accomplished very little. His chief purpose seems to have been to erect a kingdom for his son John, and not, as the pope desired, to introduce Christianity. The only result of the attempt was the establishment of a claim to the island which was Hot to be made good for four centuries.

Henry's Last Years

The last years of this great king were for him a time of perplexity and sorrow, and the trouble came not from England or Ireland, but from France. The French kings were doing exactly what Henry was doing building up a strong monarchy and warring against the feudal lords. The king of England was the lord of half of France, with fiefs extending from the Somme to the Garonne, cutting off the French kings from the sea, controlling the mouths of the two greatest rivers, the Seine and the Loire, and thus preventing all opportunities for commercial expansion. French kings were, therefore, always willing to take the side of the enemies of the English king, whoever they might be. Louis VII had aided Becket, and now Philip II was to take advantage of the discontent of Henry's sons to urge them to revolt against their father. He first aided the eldest son, Henry, in 1183, and after the latter's death, conspiring with Richard and John, stirred up war in which Henry II suffered defeat.

In the midst of his troubles Henry died, July, 1189. He was a great king, victor in the struggle with feudalism in his own kingdom; but when, as a feudal lord himself, he sought to maintain his position in the face of the rising French monarchy he was defeated.

Richard, Coeur de Lion (1189-1199)

It was fortunate that Henry II had established a firm administration in England before his death, for his sons did little to continue his work. Richard was a brave man, but a bad king. His reign of ten years was spent almost entirely out of England, either in the Holy Land, where he had gone on the Third Crusade, in captivity in Germany, or in France warring against Philip Augustus. He was a warrior and knight, not a statesman or a king. Bold and impetuous, loving great deeds and romantic adventures, he was the typical crusader of his day, the knight-errant, who was the hero of song son and story. Reckless with his own life, he was cruel in his treatment of others; and out spoken in his hates, he made enemies who were constantly intriguing against him. It was well for England that he paid no attention to the government of the kingdom, for he had not a trace of the genius of his father, and could only have made matters worse had he attempted to rule.

On the death of Henry II, Richard was declared king, without opposition, and at his coronation I promised to defend the church, to maintain the rights of his people, to eradicate bad laws, and to uphold good ones. But these promises were to have no fulfillment at his hands. His heart was in the crusade for the rescue of Jerusalem, and he gave no thought to the needs of the English. Immediately after his coronation he appointed Bishop Pudsey and William Longchamps his justiciars, and began to raise money for his expedition. He declared offices vacant, and put them up for sale to the highest bidder. He agreed, with the pope's consent, that those who desired should remain at home, provided they paid for the privilege. He sold charters to the towns, and for ten thousand marks released William the Lion from the oath taken at the time of the treaty of Falaise. Having raised a goodly sum of money, he embarked on the crusade, December 11, 1189. During the ensuing three years Europe rang with his exploits, while England, under Longchamps, was governed with a firm hand.