Twelth-Century England

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Overview

Overview 12th Century in Britain

1100	Death of William Rufus; accession of Henry I
1106	Battle of Tinchebray; Henry I takes Normandy
1107	Settlement of Investiture Dispute in England
1120	Wreck of the White Ship
1128	Marriage of Empress Matilda to Geoffrey of Anjou
1135	Death of Henry I, accession of Stephen
1139-53	Civil war in England
1141	Battle of Lincoln; Stephen captured; Matilda acknowledged as Queen
1154	Death of Stephen; accession of Henry II
1162	Becket appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
1164	Council and Constitutions of Clarendon; Becket goes into exile
1169-72	English conquest of Ireland begins
1170	Coronation of the young king; murder of Becket
1173-74	Rebellion against Henry II; William ‘the Lion’ (of Scotland) invades the north
1183	Death of the young king
1189	Death of Henry II; accession of Richard I
1190-92	Richard I on crusade
1193-94	Richard in prison in Germany
1199	Death of Richard I; accession of John

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Explanations

12th Century in Great Britain
(Quelle: www.history.uk.com May 15th, 2003)

1100
William II dies
The King is killed by an arrow while hunting in the New Forest. Sir Walter Tyrel made the killing shot. It is not known if the King's death was a tragic accident or a deliberate murder

Henry I
William I's third son Henry I ascends to the throne. He married Matilda, daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland, uniting Norman and Saxon lines.

1106
Normandy
Henry I conquered Normandy when he defeated his brother, Robert, at the Battle of Tinchebrai on September 28. Robert, Duke of Normandy, had angered Henry by allowing exiles from England haven. Robert was held in Cardiff Castle until he died 28 years later.

1107
Investiture of Bishops
Henry I and Anselm, the Archbishop of Canterbury, were in dispute about the bishops. Anselm was refusing to consecrate bishops granted investiture by Henry I. On August 8 the matter was resolved with a compromise agreement made at Bec in Normandy. Henry I gave up the right to the act of lay investiture while keeping the benefits of the bishops' oath of loyalty.

1120
Death of the heir
On November 25 Prince William, Henry I's son and heir, drowned in a shipwreck. The prince was travelling on the White Ship when it was wrecked in a crossing from England to Normandy.

1128
Henry's bid to secure the succession
Henry I aimed to strengthen his daughter Matilda's claim to the throne after his death by gaining support from the Barons of the Great Council. He made them all swear loyalty to her claim, including his nephew Stephen of Boulogne who became King Stephen in 1135.

1135
Death of Henry I
During Henry I's 35 years on the throne, England had risen in prominence among neighbouring countries and Normandy had been conquered - the empire was at a peak. Henry I was also credited with building an effective
centralised government.
King Stephen
Stephen of Boulogne was Henry I's nephew and grandson of William the Conqueror. He had previously promised to support Henry's daughter Matilda as successor but, backed by the Church, he gained the throne. Support for Matilda's claim caused major upset during King Stephen's 19 year reign.

1139
Civil War
Civil war broke out when Matilda landed at Portsmouth. She was supported by her half brother, son of Henry I, Robert of Gloucester.

1141
Civil War - Stephen's defeat
On February 2 Stephen was defeated and taken prisoner at the Battle of Lincoln. Matilda was acknowledged as Queen. When she entered London her demands for money did not win popular support and she was driven away without being crowned.
On November 1 Stephen was released in a prisoner exchange with Robert of Gloucester and the civil war continued.

1147
Civil War - Matilda's set back
Robert of Gloucester died. He was Matilda's main supporter in her bid for the throne and his death was a major blow. She withdrew to France the following year.

1148
Civil War - Matilda's departure
Matilda withdrew to Normandy to be with her son, Henry. The Civil War flagged after her departure. Her claim was never realised but her son became Henry II in 1154.

1153
Civil War - Henry's claim
Henry of Anjou, Matilda's son, invaded England, re-igniting the Civil War. He was made heir to the throne following King Stephen by the Treaty of Wallingford.

