The House of Plantagenet was the second family to rule England after William the Conqueror won control of the country in 1066. They ruled from 1154 to 1377. Unlike their Norman predecessors, the Plantagenets brought a sense of imperial splendor to the British throne. Although some of them were more interested in their French holdings than England, others such as Edward I and Edward III were great British kings. The dynasty came to an end when the actions of the self-destructive Richard II forced an overthrow of his regime Henry II, 1154 – 1189 Henry II was the son of Geoffrey Plantagenet and Empress Matilda. Matilda was the only surviving child of King Henry I (a son of William the Conqueror). By birthright, she should have been the queen and the sole ruler of England. The nobles would not accept a woman as their leader, however, and made Stephen their king instead. Stephen was the son of one of William the Conqueror’s daughters. Matilda fought to gain her birthright but never succeeded. Henry’s greatest achievement was that he had control of England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. On the continent he controlled Brittany, Normandy, Anjou, Maine and Aquitaine. At the time that he came to the British throne, he controlled more of France than the French king. Henry’s vast land holdings were both a blessing and curse. One great disappointment of his life was that his wife and sons plotted against him to gain control of his lands for themselves. They fought a couple of civil wars over the issue. A second disappointment centered around his one-time friendship with Thomas Becket. Early in their relationship, Thomas Becket was Henry’s most trusted advisor and friend. Henry depended upon him for advice and the admiration appeared to be mutual. Ultimately, they became bitter enemies. In Henry’s time, the church was almost an independent state. Any man who had received some education from the church was called “a priest.” Under this definition, one in six Englishmen had the title, even if they had nothing to do with a church. Priests who committed crimes fell under the jurisdiction of the church, not the civil government. They were tried in the Bishop’s courts. Sometimes the penalties for major offenses, like rape or murder, were no more than defrocking or penitence. The church could also raise small armies and sometimes defied the policies of the state because its oath was to God, not to civil authorities. The oath to God clause gave wealthy bishops and the heads of abbeys considerable power. Henry wanted to reign in the power of the church, and in 1161 he saw his chance. When the Archbishop of Canterbury died, Henry appointed Thomas Becket to replace him. Henry thought that Becket would support his policies, but once Becket was installed, he continued the same practices that previous church leaders had followed. Henry, who was known for his temper tantrums, was furious. At one point he forced Becket into exile in France, which lasted for five years. When Becket returned, he stated that he supported the king, but that his first allegiance was to God. This was his way of saying that he would not change his policies. Henry expressed his displeasure by saying, “What miserable drones and traitors have I nurtured and promoted in my household who let their lord be treated with such shameful contempt by a lowborn clerk!” Some historians have translated this into the more direct statement, “Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?” A couple his knights took Henry at his word. They lopped off the top of Becket’s skull with sword and trampled on his brains. (They didn’t call this period “medieval times” for nothing.) Henry fled to Ireland where he remained in exile for a couple years. At the end of that time he returned to England and did penance for what he had done. He walked barefoot to Canterbury where the monks scourged him at the tomb of Becket who was later made a saint. His reasons were not totally pure, however. At the time he was in the midst of yet another civil war with his wife and sons over his lands and was looking for additional political support. Henry II pennies are sometimes difficult at attribute. Note that a prior owner of this piece decided to take care of that problem by stamping "HII" into the piece! Henry’s Coinage During this early period of British coinage, there was only one denomination, the silver penny. If a half penny was needed, the only way make one was to cut a penny in half. The coins of William the Conqueror had been well made, but during the reigns of his sons, William II and Henry I, and his grandson, Stephen, the quality of the coins deteriorated greatly. Coins were usually struck off-center on poor quality planchets, and the appearance of most pennies minted during this period is dreadful. The early pennies of Henry II were also low quality, but beginning with the appearance of the short cross (a cross that did not reach to the rim of piece) coinage from 1180 to 1189, there was a distinct improvement. Attractive examples of Henry II coins are fairly common although the attribution of them is tricky. Henry’s name continued to appear on British pennies well after his death. It takes a good deal of expertise to determine if a Henry II penny was issued during his reign or during the time of his sons, Richard I and John. Richard I, Also Known as “Richard the Lion Heart,” 1189 - 1199 The reign of Richard the Lion Heart has become the stuff of legends. He received his famous nickname because of his prowess on the battlefield. He gained his reputation as a great British king because of his literary association with the famous outlaw and freedom fighter, Robin Hood. In the Robin Hood legends, Richard was a great and virtuous king who was captured and held for ransom. During his absence, the evil Prince John treated the people badly and Robin Hood, with his merry band of men, fought for the people’s rights. After Richard was released from captivity, he returned to England, took his rightful place on the throne, and the people lived happily ever after. The truth is far less romantic. If there ever was a person like Robin Hood, he was active 25 years after Richard died and was more of a bandit than a freedom fighter. Furthermore, Richard was far more French than he was English. He was much more interested in fighting in the Third Crusade and in managing