William of NORMANDY

Notes:

The following information is from "Kings and Queens of England and Great Britain" by Eric R. Delderfield, pub. 1990 by David & Charles, pp. 20 - 22.

William married his second cousin, Matilda of Flanders. She was daughter of the Count of Flanders, and is a descendant of the House of Wessex.

William was also a second cousin of Edward the Confessor, King of England from 1042 to 1066.

William was said to be illegitimate by birth, son of Duke Robert the Magnificent and a tanner's daughter.

As king, William I, The Conqueror, was "ruthless and cruel." However, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle says "He was mild to the good men that loved God, and beyond measure severe to the men that gainsaid his will . . . It is not to be forgotten that good peace he made in this land."

"By his oath to observe the old Saxon laws and his imposition of Continental feudal customs, William effectively prevented the monarchy from exercising unlimited power, laying the ground for the development of English laws and liberties."

The following notes are from "The Lives of the Kings & Queens of England" edited by Antonia Fraser, pub. 1998 University of California Press, pp. 20 ff.

William became Duke of Normandy in 1035. He was almost continuously at war.

From the evidence of the bones in their graves, it seems that William was about 5" 10' tall, while Matilda was about 4" 2' tall. They had at least nine children, and it is believed that William was never unfaithful to her.

William invaded England in 1066 because he said that Edward the Confessor had promised the English throne to him and that Harold Godwinson had sworn an oath supporting this. He defeated Harold and his forces at Hastings on 14 Oct 1066.

Over the next few years minor revolts broke out around England, and little by little William achieved control of the entire country. Rebels were punished by confiscation of their lands, which were given to Normans who were loyal supporters of William. Several hundred castles were built, evidence of William's stronghold on the land. Most of the English aristocracy was subdued and/or wiped out.

In 1086 William commissioned the Domesday Book, which listed the major landholders in each county along with the value of their holdings.

He died in a battle against the King of France for disputed territory between Rouen and Paris. His forces won the attack on Mantes, but William received a mortal wound.

His ancestral lands in Normandy were given to the eldest son Robert (who at times had rebelled against his father), while the will gave England to his son William to rule.

William — Countess of FLANDERS Matilda. (daughter of Count Baldwin of FLANDERS) [Group Sheet]

Adela — Count of Blois and Champagne Stephen. Count died 1102. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

William was King of England from 1087 to 1100.

Notes:

King Henry I of England

While Henry had many known illegitimate children, he was survived by only one legitimate heir, his daughter Matilda.

Henry married Matilda or Edith of Scotland Nov 1100. Matilda (daughter of King of Scotland MALCOLM) died 1118. [Group Sheet]

Henry married Alice of Louvain 1121. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Stephen was King of England from 1135 to 1154. His rival for the throne was his cousin, Matilda, King Henry I's daughter.

Stephen — Matilda of Boulogne. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

When Matilda's first husband died, her father gave her in marriage to a 16-year-old teenager, Geoffrey of Anjou.

Matilda was named as successor to the throne by her father, King Henry I. However, when he died, the Council offered the throne to her cousin, Stephen of Blois, who proved to be a weak king. At one point her father's illegitimate son, Earl Robert, gave his support to Matilda, who installed herself as monarch at Arundel. The nobles took sides and a decade of civil war ensued. Eventually the crown passed to Matilda's son, Henry Plantagenet.

Matilda — V Henry, Emperor of Germany. V died 1125. [Group Sheet]

Matilda married Geoffrey PLANTAGENET of Anjou 1128. Geoffrey died 1151. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Henry was crowned king in Dec 1154 at Westminster. He was 21.

He was King of England, and also ruled the whole western coastal region of France.

He is the king who did penance at the tomb of Thomas a Becket, accepting responsibility for his murder at Centerbury Cathedral.

Although Henry was a powerful king, the latter years of his reign were plagued by numerous revolts of his sons, egged on by their mother, Eleanor.

Eleanor and Henry were third cousins through their common ancestor Ermengarde of Anjou (wife to Robert I, Duke of Burgundy and Geoffrey, Count of G

Henry married Eleanor of AQUITAINE 18 May 1152. Eleanor (daughter of William X, Duke of AQUITAINE and AENOR de Ch) was born 1122, Aquitaine, France; died 1 Apr 1204, Fontevraud Abbey, France. [Group Sheet]