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 29th - 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 ScotlandEdinburgh, 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!


Comments

  1. So pleased to hear John got 5 castles!

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    1. Not so pleased myself, Anerje! And Henry the Young Young not so pleased either. Those were his castles, after all :-)

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    2. So why did they call him Lackland, if he got a bunch of castles. Castles are nice. :-)

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    3. "Lackland", if my memory serves me, was a pet name, given to John by Henry II himself. When John was born there was no land for him to share, hence the nickname. Henry found a way to remedy this and conquered Ireland :-)

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  2. Lol Kasia - it's always good for older brothers to share;)

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    1. Well, the first such "sharing" led to the outbreak of the Great Revolt, which I find ironic, for the uprising ended with "sharing" as well, as I have mentioned above.

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  3. Poor William. I admit I have a soft spot for the Scottish kings.

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    1. David I, Malcolm IV and William I are my favourite Scottish kings, with the stress put on David :-) He had a great sense of humor, the fact that the chroniclers of the times found well worth mentioning.

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  4. In her 2009 article, "Duchesses and Devils, the Breton Succession Crisis (1148-1189)," Melissa Pollock suggests the involvement of Margaret, the widow of Conan IV and mother of Constance, in the 1173 rebellion. Margaret was the sister of William the Lion of Scotland, and she likely resented Henry II taking control of Brittany from her late husband.

    Malcolm Craig

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    1. Yes, Malcolm. I learnt about Margaret's involvement in the Great Revolt thanks to you and the copy of Duchesses and Devils that you kindly sent to me. Fascinating read. Highly recommendable.

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  5. Are you paying more than $5 / pack of cigarettes? I'm buying high quality cigarettes at Duty Free Depot and this saves me over 50%.

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