6.the Norman Kings of England

The Norman Kings of England
The Norman Kings of England
William I (the Conqueror) Reign: 1066-1087
William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings
As we learned in the previous

chapter, William, Duke of
Normandy, invaded England
to seize the crown from Harold II,
the man William claimed had
promised to back him as the next
king of England after the death of
Edward the Confessor. William's
forces landed in Southern England
and defeated Harold's Saxon
English army at the Battle of
Hastings on October 14, 1066.
King Harold was killed on the
Battlefield, according to the
Bayeux Tapestry, he was shot in
the eye with an arrow.
William had defeated Harold, but

he now had to subdue a population
of 2 million English with an
invasion force of only 7,000 men.
He did this by terrorizing the
English, burning homes, killing
people, and destroying livestock and crops. William was crowned William I in
London on Christmas Day, 1066. The English feared their new ruler, and, taking no
chances, the Normans went to work building castles to protect themselves from the
English. The most famous of these castles is William's Tower of London, which
still stands today.
William brought three things over from France that were new to the English: Stone
building, the feudal system, and the French language. One example of the French
influence in the English language is the word, curfew which comes from the French
words courve feu, meaning cover fire.
It took almost ten years for William to put down many revolts in England,

especially in the north. William was determined to find out the wealth of his new
kingdom. He sent accountants into England to check the value of people's property
and items and wrote down the findings in a book called the Domesday Book.
William died in France while fighting one of his enemies. He was injured while
riding his horse in battle. On his death bed, William indicated that he wished that
his oldest son, Robert, become the new Duke of Normandy, while his son, William
should be the next king of England. This came to pass, when the youngest son,
Henry, was given money to buy land.
William Rufus is killed while hunting in New Forest
William II (Rufus) 1087-1100
William II was a man very similar to his father.

Rufus ruled England with an iron fist. He treated
the English as cruelly as his father had and kept
his vassals, called barons, under his watchful eye.
William Rufus loved material wealth

and extravagant homes. In order to have the
things he wanted, Rufus imposed heavy taxes on
the English people. When there still was not
enough money to fund his lifestyle, Rufus took
over churches and took church money. William
Rufus had few friends, and he never married.
One day in the year 1100, William Rufus was

hunting with a group of Normans on his private
hunting grounds called New Forest. Rufus' father,
William I, had taken this land from the English
people and created a personal hunting area. No English were permitted to hunt in
New Forest, and the punishments for doing so were severe.
Rufus set off with his friend, Walter Tyrell. However, when the hunting party
gathered, the king and Tyrell were nowhere to be seen. The king was later found
with a single arrow through his heart, and Tyrell was missing. Tyrell fled to France,
and always claimed that it was a hunting accident. It is possible, given how
unpopular William Rufus was a king, that Tyrell assassinated the king. This
remains a mystery we may never solve.

Henry I (Beauclerc) 1100-1135
Henry I is ready to defend his crown
Henry, the youngest son of William and

Matilda, became king of England almost
immediately after the death of his brother,
William. Robert, the oldest brother was just
returning home from the First Crusade, a
holy war called for by Pope Urban II, it was
an attempt by Western Christians to take the
Holy Land away from the Muslims, who had
captured these lands earlier and taken them
away for the Byzantine Empire.
Upon his return to Normandy, a war

broke out between Robert and Henry for the
throne. In the end, Henry was victorious, and
Robert was imprisoned by his younger
brother.
Henry set out to win over the people of

