Timeline - 12th Century England
DiscussieMistress of the Art of Death ~ Early Summer 2009 Reading Group
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1vintage_books
At the beginning of the 12th century, England’s king is Henry I, who also rules Normandy, a large part of what is now northern France. (The kingdom of France itself was then a comparatively smaller area centered around Paris.)
1135 AD
Henry I dies, leaving the throne to his only legitimate heir, his daughter Matilda. Since neither England nor Normandy has ever been ruled by a woman, Matilda is challenged by her cousin Stephen, who is crowned king.
AD 1137
In Paris, 15-year-old Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, makes an arranged marriage with the pious King Louis of France and causes scandal by accompanying him on crusade with “Amazon” ladies-in-waiting.
AD 1138
Matilda declares war on Stephen in a bid to reclaim her birthright. Her husband, Geoffrey Plantagenet, fights to win back Normandy for Matilda. In England, the civil war between Matilda and Stephen lasts nearly 15 years. Towards the end of the war, Matilda’s armies are led by her son, Henry Plantagenet, a young, brilliant, and crafty fighter.
AD 1152
Henry Plantagenet marries Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, only months after she receives her divorce from Louis of France. Henry is eleven years younger than Eleanor.
AD 1154
At the age of 21, Henry becomes the undisputed King of England, and restores peace and prosperity to a ruined country. He now rules an empire stretching from the borders of Scotland to the Pyrenees.
AD 1162
Henry II creates his close friend Thomas à Becket Archbishop of Canterbury. A big mistake because…
AD 1166
…Archbishop Thomas opposes Henry’s legal reforms, including Henry’s move to punish criminal clerics in civil courts. Previously, only the Church could try priests, often dismissing the charges and leaving them to offend again.
AD 1170
In Normandy an infuriated Henry II calls for the death of Archbishop Thomas. Some of his knights, with their own grievance against Becket, murder the archbishop in Canterbury Cathedral.
AD 1173
In a grab for power, Eleanor encourages her and Henry’s older sons in rebellion against him. When the rebellion fails, she is put under house arrest and banished to a castle on the Welsh border, only allowed out occasionally for Christmas. Archbishop Thomas is made a saint. In the Middle East, after nearly a hundred years of Crusades, Saladin becomes sultan of Egypt.
AD 1182
Jews are banished from the Kingdom of France. Henry protects the Jews in his lands, both in England and on the continent.
AD 1185
Henry frees Eleanor from house arrest. She nevertheless sides with their elder surviving son, Richard Coeur-de-Lion, against him.
AD 1189
Henry, learning that his youngest son, John, has joined Richard in the war against him, dies broken in heart and body. King Richard I is more interested in crusade than in his kingdom. His coronation paves the way for the first serious assault on English Jews. Thanks to his father, Henry, though, he now rules an England bound by Common Law and the jury system, the most advanced justice system of its day.
1135 AD
Henry I dies, leaving the throne to his only legitimate heir, his daughter Matilda. Since neither England nor Normandy has ever been ruled by a woman, Matilda is challenged by her cousin Stephen, who is crowned king.
AD 1137
In Paris, 15-year-old Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, makes an arranged marriage with the pious King Louis of France and causes scandal by accompanying him on crusade with “Amazon” ladies-in-waiting.
AD 1138
Matilda declares war on Stephen in a bid to reclaim her birthright. Her husband, Geoffrey Plantagenet, fights to win back Normandy for Matilda. In England, the civil war between Matilda and Stephen lasts nearly 15 years. Towards the end of the war, Matilda’s armies are led by her son, Henry Plantagenet, a young, brilliant, and crafty fighter.
AD 1152
Henry Plantagenet marries Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine, only months after she receives her divorce from Louis of France. Henry is eleven years younger than Eleanor.
AD 1154
At the age of 21, Henry becomes the undisputed King of England, and restores peace and prosperity to a ruined country. He now rules an empire stretching from the borders of Scotland to the Pyrenees.
AD 1162
Henry II creates his close friend Thomas à Becket Archbishop of Canterbury. A big mistake because…
AD 1166
…Archbishop Thomas opposes Henry’s legal reforms, including Henry’s move to punish criminal clerics in civil courts. Previously, only the Church could try priests, often dismissing the charges and leaving them to offend again.
AD 1170
In Normandy an infuriated Henry II calls for the death of Archbishop Thomas. Some of his knights, with their own grievance against Becket, murder the archbishop in Canterbury Cathedral.
AD 1173
In a grab for power, Eleanor encourages her and Henry’s older sons in rebellion against him. When the rebellion fails, she is put under house arrest and banished to a castle on the Welsh border, only allowed out occasionally for Christmas. Archbishop Thomas is made a saint. In the Middle East, after nearly a hundred years of Crusades, Saladin becomes sultan of Egypt.
AD 1182
Jews are banished from the Kingdom of France. Henry protects the Jews in his lands, both in England and on the continent.
AD 1185
Henry frees Eleanor from house arrest. She nevertheless sides with their elder surviving son, Richard Coeur-de-Lion, against him.
AD 1189
Henry, learning that his youngest son, John, has joined Richard in the war against him, dies broken in heart and body. King Richard I is more interested in crusade than in his kingdom. His coronation paves the way for the first serious assault on English Jews. Thanks to his father, Henry, though, he now rules an England bound by Common Law and the jury system, the most advanced justice system of its day.
2KimB
This is a great time-line. Thanks Vintage_books.
Eleanor is an ancestor of mine. I think she would only have about a billion people who are descended from her ;-)
Anyway, I have a bit of an interest in her and if anyone is interested in reading more about her, Eleanor of Aquitaine: By the Wrath of God, Queen of England by Alison Weir is a great read.
3tututhefirst
Great Info VB....I just finished MOAD last nite (well early this am--couldn't put it down) and I had Alison Weir's book on my TBR list---it's getting bumped up much higher on the pile. I also read earlier this year Thomas Cahill's Mysteries of the Middle Ages which also has great background on Eleanor and the scientific advances of the age.
What a great BOOK!!!
What a great BOOK!!!
4vintage_books
Thank you for the nice compliments, but I forgot to give credit for this timeline...it belongs to Ariana Franklin.com and I can in no way take credit.
Also, full credit for the choosing of this wonderful book should be awarded to TheTortoise, who does a fantastic job in co-moderating this group and choosing the books we get to read.
Also, full credit for the choosing of this wonderful book should be awarded to TheTortoise, who does a fantastic job in co-moderating this group and choosing the books we get to read.
5MusicMom41
VB
You can definitely take credit for searching out the information for those of us who are too swamped to do anything right now except keep up with the reading! This was very helpful to put the story in context--it has been a long time since I read about this period.
Another book about Eleanor that I read many years ago and really enjoyed was Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings by Amy Kelly.
You can definitely take credit for searching out the information for those of us who are too swamped to do anything right now except keep up with the reading! This was very helpful to put the story in context--it has been a long time since I read about this period.
Another book about Eleanor that I read many years ago and really enjoyed was Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings by Amy Kelly.
6TheTortoise
First I would like to congratulate V_B for gathering all the wonderful material and taking the time to post it all for our enjoyment. Very impressive!
Second, thanks to St. Richard for suggesting this book, in the first place.
~ TT
Second, thanks to St. Richard for suggesting this book, in the first place.
~ TT
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