England and the Angevin Empire in the Reign of Henry Ii, 1154-89 | Edexcel A-Level History (9HI0)

England and the Angevin Empire in the Reign of Henry Ii, 1154-89

160 questions
16 subtopics
Paper 2: the depth study, one option of sixteen
Paper 2

A Paper 2 depth study of Henry II's reign, covering the restoration of royal authority after the Anarchy, the government of a collection of lands stretching from Northumbria to the Pyrenees, the legal and financial reforms that created the common law, the quarrel with Becket, and the family rebellions that destroyed him..

It covers england and the Angevin Empire in 1154, henry II and the nobility, wales, Scotland and Ireland, the Angevin lands in France, central institutions, financial reforms, legal reforms, the changing nature of kingship, henry’s problems with the church, becket and the king, 1162–64, the failure to compromise, 1169–70, the settlements between king and church, 1172–74, power and family rivalries, causes of the Great Rebellion of 1173–74, the defeat of the Great Rebellion and philip Augustus and the collapse of Henry's power, 1180-89.

Sample questions from England and the Angevin Empire in the Reign of Henry Ii, 1154-89

Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

England and the Angevin Empire in 1154

Which royal dynasty did Henry II found in England?

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The Plantagenet (Angevin) dynasty.
Wales, Scotland and Ireland

What was Henry II's policy in Wales?

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After costly failures in 1157 and 1165 he abandoned conquest for diplomacy, recognising Welsh princes such as Rhys ap Gruffydd as clients in return for homage.
Central institutions

Who was Ranulf de Glanville?

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Justiciar from 1180 and the reputed author of the legal treatise bearing his name, which recorded the writs and procedures of the new common law.
Legal reforms

What were the travelling royal judges who took the king's justice into the shires called?

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Itinerant justices (justices in eyre).
Henry’s problems with the church

What was benefit of clergy?

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The right of anyone in holy orders to be tried in a church court, where punishments were far lighter, which Henry regarded as licensing criminous clerks.
The failure to compromise, 1169–70

Why did negotiations between Henry and Becket fail?

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Neither would concede on the substance. Becket demanded restoration and the kiss of peace and rejected the customs; Henry would not abandon them.
Power and family rivalries

Why did the plan create conflict?

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Henry gave his sons titles but no revenues or real authority, so they had the status of rulers and the dependence of children.
The defeat of the Great Rebellion

How did Henry defeat the rebellion in England?

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His justiciar Richard de Lucy held the royal castles, mercenaries were hired with scutage money, and the rebel earls were defeated at Fornham in 1173.

The 16 subtopics

One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.

Subtopic	What it covers	Questions
England and the Angevin Empire in 1154	Recall questions on baronial power after the Anarchy, the collapse of royal revenue, the extent of the Angevin lands, Eleanor's duchy, and homage to the French king.	10
Henry II and the nobility	Recall questions on the destruction of adulterine castles, the Cartae Baronum, the Inquest of Sheriffs, scutage, and how royal justice undercut baronial courts.	10
Wales, Scotland and Ireland	Recall questions on the turn from conquest to clientage in Wales, the Lord Rhys, the Treaty of Falaise, the Irish expedition, and the Treaty of Windsor.	10
The Angevin lands in France	Recall questions on the recovery of Normandy, the acquisition of Brittany, the Vexin, dealings with Louis VII, and why the Treaty of Montmirail was a mistake.	10
Central institutions	Recall questions on the Curia Regis, the justiciars Richard de Lucy and Ranulf de Glanville, the Chancellor, and why Henry relied on men of modest birth.	10
Financial reforms	Recall questions on the revival of the Danegeld, the recovery of crown lands, the recoinages, the growth of revenue, and the Saladin Tithe.	10
Legal reforms	Recall questions on the Assizes of Clarendon and Northampton, the general eyre, the writ system, novel disseisin, and the growth of trial by jury.	10
The changing nature of kingship	Recall questions on the growth of royal wealth, what subjects expected of a king, the effect of written record, and Henry's lasting achievement in the common law.	10
Henry’s problems with the church	Recall questions on papal influence and appeals to Rome, church courts, benefit of clergy and the criminous clerks, and the ancestral customs Henry claimed.	10
Becket and the king, 1162–64	Recall questions on why Becket was made archbishop, how he changed, the Constitutions of Clarendon, the Council of Northampton, and Alexander III's position.	10
The failure to compromise, 1169–70	Recall questions on why negotiation broke down, the pope's diplomacy, the coronation of the Young King, the settlement of Freteval, and the murder itself.	10
The settlements between king and church, 1172–74	Recall questions on the Compromise of Avranches, what Henry conceded and kept, the penance at Canterbury, and the long-term outcome of the dispute.	10
Power and family rivalries	Recall questions on the intended division of the inheritance, why John was called Lackland, Eleanor's imprisonment, and how the French king exploited the quarrels.	10
Causes of the Great Rebellion of 1173–74	Recall questions on baronial grievances, the grant of castles to John, who joined the rising, and why it drew no wider English support.	10
The defeat of the Great Rebellion	Recall questions on the defence of the royal castles, Fornham, the capture of William the Lion at Alnwick, Henry's leniency, and what he gained.	10
Philip Augustus and the collapse of Henry's power, 1180-89	Recall questions on how the deaths of Geoffrey and of the Young King reopened the succession, Richard's fear of disinheritance, Philip's methods, and Henry's defeat at Ballan.	10

England and the Angevin Empire in the Reign of Henry Ii, 1154-89 is 160 of the 6,832 questions in the guide.Get the guide, £9

How the guide is worked

Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.

Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.

Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.