Maximilian Genealogy Master Database 2000

Notes

Henry 1BEAUCLERC King of England

1 UPDA
2 DATE 6 AUG 1100
2 PLAC Acceded:Westminster Abbey,London, Englan

HENRY I (1068-1135), a king of England, was the youngest son of William the Conqueror. He succeeded his brother William II in 1100. Henry married Matilda, daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland and his wife, Margaret, a member of the Saxon royal house of England. Thus, Henry gained the support of his Saxon subjects and strengthened his descendants' claim to the throne.

Henry promoted centralized rule and gave the royal courts greater authority. He seized Normandy from his eldest brother, Robert, in 1106 and later prevented Robert's son, William, from taking control of what had been his father's lands. After his own son's tragic death by shipwreck, Henry arranged for his daughter, Matilda, to succeed him. But when Henry died, his nephew Stephen became king.

5 Aug 1100 > 1 Dec 1135 = reign of Henry I of England. He was the youngest son
of William the Conqueror. Nicknamed "Beauclerc" because he could read and write.
He was a strong king and quickly took control of England when his brother
William Rufus was Killed in the New Forest. When the eldest son, Robert came
back from the Crusade he didn't manage to beat Henry and became Henry's
prisoner until he died. Henry ruled England well. He married the daughter of the
King of Scotland. They had two children: William and Matilda.
Prince William was drowned in 1120. Henry made the Barons accept
Matilda as his heir (to become Queen when he died). Matild's cousin Stephen was
chosen to be king, this led to civil war and Matilda never became queen

Update: from Queen's Official Web Site 8/10/97.

Henry I

After William's death while hunting in the New
Forest in 1100, his younger brother, Henry I
(reigned 1100-35), succeeded to the throne. By
1106 he had captured Normandy from his brother,
Robert, who then spent the last 28 years of his life
as his brother's prisoner. An energetic and decisive
ruler, Henry centralised the administration of
England and Normandy in the royal court, and
extended royal powers of patronage.

Reigned 1100-1135. Duke of Normandy 1106-1135.
His reign is notable for important legal and administrative reforms, and for
the final resolution of the investiture controversy. Abroad, he waged several
campaigns in order to consolidate and expand his continental possessions.
Was so hated by his brothers that they vowed to disinherit him. In 1106 he
captured Robert and held him til he died. He proved to be a hard but just
ruler. He aparently died from over eating Lampreys!

Additional Information:

Henry I was the youngest son of William the Conqueror. Henry was granted 5000 pounds of silver when William I died. He spent several years shifting loyalties from one brother to the other. This led to the brothers signing a mutual accession treaty to keep Henry from ever holding the crown. When Robert left on the crusade, Henry realized that William's death would result in his gaining the throne. William would later die on a hunting trip, but Henry's involvement is uncertain. Within 3 days of William's death he was crowned king. Robert headed back to Normandy to reclaim it from Henry, but by 1106 Henry had regained Normandy and Robert spent the rest of his life in prison.

Henry I married Eadgyth, who later changed her name to Matilda. Matilda had two sons and a daughter. One of the sons died early, and the other, William, died in the wreck of the White ship in 1120. Matilda died in 1118, and Henry remarried, but that marriage produced no children. Henry also had two illegitimate children: Robert de Mellent, Earl of Gloucester, and Sibylla, wife of King Alexander I of Scotland.

Henry gained his nickname, "Beauclerc," because of his education. Beauclerc means "great scholar."

During his reign, the church protested the king selling appointments to the clergy as a means of gaining money. Henry didn't do much about it until the pope threatened to excommunicate him in 1105. Following this, Henry agreed to stop selling the appointments, but still managed to maintain a deciding voice in the clerical appointments.

Henry I made the Norman barons swear allegiance to his niece, Matilda, as the future queen of England. This was doomed to fail, however, and Stephen of Blois would become the next king of England. Henry died in 1135.

Henry 1BEAUCLERC King of England

1 UPDA
2 DATE 6 AUG 1100
2 PLAC Acceded:Westminster Abbey,London, Englan

HENRY I (1068-1135), a king of England, was the youngest son of William the Conqueror. He succeeded his brother William II in 1100. Henry married Matilda, daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland and his wife, Margaret, a member of the Saxon royal house of England. Thus, Henry gained the support of his Saxon subjects and strengthened his descendants' claim to the throne.

Henry promoted centralized rule and gave the royal courts greater authority. He seized Normandy from his eldest brother, Robert, in 1106 and later prevented Robert's son, William, from taking control of what had been his father's lands. After his own son's tragic death by shipwreck, Henry arranged for his daughter, Matilda, to succeed him. But when Henry died, his nephew Stephen became king.

5 Aug 1100 > 1 Dec 1135 = reign of Henry I of England. He was the youngest son
of William the Conqueror. Nicknamed "Beauclerc" because he could read and write.
He was a strong king and quickly took control of England when his brother
William Rufus was Killed in the New Forest. When the eldest son, Robert came
back from the Crusade he didn't manage to beat Henry and became Henry's
prisoner until he died. Henry ruled England well. He married the daughter of the
King of Scotland. They had two children: William and Matilda.
Prince William was drowned in 1120. Henry made the Barons accept
Matilda as his heir (to become Queen when he died). Matild's cousin Stephen was
chosen to be king, this led to civil war and Matilda never became queen

Update: from Queen's Official Web Site 8/10/97.

Henry I

After William's death while hunting in the New
Forest in 1100, his younger brother, Henry I
(reigned 1100-35), succeeded to the throne. By
1106 he had captured Normandy from his brother,
Robert, who then spent the last 28 years of his life
as his brother's prisoner. An energetic and decisive
ruler, Henry centralised the administration of
England and Normandy in the royal court, and
extended royal powers of patronage.

Reigned 1100-1135. Duke of Normandy 1106-1135.
His reign is notable for important legal and administrative reforms, and for
the final resolution of the investiture controversy. Abroad, he waged several
campaigns in order to consolidate and expand his continental possessions.
Was so hated by his brothers that they vowed to disinherit him. In 1106 he
captured Robert and held him til he died. He proved to be a hard but just
ruler. He aparently died from over eating Lampreys!

Additional Information:

Henry I was the youngest son of William the Conqueror. Henry was granted 5000 pounds of silver when William I died. He spent several years shifting loyalties from one brother to the other. This led to the brothers signing a mutual accession treaty to keep Henry from ever holding the crown. When Robert left on the crusade, Henry realized that William's death would result in his gaining the throne. William would later die on a hunting trip, but Henry's involvement is uncertain. Within 3 days of William's death he was crowned king. Robert headed back to Normandy to reclaim it from Henry, but by 1106 Henry had regained Normandy and Robert spent the rest of his life in prison.

Henry I married Eadgyth, who later changed her name to Matilda. Matilda had two sons and a daughter. One of the sons died early, and the other, William, died in the wreck of the White ship in 1120. Matilda died in 1118, and Henry remarried, but that marriage produced no children. Henry also had two illegitimate children: Robert de Mellent, Earl of Gloucester, and Sibylla, wife of King Alexander I of Scotland.

Henry gained his nickname, "Beauclerc," because of his education. Beauclerc means "great scholar."

During his reign, the church protested the king selling appointments to the clergy as a means of gaining money. Henry didn't do much about it until the pope threatened to excommunicate him in 1105. Following this, Henry agreed to stop selling the appointments, but still managed to maintain a deciding voice in the clerical appointments.

Henry I made the Norman barons swear allegiance to his niece, Matilda, as the future queen of England. This was doomed to fail, however, and Stephen of Blois would become the next king of England. Henry died in 1135.

Henry 1BEAUCLERC King of England

1 UPDA
2 DATE 6 AUG 1100
2 PLAC Acceded:Westminster Abbey,London, Englan

HENRY I (1068-1135), a king of England, was the youngest son of William the Conqueror. He succeeded his brother William II in 1100. Henry married Matilda, daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland and his wife, Margaret, a member of the Saxon royal house of England. Thus, Henry gained the support of his Saxon subjects and strengthened his descendants' claim to the throne.

