Stephen’s adoption of Henry Plantagenet, son of Matilda and Count Geoffrey of Anjou, in 1153 brought an end to the civil war in England. Henry II became king in 1154 on Stephen’s death, and his power and titles grew to make him one of the strongest and most influential rulers of the Middle Ages. His reign, and the reigns of his sons Richard and John, also featured continued military service from important churchmen. This chapter focuses on two men who primarily fought for Henry II himself – Thomas Becket and Henry’s own illegitimate son, Geoffrey Plantagenet. Becket’s military role as chancellor in Henry’s campaigns in France, and its portrayal by contemporaries, is instructive of how warrior-clerics in the second half of the twelfth century could be presented, especially when their actions were on behalf of a legitimate ruler. Geoffrey, archdeacon and bishop-elect of Lincoln (1173–82), archbishop of York (1191–1212), was a hybrid between directors of military affairs, such as Lanfranc and Anselm, and career generals, such as Geoffrey de Montbray, bishop of Coutances. Geoffrey owed his elevation and social position to Henry II’s favor, and his loyalty to the king was never in question. His dedication to the elder king was so marked (especially compared to Henry’s legitimate sons) that the king was known to remark, in jest and frustration, that Geoffrey was, in fact, his only ‘true’ son. Despite resigning his election to Lincoln, so that he would be freer to serve as royal chancellor, he was still elected and consecrated as archbishop of York upon the death of his father and elevation of his brother Richard. Both Geoffrey and Becket parlayed their royal service into exalted ecclesiastical positions and, despite their very different and controversial actions as archbishop, both enjoyed relatively positive images with their contemporaries in regards to their previous royal service.

I do not propose here to recount Becket’s career, conflict with Henry II, murder, or subsequent canonization. However, I do want to discuss his military actions as chancellor, and the treatment of these actions by his biographers, primarily William FitzStephen and Herbert de Boseham.