Norman Kings Flashcards
William II
House of Normandy
1087 - 1100
Third of four sons of William I (the eldest, Robert Curthose inherited Normandy, the second, Richard, died while hunting, the youngest, Henry, succeeded him).
Also known as Rufus for his ruddy complexion.
He courted popularity by giving much of his father’s treasure to the church. He was extravagant and filled the court with French fashion in clothes, entertainment and architecture.
His spending on the building of new castles required him to confiscate revenues from all heirs inheriting under age. More serious, he allowed new lords in Wales to raid deep into the region, destroying his father’s diplomatic work.
His uncle Odo rose against him in favour of his older brother Robert, but in 1095 Rufus took advantage of Pope Urban II’s First Crusade to Jerusalem by paying Robert to go.
In 1100 he was shot with an arrow (allegedly by Sir Walter Tyrrell) while hunting, and his younger brother Henry fled from the scene to the Treasury of Winchester to claim the throne.
Henry (Beauclerc) I
House of Normandy
1100 - 1135
Fourth and youngest son of William I, and successor to Rufus.
When his eldest brother Robert returned from the Holy land, he negotiated a deal whereby each would have their own lands. Robert soon reneged and had to be defeated at the battle of Tinchebrai.
Well educated, he was called the ‘Lion of Justice’ as he gave England good laws, even if the punishments were ferocious.
He had an advisor, Roger of Salisbury, a ‘justiciar’ who helped found institutions of statehood. Salisbury organised national accounts with a chequer-patterned cloth on which the ‘lords of the exchequer’ would assess taxes, rents and fines due to the king each Lady Day, at the end of March. This yielded the present tax year.
His two sons were drowned in the White Ship so his daughter Matilda was made his successor. She was married to Geoffrey Plantagenet.
When he died of food poisoning, the Council considered a woman unfit to rule and so offered the throne to Stephen, a grandson of William I.
Stephen
House of Blois
1135 - 1154
Nephew of Henry I by his sister Adela, accepted by the Church and citizens of London at the expense of Henry’s daughter, Matilda.
He was a very weak king who let the whole country almost get destroyed by the constant raids by the Scots and the Welsh.
During his reign, the Norman barons wielded great power, extorting money and looting town and country.
When Matilda declared war on Normandy together with her husband Geoffrey, a decade of civil war known as The Anarchy ensued,
made worse by the fact that he turned bishops against him by expropriating their properties.
A compromise was eventually decided under the Treaty of Westminster, whereby Matilda’s son Henry Plantagenet of Anjou would succeed to the throne when Stephen died.
When Henry landed in England in 1153 with 3000 soldiers, he stepped aside, dying within one year in any case.
William I (The Conqueror)
House of Normandy
1066 - 1087
Also known as William the Bastard, he was the illegitimate son of Robert the Devil, whom he succeeded as Duke of Normandy in 1035. Father of William II (Rufus) and Henry I, and grandfather of Stephen of Blois.
Claiming that his second cousin Edward the Confessor had promised him the throne of England, he invaded England and defeated Harold II at the battle if Hastings on 14th October 1066.
In 1085-6 he instigated the Domesday Survey to record all lands and properties in England so that he knew exactly how much tax he could raise to fund his armies.
He died after falling off his horse whilst besieging Nantes.
