King Henry I :: essays papers

King henry I The expiry of King atomic number 1 I in 1135 put enthalpy II on the path to the throne of England. heat content II lavish younker unplowed him sheltered from society unaccompanied allowing him to hold in a catch friends. One of his life long friends soon became a burden because of differences in opinions about religion. Henrys intelligence and persistency from birth led him to be coronate King of England. The appointment of Thomas Becket to Archbishop by Henry II started the apparent motion of conflict mingled with the two over the separation of church and state. Henry II, the first of the Plantagents was the son of Geoffrey Plantagent and Matilda, daughter of Henry I. In 1152 Henry marital Eleanor of Aquitaine, the ex-wife of Louis VII of France. With this marriage, Henry gained considerable amounts of land in France. In 1153 Henry returned to England after his stay in France and forced Stephens to name him the heir of the throne. Henry immediately ap pointed his long-term friend Thomas Becket, English Chancellor, to be Archbishop of Canterbury. Becket accepted the job of Archbishop in 1162 but he did it with some reluctance. Beckets unmerciful heart soon became a thorn in Henrys side.(Hay 107) By 1163, Becket had already defied Henry in one of his decisions. He challenged his former friend in his vehement to dismantle the ecclesiastical courts. Becket became an ardent defender of the interests of the church. Beckets hard-nosed posture towards defending the Church of England showed just how important the church was to England. The affairs mingled with Henry and Becket became a highly colored by their personal relationships.(Henry II) Their life long friendship was the only thing that kept the two on the same side. Another strong disagreement came between the two on the status of criminous clerics. These were members of the clergy who had committed civil crimes. The crimes ranged from theft to enchant and even murder. This became a total embarrassment to the church. Henry sought to have the members tried in the royal court, as would others who committed such crimes. Becket insisted that they only be tried in the clerical courts. The disagreement became a change battle between the two. Becket stood firm on his belief that the matter should not be brought to a higher court.