149-571: The Charter of Liberties , also called the Coronation Charter , or Statutes of the Realm , was a written proclamation by Henry I of England , issued upon his accession to the throne in 1100. It sought to bind the King to certain laws regarding the treatment of nobles, church officials, and individuals. The nineteenth-century historians Frederick Maitland and Frederick Pollock considered it
298-698: A French ambassador, he was arrested and imprisoned. Rebellions broke out in France and Anjou between 1111 and 1113, and Henry crossed into Normandy to support his nephew, Count Theobald II, Count of Champagne , who had sided against Louis in the uprising. In a bid to isolate Louis diplomatically, Henry betrothed his young son, William Adelin, to Fulk's daughter Matilda , and married his illegitimate daughter Matilda to Duke Conan III of Brittany , creating alliances with Anjou and Brittany respectively. Louis backed down and in March 1113 met with Henry near Gisors to agree
447-432: A charter in 1093, when he was ill and fearing death. The text of this charter has been lost to history. It is believed to have freed prisoners, forgiven debts, and assured that holy and good laws would be maintained. Whatever promises William made, he quickly broke after he recovered his health. Henry went further. He negotiated with the leading barons and earls, making various concessions to them. When all sides were agreed,
596-508: A claim under the right of porphyrogeniture . Tempers flared, but Henry, supported by Henry de Beaumont and Robert of Meulan, held sway and persuaded the barons to follow him. He occupied Winchester Castle and seized the royal treasury. Henry was hastily crowned king in Westminster Abbey on 5 August by Maurice , the bishop of London , as Anselm , the archbishop of Canterbury , had been exiled by William Rufus, and Thomas ,
745-775: A descendant of Vikings, successfully took the English throne and became the first Norman king of England. 1069 − Sweyn II of Denmark landed with an army, in much the same way as Harald Hardrada. He took control of York after defeating the Norman garrison and inciting a local uprising. King William eventually defeated his forces and devastated the region in the Harrying of the North . 1075 − One of Sweyn's sons, Knut , set sail for England to support an English rebellion, but it had been crushed before he arrived, so he settled for plundering
894-767: A district in the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy for 3,000 pounds from his brother Robert of Normandy . Robert had been left the Duchy of Normandy by their father, but needed money. Various political intrigues occurred in France, which led to the imprisonment of Henry for two years by his brother William II , then King of England. In 1096, Robert left Normandy for the First Crusade . Henry swore fealty to William, who took over Normandy in Robert's absence. William
1043-573: A dowry of £6,666 from England and Normandy. Raising this money proved challenging, and required the implementation of a special "aid", or tax, in England. Matilda was crowned German queen in 1110. Henry responded to the French and Angevin threat by expanding his own network of supporters beyond the Norman borders. Some Norman barons deemed unreliable were arrested or dispossessed, and Henry used their forfeited estates to bribe his potential allies in
1192-665: A fleet, ready to move against Henry in England. Raising the stakes in the conflict, Henry seized Flambard's lands and, with the support of Anselm, Flambard was removed from his position as bishop. The King held court in April and June, where the nobility renewed their oaths of allegiance to him, but their support still appeared partial and shaky. With the invasion imminent, Henry mobilised his forces and fleet outside Pevensey , close to Robert's anticipated landing site, training some of them personally in how to counter cavalry charges. Despite English levies and knights owing military service to
1341-584: A forerunner to legislation in later years. There was no legislation as such either under the Saxons or the Normans. The Charter was a great concession, born of political need. Large portions of the charter were a withdrawal of practices which were of questionable legality, and corrosive politically. Various feudal dues, instead of being arbitrary and ad hoc , were declared to be reduced to reasonable limits. The Charter led to an obscure decree of Stephen (1135–1154),
1490-421: A hunting accident, Henry seized the English throne, promising at his coronation to correct many of William's less popular policies. He married Matilda of Scotland and they had two surviving children, Empress Matilda and William Adelin ; he also had many illegitimate children by his numerous mistresses. Robert, who invaded from Normandy in 1101, disputed Henry's control of England; this military campaign ended in
