With the accession of Henry II to the throne in England, where nineteen years had been ruled by hunger and anarchy, the long-awaited peace arrived. Under the sceptre of the young king, not only Britain was united, but also much of the French lands. The realm of the founder of the Plantagenet dynasty very quickly became the most powerful in Europe. But how solid is the high throne of this favorite of fate, if even among the king’s closest relatives a persistent thought keeps swirling: why one gets the whole loaf, while another only gets crumbs?!