Henry the Young King
| Henry the Young King | |
|---|---|
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| Titular King of England | |
| Reign | 1170–1183 |
| Coronation | 14 June 1170 27 August 1172 |
| King | Henry II |
| Born | 28 February 1155 |
| Died | 11 June 1183 (aged 28) Castle of Martel, Lot |
| Consort | Margaret of France |
| House | Plantagenet / Angevin |
| Father | Henry II of England |
| Mother | Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine |
Henry, known as the Young King (28 February 1155 – 11 June 1183), was the second of five legitimate sons of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine but the first to survive infancy. Beginning in 1170, he was titular King of England, Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou and Maine. Henry the Young King was the only King of England since the Norman conquest to be crowned in the lifetime of his father, but never exercised any power.
Little is known of the young prince Henry before the events associated with his marriage and coronation. His mother's children by her first marriage to Louis VII of France were Marie of France, Countess of Champagne and Alix of France. He had one older brother, William IX, Count of Poitiers (d. 1156), and his younger siblings included Matilda; Richard; Geoffrey; Eleanor; Joan; and John.
In June 1170, the fifteen-year-old Henry was crowned king during his father's lifetime, something originally practised by the French Capetian dynasty and adopted by the English kings Stephen and Henry II. The physical appearance of Henry at his coronation in 1170 is given in a contemporary court poem written in Latin, where the fifteen-year-old prince is described as being very handsome, "tall but well proportioned, broad-shouldered with a long and elegant neck, pale and freckled skin, bright and wide blue eyes, and a thick mop of the reddish-gold hair".
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