Angevin Empire
Henry II's domains
The Angevin Empire was the collection of territories ruled by the English kings Henry II and his sons Richard I and John in the 12th and 13th centuries, stretching from Scotland to the Pyrenees.
The name comes from Anjou, the French region where the dynasty originated.
The empire fragmented when John lost most French territories to Philip II of France in 1204.
The Angevin Empire represented the height of English territorial power on the Continent.
Northern French coastal region
- AnjouFrench province or pear
- AquitaineSouthwestern French region
- GasconyHistorical French province
- MainePine Tree State
Brittany · England · Ireland · Toulouse · Le Mans · Rouen · Bordeaux · Nantes
First Plantagenet English monarch
- Richard the LionheartPlantagenet crusader king
- MatildaFemale name, strength-in-combat meaning
- royal houseSovereign family lineage
- successionFollowing in order
Eleanor of Aquitaine · inheritance · lineage · bloodline · coronation · throne · reign · dynastic marriage
French duke's English takeover
- Thomas BecketMurdered English archbishop
- Magna CartaCharter curbing royal authority
- Treaty of ParisMajor war-ending diplomatic pact
- 12th centuryYears 1101-1200
13th century · feudal monarchy · homage · vassalage · interdict · Canterbury
Land-for-service social structure
- manorialismMedieval estate labor system
- castlesFortified royal residences
- fiefdomsTerritories under feudal lords
- knighthoodHonorary title of nobility
chivalry · vassals · serfdom · crusades · cathedrals · heraldry · troubadours · courtly love
Organizational oversight and control
- exchequerGovernment financial reserves
- sheriffsElected county law officers
- common lawJurisprudence from judicial decisions
- royal courtsSeats of monarchical power
taxation · chancery · writs · assizes · seneschal · bailiffs · centralization
Normandy
Northern French coastal region
Maine · Brittany · England · Ireland · Toulouse · Le Mans · Rouen · Bordeaux · Nantes · Loire Valley
Henry II
First Plantagenet English monarch
- Richard the LionheartPlantagenet crusader king
- MatildaFemale name, strength-in-combat meaning
- royal houseSovereign family lineage
Eleanor of Aquitaine · succession · inheritance · lineage · bloodline · coronation · throne · reign · dynastic marriage
Norman Conquest
French duke's English takeover
- Thomas BecketMurdered English archbishop
- Magna CartaCharter curbing royal authority
- Treaty of ParisMajor war-ending diplomatic pact
12th century · 13th century · feudal monarchy · homage · vassalage · interdict · Canterbury
feudalism
Land-for-service social structure
- manorialismMedieval estate labor system
- castlesFortified royal residences
- fiefdomsTerritories under feudal lords
knighthood · chivalry · vassals · serfdom · crusades · cathedrals · heraldry · troubadours · courtly love · tournaments
administration
Organizational oversight and control
- exchequerGovernment financial reserves
- sheriffsElected county law officers
- common lawJurisprudence from judicial decisions
royal courts · taxation · chancery · writs · assizes · seneschal · bailiffs · centralization
- empiresemperor, empress, imperial, Imperial China, Imperial Russia
- Medieval Englandking, kings, castle, castles, knight
- 12th CenturyThird Crusade, Richard the Lionheart, Saladin, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry II
- PlantagenetsPlantagenets, Henry II, Richard I, Richard the Lionheart, King John
- AngevinsHenry II, Richard I, Richard the Lionheart, King John, Eleanor of Aquitaine
- medievalknights, castles, cathedral, kings, queens