Henry II

American  

noun

1. Henry the Saint, 973–1024, king of Germany 1002–24 and emperor of the Holy Roman Empire 1014–24.

2. Curtmantle, 1133–89, king of England 1154–89: first king of the Plantagenet line (grandson of Henry I of England).

3. 1519–59, king of France 1547–59 (son of Francis I).

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Henry II British  

noun

1. known as Henry the Saint. 973–1024, king of Germany and Holy Roman Emperor (1014–24): canonized in 1145

2. 1133–89, first Plantagenet king of England (1154–89): extended his Anglo-French domains and instituted judicial and financial reforms. His attempts to control the church were opposed by Becket

3. 1519–59, king of France (1547–59); husband of Catherine de' Medici. He recovered Calais from the English (1558) and suppressed the Huguenots

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Example Sentences

The judge subtly likened the dynamic behind Pirro’s probe with a famous plea attributed to King Henry II of England regarding the Archbishop of Canterbury.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

He got his first break on film when the actor Peter O'Toole suggested he audition for the 1968 movie The Lion in Winter, in which O'Toole was playing Henry II.

From BBC • Nov. 3, 2025

After the 1152 marriage of Eleanor of Aquitaine to Henry Plantagenet, the Duke of Normandy and future King Henry II, Bordeaux wine began to flow north to England.

From Salon • Jul. 15, 2024

The silver-gilt spoon is the oldest piece in the regalia, probably made for Henry II or Richard I in the 12th century.

From Reuters • May 5, 2023

Italian fashion dominated the reign of King Henry II of France, thanks to his wife, Catherine de Medici, whose role in the arts of sixteenth-century France is hard to exaggerate.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall