When William I died, in 1087, he named his eldest son, Robert, as Duke of Normandy, and his namesake, William Rufus, as king of England. (Richard had been killed in a hunting accident in 1081). Henry was given ‘incalculable treasures’, but no land. According to one chronicler William comforted Henry by predicting that one day he would be a greater king than either of his brothers.
During the reign of William Rufus, (1087-1100), Henry’s allegiances shifted constantly between Robert and Rufus, sometimes supporting Robert in his claim to the English throne, at other times attacking Robert and siding with Rufus. In 1096 Robert joined the First Crusade, and was out of England when, in 1100, William Rufus, like his brother, was killed in a hunting accident in the New Forest. (It was rumoured that both these deaths were divine retribution for William the Conquest’s seizure of the Forest from the local landowners to make it his hunting ground.)
Henry was with Rufus when he died and immediately rode to Winchester to claim the castle and the royal treasure. He was supported by many of the barons, even though they had previously sworn to support Robert’s claim to succeed. Henry was crowned in Westminster Abbey on August 5th 1100.
For the first years of his reign he was challenged many times by his brother Robert, known as Curthose, but eventually Henry defeated him at the battle of Tinchebray in 1106 and replaced him as Duke of Normandy. Robert was imprisoned at Wareham and Devizes for the rest of his life, dying in 1034, only a year before Henry. Robert is buried in Gloucester Cathedral where his effigy can still be seen.
The rest of Henry’s reign was largely peaceful and was later looked back on as a golden age of peace and prosperity. It was said that a young girl could travel the length of the kingdom with a purse of gold without being attacked. This was due to draconian punishment for offenders and to Henry’s administrative reforms.
Lindsay Mullaney
No comments:
Post a Comment