King John and King Henry II

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        Henry II was the King of England from 1154-1189 and his son, John ruled England from 1199-1216. Henry had an eccentric relationship with John, filled with treachery and deceit. Henry had married Eleanor of Aquitaine and had five sons: William, Henry Jr., Richard, Geoffrey, and John. Henry’s family’s relations with his wife and sons were damaged and complex. Strangely enough, John was Henry’s most favorable son. When John was born in Christmas Eve in 1167, Henry jokingly nicknamed him Sans Terre, also referred to as Lackland, since there was no land that Henry could have given John. However, it was ironic that John “Lackland” would eventually inherit his father’s empire. Henry and Eleanor had drifted apart upon the birth of John, so John ended up residing mostly with his older brother Henry Jr. The rift between his parents created a rift in the relationship between him and his father.

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        John, a born cynic had a puckish sense of humor, with a carefree and deceitful personality. John obtained some of distinctive qualities of his father, such as Henry’s high energy and extreme anger. However, unlike Henry, John consisted of a very unstable, cruel, and selfish character. Henry had always loved John the most out of all his sons, but John’s distrust and his resulting paranoia brought about major dents in their relationship. Early in John’s childhood, Henry placed him in the Abbey of Fontevrault with hope of instilling his career in the church. John reacted rebelliously so Henry was forced ...

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