Little Arthur's history of EnglandCallcott, Maria, Lady
History
Little Arthur's history of England
Callcott, Maria, Lady
Great Britain -- History -- Juvenile literature
I am sorry to say the other three sons of Henry and Eleanor did not
behave much better. Richard was as violent in temper as his mother,
but he had some good qualities, which made his father hope he might
become a good king when he himself was dead. But Queen Eleanor, with
the help of the King of France, contrived to make Richard and his
brother Geoffrey fight against their father. As for John, though he
was too young to do much harm himself while King Henry lived, yet
he became as wicked as the rest when he grew up. Geoffrey married
Constance, Princess of Brittany, but he died soon after. He had only
one son, named Arthur about whom I will tell you more in a short time.
Now Henry’s great fault, in marrying a bad woman because she was
rich, brought the greatest punishment with it, for she taught her
children to be wicked, and to rebel against their father. And there
is nothing in the world so unhappy as a family where the children
behave ill to their parents.
I beg now, my dear little Arthur, that you will take notice, that
all the good belonging to Henry’s reign concerns the country. While
he was doing his duty, being kind to his subjects, repairing the
mischief done in the civil wars, and taking care that justice was
done, and that learning and learned men were encouraged, he was happy.
His bad actions always hurt himself. If he had not given way to his
passion, Thomas à Becket would not have been killed by his servants,
and he would not have suffered so much sorrow and vexation.
And if he had not married a woman whom he knew to be wicked, his
children might have been comforts to him instead of making war upon
him; and they might have been better kings for England after his
death.
Henry the Second has often been called Henry Plantagenet. His father
was the first person in his family to whom that name was given, and I
will tell you why.
When people went to battle long ago, to keep their heads from being
wounded, they covered them with iron caps, called helmets; and there
were bars like cages over their faces, so that their best friends did
not always know them with their helmets on. Therefore, they used to
stick something into their caps, by which they might be known; and
Henry’s father used to wear in his helmet a branch of broom, called
planta genista, or shortly Plantagenet; and so he got his name from
it.
CHAPTER XX.
RICHARD I.—1189 to 1199.
How Richard the First went to fight in foreign countries, and
the evil things that happened in his absence; how the Jews were
ill-treated; how King Richard was taken prisoner; how he was
discovered and set at liberty, and how he was killed in battle.
You remember that Henry the Second’s eldest son, Henry, died before
his father; his second son, Richard, therefore, became king of
England. He was called Richard of the Lion’s Heart, because he was
very brave.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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