England in the Middle Ages: The Angevins 1154-1216

Henry II was now almost irrelevant to King Philip and he moved into Anjou, taking the major city of Tours, 100 miles (160 kilometers) south of Alençon, which was almost undefended. Henry had headed for his favorite castle of Chinon southwest of Tours, but on the fall of the latter city he doubled back towards Angers. He was stopping over in the castle at Saumur when Philip V, Count of Flanders, and Hugh III, Duke of Burgundy, came to him to pressure him to make peace. Hugh, a Richard-type in his interests, had had his run-ins with Kings Louis and Philip, but had taken the cross and was anxious to head for the Holy Land. We must remember that, from the Church’s point of a view, a strong reason for encouraging crusades were that they would stop exactly the sort of conflict going on between Henry and Philip. It was as if Henry and Philip were scrapping in the schoolyard when everyone else wanted to duck out of school and go fishing instead. By now Henry had a fever, blood poisoning from an injury to his foot, and was in a poor way. He had sent instructions to England to raise another Welsh mercenary force, but how and when it would arrive and how he could get to it were undetermined. He headed to Ballan, near Tours, and stayed at the Knights Templar’s establishment here, perhaps putting himself under their protection, as he was a bona fide crusader now. Henry was so very ill that he requested Richard visit him but Richard, believing this was an excuse by his father, refused. Henry met Philip and Richard on horseback although barely able to keep his seat, on a hot stormy July day at Colombières. Henry was cornered at last. Out of strength and resources he had to submit to a humiliating peace in which he was to do homage to Philip, hand over Alice for marriage, have his barons do homage to Richard, and surrender castles as sureties. Bitter but helpless, he conceded and retired to Chinon. Back in the castle Henry was so ill that his recovery was not certain. He praised his illegitimate son, Geoffrey of Lincoln, who was standing by him, more faithful than any of his princes. He sent two of his rings to his son-in-law the King of Castile, Alfonso VIII, who had married Henry’s daughter Eleanor. The only demand that Henry had made at the meeting that day at Columbières was to obtain a full list of those supporting Richard and Philip, so that if he recovered, he knew on whom to bring down vengeance. The list was now read to him and it included his favorite son Prince John. This was the bitterest cut of all, especially as he had told his officers in Normandy to surrender his castles to John should he come. On Thursday July 6 1189 the exhausted king, possibly suffering from a perforated stomach ulcer, had himself laid before the altar in the castle chapel and was given extreme unction, the anointing of a very sick and dying person. Deserted by almost everyone, alone and despairing, his last words were, according to Gerald of Wales, Rex verecundia victus (Shame, shame on the conquered king).