his lands in France than he was in England, which he viewed as a dull, backwater country. Nevertheless it was England that would rescue him from captivity. Following the Third Crusade to liberate the Holy land from the Muslims, Richard began the perilous journey toward France. While passing though lands held by Leopold of Austria he was recognized and captured. Leopold held a grudge against Richard. During the Crusade, Richard had cast down the banner of Austria calling it unworthy to hoist beside his standard. The King of France also not one of Richard’s fans. Richard had broken his word to marry the king’s sister and had wed someone else. Leopold did not forget that slight. He turned Richard over to the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VI, who held Richard for ransom for the outrageous sum of 150,000 marks. Since a mark is equal to 160 pence, the sum of the ransom in British money was 25 million pence or £100,000. Because of Richard’s reputation as a Crusader, the Pope tried to obtain Richard’s release by excommunicating Leopold and the Emperor, but they held firm to their demands. The ransom was far more than the annual revenue collected by the British crown at the time. Yet the English raised the money, with the help of the church. Prince John did what he could to keep Richard in captivity so that he could hold on to power. After more than a year’s effort, the British raised the money, and Richard was released in 1194 to much rejoicing. Richard forgave John for his malfeasance perhaps in the spirit of the moment. Despite the British efforts to obtain his release, Richard continued to direct his primary attentions to his French holdings. Overall he spent only 10 months of his reign in England, the shortest of any British monarch. Richard died in 1199 after he was shot in the shoulder by an arrow. The wound resulted in gangrene which took his life. Richard I did not put his name to any British coins. The only pieces that bear his name is the the French Denier, which is shown above. This British penny was issued under the name of Henry II but has been attributed to Richard I. Henry II's coinage had gained a much respected reputation in Europe for their purity and quality. That, combined with the fact the Richard seemed to have little interest in his British holdings, probably explains why he did not have his name placed on his coins. Richard I’s Coinage All of Richard’s British coinage was issued in the name of Henry II. The only pieces that bear his name are the French Aquitaine deniers, which are penny sized silver coins. They are fairly common, but it has been my experience that many of the pieces offered have been cleaned and have dull, pasty white surfaces. Richard I British coins issued in the name of Henry II are somewhat scarce because many were melted once John became king. Nice, high grade examples with attractive color are hard to find. John, 1199 – 1216 King John received little respect during his life and reacted poorly to it. As the youngest son of Henry II, he received no lands from his father. He is known to this day as “John Lackland,” which had to be source of embarrassment. Even his brother Richard, who never fathered a child, tried to name a nephew ahead of John in the order of royal succession. The only responsibility that John received was as the Lord of Ireland. He was not a king, but a royal representative although the Irish did issue coins with his medieval style face and name on them. After Richard’s death, John quickly consolidated his hold on England, but the King of France pushed him out of his holdings on the Continent. In an effort to win back his holdings, John raised taxes in England to hire mercenary knights. At one point he held half of the coinage in England. John collected his taxes inequitably, and he had a bad habit of not keeping his word to those who supported him. If a noble started to look too powerful and prosperous, John might swoop in and take everything he had. One noble, William de Briouze, had been one of John’s early supporters, became wealthy and powerful. Noting that, John ultimately took all his property and forced him to flee to France in exile. In the meantime, John imprisoned de Briouze’s wife and son in one of his dungeons and starved them to death. Finally the nobles rebelled and forced John to sign the Magna Carta or great charter. The Magna Carta had 63 clauses. Some of the more important rights included access to swift justice, Parliamentary approval for taxes, and limitations and protections from illegal imprisonment. Although the Magna Carta applied only to nobles at the time, it would ultimately form the basis for the rights of all Englishman and would be one of the inspirations for the American Bill of Rights. The Magna Carta signing was a turning point in history, but it did not mark an abrupt change in royal behavior. In the years following its signing, John extracted his revenge on the nobles who had forced him to sign it, and it took several decades for the charter’s provisions to become law. Yet the Magna Carta became the basis for political issues and change, and for that reason its signing marks an important event in world history. John continued to try to regain his lost continental lands without success. A one point the French invaded England, and joined forces with a group of rebel barons. John was in the process of opposing them when his life unraveled. He lost a considerable portion of the royal treasury when his men misjudged the tide and had it sink in quick sand at the Wash at Lincolnshire. Not long after that, John contacted dysentery and died. It marked the end of the reign of a weak and much despised king who unwillingly brought change to England. Here us a very nice example of John's "moon face" half penny. John's Irish coinage featured a surprising human face on the obverse. Dealers have told me that this coin is quite common, but I had a hard time finding a nice example. Many pieces that I saw were damaged or cleaned. John's English pennies were also issued in the name of his father, Henry II. Perhaps John's bad reputation prompted him not to make the change to his name. He was widely disliked. John’s Coinage All of John’s English coinage was issued under the name of Henry II. Those coins, which are all pennies, are somewhat common and can be located in attractive condition. The only coins that