Lesson video

Hi, I'm Miss Mia.

Thank you so much for joining me in this lesson today.

In this lesson, you'll be able to describe Henry the Second's control over the Angevin Empire after the Anarchy.

Your keywords are on the screen now and you can write them down if you'd like to.

So we've got anarchy, centralize, empire, duchy and allegiance.

Great, let's find out what these keywords mean.

So when there is no government in society, this is known as anarchy.

It means political or social disorder.

To centralize is when separate parts are brought together so that they are organized or controlled from one place.

A group of countries or provinces ruled from the center by one person or a group of people, is known as an empire.

The area of land controlled by a duke or duchess is known as a duchy.

When somebody is loyal to a lord on monarch, this is allegiance.

Super, let's move on.

So this lesson is all about Henry II and the Angevin Empire.

So we've got two lesson cycles today and in our first lesson cycle, we're going to be looking at Henry II and the Angevin Empire.

And then in our second lesson cycle, we're going to be having a deeper look at the Angevin Empire.

I'm super excited about this lesson.

I hope you are too, let's begin.

During the Anarchy which followed the death of Henry the I, Stephen and Matilda disagreed about the rightful ruler of England.

On the left here, we can see Henry's nephew, Stephen of Blois.

So we've got Henry's nephew, Stephen versus Henry's daughter, Empress Matilda.

In 1135, a 19 year old long war erupted within England after the king.

Henry I unexpectedly died with no clear heir.

As you may remember, this had previously happened when Edward the Confessor died with no clear heir in 1066, resulting in the Battle of Hastings and William the Conqueror's invasion.

Similarly, a succession crisis also caused a war in 1135, as there was a disagreement over who should be the next ruler.

Henry's daughter, Matilda and her cousin, Stephen, both claimed the throne.

With no monarch in full control, the kingdom fell into chaos.

This period became known as the Anarchy, as it was a period of political or social disorder because of an absence of authority or government.

During the Anarchy, there is evidence of a complete collapse in centralized royal control as neither Stephen nor Matilda was strong enough to rule the entire empire.

The barons, lords or landholders, took advantage of this by establishing local areas of control, stealing land and building their own castles without royal permission.

The church too increased its powers in new ways.

Both sides, tired of conflict, wanted to work for a lasting peace.

It was agreed that Stephen would remain as king of England, but upon his death, the throne would pass to Matilda's son, Henry.

Back to you.

Why was the period during the war between Matilda and Stephen known as the Anarchy?

Is it because, A, a lack of centralized royal control had led to a breakdown in law and order, B, a lack of centralized royal control had led to law and order being restored or C, centralized royal control had led to a breakdown in law and order.

What do you think?

You can pause the video here and click play once you've got the answer.

So what did you get?

If you got A, you are correct.

A lack of centralized royal control had led to a breakdown in law and order.

Let's move on.

At this point, Henry II, Matilda's son, became king in 1154.

What challenges do you think Henry might have faced?

Have a think.

So once king, Henry II inherited some challenging problems.

How would he ensure that war never happened again?

How would he restore law and order?

How would he defend and build his empire?

And lastly, how would he reassert royal authority?

Back to you.

Henry became king after a period of peace in England.

Is this true or is this false?

You can pause the video here and click play when you're ready to continue.

So what did you get?

If you got false, well done.

I'd like you to now justify your answer.

Is it because, A, Henry became king after a war within England known as the Anarchy or B, Henry became king after his mother, Matilda, won the war within England?

What do you think?

You can pause the video here and click play once you've got the answer.

So what did you get?

If you got A, well done.

Henry became king after a period of peace in England.

This was after the Anarchy.

Let's move on.

So here we have Henry II and here we have Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Back to you.

What empire did Henry rule?

Was it A, the Angevin Empire, B, the English Empire or C, the French Empire?

What do you think?

You can pause the video here and click play once you've got the answer.

So what did you get?

If you got A, the Angevin Empire, that's correct.

Henry ruled the Angevin Empire.

Back to you again.

Which two countries did Henry's empire stretch across?

Is it A, England, B, France or C, Spain?

What do you think?

You can pause the video here and click play once you've got the answer.

So what did you get?

If you got A and B, you are correct.

Henry's empire stretched across England and France.

Let's move on.

The Angevin Empire was divided into duchies.

So we've got four duchies here which consisted of the empire.

Henry inherited an empire which stretched across England and modern day France.

Before inheriting England, Henry was already the ruler of a vast territory.

He was made Duke of Normandy in 1151.

As you will remember, since William the Conqueror, there was a connection between England and Normandy, as William was the duke there.

Henry had also inherited from his father Jeffrey, the lands of Maine, Touraine and Anjou.

His marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine in 1152 had brought him control over the duchy of Aquitaine in the southwestern corner of modern day France.

Eleanor was a powerful and wealthy queen who often ruled on Henry's behalf.

So this added to Henry's power as a king.

Thus, when he became king of England, Henry II ruled over a vast area of land extending from the Scottish border to the Pyrenees Mountains.

Historians have come to call these territories the Angevin Empire.

This made Henry II a powerful ruler within Europe.

How can a king get people to be loyal to him?

Have a think.

Each duke or dutchess had a duty of loyalty to Henry.

However, it was a challenge to maintain their allegiance.

Duchies often gave their allegiance to whichever king demonstrated power, protection or generosity.

Holding together the different duchies would have been a challenge for Henry, not helped by the fact that rival kings often competed to gain the allegiance of duchies.

During the Anarchy, rival kings took the opportunity to grab lands that Henry was expected to inherit.

Henry had an energetic and hot-tempered character and quickly set about restoring his royal lands in every corner of his empire.

His aim was to secure and centralize royal power within the empire after it had been weakened during the chaos of the Anarchy.

