The First Plantagenets

The family of King Henry II stands out as the most dysfunctional among the many chaotic domestic relations of English royalty. While Henry II contributed much to the growth of royal power, his constant struggles with family occupied much of his attention. His obstinate wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine, continuously plotted and rebelled against him, even from the prison cell where he had confined her. Two of his sons and future kings — Richard the Lionhearted and John of Magna Carta fame — joined her in insurrection. Examine the tortured history of these familial dealings.