History: The Plantagenets: from Henry 'Curtmantle' to the son of King John 1154-1272

Providing a brief overview of England’s medieval past, this course traces how the Plantagenets and their wives, often described as Britain's bloodiest royal dynasty, shaped the country in their struggles with each other, Parliament and France. The course begins with Stephen of Blois who took the English throne in 1135 but whose reign was blighted by civil war. Upon his death the crown went to his cousin who became Henry II an energetic and ruthless ruler, restoring the royal administration in England and some of his legal changes are widely accepted as being the basis of English Common Law today. Richard I followed spending time away from the throne on Crusades and upon his death the crown went to his brother John, youngest of the four sons of Henry II who battled to try to retain lands in Normandy. The course will finish with John's son Henry III who assumed the throne at the age of 9 in the middle of the First Barons' War and reigned for over 50 years.