A short biography of King Henry II of England. As king, Henry extended his holdings in northern England and western France, strengthened royal administration, and reformed the court system. His attempt to assert royal authority at the expense of the church (see Constitutions of Clarendon) led to a quarrel with the archbishop of Canterbury, his former close friend St. Thomas Becket, which ended with Becket's murder and Henry's subsequent penance at Canterbury (1174).

• Henry I, King of England - A Short Biography
• King Henry III of England - A Short Biography
• John Lackland or Bad King John
• King Stephen of England - A Short Biography
• King Edward IV of England, A Short Biography