Young Henry (1155-1183), son of Henry II Plantagenet

The death of his elder brother William in 1156 made Henry – often known as ‘Young Henry’ - heir apparent to his father Henry II Plantagenet. In 1158 Young Henry was betrothed to the daughter of the King of France, Margaret, whose dowry was the Norman Vexin region and of whom he could reasonably expect still more, given that Louis VII remained without an heir. Although made a joint holder of the English crown in 1170, and again in 1172, Young Henry never obtained from his father Henry II any reality of power or enjoyment of his possessions. Young Henry rebelled in 1173, with his brothers Richard and Geoffrey, and with the support of their mother Eleanor and the King of France, Louis VII. In 1182, precedence disputes set Young Henry against his brother Richard and led to a new rebellion. The accidental death of Young Henry put an end to the conflict; Philip Augustus took advantage of this to set himself up as defender of Young Henry’s widow and to claim her dowry, the Vexin region, the eternal pretext for conflicts between the King of France and the Duke of Normandy.

Bibliography :

- François Neveux. - La Normandie des ducs aux rois, Xe-XIIe s. - Rennes : Ouest-France, 1998.
- Yves Sassier. - Louis VII. - Paris : Fayard, 1991.
- John Baldwin. - Philippe Auguste. - Paris : Fayard, 1991.