Henry promoted centralized rule and gave the royal courts greater authority. He seized Normandy from his eldest brother, Robert, in 1106 and later prevented Robert's son, William, from taking control of what had been his father's lands. After his own son's tragic death by shipwreck, Henry arranged for his daughter, Matilda, to succeed him. But when Henry died, his nephew Stephen became king.

5 Aug 1100 > 1 Dec 1135 = reign of Henry I of England. He was the youngest son
of William the Conqueror. Nicknamed "Beauclerc" because he could read and write.
He was a strong king and quickly took control of England when his brother
William Rufus was Killed in the New Forest. When the eldest son, Robert came
back from the Crusade he didn't manage to beat Henry and became Henry's
prisoner until he died. Henry ruled England well. He married the daughter of the
King of Scotland. They had two children: William and Matilda.
Prince William was drowned in 1120. Henry made the Barons accept
Matilda as his heir (to become Queen when he died). Matild's cousin Stephen was
chosen to be king, this led to civil war and Matilda never became queen

Update: from Queen's Official Web Site 8/10/97.

Henry I

After William's death while hunting in the New
Forest in 1100, his younger brother, Henry I
(reigned 1100-35), succeeded to the throne. By
1106 he had captured Normandy from his brother,
Robert, who then spent the last 28 years of his life
as his brother's prisoner. An energetic and decisive
ruler, Henry centralised the administration of
England and Normandy in the royal court, and
extended royal powers of patronage.

Reigned 1100-1135. Duke of Normandy 1106-1135.
His reign is notable for important legal and administrative reforms, and for
the final resolution of the investiture controversy. Abroad, he waged several
campaigns in order to consolidate and expand his continental possessions.
Was so hated by his brothers that they vowed to disinherit him. In 1106 he
captured Robert and held him til he died. He proved to be a hard but just
ruler. He aparently died from over eating Lampreys!

Additional Information:

Henry I was the youngest son of William the Conqueror. Henry was granted 5000 pounds of silver when William I died. He spent several years shifting loyalties from one brother to the other. This led to the brothers signing a mutual accession treaty to keep Henry from ever holding the crown. When Robert left on the crusade, Henry realized that William's death would result in his gaining the throne. William would later die on a hunting trip, but Henry's involvement is uncertain. Within 3 days of William's death he was crowned king. Robert headed back to Normandy to reclaim it from Henry, but by 1106 Henry had regained Normandy and Robert spent the rest of his life in prison.

Henry I married Eadgyth, who later changed her name to Matilda. Matilda had two sons and a daughter. One of the sons died early, and the other, William, died in the wreck of the White ship in 1120. Matilda died in 1118, and Henry remarried, but that marriage produced no children. Henry also had two illegitimate children: Robert de Mellent, Earl of Gloucester, and Sibylla, wife of King Alexander I of Scotland.

Henry gained his nickname, "Beauclerc," because of his education. Beauclerc means "great scholar."

During his reign, the church protested the king selling appointments to the clergy as a means of gaining money. Henry didn't do much about it until the pope threatened to excommunicate him in 1105. Following this, Henry agreed to stop selling the appointments, but still managed to maintain a deciding voice in the clerical appointments.

Henry I made the Norman barons swear allegiance to his niece, Matilda, as the future queen of England. This was doomed to fail, however, and Stephen of Blois would become the next king of England. Henry died in 1135.

Maud of MONTIVILLIERS

Traditionally identified with Isabel de Beaumont, but it is not actually
proved to be a familial link.
Weir shows her to be the daughter of an unknown mother.

William 1 the CONQUEROR Norman King

1 NAME The /Bastard/

WILLIAM I, THE CONQUEROR (1027?-1087), was the first Norman king of England. He took power in 1066, following his army's victory over the Anglo-Saxons of England. As king, William maintained tight control over the country's central government.

