Richard Barber - Henry II: A Prince Among Princes

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First published 2015

Copyright Richard Barber, 2015

Cover design by Pentagram
Jacket art by Jonathan Gibbs

The moral right of the author has been asserted

ISBN: 978-0-141-97709-6

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THE HOUSES OF WESSEX AND DENMARK

THE HOUSES OF NORMANDY, BLOIS AND ANJOU

THE HOUSE OF PLANTAGENET

THE HOUSES OF LANCASTER AND YORK

THE HOUSE OF TUDOR

THE HOUSE OF STUART

THE HOUSE OF HANOVER

THE HOUSES OF SAXE-COBURG & GOTHA AND WINDSOR

For Gay

I saw King Henry, many times. Yet I still remember the first time I encountered him and looked at him: and I knew at once this was a man I would not forget. He was very handsome, with a face that men and women never tired of looking at, however often they had already seen him; his complexion was freckled, and his grey eyes were set off by his close-cropped tawny hair. He was usually calm, but if something angered him, his look would suddenly become fierce; his face flushed red, while his eyes became bloodshot. His head was large and round, with a short neck. He was only of middling height, and yet seemed taller than he was, for he always wore a short cloak, unlike other Normans hence his nickname Curtmantle. He was well built, of good proportions, and sound in wind and limb, agile and energetic, with broad shoulders and sturdy limbs: he had extraordinary stamina. He was bow-legged from riding, and had the powerful shins of a man who spent his life in the saddle. Naturally corpulent, he had a large stomach; to avoid becoming too fat, he was careful to eat and drink in moderation. To keep himself fit, he adopted a harsh physical regime for the same reason.

As he grew older, his hair began to turn grey, and his habit of riding all day and then standing whenever he was in public whether at Mass, in council or transacting the business of the kingdom caused his legs to swell, and he suffered badly from an ingrowing toenail. His endless life on horseback meant that he was often kicked by horses and injured himself by frequently spurring on recalcitrant animals. In fact, although he kept himself fit, he did not trouble about the care of his body in other ways: he only wore gloves when hawking, and his hands were rough as a result. He dressed simply, without any regard to fashion: his boots were plain, his caps had no decoration, and his clothes were light and practical this was his reason for wearing a short riding cloak at all times. Royal splendour was not his style, though he exuded a royal dignity even in his simple garments.

When war or the business of state required it, he would cover huge distances on horseback each day, distances which would have entailed four or five days journey for an ordinary traveller. He was restless in the extreme: even when he was out hunting, he would leave at crack of dawn, riding through forests and wastelands, and scaling hills and mountains in pursuit of his quarry. He never lingered in his palaces, but endlessly travelled up and down his domains.

His imposing physical presence was matched by an equally imposing intellect. Languages were no obstacle to him, and he knew something of most of the tongues spoken in the Christian world, though he only used Latin and French. He read widely, but his particular interest was in matters of law and government rather than the new romances favoured by his wife and sons. He had a keen and enquiring mind: in his household, every day was like a school, and there was constant discussion of difficult questions. Henry would often gather his officials around him to try to disentangle some point of law or problem of administration. He was the most learned of kings, even more so than William I of Sicily, who had Peter of Blois as his tutor.