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Flanders is an area in France near Normandy. ( modern day Belgium and Holland). William married Matilda of Flanders. She was related to King of France. and belonged to a powerful duchy. Matilda stayed back in Normandy and took care of administration. William and Matilda had ten children. 4 sons and six daughters.
She was very well educated and gave good education to her children also.
The three surviving sons were Robert , William and Henry. William the conqueror gave Normandy to Robert. and England to his son William.
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William left Normandy to Robert, and the custody of England was given to William's second surviving son, also called William, on the assumption that he would become king. The youngest son, Henry, received money. After entrusting England to his second son, the elder William sent the younger William back to England September, bearing a letter to Lanfranc ordering the archbishop to aid the new king. Other bequests included gifts to the Church and money to be distributed to the poor. William also ordered that all of his prisoners be released,
He did not give any part of his kingdom to Henry but apportioned a lot of wealth. There was discontent between the King and Robert. but it was resolved soon. William passed away soon after his wife's death by natural cause.
This brief outline is necessary. because, William ( the son ) was the king of England . for quite some time. He had an accident during his hunting expedition and passed away. Henry I , the younger brother of William (Rufus) then ascended the throne of England. (1068 – 1135)
HENRY-I of ENGLAND
He was a very well educated person .
( Latin and liberal arts) He married Matilda of Scotland.
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Matilda of Scotland (c. 1080 – 1 May 1118), originally christened Edith, was Queen of England as the first wife of King Henry I. She acted as regent of England in the absence of her spouse on several occasions. Matilda was the daughter of the English princess Saint Margaret and the Scottish king Malcolm III.
MATILDA - OF SCOTLAND
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Henry I and Matilda of Scotland had a son and a daughter. Unfortunately, the son ( named William) died in a shipwreck. Henry 1 's only daughter was also named Matilda .
Henry I did not have any legitimate male heir except William who died in ship wreck So, he wanted the nobles to accept his daughter as their ruler.
But the nobles did not want to have a woman as the ruler. So, for the first time in Norman-kings line of succession,
the nobles chose Stephen, a relative of Henry II as the successor.
William the Conqueror had a daughter named Adela and Stephen was her son. Hence, the nobles and clergy made him the king.
His rule was very unstable. Henry I's daughter Matilda , with the support of French King, invaded England and captured Stephen. but eventually, she lost to Stephen and fled to France.
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This Matilda was known as Empress Matilda .
Matilda (also later known as the 'Empress Maud'), daughter of Henry I, was the only remaining legitimate heir to the throne after her brother William Atheling drowned in the White Ship disaster of 1120. At the age of eight, she was sent to Germany as the future bride of Henry V, the Holy Roman emperor. They married when she was 12. Matilda was involved in government from a young age – for example, left in charge of affairs in Italy in her husband's absence. When Henry died in 1125, Matilda returned to Normandy keeping the title 'empress'
Her son was Henry II.
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Stephen was the ruler of England from
1135 to 1154. After the death of Stephen, Henry II became the king of England. in 1164.
KING HENRY II
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Henry II was born on 5 March 1133 in Le Mans. He ruled as Count of Anjou, Duke of Normandy and as King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189.
Following the disputed reign of King Stephen, Henry's reign saw efficient consolidation. Henry II has a reputation as one of England's greatest medieval kings.
At various times he controlled parts of Wales, Scotland, eastern Ireland, and western France. He was the first of the Plantagenet or Angevin Kings.
Before becoming king Henry already controlled Normandy and Anjou. Whilst king, he had an empire, known as the Angevin Empire,
. His mother was Empress Matilda, and his father was her second husband, Geoffrey of Anjou. He was brought up in Anjou, which is where the name Angevin comes
Henry II's first task as king was to wrest more control from the barons, who had gained more power during King Stephen's reign. Castles that were built by barons during Stephen's reign without permission were torn down.
Henry II also made many legal reforms. Henry established courts in various parts of England. His reign saw the production of the first written legal textbook, providing the basis of today's Common Law. By 1166 trial by jury became the norm. The legal reforms also reduced the power of church courts. the Churchmen objected
and their most prominent spokesman was Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who used to be a close friend of Henry's . Becket went into exile in 1164, but after a reconciliation with Henry in 1170, came back.
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nice video clip here.
Richard Burton as Thomas Becket and
Peter O'Toole as King Henry-II
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However, Becket again argued with Henry, this time over the coronation of Prince Henry, and Henry II is famously reported to have said, "Will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest?" Four knights took the king literally and travelled immediately to Canterbury, where they killed Becket in the Cathedral on 29 December 1170. In penance, Henry made a pilgrimage in sackcloth to Becket's tomb.
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This incidentally was the theme of the Poem ' Murder in the Cathedral' by a later day famous write T.S.ELIOT.
It was also successful film.
Richard Burton as Thomas Becket ( 1964 film)
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The full film
Murder in the Cathedral is a verse drama by T.S. Eliot, first performed in 1935, that portrays the assassination of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral during the reign of Henry II in 1170. Eliot drew heavily on the writing of Edward Grim, a clerk who was an eyewitness to the event
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Henry II married Elianor , of a noble family near Normandy. Through her
Henry II had five sons. The first son died in infancy. The second son was crowned even when Henry II was ruling but he did not ever ascend the throne.
The remaining three sons ( note the names carefully....Shakespeare's plays begin with King John )
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Geoffrey II 1158 – 1186) was Duke of Brittany and 3rd Earl of Richmond between 1181 and 1186, through his marriage with the heiress Constance.
Geoffrey was the fourth of five sons of Henry II, King of England and Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine. He was younger brother of Richard (the Lion-Heart). John was the younger brother of Groffrey.
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Henry II's attempt to divide his titles amongst his sons but keep the power that came with them provoked them into trying to take control of the lands assigned to them in the Revolt of 1173-1174. In Henry's eyes, this was treason.
When Henry's legitimate sons rebelled against him, they often had the help of King Louis VII of France. Henry the Young King died in 1183, after which there was a power struggle between the three sons that were left. Finally, Henry's third son, Richard the Lionheart, with the assistance of Philip II Augustus of France, attacked and defeated HenryII on 4 July 1189. Henry died at the Chateau Chinon two days later and was laid to rest at Fontevraud Abbey near Chinon in the Anjou Region of present-day France. Richard then became King of England.
But Richard was a great warrior . He was more interested in feats of valour and chivalry than ruling England. He was a good friend of the King of France. He took part in the Third Crusade war along with King of France. More about him in the next part.
John was junior to King Richard and with his mother, was loyal to Richard ( the Lion-heart).
More about Richard I at
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