Out of the chaos darkness and violence of the Middle Ages one family rose to seize control of England. Generation after generation they ruled the country for more than 300 years ruthlessly crushing all competition to become the greatest English dynasty of all time.
What I love about the Plantagenet story that is more shocking more brutal more astonishing than anything you’ll find in fiction. The Plantagenet were people driven by ambition jealousy hateful and revenge these Kings murdered betrayed and tyrannized their way to spectacular success the better and for worse.
The Plantagenets forged England as a nation this time the founder of the dynasty. Henry the second warrior and Empire Builder he transformed England from a war zone into a European superpower but murder and betrayal by his own family threatened to tear apart everything. He had achieve in 1153 Henry Plantagenet sails to England with an invasion force aiming to seize back the throne.
He’s only 20 but he’s already an experienced soldier is in fighting for answers he was a kid and his mother’s drilled into him the idea that the crown of England. So Henry approaches these saws he’s convinced here the face with definite. Henry’s a powerhouse with a fiery temper bursting with raw energy and ambition within a year Stephen is dead.
Henry is crowned Henry a second the first Plantagenet King, of course he doesn’t speak a word of English after 90 years of Norman French rule in England no one does except the peasants. It’s not then that Henry’s here to pick a fight with,it’s the Barents for generation that barons been fighting vicious turf wars burning looting raping and killing.
If you lived here you could come home any day to find your house on fire your crops destroyed your animals taken your family murdered and this has been going on for nearly 20 years as long. As the new king has been alive. Henry’s future and the future of England depends on bringing the Barons to heel, he could simply destroy them his armies big enough, but instead he does something totally unexpected high on the Welsh borders is Wigmore castle once.
One of England’s greatest fortresses it’s the power base of human toughest of the barons and the last to hold out against a new king. Owen defies Henry and gets away with it she turns up here at Wigmore with an army and lay siege to the castle. Henry got Hugh surrounded but he’s not here to destroy him it just sits outside here I am is my army what are you going to do about it.
Unsurprisingly Hugh fold that is what Henry does makes that marks him out as a king to watch because he takes Hugh’s Castle away from them that gives it straight back you’re saying, you can have our power but only because I say so I’m the king I’m in control and you work for me. One reason Henry had the confidence to take on such powerful men he clearly has a formidable arm henry’s queen is Eleanor Duchess of Aquitaine 10 years is senior.
She’s such a famous beauty students across Europe seeing 40 songs about bedding up she shocked the continent by divorcing the King of France in 1152 and marrying Henry. Just two months later they’re a good match by the time Henry takes the throne. She’s already produced their first son but this Queen is far more than a baby machine as Duchess of Aquitaine. She’s a serious and tactical player in her own right Henry brings muscle Eleanor brings prestige together there are many meals and the union creates a Plantagenet, empire that stretches from the borders of Scotland to the tyranny.
To keep control of such vast territory Henry has to do something radical controlled everything. The question is how does he maintain it it could use it barons to rule the different regions that standard medieval practice but as far as Henry can see the Barons are lonely do things his way as long as it suits them to get what he wants.