Did Richard I rule over all of Henry II's dominions?

by historyy789

During Henry's reign, he split his dominions between his four sons: young Henry got England, Normandy, and Anjou; Geoffrey, Brittany; Richard, Aquitaine; and John, Ireland.

When Richard acceded, did he inherent all of the above? Or did the various dominions split upon Henry's death?

mikedash

Henry II's dominions - known to historians as the Angevin Empire, though the name is not strictly an accurate one – were passed on the Richard intact. Both Geoffrey and Henry the Young King were dead by this point, expiring during their rebellion against their father. John was still alive and he stayed on as Lord of Ireland, but this post remained subordinate to that of the King of England, and John did homage to Richard for it.

It's important to stress that Henry's plan was never to create four independent domains, but rather for all four of his sons to remain subordinate to him – a position he ensured, in part, by keeping them short of resources. One reason for the civil war launched by his sons was their unhappiness with the disparity between their titles and their real power. As is implied by the name by which history knows him, Henry the Young King was in fact crowned (twice) as King of England, but he was never granted real power to rule independently, as his title implied he should.

Source

WL Warren, Henry II