1639-420: A judgement that Anselm then affirmed, allowing the marriage to proceed. Matilda proved an effective queen for Henry, acting as a regent in England on occasion, addressing and presiding over councils, and extensively supporting the arts. The couple soon had two children, Matilda , born in 1102, and William Adelin , born in 1103; it is possible that they also had a second son, Richard, who died young. Following
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#17327805724671788-526: A landmark document in English legal history and a forerunner of Magna Carta . The document addressed abuses of royal power by his predecessor William II (his brother William Rufus), as perceived by the nobility, specifically the over-taxation of the barons, the abuse of vacant sees , and the practices of simony and pluralism . The Charter of Liberties was generally ignored by monarchs, until in 1213 Stephen Langton , Archbishop of Canterbury , reminded
1937-561: A major rebellion in the Duchy between 1116 and 1119. Following Henry's victory at the Battle of Brémule , a favourable peace settlement was agreed with Louis in 1120. Considered by contemporaries to be a harsh but effective ruler, Henry skilfully manipulated the barons in England and Normandy. In England, he drew on the existing Anglo-Saxon system of justice, local government and taxation, but also strengthened it with more institutions, including
2086-493: A negotiated settlement that confirmed Henry as king. The peace was short-lived, and Henry invaded the Duchy of Normandy in 1105 and 1106, finally defeating Robert at the Battle of Tinchebray . Henry kept Robert imprisoned for the rest of his life. Henry's control of Normandy was challenged by Louis VI of France , Baldwin VII of Flanders and Fulk V of Anjou , who promoted the rival claims of Robert's son, William Clito , and supported
2235-613: A negotiated surrender. He left for Brittany and crossed over into France. Henry's next steps are not well documented; one chronicler, Orderic Vitalis , suggests that he travelled in the French Vexin, along the Normandy border, for over a year with a small band of followers. By the end of the year, Robert and William Rufus had fallen out once again, and the Treaty of Rouen had been abandoned. In 1092, Henry and his followers seized
2384-464: A new bishop with his staff and ring: traditionally, this had been carried out by the King in a symbolic demonstration of royal power, but Pope Urban II had condemned this practice in 1099, arguing that only the papacy could carry out this task, and declaring that the clergy should not give homage to their local temporal rulers. Anselm returned to England from exile in 1100 having heard Urban's pronouncement, and informed Henry that he would be complying with
2533-563: A papal court, beyond royal control. Henry needed the support of the Papacy in his struggle with Louis of France, however, and therefore allowed Thurstan to attend the Council of Rheims in 1119, where Thurstan was then consecrated by the Pope with no mention of any duty towards Canterbury. Henry believed that this went against assurances Thurstan had previously made and exiled him from England until
2682-616: A peace settlement, giving Henry the disputed fortresses and confirming Henry's overlordship of Maine, Bellême and Brittany. Meanwhile, the situation in Wales was deteriorating. Henry had conducted a campaign in South Wales in 1108, pushing out royal power in the region and colonising the area around Pembroke with Flemings. By 1114, some of the resident Norman lords were under attack, while in Mid-Wales, Owain ap Cadwgan blinded one of
2831-597: A puppet king on the Northumbrian throne. In response, King Æthelred of Wessex, along with his brother Alfred, marched against the Danes, who were positioned behind fortifications in Nottingham, but were unable to draw them into battle. In order to effect peace, King Burgred of Mercia ceded Nottingham to the Danes in exchange for leaving the rest of Mercia undisturbed. 868 − Danes captured Nottingham . 869 − Ivar
2980-435: A reputation for punishing those barons who stood against him, and he maintained an effective network of informers and spies who reported to him on events. Henry was a harsh, firm ruler, but not excessively so by the standards of the day. Over time, he increased the degree of his control over the barons, removing his enemies and bolstering his friends until the "reconstructed baronage", as historian Warren Hollister describes it,
