Eleanor of Aquitaine entering......

[1911] King Stephen was forced to recognize Henry as his heir; when Stephen died the English warmly welcomed the new ruler. Henry enlarged the kingdom - in 1157 he forced the Scottish king to submit to him and to yield his claim to Northumbria - he made allies of the Welsh - in 1175 he invaded Ireland and secured the submission of all the native kings (and made his youngest son, John, lord of Ireland) - in 1160 he took the French Vexin (key piece of land between Normandy and the French royal lands). Henry was one of the most powerful rulers of his era, full of energy and an able military leader. He was tall and had broad shoulders, with strength and endurance. "His dress was usually informal - like that of a huntsman - and his manner courteous and charming, although he was quick to take offence if he felt his authority as king was being threatened. His sense of humour was strong and his wit mordant, but his temper was unpredictable and he could be bitterly vindictive.... Generous to the poor, he gave alms frequently, and often in secret. ...had a serious and scholarly side...[which] emerges in the many legal, administrative and financial developments of his reign, developments for which he had been much praised by posterity. "The Plantagenet Chronicles," ed. by Elizabeth Hallam. 1986, pp.94-5.} Henry was crowned at Westminster Abbey on the Sunday before Christmas, 1154. He wore his reddish hair close-cropped. {-see the detailed description of him in "Seven Medieval Kings," Joseph Dahmus (Doubleday, 1967, pp.148ff.).} Also see "Henry Plantagent: A Biography of Henry II of England," by Richard Barber (London, 1964, reprinted 1972), and Barber's "The Devil's Crown: Henry II, Richard I, John" (London, 1978).