England. He realized that his father and brother had been harsh and unpopular
rulers. Henry wrote a document stating that he would do a better job protecting the
people and ruling by their will. Henry's first gesture was to marry the princess of
Scotland. This princess, Matilda, was a descendant of Alfred the Great. This
marriage pleased the English as now they would at least have an English queen,
and any children from this marriage would be Anglo-Norman. The royal couple
had a son, named William Adelin, and he was the heir to the English throne.
Henry was strict with his Norman barons but kind to the English People. His reign
was a success until one day, everything changed for Henry. On November 25,
1120, the White Ship was carrying prince William Adelin home from Normandy.
The people on board were having a party, and the boat struck a rock formation that
is not easily seen during high tide. White Ship sank, and prince William died. The
ship's butcher was the sole survivor. No one wanted to break this bad news to the
king, and it finally fell to one of the baron's young sons to deliver the news. Henry
fell to the ground when he heard what had happened. It was said that he never
smiled again.
Henry's wife died two years before the sinking of White Ship, he was getting older,
and his chances for having another son were fading. Henry called his barons
together on several occasions and had them swear an oath of allegiance to his
daughter, Matilda. Henry wished that she would rule England after his death.
Matilda's first marriage was to the Holy Roman Emperor in Germany. The Emperor
died, leaving Empress Matilda a widow. Her second marriage was to Geoffrey
Plantagenet, the Count of Anjou. Though Geoffrey was 15 years younger than
Matilda, Anjou was a powerful area in Northern France, it seemed like a good
political marriage for Matilda.
In 1133, Matilda and Geoffrey had a son, they named him Henry after his
grandfather. Now, it was King Henry's hope that his grandson would be the next
king of England. Tragedy struck Henry again when in 1135, he died of indigestion
after eating a plate of Lamprey eels, his favorite dish. Young Henry was only 2
years old and unable to take the throne. Many barons, who had earlier promised to
back Matilda, now chose her cousin, Stephen, dead King Henry's favorite nephew,
as king. Stephen claimed that as Henry lay on his deathbed, he changed his mind
and wished that Stephen should succeed him as king.
There were several reasons why some of the barons switched their loyalty to
Stephen. Geoffrey, Matilda's husband, was the Count of Anjou, an area in France
that had always been an enemy to Normandy. With Matilda on the throne, it was
feared that England would be run by Geoffrey and that he would replace Norman
barons with his friends from Anjou. Matilda was brought up in Germany, she spoke
three languages fluently but seemed out of touch with England. Stephen was
easygoing, while Matilda was as strong-willed as her father. Some Norman barons
felt they could get away with more with Stephen as King, virtually running their
own mini-kingdoms.
Stephen of Blois 1135-1154
Matilda controlled the west (blue) while Stephen controlled the

east (red). There was only one major battle during the Anarchy,
at Lincoln, which is located about 125 miles north of London.
Stephen's reign was troubled by a civil

war between the barons backing him against
those who backed Matilda's claim to the
throne. This war between the cousins is
known as the Anarchy. Anarchy means
a time of lawlessness when no one seems to
be in charge. Most of the battles during the
Anarchy were castle sieges, with either
Matilda or Stephen, cornered in a castle and
surrounded by enemy forces.
Both Matilda and Stephen were captured during the Anarchy. When Stephen
captured Matilda, he treated her with respect and hospitality. When Matilda
captured Stephen after the Battle of Lincoln on February 2, 1141, she threw him in
a cold, damp, dungeon. After the Battle of Lincoln, Matilda raced to London, where
she proclaimed herself "Lady of the English." Matilda's victory was short-lived
because the people of London chased her out of town. She released Stephen in
exchange for Robert, her half-brother, who had been captured by forces loyal to
Stephen.
The Anarchy continued until the year 1153, when

Eustace, Stephen's son and heir, died. Stephen signed
the Treaty of Wallingford, which stated that Stephen
would rule England until his death, and the crown
would pass to Matilda's son, Henry. Two years later,
Stephen died, and Henry became King Henry II of
England. Stephen may have been a kind and
considerate man, but he was a failure as a king.
During his reign, the English fought a bitter civil war,
the poor suffered greatly, and the barons did whatever
they pleased, hiding behind castle walls. There was
no law or order throughout the kingdom.
Matilda escapes Oxford Castle during the Anarchy

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The Norman Kings of England

The Norman Kings of England

William I (the Conqueror) Reign: 1066-1087

William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings

As we learned in the previous

William had defeated Harold, but

It took almost ten years for William to put down many revolts in England,

William Rufus is killed while hunting in New Forest

William II (Rufus) 1087-1100

William II was a man very similar to his father.

William Rufus loved material wealth

One day in the year 1100, William Rufus was

Henry I (Beauclerc) 1100-1135

Henry I is ready to defend his crown

Henry, the youngest son of William and

Upon his return to Normandy, a war

Henry set out to win over the people of

Stephen of Blois 1135-1154

Matilda controlled the west (blue) while Stephen controlled the

Stephen's reign was troubled by a civil

The Anarchy continued until the year 1153, when

Matilda escapes Oxford Castle during the Anarchy

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