William was born at Falaise, in the Normandy region of northwestern France. He was the son of Robert I, Duke of Normandy, and inherited Normandy in 1035, at about the age of 8. During his youth, there were many disorders. In 1047, William put down a great rebellion at the battle of Val-es-dunes, near Caen, with the aid of his lord, King Henry I of France. From that time on, William ruled Normandy with an iron hand.

William claimed that King Edward the Confessor of England promised him succession to the English throne as Edward's nearest adult heir. However, Edward's brother-in-law Harold became king in 1066 through a deathbed grant by Edward and election by the nobles.

William promptly prepared to invade England. But before William could sail, the king of Norway invaded northern England. King Harold hurried north and defeated the Norwegian invaders at Stamford Bridge, near York. William landed before Harold could return to defend the southern coast. The Normans destroyed the Anglo-Saxon army and killed Harold at the Battle of Hastings on Oct. 14, 1066.

On Christmas Day, 1066, William was crowned king. William then put down local rebellions. He took lands from those who resisted him. He kept some of these lands for himself and gave the rest to his followers in return for military service. To emphasize the lawfulness of his crown, William confirmed the laws of Edward the Confessor and kept all the powers of the Anglo-Saxon monarchy. He levied Danegeld, the only national tax on landed property in all of Europe at that time. At Salisbury in 1086, he made all the landholders swear allegiance directly to him as king.

William was devout, firm in purpose, and unchanging in gaining his ends. His greatest monument is Domesday Book, a survey of the land and principal landholders of his realm.

KING 1066-1087 14 Oct 1066 = Battle of Hastings.

William of Normandy is renowned in English history as the Conqueror but to his
contemporaries he was known as William the Bastard. His father Robert was Duke
of Normandy, but his mother Herleve was the daughter of a Falaise tanner,
albeit a prosperous one. Although Herleve bore her ducal lover two children, of
whom William was born either 1027 or 1028, the social gap meant there was no
question of marriage. Herleve was later married off to one of Duke Robert's
vassals, by which gentleman she had two or more sons: Robert who became Count
of Mortain and a mighty Anglo-Norman baron, and Odo who became Bishop of
Bayeux, an equally mighty prince of the Church.

Bastardy was then common, and being illegitimate was not necessarily a bar to
inheriting a natural father's land or title, but when William was born it was
becoming more of a handicap. There was a strong reforming movement within the
Christian Church which aimed, among other things, to enforce its teachings more
strictly, including the sanctity of holy matrimony. When in 1034 Duke Robert
decided to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. the good lick necessary in any
successful life smiled for the first time on William, for the duke had no
legitimate children and therefore decided to recognise his bastard son as his
heir. More surprisingly, he managed to persuade the Norman nobility to swear
fealty to the boy. While returning from the Holy Land in 1035, Robert died
suddenly and the eight/ or nine year old William found himself Duke of Normandy.

For a while the Norman lords kept their word and recognised the boy as their
lawful Duke but with the death of his powerful protector, anarchy reigned. For
ten bloody years William's luck held and the warring factions managed to kill
each other rather than him, but it was not until 1054, when he was twenty/six
or seven years old, that he finally emerged as the undisputed Duke of Normandy.
In the process he had become a man of iron, but he was also a man of God who
feared for his immortal soul and he was not without vision and imagination. He
appreciated that force was not the sole answer to the problem of ruling men,
even if it was a major factor. In the Years from 1054 to 1066 William not only
consolidated his power in Normandy - and extended it into the bordering country
of Maine - he reorganised the structure of Norman society.

As early as 1049, long before he became one of the most powerful rulers in
mainland Europe, William had acquired sufficient reputation to negotiate a
marriage with Matilda, a daughter of Count Baldwin of Flanders. This alliance
was a political coup and despite papal disapproval he went ahead with the
marriage, a bold action for a devout Christian ruler. Physically he and Matilda
were an ill/assorted pair; she was a little over four feet tall, whereas he was
close to six feet, immensely strong and tough, with a harsh guttural voice.
Mentally they seem to have been well attuned and the marriage was remarkably
successful, particularly if it is remembered that political gain and interest,
not love or even compatibility, were the hallmarks of royal alliances.