3129-399: A result of their age differences and Richard's early death, Henry would have probably seen relatively little of his older brothers. He probably knew his sister Adela well, as the two were close in age. There is little documentary evidence for his early years; historians Warren Hollister and Kathleen Thompson suggest he was brought up predominantly in England, while Judith Green argues he
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#17327805724673278-468: A scapegoat for the King's death. Henry rode to Winchester, where an argument ensued as to who now had the best claim to the throne. William of Breteuil championed the rights of Robert, who was still abroad, returning from the Crusade, and to whom Henry and the barons had given homage in previous years. Henry argued that, unlike Robert, he had been born to a reigning king and queen, thereby giving him
3427-478: A series of alliances against Robert with barons in Normandy and neighbouring Ponthieu. Robert allied himself with Philip I of France . In late 1090 William Rufus encouraged Conan Pilatus, a powerful burgher in Rouen, to rebel against Robert; Conan was supported by most of Rouen and made appeals to the neighbouring ducal garrisons to switch allegiance as well. Robert issued an appeal for help to his barons, and Henry
3576-555: A similar capture of Exeter in 877. 877 − Alfred laid in a siege, while the Danes waited for reinforcements from Scandinavia. Unfortunately for the Danes, the fleet of reinforcements encountered a storm and lost more than 100 ships, and the Danes were forced to return to East Mercia in the north. 878 − In January, Guthrum led an attack against Wessex that sought to capture Alfred while he wintered in Chippenham. Another Danish army landed in south Wales arrived and moved south with
3725-427: A strong hand. Stephen was not up to it. Henry's death was viewed as a great tragedy for several centuries: Then there was tribulation soon in the land, for every man that could forthwith robbed another...A good man he [Henry I] was, there was great awe of him. No man durst misdo against another in his time. He made peace for man and beast. Whoso bare his burden of gold and silver, no man durst say aught but good. During
3874-441: A temporary peace. From there, they moved north and attacked Northumbria, which was in the midst of a civil war between the deposed king Osberht and a usurper Ælla. The Danes used the civil turmoil as an opportunity to capture York, which they sacked and burned. 867 − Following the loss of York, Osberht and Ælla formed an alliance against the Danes. They launched a counter-attack, but the Danes killed both Osberht and Ælla and set up
4023-623: A term of surrender, King Alfred demanded that Guthrum be baptised a Christian; King Alfred served as his godfather . Edward the Elder and his sister, Æthelflæd , the Lady of the Mercians, conquered Danish territories in the Midlands and East Anglia in a series of campaigns in the 910s, and some Danish jarls who submitted were allowed to keep their lands. Viking rule ended when Eric Bloodaxe
4172-524: A term of the surrender, that Guthrum become baptised as a Christian, which Guthrum agreed to do, with Alfred acting as his godfather. Guthrum was true to his word and settled in East Anglia, at least for a while. 884 − Guthrum attacked Kent, but was defeated by the English. This led to the Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum, which established the boundaries of the Danelaw and allowed for Danish self-rule in
4321-479: A wider range of candidates into the senior positions of the Church, often with more reformist views, and the impact of this generation would be felt in the years after Henry's death. Like other rulers of the period, Henry donated to the Church and patronised several religious communities, but contemporary chroniclers did not consider him an unusually pious king. His personal beliefs and piety may have developed during
4470-459: A wider range of these bishops as advisors – particularly Roger of Salisbury – breaking with the earlier tradition of relying primarily on the Archbishop of Canterbury. The result was a cohesive body of administrators through which Henry could exercise careful influence, holding general councils to discuss key matters of policy. This stability shifted slightly after 1125, when he began to inject
4619-496: A year for life; if either brother died without a male heir, the other would inherit his lands; the barons whose lands had been seized by either the King or the Duke for supporting his rival would have them returned, and Flambard would be reinstated as bishop; the two brothers would campaign together to defend their territories in Normandy. Robert remained in England for a few months more with Henry before returning to Normandy. Despite
