30 September 1174: Conference at Mountlouis

Just a note to say that yesterday saw the anniversary of the Great Revolt of 1173-74 definitely brought to an end. On 30 September 1174, Henry the Young King, accompanied by his father-in-law Louis VII of France and his younger brothers, Richard and Geoffrey, was meeting his father the victorious Henry II at Mountlouis, between Tours and Amboise. The meeting probably began on the 29^{th -} in the medieval calendar Michaelmas was one of the traditional days for peacemaking. Henry the Young King and his younger brothers had no other choice but to accept their father’s terms. The young Henry received two castles in Normandy and £ 15,000 in Angevin currency per annum, but he was to allow his youngest brother John to have Nottingham, Marlborough, and estates in Normandy and Anjou to the value of £ 2,000 annually, plus five castles. Richard received two castles and half the revenues of Poitou, and Geoffrey received half the inheritance of his future wife, Constance, the heiress to Brittany. A general amnesty was granted, with the conspicuous exceptions of William I of Scotland, the earls of Chester and Leicester, and a Breton lord Ralph de Fourages. The King of Scotland, one of Henry the Young King's chief allies in the rebellion, had to wait till 8 December 1174 to obtain his freedom. To gain his release he had no other choice but to accept the humiliating terms: he promised to do homage for Scotland to Henry II, give his brother David as a hostage and surrender the five main castles of Scotland: Edinburgh, Jedburgh, Roxburgh, Stirling and Berwick. “The Scottish Church was to be subject to the jurisdiction of that of England” and William’s nobles and clergy were to make their personal submissions to Henry.

The meeting has been vividly described by Ms. Sharon Kay Penman in her novel, The Devil's Brood, Chapter Nineteen, p.268, UK edition (2009)

On a brighter note, I have come across a brilliant review of Ms Elizabeth Chadwick's latest novel, The Winter Crown (2014), which gives us an intriguing clue about what we, the readers, may expect of her Henry the Young King. He has already made an auspicious start, appearing in the first sentence of the novel, which is a spectacular success. I have found the author's words moving and promising at the same time: "The Young King Henry, his father’s eldest legitimate son and heir, is an extraordinary figure in his own right, a light burning too bright, touched by tragedy." Does this mean we can expect the revealing insights into Henry's life, described with more understanding and compassion than the mainstream historians tend to show him? I sincerely do hope so! You can find the review here. Highly recommendable!