Peyton Townes and Muriel Pearce Family History

King Henry and Eleanor of Aquitaine - Plantagenet Monarchy

Henry II (Henry of Anjou) established The House of Plantagenet which originated from the lands of Anjou in France, and was cemented by his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine. The family held the English throne from 1154 with the accession of Henry II to 1485, when Richard III died in battle.

Henry was lord of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, and Count of Anjou, Brittany, Poitou, Normandy, Maine, and Gascony. He is considered to be one of the most successful kings of England, who re-established royal authority and created many of the foundations of English law.

However, he was quick tempered and created many conflicts, including an ongoing "cold war" with Louis VII and a rebellion against him by his sons and wife. He is also known for the murder of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170, the culmination of years of tension as Henry tried to reform the relationship between church and state.  

Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204) was one of the most powerful and influential figures of the Middle Ages. Inheriting a vast estate at the age of 15  she become the queen of France, when she  married Louis VII. Eleanor accompanied her husband on the Second Crusade, travelling to Constantinople and Jerusalem. However relations between them deteriorated and in 1152 they were divorced.

Two months later Eleanor married Henry of Anjou. The couple had five sons and three daughters. For nearly two decades, Eleanor played an active part in the running of Henry's empire, travelling backwards and forwards between their territories in England and France. However, she was later imprisoned by the King for her part in a rebellion that their sons had launched.

Click Expand to open chart and Collapse to close.  All of the names are grandparents. Variations show varying lines of direct descent.