1154
King Stephen dies
Stephen, grandson of William the Conqueror, was the last Norman king of England.
Henry II
Henry II, son of Matilda, was crowned King of England on December 19. His 35 year reign was the first of the Plantagenet line which continued until the reign on Richard II in 1399.
Anglo-Saxon Chronicles
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicles were completed. The Chronicles told a history of England from the Roman invasion to 1154.

1162
Thomas Becket
Henry II appointed his Chancellor, Thomas Becket, to the post of Archbishop of Canterbury.

1164
Henry II and the church
Henry II wanted to change the way clerks of the church were tried for criminal offences. All clerks were tried in Bishops courts where the guilty could not be ordered to face corporal punishment. Henry believed this right
2as being abused by many people on the edges of the church system. Henry II wanted all clerks accused of a criminal offence to be heard in the King's courts. Henry II expected his former Chancellor, the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket, to assist him with his plans. The King's reforms were presented in the Constitution of Clarendon. Becket initially signed the declaration but then spoke out openly against the reforms claiming they undermined the Church. Fearing for his life after his defiance, Becket fled to France where he stayed until 1170.

1167
Matilda dies
Matilda, daughter of Henry I, died near Rouen, France, aged in her mid
sixties.

1170
Murder of Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket returned to England from France. He continued to defy Henry II by excommunicating bishops who, during his absence, had carried out acts rightfully belonging to the Archbishop of Canterbury. By December Henry II was exasperated by Becket and exclaimed "who will rid me of this turbulent priest?". On hearing the King's words, four knights went to Canterbury cathedral where they murdered Becket. Becket became a martyr and was later sainted. His tomb was considered one of the most important to the medieval pilgrims. Public pressure led Henry II to do penance for the murder in 1174.
Ireland
Henry II had gained permission from Pope Adrian IV to invade Ireland. Strongbow, the Earl of Pembroke, invaded Ireland in August 1170 to support Dermot the exiled King of Leinster. He succeeded to the Crown of Leinster a year later when Dermot died.

1173
Rebellion
Henry II faced opposition from his sons - Henry, Richard, Geoffrey and John. They joined an alliance with Louis VII to rebel against their father. The sons were encouraged by their mother, Eleanor of Guienne who was divorced from Louis VII. By 1174, Henry VII had defeated the alliance.

1174
Scottish threat
In July William I, the Lion of Scotland, was captured while invading Northumberland. He had been working with English barons to rebel against Henry II. At the Treaty of Falaise William paid homage to England's might and Henry II's authority. He was released. Henry II also suppressed a rebellion by his sons which had been brewing since the year before.

1183
Rebellion
Despite defeat in 1174, Henry II's sons rebelled against their father again and failed to win power for the second time. Prince Henry died of fever during the dispute and his brother Geoffrey also died soon after.

1189
Henry II dies
Henry II's remaining sons, John and Richard, joined with Philip II of France to take over Touraine. Henry II was ousted from the region. He died shortly after. He had recognised Richard as his heir just before his death.

Richard the Lionheart.

On September 3, Richard I was crowned King of England. As the eldest and only surviving son of Henry II he succeeded without contest. Richard I joined the Third Crusade.

1192
The end of the Third Crusade
Richard I talked peace with Saladin, Sultan of Egypt and Syria. A truce was agreed and access given to Jerusalem for Christian pilgrims. This ended the Third Crusade. Returning from the Third Crusade in December, Richard I was taken prisoner by Leopold V, Archduke of Austria.

1193
John's attempt for the crown
Henry II's son John made a bid for the crown in Richard I's absence. His attempt was unsuccessful but Richard I later chose to nominate him as heir.

1194
Return of Richard I
In February, Richard I was released for a payment of 100,000 marks - a huge sum - and made his way back to England. On his return, he set about raising money to pay for a campaign to regain authority in French regions. He set out again in May to this aim.

1199
Richard I dies
Richard I was wounded and died at a siege of the Castle of Châluz, Aquitaine. He was king for ten years and, due mainly to his involvement in the Third Crusade, spent less than six months of his reign in England.
King John
Henry II's fourth and youngest son, John, was crowned in May