King Henry II and the restoration of royal
authority- the use of castles
King
All Royal Castles to be surrendered
1154- 49 castles under royal control, 225 in the hands of barons
1214- 179 baronial castles to 93 royal castles
Stephens reign/ the
landscape before Henry
came to power
Barons took over royal castles of built their own.
This took money and power from the crown
E.g William of Aumale, earl of York, refused to
give up Scarborough Castle . Both the castle
and earldom were now forfeit
£21,000 spent on castle works
(recorded int he pipe rolls of his
reign) £6,500 spent on Dover
castle alone
Renovation of castles from wood to stone
Purser
used rivalries between barons and
his undisputed title as King to
re-take royal castles
Faced opposition from the Earls of York, Hereford and Wigmore.
December 1154-, marched against William of York, both himself and Roger of Hereford surrendered
Laid siege to to Hugh of Wigmore's
castles, took the castles and Hugh
submitted in front of others in July
Self- imposed exile of Henry of Blois, Bishop of
Winchester and brother to Henry's predecessor.
He virtually ruled Hampshire and in his absence
his castles were demolished
Huscroft
1157 confiscates castles of Stephen's sons, count
William of Boulogne, and of Hugh Bigod
1155 issues the surrender of all royal lands
William of Aumale refuses to give up Scarborough castle
On the Welsh border, Roger of
Hereford and Hugh Mortimor offer
initial resistance
1157 Earls of Suffolk and Norfolk
surrender their castles
1176 took all castles into
royal custody for a time
Spent £46,00 between 1155 and 1215, an average of £760 annually
1154 1
in 5
castles
royal,
1214- 1
in 2
1165 allows Hugh Bigod to take back two castles, but builds a large
castle nearby worth £1400 in Orford to remind Hugh who had 'the
ultimate power in the Kingdom
Carpenter
Before 1154 royal castles given away
Destroys the unlicensed castles created by Stephen
Geoffrey de Mandeville, earl of Essex, castle seized in 1157 but made to be one
of Henry's judges at a later period
Took the royal castle of
Bridgnorth from Hugh de
Mortimor
Denied Walter, brother of Robert of Hereford, succession to the earldom and royal
castles of Glouchester and Hereford
1157 William, Stephens son, forced to surrender castle of Norwhich and Pevensey, eye and Lancaster -
a breach of the Treaty of Winchester
King Malcolm surrenders all possessions in the North of England- breaking the the
promises made to King David in 1147
Retained thirty castles he obtained in 1155, helping to convert 225 baronial and 49 royal
castles to 179 baronial and 93 royal. A ration of 5:! to 2:!
£21,000 spent on castle building, average of £650 a
year
“The consequences of Thomas Becket's death were a victory for King Henry II.” Assess the validity of this view with reference to the years 1170 to 1179. (45 marks)
“The consequences of Thomas Becket's death were a victory for King Henry II.” Assess the validity of this view with reference to the years 1170 to 1179. (45 marks)
“The consequences of Thomas Becket's death were a victory for King Henry II.” Assess the validity of this view with reference to the years 1170 to 1179. (45 marks)