Little is known of Henry's earlier life. He was the second of five sons of Henry and Eleanor. His eldest brother, William of Poitiers, had died as a toddler. Henry II hoped that Henry, Jr., would inherit the lion's share of the Plantagenet dominions including England and Normandy. To that end, when Henry was 15 years old, he was crowned King of England during his father's lifetime. This occurred during 1170, at the height of the Becket controversy, and without the Archbishop of Canterbury presiding. Junior was described as tall, well-built, broad-shouldered, with a long neck, freckled skin, bright blue eyes and reddish-gold hair, the basic Plantagenet blueprint. Henry II appointed William Marshal to serve as Junior's tutor in arms and military matters. Under Marshal's guidance, Henry became a tournament champion. In that day and age, the most common tournament form was the melee and Junior was one of many highborn knights who excelled with Marshal as team leader.Because Henry II was very much alive and in control, Junior wasn't allowed to exercise any authority on his own and, for many years, that seemed to suit him just fine. The assessment of contemporaries was that he gave no evidence of any political or military skill or even basic intelligence, probably because he was under his powerful father's thumb during his life. He could be gracious, benign and courteous, when he wanted to be. He could also be shallow, vain, careless and high-tempered, again the basic Plantagenet recipe. What he would have amounted to after Henry II's death we'll never know. In 1170, he was betrothed to Margaret of France, whom we've already met in a previous post. They had one child together, William of Salisbury. The birth was difficult and Margaret never had another child. To appease critics who believed that Junior's earlier coronation was lacking due to the absence of an Archbishop of Canterbury, he and Margaret were crowned again after the wedding.
In 1173, matters came to a head between Henry, Eleanor, Junior and the other Plantagenet boys. Whether it was frustration with their father's heavy hand, dissatisfaction with their potential inheritance, instigation by Eleanor, or all the above, Henry's sons rose in rebellion against their father. Junior's effort gained traction in the form of Norman, Breton and Angevin lords willing to join him and he almost toppled his father from the throne. The loyalty of the English barons and the timely neutralization of Scotland by the capture of its king saved Henry II's throne. He and his sons were reconciled, for the time being. In 1179, Junior represented his father when his counterpart Phillip Augustus, was crowned junior king to his own father, Louis VII. Then, in 1182, Junior and William Marshal had a falling out. Rumors had it that Marshal had had an affair with Margaret. Junior sought an annulment of the marriage around this time, based on Margaret's inability to have children, but maybe there was more under the surface?
Things were never peaceful in the Plantagenet family for long. Although Junior later patched things up with Marshal, he was once more on the outs with Henry II and Richard, this time over their potential inheritance rights. As he gathered his forces and funds to march against his father and brother, Junior caught dysentery and began to sink fast. He sent to Henry II and begged his father to come. Sensing a trap, Henry II declined and sent a ring as a token of his forgiveness. Conscience-stricken, Henry, Jr., confessed and prostrated himself naked before a crucifix. He had given his cloak, with its Crusader's cross, to Marshal with instructions to take it with him to the Holy Land. Henry died in 1183 and was buried in Rouen Cathedral.
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