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4768-535: Is referred to as one of the laws together with those of Wessex and Mercia into which England was divided. 793 − Viking raid on Lindisfarne 800 − Waves of Danish assaults on the coastlines of the British Isles. 865 − Danish raiders first began to settle in England. Led by the brothers Halfdan and Ivar the Boneless, they wintered in East Anglia, where they demanded and received tribute in exchange for
4917-623: Is the Berkshire/North Wessex Downs now in Oxfordshire). Æthelred could not be found at the start of battle, as he was busy praying in his tent, so Alfred led the army into battle. Æthelred and Alfred defeated the Danes, who counted among their losses five jarls (nobles). The Danes retreated and set up fortifications at Basing ( Basingstoke ) in Hampshire, a mere 14 miles (23 km) from Reading. Æthelred attacked
5066-437: The statutum decretum that established where there was no son, daughters would inherit. This was remarkable in its day, and pre-dated the reforms of Henry II of England . The problems with the Church had been brewing for some time. William I had tried to invest bishops with his temporal seal. Pope Gregory VII in 1075 had prohibited lay investiture, holding the Church was independent of the state. A long struggle ensued. This
5215-468: The Battle of Cynuit . The modern location of Cynuit is disputed but suggestions include Countisbury Hill, near Lynmouth , Devon , or Kenwith Castle, Bideford , Devon, or Cannington , near Bridgwater , Somerset . Alfred was forced into hiding for a time, before returning in early 878 to gather an army and attack Guthrum at Edington . The Danes were defeated and retreated to Chippenham, where King Alfred laid siege and soon forced them to surrender. As
5364-422: The Battle of Tinchebray took place, probably on 28 September. The battle lasted around an hour, and began with a charge by Duke Robert's cavalry; the infantry and dismounted knights of both sides then joined the battle. Henry's reserves, led by Elias I, Count of Maine , and Alan IV, Duke of Brittany , attacked the enemy's flanks, routing first Bellême's troops and then the bulk of the ducal forces. Duke Robert
5513-632: The Five Boroughs . Borough derives from the Old English word burh ( cognate with German Burg , meaning castle), meaning a fortified and walled enclosure containing several households, anything from a large stockade to a fortified town. The meaning has since developed further. The Danelaw was an important factor in the establishment of a civilian peace in the neighbouring Anglo-Saxon and Viking communities. It established, for example, equivalences in areas of legal contentiousness, such as
5662-501: The Tower of London and charged with corruption. The late king had left many Church positions unfilled, and Henry set about nominating candidates to these, in an effort to build further support for his new government. The appointments needed to be consecrated, and Henry wrote to Anselm, apologising for having been crowned while the archbishop was still in France and asking him to return at once. On 11 November 1100 Henry married Matilda ,
5811-410: The archbishop of York , was in the north of England at Ripon . In accordance with English tradition and in a bid to legitimise his rule, Henry issued a coronation charter laying out various commitments. The new king presented himself as having restored order to a trouble-torn country. He announced that he would abandon William Rufus's policies towards the Church, which had been seen as oppressive by
5960-472: The county of Maine , but refused to recognise Henry as his feudal lord and instead allied himself with Louis. Robert II of Flanders also briefly joined the alliance, before his death in 1111. In 1108, Henry betrothed his six-year-old daughter, Matilda, to Henry V , the future Holy Roman Emperor . For King Henry, this was a prestigious match; for Henry V, it was an opportunity to restore his financial situation and fund an expedition to Italy, as he received
6109-427: The Boneless returned and demanded tribute from King Edmund of East Anglia. 870 − King Edmund refused Ivar's demand. Ivar defeated and captured Edmund at Hoxne, adding East Anglia to the area controlled by the invading Danes. King Æthelred and Alfred attacked the Danes at Reading, but were repulsed with heavy losses. The Danes pursued them. 871 − On 7 January, Æthelred and Alfred made their stand at Ashdown (on what
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6258-486: The Charter of Liberties, sending a strong message: he was returning to his father's ways, which were viewed with great nostalgia. The perceived abuses of William II were to be abolished. The corruption and larceny of reliefs, wardships, marriages, murder fines and so forth, was to end. Debts and past offences were to be forgiven. The demesne lands and military tenants were to be freed from the danegeld of Danelaw . Above all,
