Daily Medieval

On 19 December 1154, Archbishop Theobald of Canterbury crowned Henry Curtmantle as King Henry II of England. His wife, the former queen of F...

William Longchamp (or "de Longchamp") achieved success the old-fashioned way: he paid lots of money for it. That's not fair; b...

Although Geoffrey, the eldest and illegitimate son of Henry II, was problematic in his ecclesiastical appointment of Archbishop of York—plag...

Although Geoffrey of York may have seemed like his father's favorite ( despite his illegitimacy ), Henry II's other sons were genero...

When Henry II died, his eldest son living was Geoffrey. Geoffrey was not in a position to ascend to the throne, however, because he was ille...

It was perfectly acceptable in the Middle Ages for kings to father children outside of wedlock. Although these illegitimate children were un...

Henry II had conflicts with the Scotland, with Ireland, with Wales, with France, but the most difficult conflicts may have been with his fam...