Henry also wanted to expand his empire.

Conquest was one way that medieval kings achieved greatness.

Medieval kings were judged by their ability on the battlefield.

Conquering land was the best way for a king to become powerful.

Well, swearing allegiance to a king can allow for loyalty.

Over to you.

The Angevin Empire was divided into multiple duchies.

Is this true or is this false?

You can pause the video here and click play once you've got the answer to this part.

So what did you get?

If you got true, well done.

I'd like you to now justify your answer.

Is it because A, the rulers of the duchies each promised to be loyal to Henry II or B, Henry II had to promise to obey the rulers of the duchies.

What do you think?

You can pause the video here and click play once you've got the answer.

So what did you get?

If you got A, you are correct.

The rulers of the duchies each promised to be loyal to Henry II.

I'd like you to choose the correct word to complete the text.

Select from the words below the text.

So here's our paragraph.

During the Anarchy, rival kings took the opportunity to grab lands that Henry II was expected to inherit.

Henry II quickly set about his control over his royal lands in every corner of his empire.

So let's look at the words.

Is it removing, restoring or reducing?

What do you think?

You can pause the video here and click play once you've completed this check for understanding.

So what did you get?

Well, you should have got restoring.

Well done if you got that.

Let's move on.

Task A.

How did Henry II become the ruler of the Angevin Empire?

You should answer this question in one paragraph and include the following words in your response.

Anarchy, Stephen, inherited, marriage.

So how did you do?

Well, you may have got something like this.

Let's read this together.

During a period known as the Anarchy, Henry II's mother, Matilda, had fought her cousin, Stephen, for control of England.

The conflict ended when they agreed that Stephen would become king of England as long as the throne passed to Henry when Stephen died.

By the time he became king of England, Henry was already a powerful ruler.

He was Duke of Normandy and he had also inherited Maine, Touraine and Anjou from his father.

In 1152, his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine gave him control of the duchy of Aquitaine.

Together, these lands became known as the Angevin Empire.

Well done if you managed to include some of those key points and for completing this task.

Let's move on.

Two.

Explain in a paragraph why it was a challenge for Henry to rule the Angevin Empire.

In your answer, include as many of the following words as you can.

Duchies, allegiance, anarchy, restore, centralize.

You can pause the video here and click play once you've completed this task.

So what did you get?

Let's read this paragraph together.

It was a challenge for Henry to rule the Angevin Empire, because duchies often gave their allegiance to whichever king demonstrated power, protection or generosity.

After the Anarchy, Henry's position had weakened and rival kings competed for the allegiance of duchies and seized lands.

Henry's challenge was to restore these lands and centralize his royal power within the Angevin Empire.

Well done for completing this task.

Let's move on to our second lesson cycle now.

We're going to be looking at the Angevin Empire.

Let's begin.

Now, how would a medieval king build a greater empire?

Have a think.

In 1169, the King of Leinster in Dublin, Diarmait MacMurrough, requested help in dealing with his own rebels in Ireland.

Henry II approved for a small group of knights who gave assistance in exchange for profit.

However, this soon escalated.

The knights put down the rebellion, but Diarmait died, leaving the knights to claim the territory for themselves.

Henry quickly acted, invaded Ireland and took control.

The Pope supported the invasion, because he wanted Henry to carry out religious changes in Ireland.

The Pope's blessing boosted Henry's claim to rule over Ireland.

As you will remember, William the Conqueror had also benefited from the support of the Pope for his claim to the English throne.

The knights and many native Irish kings swore allegiance to Henry.

Eventually, all of Ireland was added to the Angevin Empire.

This marked the beginning of England's monarchs claiming to be the rightful rulers of Ireland.

Henry added Ireland to his empire.

Back to you.

Starting with the earliest event, sort these events into chronological order by numbering them one to four with one as the earliest event.

So we've got King Diarmait dies.

Henry invades and takes control over Ireland.

Henry sends troops to help Irish king.

Kings of England begin claiming to be the rightful rulers of Ireland.

You can pause the video here and click play once you've completed this check for understanding.

So how did that go?

Well, let's have a look.

This is what you should have got.

One, Henry sends troops to help Irish king.

Two, King Diarmait dies.

Three, Henry invades and takes control over Ireland.

And four, kings of England begin claiming to be the rightful rulers of Ireland.

Well done if you managed to order those in chronological order.

Let's move on.

Task B.

I'd like you to explain in a paragraph how Henry II expanded the Angevin Empire in 1171.

In your answer, include as many of the following words as you can.

Invaded, military, island, pope, allegiance, claim to be rightful rulers.

You can pause the video here and click play once you've completed this task.

So how did that go?

Well, you may have written something like this.

Let's read this paragraph together.

Henry II expanded the Angevin Empire by adding Ireland.

In 1169, an Irish king requested help in dealing with his own rebels.

Henry approved a military intervention.

However, the Irish king died in 1171.

Henry invaded and took control over this kingdom and beyond.

Henry's claim over Ireland was also boosted by the Pope's blessing.

Ireland was added to the Angevin Empire with many knights and Irish kings swearing allegiance to Henry.

Kings of England subsequently claimed to be the rightful rulers of Ireland.

Well done for completing this task.

We've reached the end of this lesson.

Let's summarize our learning.

So this lesson was all about Henry II and the Angevin Empire.

You now understand that after the Anarchy, Henry II worked to restore control over his royal lands, an area of Western Europe known as the Angevin Empire.

The Angevin Empire was a collection of separate lands, duchies, each of which had their own traditions and local leadership.

Henry II oversaw an invasion of Ireland with the support of the Pope.

The kings of England subsequently claimed to be the rightful rulers of Ireland.

Thank you so much for joining me in this lesson and I hope you enjoyed it.

Bye.