As the Norman empire expanded William was able to leave his wife as regent, a
task she performed with great efficiency and loyalty. She bore him at least nine
children and he earned a reputation for total fidelity which was even more
remarkable that their marital harmony. Fortune again favoured him in his
marriage with a wife whom he could trust, not a quality of which he had had
much experience in the treacherous, turbulent years of his youth.

When thoughts of adding the kingdom of England to the dukedom of Normandy first
entered William's mind is a matter of conjecture. It is possible hid
determination to marry Matilda was prompted by such an idea, because she was a
direct descendant of Alfred the Great, whereas his relationship to the English
monarchy was much more tenuous. In fact there was no established right of
succession in England at the time, so it was a question of who could lay claim
to the throne. In the Norman version of events leading up to 1066 - as depicted
in the Bayeux tapestry and by the Anglo-Norman chroniclers - Duke William
visited King Edward in London in 1051. Edward - known to posterity as the
Confessor - had spent much of his childhood in exile at the Norman court and
was to an extent Norman/oriented. During the visit he is supposed to have
promised that he should he die without an heir Duke William would be his
rightful successor. Then there is a leap to 1064 and the arrival of Harold
Godwinson in Normandy, by which time it had become obvious that King Edward
would not produce an heir.

Harold was a member of the family which had established itself as the Earls of
Wessex and after some changes of fortune had become the most powerful in
England. He had as good (or bad) a claim to the English throne as William, with
the extra factor that he was a native of the country. Whether Harold actually
intended to go to Normandy in 1064 and what his mission was if he did, is now a
matter of dispute. The Norman version is that Harold arrived in Normandy,
albeit via the domain of Ponthieu, explicitly to reaffirm his allegiance to
Duke William as the next rightful King of England, nominated by King Edward.
And moreover that he swore allegiance on sacred relics , though where he
actually swore his oath varies even in the Norman accounts.

This episode is the crux of the Norman version. Once Edward the Confessor died
in January 1066 and Harold Godwinson had himself crowned king, William was
morally and legally entitled, even driven, to fight for the inheritance which
had been usurped. The version was accepted at the time by other European rulers
and, most importantly, by the Pope. William was able to land in England with
the papal seal of approval for a justified invasion, bearing a holy banner.
(His half-brother Odo, who as a Bishop was not supposed to carry arms, arrived
wielding a holy sceptre). The Norman account can be accepted as a truth or seen
as evidence that in the propaganda war - as it would now be called - Duke
William beat King Harold even more decisively than he did in battle.

The last Saxon king of England has since had many apologists. They deride the
idea that King

Edward would have willed away his crown as early as 1051, or even that the
Saxon Harold would have gone to Normandy specifically to swear allegiance to a
Norman duke; if he did swear, it was under duress and therefore an invalid
oath. There is general agreement that as Edward the Confessor lay dying he
nominated Harold as his successor and he was thus accepted by the Witanegemot
(the assembly of Saxon nobility). But the Normans explained that this
nomination was extracted from a dying, unworldly, perhaps slightly senile man
and was itself invalid, apart from the fact that Harold had forsworn himself.

Early in 1066 Harold had the crown of England with the consent of his peers,
but also with the

knowledge that Duke William of Normandy considered it his by right. Harold soon
called up the fyrd ( a Saxon militia of freemen) in the south of England and
they responded. The months went by; Harold was more or less forced to disband
the fyrd because while they were willing to fight, they were not disciplined to
wait. Then in the middle of September another expected invader actually
arrived, Harold Hardrada of Norway who was a claimant to the English throne.
Hardrada's claim was as good as anybody's: it lay through Edward the
Confessor's Anglo-Danish predecessors Kings Canute and Hardacanute and promises
allegedly made by them to Hardrad's father.