6407-506: The Church arriving in considerable numbers, many of his barons did not appear. Anselm intervened with some of the doubters, emphasising the religious importance of their loyalty to Henry. Robert unexpectedly landed further up the coast at Portsmouth on 20 July with a modest force of a few hundred men, but these were quickly joined by many of the barons in England. Instead of marching into nearby Winchester and seizing Henry's treasury, Robert paused, giving Henry time to march west and intercept
6556-455: The Church. He was a keen supporter of the Cluniac order , probably for intellectual reasons. He donated money to the abbey at Cluny itself, and after 1120 gave generously to Reading Abbey , a Cluniac establishment. Construction on Reading began in 1121, and Henry endowed it with rich lands and extensive privileges, making it a symbol of his dynastic lines. He also focused effort on promoting
6705-456: The Confessor. These had the result of bringing the ancient traditional tribunals in accordance with newer Norman methods. Chroniclers of the age state that Henry legislated about theft, restored capital punishment (which had been suspended for a great many crimes by William II), and harshly treated utterers of bad money and rapacious exactions of his courtiers. He made his roving court and army
6854-731: The Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts . On William's death in 1087, Henry's elder brothers Robert Curthose and William Rufus inherited Normandy and England, respectively, but Henry was left landless. He purchased the County of Cotentin in western Normandy from Robert, but his brothers deposed him in 1091. He gradually rebuilt his power base in the Cotentin and allied himself with William Rufus against Robert. Present in England with his brother William when William died in
7003-530: The Conqueror had reformed the English Church with the support of his Archbishop of Canterbury, Lanfranc , who became a close colleague and advisor to the King. Under William Rufus this arrangement had collapsed, the King and Archbishop Anselm had become estranged and Anselm had gone into exile. Henry also believed in Church reform, but on taking power in England he became embroiled in the investiture controversy . The argument concerned who should invest
7152-609: The Danes after this. The area occupied by the Danelaw was roughly the area to the north of a line drawn between London and Chester , excluding the portion of Northumbria to the east of the Pennines . Five fortified towns became particularly important in the Danelaw: Leicester, Nottingham, Derby, Stamford and Lincoln, broadly delineating the area now called the East Midlands . These strongholds became known as
7301-534: The Danes brokered peace with Wessex in 876, when they captured the fortresses of Wareham and Exeter . Alfred laid siege to the Danes, who were forced to surrender after reinforcements were lost in a storm. Two years later, Guthrum again attacked Alfred, surprising him by attacking his forces wintering in Chippenham . King Alfred was saved when the Danish army coming from his rear was destroyed by inferior forces at
7450-446: The Danes, but his army was on the verge of collapse. Alfred responded by paying off the Danes for a promise of peace. During the peace, the Danes turned north and attacked Mercia, which they finished off in short order, and captured London in the process. King Burgred of Mercia fought in vain against Ivar the Boneless and his Danish invaders for three years until 874, when he fled to Europe. During Ivar's campaign against Mercia, he died and
7599-406: The Danish fortifications and was routed. The Danes followed up with another victory in March at Meretum (now Marton, Wiltshire). King Æthelred died on 23 April 871 and Alfred took the throne of Wessex. For the rest of the year Alfred concentrated on attacking with small bands against isolated groups of Danes. He was moderately successful in this endeavour and was able to score minor victories against
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#17327805724677748-462: The Duchy and England, to find that William Rufus had crossed the Channel and been crowned king. The two brothers disagreed fundamentally over the inheritance, and Robert soon began to plan an invasion of England to seize the kingdom, helped by a rebellion by some of the leading nobles against William Rufus. Henry remained in Normandy and took up a role within Robert's court, possibly either because he
