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 his shrine at Canterbury became before long the duty of every pious Englishman.

But the worst result was that all the King’s attempts to bring the Churchmen under the law utterly failed; and the claims of the Church to be independent of the State actually increased for a century to come. All Henry's enemies also took the opportunity to jump on him at once. A fearful outbreak of the barons (who had been quiet for twenty years), both in England and Normandy, came to a head in 1174, and was supported by both the French and Scottish kings, by Henry's own eldest son (a vain young fool), and by Queen Eleanor herself. Henry’s throne rocked and tottered; but, of course, all good Englishmen stood stiffly for their King, and, when he had knelt in penitence at Becket’s tomb, and allowed the Canterbury monks to give him a sound flogging there, he triumphed over his enemies. He took the King of Scots prisoner, and compelled the rest of the barons to sue for mercy. This mercy he freely gave them. No one was hanged for the rebellion, and most people concerned got off with a fine.

His last years were again disturbed by revolts, but not in England. Philip II was the first of the really great French Kings, bent on uniting all Frenchmen; and he easily enticed, not only Henry's barons, but his three younger sons, Richard, Geoffrey and John, into rebellion. Henry died of a broken heart at their ingratitude in 1189.

One event of his reign must not be forgotten, his visit to Ireland in 1171–2. St. Patrick, you may have heard, had banished the snakes from that island, but had not succeeded in banishing the murderers and