Henry the Young King was the only king of England crowned in his father’s lifetime. In this his father, Henry II followed the continental tradition. The Capetian rulers had their heirs crowned during their reign in order to avoid even a momentary interregnum and disorder. Louis VI, for instance, still active monarch, had his son, also Louis, anointed in Rheims cathedral already in 1131. It was not until 1137 that Louis began his independent rule and only upon his father’s death. The same Louis had his only son, Philip crowned in 1179, a year before he himself died. Today I would like to introduce a few facts about Henry the Young King everyone should know. - Henry (b. 28 February 1155) was not meant to be a king. The crown was to be inherited by his elder brother, William (b.17 August 1153). Unfortunately, at the age of three, William became seriously ill and died, the only child of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, who failed to reach maturity. Upon his untimely passing, Henr
7 November 2022 marks the 10th anniversary of our blog. To celebrate this joyful occasion we have invited a special guest. Kathryn Warner is a historian of the 14th century with a particular focus on Edward II and his reign. In her books she illuminates the lives of the famous figures of the era, but not only that. So far she has written biographies of Edward II, Isabella of France, Hugh Despenser the Younger, the daughters of Edward I, the nieces of Edward II, Philippa of Hainault, John of Gaunt and Richard II. In her latest book she takes us to fourteenth-century London, one of Europe’s largest medieval cities, which she explores using a rich variety of important sources that provide first-hand accounts of everyday life and personal interactions between Londoners on the verge of disaster… the outbreak of the Black Death. Thank you for accepting our invitation, Kathryn. We are both hounoured and thrilled to welcome you to the blog on this special occasion. You supported us and encou