7897-430: The Duchy. Robert's invasion force failed to leave Normandy, leaving William Rufus secure in England. Henry quickly established himself as count, building up a network of followers from western Normandy and eastern Brittany, whom the historian John Le Patourel has characterised as "Henry's gang". His early supporters included Roger of Mandeville, Richard of Redvers, Richard d'Avranches and Robert Fitzhamon , along with
8046-416: The Duke and accused him of siding with his enemies, before returning to England. Normandy continued to disintegrate into chaos. In 1105, Henry sent his friend Robert Fitzhamon and a force of knights into the Duchy, apparently to provoke a confrontation with Duke Robert. Fitzhamon was captured, and Henry used this as an excuse to invade, promising to restore peace and order. Henry had the support of most of
8195-441: The Duke of Normandy. William Rufus began to support Henry with money, encouraging his campaign against Robert, and Henry used some of this to construct a substantial castle at Domfront. William Rufus crossed into Normandy to take the war to Robert in 1094, and when progress stalled, called upon Henry for assistance. Henry responded, but travelled to London instead of joining the main campaign further east in Normandy, possibly at
8344-552: The French throne in 1108 and began to reassert central royal power. Louis demanded Henry give homage to him and that two disputed castles along the Normandy border be placed into the control of neutral castellans. Henry refused, and Louis responded by mobilising an army. After some arguments, the two kings negotiated a truce and retreated without fighting, leaving the underlying issues unresolved. Fulk V assumed power in Anjou in 1109 and began to rebuild Angevin authority. He inherited
8493-455: The Great ruled over a unified English kingdom, itself the product of a resurgent Wessex, as part of his North Sea Empire , together with Denmark, Norway and part of Sweden. Cnut was succeeded in England on his death by his son Harold Harefoot , until he died in 1040, after which another of Cnut's sons, Harthacnut , took the throne. Since Harthacnut was already on the Danish throne, this reunited
8642-894: The Great , the king of Wessex, and Guthrum , the Danish warlord, written following Guthrum's defeat at the Battle of Edington in 878. In 886, the Treaty of Alfred and Guthrum was formalised, defining the boundaries of their kingdoms, with provisions for peaceful relations between the English and the Vikings . The language spoken in England was affected by this clash of cultures, with the emergence of Anglo-Norse dialects. The Danelaw roughly comprised these contemporary 16 ceremonial counties and shires : Greater London , Leicester , York , Nottingham , Derby , Lincoln , Essex , Cambridge , Suffolk , Norfolk , Northampton , Huntingdon , Bedford , Hertford , Middlesex , and Buckingham . From around 800, there had been waves of Norse raids on
8791-601: The King and Archbishop came to a negotiated solution the following year. Even after the investiture dispute, Henry continued to play a major role in the selection of new English and Norman bishops and archbishops. He appointed many of his officials to bishoprics and, as historian Martin Brett suggests, "some of his officers could look forward to a mitre with all but absolute confidence". Henry's chancellors, and those of his queens, became bishops of Durham, Hereford, London, Lincoln, Winchester and Salisbury. Henry increasingly drew on
8940-537: The King instead began peace discussions with Robert. The negotiations were inconclusive and the fighting dragged on until Christmas, when Henry returned to England. Henry invaded again in July 1106, hoping to provoke a decisive battle. After some initial tactical successes, he turned south-west towards the castle of Tinchebray . He besieged the castle and Duke Robert, supported by Robert of Bellême, advanced from Falaise to relieve it. After attempts at negotiation failed,
9089-572: The King temporary custody of his part of the Duchy in exchange. The King appeared confident of regaining the remainder of Normandy from Robert, and Henry appeared ever closer to William Rufus. They campaigned together in the Norman Vexin between 1097 and 1098. On the afternoon of 2 August 1100, King William Rufus went hunting in the New Forest , accompanied by a team of huntsmen and Norman nobility, including Henry. An arrow, possibly shot by
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#17327805724679238-400: The King's sheriffs in the shires. Itinerant justices began to emerge under Henry, travelling around the country managing eyre courts , and many more laws were formally recorded. Henry gathered increasing revenue from the expansion of royal justice, both from fines and from fees. The first Pipe Roll that is known to have survived dates from 1130, recording royal expenditures. Henry reformed
