7. The death of Rufus and the succession of Henry (to 1107)

Question 1

William Rufus’s relationship with Normandy

Answer 1

• After death of William I, Normandy was given to Robert, he initially secured Maine but his support from Norman nobles was short lived
• They started to believe that Robert was a weak leader and therefore tried to grab what land they could
• The unrest in Normandy along with the 1088 rebellion forced Rufus to invade in 1091
• Rufus and Robert agreed on a treaty at Rouen in 1091, the terms included Rufus supporting Robert in order to take back Maine
• Robert failed to take control for Maine leading to Rufus returning in 1094, after initial meetings Rufus was accused of failing to follow the treaty and as a result of these accusations, he summoned an army from England and began to plunder estates belonging to Robert, however troubles in England forced the King to return home
• 1095, Rufus agreed to fund Robert’s crusade in return for control of Normandy, Rufus remained in Normandy until 1097, returning to England to deal with unrest in Wales
• He set sail for Normandy again in 1097 with the aims of securing Maine and to take the French Vexin from King Phillip of France
• His father had been injured when raiding the Vexin so he could have been looking for revenge, or he could have been hopeful of becoming the King of France as Phillip only had one legitimate son, he also spotted a weakness as Phillip’s younger brother Hugh the Great had been in control but had gone on the First Crusade in 1096

Question 2

Rufus and Maine

Answer 2

• Robert of Belleme had been an ally of the king since the 1088 rebellion
• Robert had estates in Maine which were under attack from Helias and as a result of their alliance, Rufus agreed to help Robert of Belleme
• Many in Maine despised the Normans as they had seized properties and therefore there was a risk that they could support Helias and join in with a full rebellion
• Fighting occurred between February to April 1098 between Robert and Helias (who was imprisoned at Bayeux)
• At the same time Fulk of Anjou invaded Le Mans and Rufus launched an attack, Rufus laid siege to Le Mans and after negotiations between Geoffrey (Fulk’s son), Helias (who was imprisoned), and the King, it was agreed that all states belonging to William I should be returned to Rufus
• Rufus then fortified Le Mans which proved a major coup
• 1099 the King was informed that Helias had broken their agreement, Rufus quickly crossed the chanel with an army and made plans to attack Le Mans, Helias retreated and Rufus punished those involved in the revolt, including Bishop Hildebert
• “By 1099 Rufus had completely restored the territorial position which his father had left. That was no trivial achievement.” - Barlow

Question 3

The Vexin Wars

Answer 3

• Occurred between 1097-1099
• War of 1097-98 can be characterised by little fighting, Rufus gained support from leading barons within the region including Guy of La Roche-Guyon and gathered an army of around 10,000 total
• He ordered the building of castles but left the region in 1098 suddenly, to deal with the threat of Helias in Maine
• In September 1098, Rufus reassembled his army and an invasion was launched on the area of Pontoise where he gained a new ally in Walter Tirel
• Campaign them moved south with the aim of penetrating the ring of castles around the Seine, by 1099 with little success achieved, Rufus returned to England

Question 4

Rufus and the Duke of Aquitaine

Answer 4

• Whilst Rufus was in Maine he formed an alliance with Duke William of Aquitaine, there was a distant family link between the two
• 1098-99, the Duke combined forces with Rufus whilst the King was looking to secure Maine, both had a common enemy in Fulk of Anjou and both saw King Phillip of France as an enemy
• The Duke persuaded William II to help fund his involvement in the first Crusade, this was a similar deal to the one struck with Robert in 1095 however this one was never ratified
• As part of the agreement, in return for William II funding the Crusade, the King would receive control of Aquitaine
• By the time that Rufus died in 1100, no formal agreement had been made and the Duke seemingly made a similar agreement with the Count of Toulouse

Question 5

Robert’s return from the Crusade

Answer 5

• Robert’s involvement in the First Crusade ended after the Battle of Ascalon in 1099
• He started the 12 month journey home with included resting in Constantinople and gaining a wife, Sybil, who was well connected
• Robert’s return would have worried Rufus and his brother Henry, whose succession to the throne was no longer as secure
• By the time that Robert returned however, Rufus was dead

Question 6

Theories regarding the death of Rufus (+ overview)

Answer 6

Rufus was killed by an arrow supposedly fired by Walter Tirel, Tirel had fought with Rufus during the Vexin Wars, after the event Tirel fled immediately without offering an explanation, however it is possible that this was a natural reaction to killing the king, whether it was an accident or not
- Accident
- Witchcraft
- Orchestrated murder (by Henry or King Phillip of France)

Question 7

Accident

Answer 7

• Accidents whilst out hunting were not uncommon during the Middle Ages
• William I’s son Richard had died when riding into a tree while chasing a stag in a hunting accident, and Robert Curthose’s son Richard has suffered a similar fate
• “There is not a shred of good evidence” to suggest that the death was not an accident - Barlow