King Harold marched north and on 25 September inflicted a crushing defeat on
Harold of Norway at Stamford Bridge, near York. Again the necessary element of
luck was with William, because as his enemy Harold Godwinson went to kill the
other serious claimant Harold Hardrada for him, the weather changed for the
better. On 12 September William's forces landed at Pevensey in Sussex, with
neither the fyrd nor King Harold's own troops to oppose them. However, there
was nothing lucky about the way William overcame his Norman nobles' reluctance
to support an invasion of England (they thought he was over-reaching himself),
nor in the way he organised his invasion forces. That was a masterly piece of
planning and staff-work, assembling men, horses, ships, weapons, supplies and
then keeping them disciplined and intact while they waited and waited for
favourable weather conditions.

In the meantime, having fought a long, bitter and bloody battle at Stamford
Bridge, King Harold

marched back to London, had a brief respite, gathered more troops and marched
south to meet the Normans. It might have been wiser if Harold had rested longer
and reorganised his tired army particularly as William was being extremely
cautious and had done nothing more than establish a bridgehead slightly nearer
to Hastings. But Harold presumably believed that attack was the best form of
defence and on 14 October an event took place of which virtually everybody in
Britain knows the date, the battle of Hastings 1066.

It was, as the Duke of Wellington said later of another battle, a damn close
run thing; but as darkness fell King Harold lay dead, though probably not with
an arrow in his eye, and the Saxon forces scattered into the night.

Update: from Queen's Official Web Site 8/10/97.

The Normans

William I

The victory of William I, 'the Conqueror' (reigned
1066-1087) at Hastings and his subsequent
coronation in Westminster Abbey on Christmas
Day 1066 did not give him complete control of
England. Remaining resistance was, however,
severely crushed and castles were built to control
the country (including a fortress on the site of
Windsor Castle, and the White Tower at the
Tower of London). The lands of defeated Saxon
nobles were given to William's followers in return
for military service by a certain number of knights,
so that the tenants' foremost obligation was
allegiance to the king. This firmly established the
feudal system. In 1086, William commissioned the
Domesday Book, to record land holdings for the
assessment of taxes and other dues. William spent
long periods in Normandy to maintain his authority
there, dealing with rebellions and French invasions.
William died in 1087 leaving Normandy to his
eldest son, Robert, and England to his second son,
William II Rufus (reigned 1087-1100).

Additional Information:

William was born of Robert, Duke of Normandy, and Herleva of Falaise. William's father left on a pilgrimage to the holy land when William was only seven. Before leaving, Robert made the nobles swear allegiance to his son. Robert died on the trip. Although he was illegitimate, his claim to the duchy held and the government was given to the ministers until William turned 18. This was a chaotic time for Normandy, with various rebellions, and William saw several of his close friends assassinated. William was kept alive to adulthood thanks to the protection of the Bishop of Rouen and the devotion of his tutors. The tutor took up the practice of sleeping in the same room as the boy, to protect him, and many times William spent the night hiding in a peasant cottage.

The Danish conquest of England in 1013 resulted in the West Saxon royalty fleeing to Normandy. One of them, Edward the Confessor, later retook the throne of England in 1042. At the time, William was 14 years old. The kings of England at this time tended to be less powerful than their nobles, and Edward had no sons. Edward looked upon the Normans as the only people he could trust, and actually designated William to be his heir.

At the time of Edward's death, there were three powerful factions competing for the throne of England. One was the Danish & Norwegian faction, led by Harold Hardraada, who intended to reconquer it after losing it in 1042. Another was the son of the powerful Saxon Earl Godwin, named Harold Godwinson. The third was William. The Danes had the strongest legal claim to the throne, but would have to win it by conquest -- something the vikings were rather good at. The Saxons based their claim on tradition and nationality, and they were already there. William had his claim by right of bequest from Edward.

On January 5, 1066, Edward died. Harold Godwinson, after riding all night, was crowned on January 6, claiming that Edward had changed his will and designated him the real successor. He was even able to produce a document to prove it. Hardraada had intended to invade immediately, but was setback by rebellion and delayed his invasion until September. William also spent the summer building up an army and a fleet to invade England. Harold gathered his army in Southern England, but due to supply problems was forced to disband on September 8, only 10 days before the Vikings landed in the north.

