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Why did Henry II have his eldest son crowned by the archbishop of York in 1170?

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King Henry II and St. Thomas Becket — Henry II Henry II (left) disputing with Thomas Becket (center), miniature from a 14th-century manuscript; in the British Library (Cotton MS. Claudius D.ii).

Henry II had his eldest son, Henry the Young King, crowned as co-king in 1170 to secure his succession and establish him as a ruler in association with his father.1

The coronation was performed by the archbishop of York rather than the archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Becket, who was then in exile due to a long-standing and bitter dispute with the king. By utilizing the archbishop of York, Henry II bypassed the traditional prerogative of the archbishop of Canterbury to crown English monarchs. This act was a direct violation of papal prohibition and the established rights of the see of Canterbury, further inflaming tensions between Henry II and Becket, which ultimately contributed to the archbishop's murder later that year.123