THE GREAT KING HENRY I

(4) Henry Beauclerc, youngest son of William the Conqueror, seized the throne of England just three days after the death of his brother, William Rufus, who had been killed whilst out hunting in the New Forest on 2nd August 1100.

On the day of William's death, Henry arrived at Winchester before the body of his brother arrived.  Winchester was where the Royal Treasure was kept.  He demanded the keys for the Royal Treasure from the guards, but the guards refused to hand them over, saying that Henry's eldest brother, Robert, was the rightful heir.  Henry drew his sword and demanded that no one shall stand between him and his father's sceptre. Resistance soon collapsed and when the peasants arrived with Rufus on a cart, the Lords were already electing Henry as the new King.  The first elected King since Harold Godwinson.  Henry's brother, Robert, was fighting abroad in the First Crusade.  With no time to waste, Henry was crowned King at Westminster Abbey on the 5th of August 1100.

WILLIAM RUFUS - THE RED KING

 

WILLIAM II KING OF ENGLAND

(3) The year is now 1087 and England is on its 2nd Norman king. William II was crowned King on the 9th of September 1087 and ruled until his death in 1100. William was the 3rd son of William I. He was a cruel and selfish king who scorned the English and their culture. He was nicknamed 'The Red King' because of his reddish complexion and rosy cheeks.

William had powers over Normandy and influences in Scotland but was not so successful in controlling Wales.

William the Conqueror, on his deathbed, had split the lands into two parts, he gave England to William Rufus and gave Normandy to his other son Robert Curthose. This proved to be a dilemma for the nobles who owned land on both sides of the Channel.

William and his brother Robert were arch-rivals which worried the nobles, they could not please both of their lords and ran the risk of offending one or the other. There was only one solution and that was to unite England and Normandy again, under one rule. This led the nobles to revolt against William, in favour of Robert, in the rebellion of 1088, under the leadership of the powerful Bishop Odo of Bayeux, half-brother of William the Conqueror. William won the backing of the English by promising them silver and a better government. In 1091 William invaded Normandy and crushed Robert's army, forcing Robert to cede a portion of his lands. The two brothers eventually put their differences aside and William agreed to help Robert recover lands lost to France. This plan was later squashed, but William continued with his pursuit of France until his death in 1100. 

WILLIAM I and his DOOMSDAY BOOK

WILLIAM I

(2) England now had a new King, but not everyone was prepared to submit to Norman rule. The north of England continued for six years to try to free England from this foreign invader and in 1068 Harold's sons attempted an invasion of the southwestern peninsula, but William managed to defeat them.

William moved north from London, to squash resistance in the Midlands and Northern England. He ordered for many castles to be built throughout the land, although he spent much of his time in Normandy. Winchester Castle was built in 1067, within a year of the Norman Conquest. At the time, it was one of the greatest strongholds in England, and for over a century it served as the seat of government before that position was taken by London.

In 1068 William constructed Lincoln Castle, two years after the battle of Hastings. The castle occupied what was the site of a former Roman fortress. According to the Domesday Book, 166 Saxon homes were cleared to make way for the castle. Until the construction of Lincoln Cathedral, the castle dominated the Lincoln skyline. Lincoln was one of the most important cities in the country. It had a mint. The size of the Norman castle reflects its importance.

THE NORMAN INVASION

(1)   1066 was a very important year for Anglo-Saxon England. There were 3 Kings, 2 Battles, and a comet. There hasn't been another year quite like it. By the end of 1066, England would never be the same again.

Firstly, let's see how Anglo-Saxon England originally came about. The name "Anglo" comes from one of the Germanic tribes from Angeln, a district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The Angles were one of the main groups that settled in Britain during the 5th and 6th centuries, in the post-Roman period. Ultimately, they set up many of the kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England. England also takes its name from the Angles, which is the root of the name "England."

The Saxons, who were closely linked to the Angles tribe, took part in the Germanic settlement of Britain, at about the same time, which gives us the Anglo-Saxon. They subsequently participated in the Celtic ways of life in the southern and central parts of England, thereupon, contributing to the creation of Anglo-Saxon England and the use of the Old English language.