By September 20, the Vikings had taken the city of York and conquered a portion of northern England. Harold quickly gathered together a new army and marched across England. On September 25, the Saxons and Vikings met in the Battle of Stamford Bridge. The battle lasted the entire day, and the outcome was unsure. However, it was sufficient to break the Viking war machine, and seemed to secure Harold's place on the English throne. William landed in Hastings two days later.

After the conquest, Viking's would never again rule in England.

William had been pinned into his harbor for weeks due to unfavorable winds. Amazingly, his significant leadership skills allowed him to hold his forces together and keep them ready for an invasion. Thus, when the wind changed, he was ready to go and landed in England on September the 27th. Expecting an attack from Harold, William's troops started throwing up fortifications and strongholds in the area. Harold immediately marched for London, where he raised another army. He arrived with his new troops on the night of the 13th of October, and gave battle on the 14th of October.

The battle lasted for the entire day, with neither side seeming to gain the upper hand. After a while, though, the superior discipline of the Normans began to show through, as the Saxon troops slowly melted away. Harold himself was killed by an arrow.

The conquest was not yet complete, but it was assured. William became the king of both England and Normandy. He set up laws and took a census which is recorded in his Domesday book. He held out against further Viking raids, and put down rebellions in both England and Normandy.

William originally intended to leave the combined throne of England and Normandy to his son Robert. After Robert rebelled against his father, however, William split the kingdom in two: Upon his death in 1087, Robert would become the duke of Normandy, and Robert's brother William would become the king of England.

William's Domesday book was among the first of its kind -- the first known case of an English king taking a census. It is a major source of information on medieval England.

Matilda of FLANDERS

1 NAME Mathilda av /Flandern/

She was only a little over four feet tall, William was close to six feet, they
were an ill-assorted pair. Despite this the marriage was remarkably sucessful.
she bore him at least 9 children and had earned the reputation of total
fidelity. She was a direct descendant from Alfred the Great.

William II

WILLIAM II (1057?-1100) became king of England in 1087. He was the son of William I, the Conqueror. William II was called Rufus, meaning red, because of his ruddy complexion. He was an effective and powerful ruler. But his personal morality and his infringements on church rights led the clergy to denounce him and have given him a bad reputation among historians.

In 1088, several powerful Norman barons revolted against William. He put down the revolt and thus strengthened his position as king. Later, he gained control of Normandy by financing the crusading ventures of his brother Robert, Duke of Normandy. He also invaded Scotland and brought it under his control in 1097.

William's reign was marked by a bitter quarrel with the Roman Catholic Church. After the archbishop of Canterbury died in 1089, William did not appoint a replacement so that he could collect the district's revenues for himself. When William fell seriously ill in 1093, he welcomed Anselm as archbishop in order to atone for his sins. But when he recovered his health, he forced Anselm into exile. An arrow shot by a fellow hunter killed William while he was hunting. The clergy refused to give him a church funeral.

26 Sep 1087 > 2 Aug 1100 = reign of William II 'Rufus' of England

He was the second son of William the Conqueror. Many Norman barons thought that
the eldest son, Robert, should be King and William Rufus had to put down some
rebellions. He upset the church and took money from the monasteries. The
Archbishop of Canterbury (Anselm) left England. In 1100 William was killed by
an arrow while he was hunting in the New Forest. No one knows exactly what
happened.

Update: from Queen's Official Web Site 8/10/97.

William II

William extended his father's policies, taking royal
power to the far north of England and helping to
make Westminster the administrative centre of the
kingdom.

Additional Information:

William II was the loyal son of William the Conqueror. He was a middle child, with an older brother Robert and a younger brother Henry. Robert betrayed his father, and so lost his claim on England to his brother (There was one other brother who had a better claim than William, but he died in an accident).

William and Robert got along poorly, and they spent much time sniping at one another. Several nobles who had been granted land in both Normandy and England by William I found themselves in the middle of the conflict. Due to William's abrasive personality, most of them sided with Robert and rebelled against William. Robert failed to offer support, however, so the rebellion was crushed by William. William then turned the tables on Robert by bribing the Norman barons for support. Eventually Robert sold Normandy to William for 10,000 marks and left on a crusade.

