Richard the Lionheart vs His Brothers: The Plantagenet Family War

Before Richard the Lionheart fought Saladin and became a legend of the Third Crusade, he survived a brutal struggle for power inside his own family. By 1183, Richard was twenty-five years old and firmly established as Duke of Aquitaine. Years of rebellion, siege warfare and conflict with powerful nobles had transformed the once-defeated teenage prince into an experienced military commander. But Richard's growing power was creating a dangerous problem. His elder brother, Henry the Young King, had already been crowned during the lifetime of their father, King Henry II of England. Yet despite possessing the title of king, Henry the Young King controlled little real power of his own. Richard, meanwhile, controlled Aquitaine. Resentment grew. Their younger brother Geoffrey of Brittany became involved in the growing struggle, while rebellious nobles in Aquitaine saw an opportunity to challenge Richard's authority. The Plantagenet family was heading toward war once again. In Richard the Lionheart Episode 4, Chronicles of Empire explores the extraordinary Plantagenet family conflict of 1183 — a struggle involving Richard, Henry the Young King, Geoffrey of Brittany, Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Richard now faced a terrifying possibility: The enemies threatening Aquitaine were no longer simply rebellious barons. They were his own brothers. As rival factions gathered, Henry II was once again forced to intervene in a conflict between his sons. But the rebellion would end not with a decisive battlefield victory, but with a tragedy that completely transformed the Plantagenet succession. On 11 June 1183, Henry the Young King died at the age of twenty-eight. The prince who had possessed a crown but never truly ruled his kingdom was gone. And Richard's position changed overnight. He was now Henry II's eldest surviving son. But becoming the leading heir did not mean Richard's path to the English throne was secure. Henry II still had plans for the future of his empire. Richard still controlled Aquitaine. Geoffrey remained ambitious. And Richard's much younger brother John was becoming increasingly important to their father. The death of one Plantagenet prince had ended one family war. It was about to begin another struggle for power.