William II to Henry II: What happened after William I’s death?

I think that it is important to note what happened after William I’s death as this area of British history is often passed-over – plus having never studied past William I’s reign I wanted to ‘fill in the gaps’ of my own knowledge here.  Therefore, his post will aim to give an overview of the chronology of the events between William I’s death and the coronation of Henry II.

An extremely useful source I have started reading along Starkey is Charles Phillips’ Kings and Queens of Britain.  This is really useful as it provides an account of the British monarchy from Roman Rule up until the present day, highlighting the key events in the reign of each leader.  

William II “Rufus” (r. 1087-1100)

Following William I’s death on 9^th September 1087, his lands were divided between his three sons.  Robert Curthose, the eldest, was given the Duchy of Normandy and William “Rufus” became the King of England.  Yet Henry, the youngest, was not given any land but was instead left £5000. This decision left his sons at odds with each other, creating tensions which lasted well in to William II’s reign.

William II was known as Rufus because of his red hair.  He was crowned on 26^th September in Westminster Abbey and throughout his reign faced numerous attempted rebellions.  Like his father, William II was ruthless and a natural leader, yet in complete contrast he was also openly irreligious.  This angered many members of the French elite who, Starkey argues, envied the much more relaxed style of Robert in France. The first rebellion came from this group of disillusioned Frenchmen.  It was led by Bishop Odo of Bayeux, William’s uncle and the Earl of Kent, who intended to replace William with Robert as the King of England.  Yet, Odo was defeated at Rochester Castle and after being stripped of all his titles and possessions was exiled to Normandy.

Illustrative of his ruthlessness, William II successfully invaded Normandy, taking the east of the Duchy of Normandy from his brother.  He also strengthened English power and influence in Scotland and Wales. 

His reign was also characterised by numerous disputes with the Church.  He attempted to remove Anselm who had succeeded Lanfranc as the Archbishop of Canterbury and had openly criticised the indulgent  activities of William’s court.  This dispute placed great strain on relations between Rome and England which was only partially quelled by Anselm’s exile in 1097.

William II died in a hunting accident in the New Forest in Hampshire (one of the game reserves created and enlarged under Forest Laws) in August 1100.  It has been suggested that rather than an accident William II was the victim of an assassination.  William’s elder brother Robert was abroad fighting on the First Crusade and so Henry, the youngest of the three, travelled to London so as to secure his own position as William’s successor in his brother’s absence, casting doubt on his innocence in the incident.

Henry I (r. 1100-1035)

Henry proved to be a very different ruler to his brother “Rufus”: he was highly educated, thoroughly “English”, religious and most notably, condemned the leadership styles of both his father and brother.  He took no time to validate his position as the next King of England, being crowned at Westminster Abbey just four days after his brother’s death.

Henry married Edith, the daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland and granddaughter of Edmund II “Ironside”.  Through this, Henry helped to assimilate his Norman heritage with English culture, naming his son William the Atheling to combine the two sides.  Henry’s son died, however, and following his death in 1135 he was succeeded by King Stephen, his nephew.

Stephen (r. 1135-1154)

Stephen’s right to the throne was challenged by Matilda, Henry I’s daughter, who contended that she was the rightful heir.  The English barons supported Stephen – a decision which resulted in a civil war which lasted over a decade.  The Treaty of Wallingford was signed on the 6^th November 1153 which agreed that upon Stephen’s death Matilda’s son, Henry, would succeed him.  This was realised the following year leading to the ascension of the Plantagenet line.