WILLIAM “THE CONQUEROR” I OF ENGLAND
(1027-1075)
(1027-1075)
Information correct as of June 26th, 1079
King of England (1066-1075)
Duke of Normandy (1035-1073)
House: de Normandie
Spouse: Matilda of Flanders (1032-1081)
Issue:
Princess Adele (1054-?), Duchess of Holland, married to Duke Dirk IV of Holland,
King Robert of England (1054-1079), Duke of Normandy, married to Ermengarde d'Evron
Princess Gundred (1055-?), Countess of Leicester, married to Count Robert of Leicester
Princess Cecilia (1056-?), Countess of Cumberland, married to Earl Dolfin of Cumberland
King Richard I of England (1057-1105), married to Princess Ingegard of Norway
Prince William (1060-?), married to Princess Ragnhild of Denmark
Princess Constance (1061-?), Countess of Hainaut, married to Count Boudewijn of Hainaut
Princess Agathe (1064-?)
Character traits: Brilliant strategist, legitimised bastard, ambitious, diligent, just, proud, cynical, brave, patient, temperate (lost in 1075), duellist (gained in 1067), stressed (gained in 1072)
William's profile upon becoming King
Background
Everyone knows all about William the Conqueror! He was a Frenchman and he was pretty tough guy, with a tough upbringing to show for it. Becoming the Duke of Normandy at eight, he had to endure his rivals taunting him for being a bastard (his mother was a tanner's daughter!), and he managed to survive despite his father and many other family members being murdered.
Anyway, he had a strong claim to be King of England, and when Edward the Confessor died in 1066 and Harold Godwinsson was made King instead of him, he blew a gasket, went over to England, stuck an arrow in Harold's eye at the Battle of Hastings and made himself King. So far, so historical. However, this game starts on December 26th 1066 and from there, anything can happen!. William has been crowned King, but his problems are by no means over - the Norwegians have their eye on the throne, and their King also has a pretty strong claim. In the North of England, the old Saxon earls are resentful of this new order, and are unlikely to remain loyal to the crown for too long!
Europe in 1066
Europe was a dangerous place in 1066! Bloodthirsty pagans rampage around present-day Scandinavia and Northern Poland, while Muslims hold sway in southern Iberia and the Holy Land. But they are not a matter of concern...yet.
A New King
The first thing William did was to give large areas of England to his closest allies – family members and friends from Normandy. Despite this, he wasn't able to get all of England under Norman control. His two most powerful vassals were Saxons Duke Morcar of Northumberland and York, and his brother, Duke Eadwin of Lancaster. These men were so powerful that William was unwilling to risk stripping them of their titles, so for the time being, there would be an uneasy peace been the Conqueror and the great lords of the North.
In 1067, on the advice of his Chancellor Odo of Arques, William decided to hold a grand tournament, with the pretension of bringing his fractured realm together, However, even in the course of what was supposed to be an event for making friends and forgetting past arguments William was unable to let his combative side go. A minor noble, Baron Humbert of Tottenham, found himself in a bit of a pickle after making a light-hearted jibe at the King's mother – the angry William had challenged him to a duel! Not wishing to fight a king anointed by God, Humbert backed down, leaving William to brag and boast of his superior fortitude, something which is said to have got up the noses of William's two Saxon lords, who were merely present to avoid angering the temperamental king.
This being considered, you can imagine the King's fury when Eastmund of Hwicce, son and heir of the Duke of Lancaster won the tournament. William was furious, and swore that Eastmund would never be welcome in his court again! William's constant aggression, as displayed here, was one of the most notable aspects of his character and it is known to have caused much consternation to his good friend Duke Brian of Cornwall, who would constantly beg him to act with a cooler head. This had no effect, and William would just laugh off his pleas.
Trouble With The Saxons
William's first five years as King proved surprisingly uneventful – even a controversial law in which all vassals would have to provide their entire military forces to the king upon request passed without much dissent. Such peace couldn't be expected to last forever though, and there were stirrings of discontent in 1071. This wasn't a Norwegian invasion, however. It wasn't even a Saxon rebellion. In fact, the two Saxon brothers, Duke Morcar and Duke Eadwin, who previously seemed so strong together, had begun squabbling with each other! This was based on a mutual agreement some years previously that when one brother died, the survivor would inherit the other's land and titles. Despite this Eadwin named his son as heir to the Duchy of Lancaster! In his fury Morcar, the more powerful of the two brothers, began plotting to assassinate Eadwin's son. Upon being alerted by his spymaster, Eadwin went straight to William, pleading for the King to put a stop to his brother's plotting. William was delighted at this news – a potential alliance between Morcar and Eadwin had been causing him unease for five years, and William cleverly proposed to Eadwin a solution that would only deepen the rift between the two Saxons. William granted Eadwin a claim to Morcar's titles, meaning that he was legally entitled to attempt to win them through war! As might be expected, this action did much to anger the already furious Morcar.
