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

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Henry II

This brings to mind the medieval episode of England’s King Henry II idly importuning some knights to rid him of Archbishop Thomas Becket, only to be surprised when they actually did it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 12, 2026

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

Nine medieval coins were discovered, with two dating to the reigns of Henry II and III, near Wymondham, Norfolk.

From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2023

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