William gained his nickname, Rufus, from either his red hair or his red face. He was known for his terrible temper.
William was very unpopular with the contemporary church. He taxed the church heavily, much to the disgust of the clergy. His strategy briefly changed in 1093 when, thinking he was dying, he appointed a religious radical named Anselm as the Archbishop of Canterbury. This caused no end of problems for William as he then failed to die, and he was now stuck with a powerful and radical bishop. As an end result, England lost much of their autonomy from Rome.

There is some mystery surrounding William's death. He was killed in the New Forest during a hunt by a stray arrow hitting him in the eye. There is some suspicion of murder, since Henry his brother was also in the New Forest on that day. And within three days, he would be crowned king himself.

Cecily Abbess

1 UPDA
2 PLAC Cecilia of Holy Trinity

Malcolm III Caennmor of SCOTLAND King

1 NAME Canmore or Chief - Surnamed/Cean-Mohr/
1 UPDA
2 DATE 25 APR 1058
2 PLAC Acceded: Scone Abbey, Perthshire

House of Dunkeld. ?? ??? 1072 = Malcolm III submits to William the Conqueror
Some say died 1098. Slew Macbeth 1057. King of Strathclyde.

Margaret (St.) the Exile ATHELING Princess

Canonised 1250 and her feast day is 16th November. In 1057 she arrived at the
English court of Edward the Confessor. Ten years later she was in exile after
William defeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings. She fled to Scotland where
she was married against her wishes to King Malcolm to whom she bore six sons
and two daughters. Her unlerned and boorish husband grew daily more graceful
and Christian under the queen's graceful influence.Her remains were removed to
Escorial Spain and her head Douai, France.

Edgar of SCOTLAND King of Scots

House of Dunkeld
On his father's death he went to the English court where he was sheltered by
William 11. He returned to Scotland in 1096 and with the help of English
troops he defeated his uncle Donald Bane at Roscobie in Fife in early 1097.
He became king in October of the same year and afterwards was practically a
dependant of William 11 & Henry 1 of England. Shortly after he took the
throne his kingdom was threatened by the King of Norway, Magnus Barelegs.

Edmund I of SCOTLAND

Ruled with Donald 111 1094-1097

William ATHLING Prince

1 UPDA
2 PLAC Duke of Normandy

His father became a saddened man when William , his only legitimate son,
drowned in the wreck of the La Blanche Nef, off the Norman coast.(Barfleur).

William ATHLING Prince

1 UPDA
2 PLAC Duke of Normandy

His father became a saddened man when William , his only legitimate son,
drowned in the wreck of the La Blanche Nef, off the Norman coast.(Barfleur).

Alexander I the Fierce of SCOTLAND King

1 UPDA
2 DATE 8 JAN 1107
2 PLAC Acceded:

House of Dunkeld.
Built many new castles including the new royal castle at Stirling.

Sybylla

1 NAME Sybil //

William D'AUBIGNY Earl of Arundel

1 UPDA
2 DATE 1141
2 PLAC Acceded:

Son of William 1's Cupbearer. Earl of Sussex, Earl of Lincoln

Adeliza of LOUVAIN

1 NAME Adelaide, Adeliz, Adelicia/-/
1 UPDA
2 DATE 3 FEB 1122
2 PLAC Westminster Abbey, London, England
2 SOUR S44
3 PAGE 10
2 QUAY 3

Adeliza of Louvain. Queen of England."Fair Maid of Brabant"
Adela av Louvain

Godfrey D'AUBIGNY

1 NAME Geoffrey //

Godfrey I LORRAINE BARBUTUS

1 UPDA
2 PLAC Godfrey the Bearded of Louvaine

Acceded: 1106
Stammtafeln shows that Ida was Adeliza's mother and other works agree.
Brenan in his History of the House of Percy suggests that Clemantine was her
mother and Ida was Jocleyn's mother. Stammtafeln does not list
Jocelyn at all! The Complete Peerage, V.x,p445,note.l, says that Jocelyn's
mother is unproven.
Duke of Lower Lorraine. 7th in descent from Count Giselbert.