Henry the Young King

I am quite interested to see what people think could have happened had Henry the Young King, son of Henry II had not died and had actually succeeded his father as King of England
 
From my reading on the subject - I did a module on the Early Plantagenets this year at University - he would probably have been a disappointment.

While chroniclers at the time seemed to think he was the flower of chivalry, and almost as killed in martial affairs as Richard his brother; most historians appear to be of the opinion that if brains were dynamite, he'd be unable to blow his helmet off. He was manipulated by his mother and Louis in 117-4 with the Great Revolt, and at war with his brothers when he died. He was on the wrong side of the increasing levels of officialdom and bureaucracy, representing on older order than his father, of inherited jurisdictions for sheriffs offices and such. Had he taken over, expect war with whichever of his brothers and/or nephews are still alive, and for the barons to back whichever one will relax the centralisation that Henry II had implemented.

Other interpretations, are of course, welcome. :)
 
From my reading on the subject - I did a module on the Early Plantagenets this year at University - he would probably have been a disappointment.

While chroniclers at the time seemed to think he was the flower of chivalry, and almost as killed in martial affairs as Richard his brother; most historians appear to be of the opinion that if brains were dynamite, he'd be unable to blow his helmet off. He was manipulated by his mother and Louis in 117-4 with the Great Revolt, and at war with his brothers when he died. He was on the wrong side of the increasing levels of officialdom and bureaucracy, representing on older order than his father, of inherited jurisdictions for sheriffs offices and such. Had he taken over, expect war with whichever of his brothers and/or nephews are still alive, and for the barons to back whichever one will relax the centralisation that Henry II had implemented.

Other interpretations, are of course, welcome. :)

Okay interesting, from what I know of him (which of course could have come from a heavily biased account) he seemed to be good with people. Do you not think he might well have tried to relax the centralisation his father implemented? Or would he stick to it stubbornly?
 
Okay interesting, from what I know of him (which of course could have come from a heavily biased account) he seemed to be good with people. Do you not think he might well have tried to relax the centralisation his father implemented? Or would he stick to it stubbornly?
Oh, he was well liked. Personally, much more so than his father, or any of his brothers. He just wasn't very politically skilled, nor possibly very bright. There was a rather damning quote I'll hunt through my notes for which really stood out.

Once he's in charge, he may appreciate his father's reforms, but I'm not sure he'd have the skill to carry them off. If Richard inherits Aquitaine and Poitou, Arthur or Geoffrey is in Brittany and John's somewhere else (perhaps Ireland, depending when Henry II keels over), then there's a good couple of powderkegs ready to go off. Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine will be playing all the brothers for their own ends. It's going to be very tricky to navigate those waters, and the historians I read suggest Henry the Young was not sufficiently skilled to be able to manage that.
 
Oh, he was well liked. Personally, much more so than his father, or any of his brothers. He just wasn't very politically skilled, nor possibly very bright. There was a rather damning quote I'll hunt through my notes for which really stood out.

Once he's in charge, he may appreciate his father's reforms, but I'm not sure he'd have the skill to carry them off. If Richard inherits Aquitaine and Poitou, Arthur or Geoffrey is in Brittany and John's somewhere else (perhaps Ireland, depending when Henry II keels over), then there's a good couple of powderkegs ready to go off. Louis VII and Eleanor of Aquitaine will be playing all the brothers for their own ends. It's going to be very tricky to navigate those waters, and the historians I read suggest Henry the Young was not sufficiently skilled to be able to manage that.

True enough, true enough.

Where do you think he might get support from?
 
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