Henry of Anjou - soon to be Henry II of England - was the son of the Empress Matilda and her second husband, Geoffrey of Anjou. In 1152, he married Eleanor of Aquitaine, who had recently had her first marriage, to Louis VII of France, annulled. Within two years, he succeeded to the throne and she became Queen of England. In addition, as the heiress to the kingdom of Aquitaine by her own right, the combined lands of the two monarchs created the Angevin Empire, which stretched down the western seaboard of France.
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Citation: Editors, Litencyc. "Henry of Anjou marries Eleanor of Acquitaine". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 31 July 2012 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/stopics.php?rec=true&UID=1957, accessed 23 November 2024.]