Running through the region of Angoumois is the river
Anguienne, which comes from the Latin 'Anguinus', meaning snakelike/serpent. The same word
is used in English rendering the meaning as 'Anguish' or indeed the French 'Angoisse'.
Now the English King Henry II, (Chyren?) ruled Angoumois by marrying Eleanor of
Aquitaine in 1152. His empire extended from Scotland to the Pyrenees.
This empire was known as the Angevin empire and King Henry II's successors to this
throne were Richard I, (the lion heart), and John. Both these men were called Angevin
kings because Henry's father was the count of Anjou.
By the time we get to the treaty of Paris in 1259, the Angevin empire would only
include the duchy of Guyenne, (Aquitaine and Gascony). But even this, the English lost in
1337, which ended their claim to the French throne, thus beginning the Hundred Years' War,
which finally ended in 1558, with the loss of England's final stronghold, Calais.
Now who lost all of Henry's possessions?
Yes indeed that scoundrel King John.
Perhaps John was unaware of Hermes the Messenger, you know, the one they call the
Prince of Thieves!
In 1199 (or should that be 1999!), John was crowned King of England and was recognised
as successor to all Richard's French possessions, in return for financial and territorial
concessions to Philip II Augustus of France. Then in August 1200 he married Isabella, the
heiress to Angouleme, which provoked the Lusignans. By 1206, Anjou, Maine, and parts of
Poitou had gone to Philip.
Back in England, John was determined to reverse his continental failure, by imposing
ruthless financial administration and taxation on revenues, including investigation into
the royal forests, and heavy taxation of the Jews.
The Treasury plot thickens!