The recorded Norman governments connect Geoffrey of Anjou with Henry II, Richard I and John of England. This is a selection of the Atlas’s records, rather than a complete list of all Norman dukes. The annual intervals distinguish the Angevin duchy from the French conquest of 1204.
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Henry II of EnglandKing of England · Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine · Count of AnjouA Plantagenet king who built extensive Anglo-French domains and strengthened royal justice in England. His conflict with Thomas Becket and the rivalry among his sons shaped the final years of his reign.
Count of Anjou and Maine from 1129; the previous year he had married Matilda, daughter of Henry I of England. While she contested the English crown against Stephen of Blois, he conquered Normandy in 1144. His broom emblem, planta genista, gave its name to his son Henry II’s Plantagenet dynasty.
The daughter of Henry I of England married Emperor Henry V and, after being widowed, Geoffrey of Anjou. Named heir by her father, she fought Stephen of Blois during the English civil war known as the Anarchy without being crowned, and secured her son Henry II’s succession in 1154.
Richard I of England“the Lionheart”King of England · Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine · Count of AnjouThe third son of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine, he was Duke of Aquitaine from 1172 and King of England from 1189 to 1199. He led the Third Crusade alongside Philip Augustus, defeated Saladin at Arsuf in 1191 and negotiated access to Jerusalem for pilgrims. Captured on his return by Leopold V of Austria, he was handed over to Emperor Henry VI and held until an enormous ransom was paid in 1194. He spent his final years defending Normandy against France and died at the siege of Châlus.
John, King of England · ESHistorical profileKing of England whose reign saw the loss of much of the Plantagenets’ continental dominions and the crisis that led to Magna Carta in 1215.
Includes nominal titles, regencies and disputes when recorded. Annual intervals do not establish continuous or exclusive control.
| Person | Territory and title | Period | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Geoffrey V of Anjou · ES | Duke · Normandy | 1144–1150 | Effective ruleHe conquered Normandy on his wife’s behalf during the English civil war and transferred it to his son Henry in 1150. |
| Henry II of England | Duke · Normandy | 1150–1189 | Effective ruleHis father transferred the duchy to him in 1150; Louis VII invested him in 1151. |
| Richard I of England | Duke · Normandy | 1189–1199 | Effective rule |
| John, King of England · ES | Duke · Normandy | 1199–1203 | Effective ruleAngevin dominion before the French conquest of 1204; the boundary represents complete years. |