Around the same time William changed the laws of England, allowing vassals in the realm to wage with each other provided they had legitimate justification. Sources from the time, such as William's friend Bishop Radolf of Fencamp, have pointed out that this change to the law is totally coincidental and independent of the whole situation with Morcar and Eadwin, and William was planning to change that law anyway.
However, Eadwin was unwilling to pursue his claim immediately due to Morcar's superior force of arms, instead focussing his efforts on his attempts to assassinate Morcar's own son.
Things continued to escalate between the two Saxon brothers, who kept continuing to plot against each other's sons. It came to a head in 1074 after Duke Eadwin successfully had both of Morcar's sons poisoned, causing William to genuinely feel sorry for Morcar. He sent Eadwin to prison, although given Morcar's immense power, this could be regarded to be as much for Eadwin's safety as it was a punishment. Therefore, Eadwin of Hwicce, Duke of Lancaster, holds the dubious honour of being the first prisoner held in the Tower of London, which had been built just the previous year.
Poor Morcar, depressed at the loss of both his sons, took his own life in 1074. As Eadwin was Morcar's closest remaining family, he inherited all of his brother's titles. Eadwin was nor Duke of Lancaster, Northumberland and York, and easily the most powerful man in the realm after William. Luckily for William, Eadwin, now known as Eadwin the kinslayer, was still in the Tower of London. He would remain there until dying at the age of fifty in 1076.
Sorting Out The Norwegians, and a new Duke of Normandy!
In 1073, in one of his typical master-strokes, William married his second child Richard to Princess Ingegerd, the sister of King Olaf I of Norway. In doing so William made the Kingdom of Norway his ally and nullified any threat of invasion from them. Richard was a bit unhappy, given that Ingegerd was 27, eleven years older than him, and had previously been married to Count Erlend of Caithness, a famous traitor. As you might expect, William was uninterested. The safety of his realm was more important that foibles of his second son. Nevertheless, Richard was made Count of Lincoln, leaving its previous owner, Count Robert of Leicester, William's son-in-law, a bit upset. But sons-in-law were even further down the food chain than second sons! This was ably demonstrated just a few days afterwards, when William made his oldest son and heir, the lisping, lazy and deceitful Robert, Duke of Normandy. Duke of Normandy! The most prestigious title in the realm apart from King itself! William's other children were said to have been a bit annoyed by this.
An Interesting Character
William's main personal dispute came not from the Saxons or the Norwegians, but from a man who was supposed to be one of his closest allies. Duke Drogo of Bedford. Drogo was adamant that land held by the king in Essex should be under his control. As might be expedted, William aggressively refused, while threatening to imprison the Duke if there were any repeat requests. He even made fun of poor Drogo's hunchback! Despite this Robert (or, as he was from then on, Duke Robert II of Normandy) remained cold towards his father, as indeed was typical with Norman dukes and their heirs.
William was well known for hating greedy people. Upon discovering that his twelve year old daughter Gundred would regularly pig out in the kitchen, he attempted to beat the nasty habit out of her! It has been suggested, however, that Gundred possessed something of her father's rebellious spirit, as the beating had no effect on her habits whatsoever. In fact, later in life, Gundred became so well known for being such a fat pig that contemporary writers would often refer to her as Gundred the Glutton!
William was also highly scornful of the bible, which was both unusual and dangerous in these zealous times. Indeed, it is very unlikely that any other king would have ticked off their child for being too interested in the bible, but that is what William did with daughter Cecilia!
William was a just king, and he would punish wrongdoers equally, whether rich or poor, or Saxon or Norman. Despite being just, he was also very harsh, even by the standards of the day. Nearly any crime would result in a death sentence.
Death
By 1075, it looked as if William had finally secured long-term stability within his realm, with Eadwin, his one rival, safely locked away within the Tower of London. However, on 10th October 1075, he fell ill with pneumonia, and just a week later, on 17th October 1075, the 48 year old King had died. His son Robert, who William had never got on well with, was now King of England. Delighted at his father's death, and his new position of power, the new King set off for Westminster at once. Oddly, it was to the first time he had ever set foot in England.
Things to consider
Even though William's reign only lasted nine years, it was a resounding success. Besides conquering England, he managed to hold onto it successfully, which is perhaps even more difficult. The two main threats to his kingdom were Norwegian invaders and his Saxon lords, both of which had been neutralised - one through cunning, the other through sheer luck. Therefore, Robert inherits a strong, stable kingdom. However, it is highly uncertain if things will remain that way - Robert is just as tactless as his father, yet possesses none of the cunning or brilliance to back it up. Who knows what will happen?!
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