bear John’s name and portrait were half pennies and pennies that were produced in Ireland. The half pennies were produced when John was the Lord of Ireland in the mid 1190s. They have a moon-like face on them, and collectors have noticed the resemblance. His Irish pennies were produced after John became king. They feature a bust of John in the middle of a triangle with his name. The portrait on John’s Irish pennies actually looks like a human face, not the cartoon-like character that appeared on the British coinage for a few centuries. Those coins were minted in vast quantities because John used them to pay his mercenary knights during his attempts to re-capture his lands on the European continent. Dealers describe these coins as “common,” but it took me a white to find an attractive example. Many of the pieces that I have seen have been damaged or cleaned. Why didn’t Richard I and John have English coins issued in their name? Perhaps Richard was out of the country for so much of the time that he never felt the need to execute that authority. In John’s case, perhaps he felt that using a more popular king’s name on the coinage provided a more stable image for the monetary system. Their decisions not to issue English coins with their names prompted me to acquire a French denier for Richard and an Irish half penny and penny of John for my collection. Henry III, 1216 – 1272 Henry III is viewed as a weak king. He had the reputation that he tended to agree with the advisor who last had his ear. He was also more concerned about the affairs of France than England. Henry’s disinterest in governmental matters probably had something to do with his preference for religion, literature and the arts above civil matters. Henry was a great admirer of Edward the Confessor, another weak king, who ruled England from 1042 to 1066. He tried to model his reign after him which prompted Henry to embark on his greatest and longest lasting project, the rebuilding of Westminster Abbey. Edward the Confessor had ordered the construction of the first Westminster Abbey, and Henry’s project replaced it with a much more impressive structure. Construction began in 1245 and was completed in the late 1370s. The structure is now known as a “Church of England Royal Peculiar,” which is a church directly responsible to the sovereign. It no longer has an abbey, nor is it called a cathedral. It has been the site for the coronation of all British kings and queens since William the Conqueror and the burial place for many of them. Ultimately the nobles rebelled against Henry’s rule, and he was essentially deposed at the end of his life in favor of his son, Edward I. He named one son “Edward” and another “Edmund” after his favorite English monarch. Henry III's long cross pennies were issued to discourage clipping. The practice involved snipping off pieces of a coin and passing it as a full weight piece. Half pennies were rarely issued during the early days of the British monarchy. When such coins were needed, the only way to make them was to cut a penny in half. England’s first gold coin since the Norman Conquest was this Henry III gold penny. It was valued at 20 pence and was issued to facilitate the payment of Henry’s debts that resulted from his foreign wars, specifically Sicily. Following the lead of some Italian states, Henry had his gold minted into pennies. Records show that Henry paid 37,280 gold pennies in 1257 and another 15,200 in 1258. Today only six to eight of these coins are known. These coins were not popular with London merchants. Average citizens could not use them because they were worth too much. There were fears that their general usage would depress the value of gold, and it was thought that their melt value exceeded their face value. At the time the ratio between silver and gold was only 10 : 1. Henry III’s Coinage Henry III’s pennies are divided into two broad categories. The short cross pennies were minted from 1216 until 1247. The reverse design is noted by a short cross that ends on the inner circle of the design. This motif provided opportunities for dishonest people to clip small amounts of silver from the edges of the coin. It resulted in a debasement of the coinage which threatened its integrity. The long cross coinage commenced in 1247. The reverse of these pieces featured a cross with arms that extended to the edge of the coin which made clipping more obvious. Researchers note that dies that were executed for half pennies and farthings. The Spink price guide mentions that a few of these pieces have been found, but it does not elaborate on those discoveries nor list them in their catalog. Most small change below a penny was made by cutting the pennies into haves or quarters. One interesting coin that is noted at the end of the Henry III section of the Spink catalog is a gold penny that had a value of 20 pence. It was the first British gold coin minted after the Norman Conquest. This piece is extremely rare with no more than six to eight genuine examples known. Henry had them minted to facilitate the payment of a debt he owed to Sicily. Henry paid 37,280 gold pennies in 1257 and another 15,200 in 1258. British merchants didn’t like the gold pennies because they worth more than average citizens could use in their daily lives. There was also concern they contained too much gold and were worth more than their face value. This led to massive melts, which resulted in their great rarity today. Fabrications have been made in later years to satisfy collector whims. I have seen one of example of these copies offered at the Baltimore coin show.
Well written, thank you for the posting, @johnmilton . Nice to get a great, succinct overview of this History. Nice. Very NICE coins, to boot!
Some great scholarship! I enjoy reading posts such as this. I always learn some new things -- and get some comfortable reinforcements from topics with which I'm familiar. Thanks for sharing.
That was a great post @johnmilton I enjoyed it. The Plantagenets are my favorite area to collect, with most of my focus on Henry III, Edward I, and Edward III. Richard also put his name on the deniers of Poitou and Issoduion, the later of which are very rare. I'll add a few of my favorite coins from these 4 kindgs. Henry II Richard John Henry III
Terrific writeup, @johnmilton, with examples to match! Both your Irish pennies of John are especially impressive.
