King Stephen died on the 25th of October, 1154. Henry of Anjou ⓘ having arrived in Britain from Normandy in early December was crowned Henry II in Westminster Abbey, on the 19th of December 1154.1

Henry was the son of the Empress Matilda (daughter of Henry I), and Geofrey of Anjou. The civil war between his mother and King Stephen had been resolved in November 1153 when in the Treaty of Winchester Stephen agreed to make Henry his heir.2

• 1. Timeline of King Henry II
• 2. Bradbury, Jim Stephen And Matilda: The Civil War Of 1139-53 Stroud The History Press 2005. p189.