Magnet #782 - Henry II "Curtmantle" (r. 1154-1189)I know. With as many Henrys in the family line, I could have picked a better monarch on which to blow this magnetpost title.
The only thing I know about Henry II is what I dimly remember from Peter O'Toole in A Lion in Winter, which seems to bear another watching. He was an acerbic king...or, that was just Peter.
Anyway, he was definitely a monarch with a really big kingdom - far-reaching enough to afford him the titles of King of the English, Duke of the Normans and Aquitanians and Count of the Angevins.
Henry gets a mention today, because today back in 1969, Katharine Hepburn and Barbra Streisand tied for Best Actress Oscar - a feat that I didn't even know ever happened. Kate won for playing Eleanor of Aquitaine to Peter's Henry II, while Babs won for Funny Girl. Even better, that night, Kate became the first actress to be awarded three Oscars, with her final tally at four by 1981.
I thought a bit of royalty would work for today, because tonight, we'll be queuing up for the Doctor Who panel down in the village. I'd like to thank the Paley Center for that. Think I was bitter before? Wait. Give me 12 hours.
We'll likely not make it in, because people are planning on getting in line right about now (for a 7pm event). But, I suppose, in the end, it'll be fun to taste the madness.
Oh! And, yes, I looked up "Curtmantle" - it's supposedly a name derived from the fact that he wore a shorter robe than the other men about town. Really? Would love to see what he says about what we wear now. /random