Question 8

Plot by Henry

Answer 8

• Speculators who suggest the possible involvement of Henry in a plot point to the quickness of his actions after the death
• Immediately Henry took possession of the royal treasure at Winchester, he was also elected as King by an emergency council of nobles
• He had been aware that Robert was returning from the crusade and with Robert absent, Henry was next in line to the throne, however this was not going to be the case once his eldest brother returned
• Once King, Henry was quick to reward the Clare and Gifford families, who were related to Walter Tirel
• However, Hollister has discredited the plot theory, he as suggested that the Clares and Giffords were shown no more favour than others by Henry and that acting quickly was natural for him

Question 9

Plot by King Phillip of France

Answer 9

• Historian Emma Mason has claimed that “There are grounds for suspicion that William Rufus died in consequence of a French inspired plot”
• She views Tirel as a “double agent” who worked with Henry and also his enemies in France

Question 10

Supernatural

Answer 10

• A chronicler recorded events that preceded the death of Rufus, where at Pentecost, in a village in Berkshire blood was seen to well up from the Earth, and the day after that William Rufus was shot, and was afterwards bought to Winchester and buried in the bishopric the thirteenth year after he succeeded to the kingdom
• Margaret Murray has claimed that it wasn’t uncommon for medieval kings to be murdered as a sacrifice to the devil when they had ruled in evil ways
• Essentially, this interpretation argues that supernatural forces were responsible for the death, punishing the King for his ruthless rule

Question 11

What issues did Henry initially face?

Answer 11

• Many nobles in England and Normandy believed that Robert should be the next king
• As the youngest son, Henry had been previously excluded from negotiations, therefore lacked experience in this area of kingship
• Poor relationship between the crown and the church

Question 12

How did Henry combat these issues?

Answer 12

• He widened his connections by giving his supporters gifts (eg. William Gifford who gained the bishopric of Winchester)
• He recalled the Archbishop Anselm, which led to Maurice (Bishop of London) crowning Henry as he had been convinced of his credentials as being a good King
• Captured Ranulf Flambard and imprisoned him the tower of London, he later escaped (1101) and joined forces with Robert Curthose with the aim of launching an invasion of England
• Henry married Edith who was the daughter of King Malcom of Scotland and niece of Edgar the Atheling, giving him a strong link to the Anglo-Saxon monarchy
• Henry distanced himself from the rule of his brother by issuing a ‘charter of liberties’, promising to abandon the unjust practices
• Robert presented the biggest challenge to Henry’s early reign, landing in Portsmouth in July 1101, he had secured the backing of the earls of Surrey and Buckingham and the Montgomery family, which included Robert of Belleme
• Henry increased his forces by calling the dyed out and also securing the support of the Count of Flanders
• The two sides faced each other in Hampshire, however no battle took place, as Oderic Vitalis stated “the feelings of brotherly love” overtook them and a deal was struck (Treaty of Alton) which stated that Henry was not to attempt to invade Normandy if Robert abandoned his claim to the throne, Henry would pay Robert 2000 pound per year, if one died, the other would inherit all of the other’s land, and each other’s supporters were to be pardoned

Question 13

Henry’s attempt to gain control of Normandy

Answer 13

• Henry instructed that Robert of Belleme was to have his land confiscated and be deported
• His arrival in Normandy was an issue for Robert Curthose who was forced to move against him as a result of the Treaty of Alton
• Robert Curthose was forced to make peace in 1104, which consequently meant that he had broken the terms of the treaty agreed with his brother
• Henry bribed nobles in Normandy with money or marriage, this gained support from the Counts of Flanders, Anjou and Maine
• 1105, Henry took an army to Normandy which gained control of the western part of the duchy
• After regrouping, Henry returned with a larger army in 1106, this included sieging the castle of Tincebrai which resulted in a victory for Henry, this came as a result of superior numbers, a well timed cavalry charge and the retreat of Robert of Belleme
• Robert Curthose and William Mortain surrendered and were imprisoned for life, Robert of Belleme fled and Edgar the Atheling (who was fighting on the side of Robert) was defeated
• Flambard was reinstated after becoming an ally of Henry’s, but he remained in Normandy
• Soon after 1106, the leaders of France, Anjou and Flanders all died and were replaced by stronger leaders who would ensure that Henry was in constant conflict until his death in 1135

Question 14

Henry and the Church

Answer 14

• Initially had a positive relationship
• Anselm supported Henry’s claim and when he became King, Anselm was welcomed back into England
• Anselm supported Henry’s decision to exile Flambard and he threatened Robert with excommunication if he invaded
• Henry supported Anselm’s reforms to the Church, which condemned drunkenness and simony
• Anselm was exiled again in 1103 following a ruling by Pope Pascal
• Following a meeting at Laige in 1106, a compromise was reached between Henry and Anselm and the archbishop was able to return to England