King Henry II

Source A is an extract from the Great Chronicle by Roger of Hoveden, a royal clerk who wrote this extract in the early years of the thirteenth century. As he was a man of the church this may cause the source to be portrayed in more of the subjective sense, as he was a royal clerk and may favour the word of the king, creating bias. As seen in the excerpt, there is no direct criticism against the king’s name. In addition to that this was also written after a significant number of years after both King Henry II and his son Young Henry had passed. This means that Roger was not a participant and his own knowledge would not be as good as someone who had experienced it at that time. On the other hand it could also be seen as objective as there was no need for him to lie and not disrespect the king. This can be seen when he mentions Henry’s intentions as well as those of Young Henry. Rodger as a royal clerk, would also have access to royal documents and letters from the time, he could also talk to people in court who had been there during the incident. The tone of the source also shows that this has less bigotry than the other. As by reading through I am able to infer that there are aspects of neutrality. Due to the fact that there is no use of emotive language and he gives many causes for the Great Rebellion and doesn’t just blame Young Henry. This is shown when he refers to Louis VII, King of France, as well as the Barons of England.

Source A also discusses the argument put forward of who cause the Great Rebellion. This can be shown when he states Henry’s intentions but places more of the blame on Young Henry. As many believe that due to him going against his father in rebellion, he was the lead spark in ignited what was to be the greatest fight in the family of Henry II. This is however contradicted by the not only blaming Young Henry but the king himself also. It refers to Louis VII and the Barons of England, again rectifying the fact that it was not just the Angevin family that caused the overall turnout of the rebellion. In regards to Louis VII, it is widely acknowledged that he was the main exploiter of Young Henry and his position, this is because he was his father in law who he went to seek help from and also the first person Eleanor turned to when her relationship with King Henry turned negative . As a result of these reasons Louis was able to control the many means and ways revenge on his foe, the King of England, who had been jeopardising his reign for many years. On the other hand when