Henry's French possessions involved him in a series of wars with Louis (1157-1180), but in England his position was generally secure. In 1155 he received back from Scotland the northern counties of England, and he led three successful expeditions against the Welsh (1157, 1163, 1165). His reign was marked by a series of administrative and legal reforms. Anxious to bring the clergy under his control, Henry in 1164 summoned a council which adopted the Constitution of Clarendon (see CLARENDON, CONSTITUTIONS OF), a course which brought him into, conflict with Thomas a Becket (q.v.). The jury system was inaugurated by the Assize of Clarendon (1166), citizens were required to maintain arms by the Assize of Arms (1181), and the forest laws were systematized by the Assize of Woodstock (1184). After the murder of Becket (1170), Henry was obliged to come to terms with the church. Meanwhile, in 1171; he launched a successful expedition against Ireland.
As Henry's sons reached manhood, they became ambitious for land and power. The eldest, Henry, was not only declared heir
to England, Normandy, Anjou, and Maine, but was crowned in 1170. Richard was made heir to his mother's domains, and
Geoffrey married the heiress of Britanny. Matters reached a climax in 1173, when young Henry, rebuffed in his demand that
his father allow him to rule over either England or Normandy, rebelled against the king. He was supported by Richard and
Geoffrey, as well as by his mother, who had become estranged from Henry because of his various gallantries, exemplified
in the not altogether unfounded legend of the Fair Rosamund (see ROSAMUND). The rebellion was put down in 1174, but the
sons remained dissatisfied. Henry died in 1183 and Geoffrey in 1186, but Richard enlisted the support of King Philip II,
Louis' successor, and in 1188-1189 made war on his father. Defeated by Philip and Richard, Henry was forced to agree to
their terms, which included the issuance of pardons to the latter's adherents. Just before he died, Henry learned that
among these rebels was his favorite son John.
Consult: Kelly, Amy R., Eleanor of Aquitaine and the Four Kings (Cambridge, Mass., 1950) ; Prole, Austin L., From Domesday
Book to Magna Carta, 1087-1216, 2d ed. (Oxford 1955).