9387-477: The Kingdoms of Essex and East Anglia accepted Edward the Elder as their suzerain overlord. Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians, took the borough of Derby. 918 − The borough of Leicester submitted peaceably to Æthelflæd's rule. The people of York promised to accept her as their overlord, but she died before this could come to fruition. She was succeeded by her brother, the Kingdoms of Mercia and Wessex united in
9536-528: The Norman border were particularly important to maintaining the stability of the Duchy. Henry ruled through the barons and lords in England and Normandy, whom he manipulated skilfully for political effect. Political friendships, termed amicitia in Latin, were important during the 12th century, and Henry maintained a wide range of these, mediating between his friends in factions across his realm when necessary, and rewarding those who were loyal to him. He also had
9685-526: The Norman border. Henry attempted to win over other members of the Norman nobility and gave other English estates and lucrative offers to key Norman lords. Duke Robert continued to fight Robert of Bellême, but the Duke's position worsened, until by 1104, he had to ally himself formally with Bellême to survive. Arguing that the Duke had broken the terms of their treaty, the King crossed over the Channel to Domfront, where he met with senior barons from across Normandy, eager to ally themselves with him. He confronted
9834-412: The Norman tradition, distinguishing between Normandy, which he had inherited, and England, which he had acquired through war. William's second son, Richard, had died in a hunting accident, leaving Henry and his two brothers to inherit William's estate. Robert, the eldest, despite being in armed rebellion against his father at the time of his death, received Normandy. England was given to William Rufus, who
9983-439: The Normandy town of Domfront . Domfront had previously been controlled by Robert of Bellême , but the inhabitants disliked his rule and invited Henry to take over the town, which he did in a bloodless coup. Over the next two years, Henry re-established his network of supporters across western Normandy, forming what Judith Green terms a "court in waiting". By 1094, he was allocating lands and castles to his followers as if he were
10132-642: The North Sea Empire. Harthacnut lived only another two years, and from his death in 1042 until 1066 the monarchy reverted to the English line in the form of Edward the Confessor . Edward died in January 1066 without an obvious successor, and an English nobleman, Harold Godwinson , took the throne. Later that year, two rival claimants to the throne led invasions of England in short succession. First, Harald Hardrada of Norway took York in September, but
10281-456: The Pope's wishes. Henry was in a difficult position. On one hand, the symbolism and homage was important to him; on the other hand, he needed Anselm's support in his struggle with his brother Duke Robert. Anselm stuck firmly to the letter of the papal decree, despite Henry's attempts to persuade him to give way in return for a vague assurance of a future royal compromise. Matters escalated, with Anselm going back into exile and Henry confiscating
10430-621: The Welsh Marches with his own appointees, strengthening the border territories. Danelaw The Danelaw ( / ˈ d eɪ n ˌ l ɔː / , Danish : Danelagen ; Norwegian : Danelagen ; Old English : Dena lagu ) was the part of England between the early tenth century and the Norman Conquest under Anglo-Saxon rule in which Danish laws applied. The Danelaw originated in the conquest and occupation of large parts of eastern and northern England by Danish Vikings in
10579-568: The agreement was issued as the Charter of Liberties. After a traditional greeting, the Charter of Liberties contained fourteen declarations, summarised as follows: Henry, king of the English, to Bishop Samson and Urso de Abetot and all his barons and faithful, both French and English, of Worcestershire, [copies were sent to all the shires] greeting. Witnesses Maurice bishop of London, and William bishop elect of Winchester, and Gerard bishop of Hereford, and earl Henry, and earl Simon, and Walter Giffard, and Robert de Montfort, and Roger Bigot, and Eudo
10728-474: The amount of reparation that should be payable in wergild . Many of the legalistic concepts were compatible; for example, the Viking wapentake , the standard for land division in the Danelaw, was effectively interchangeable with the hundred . The use of the execution site and cemetery at Walkington Wold in east Yorkshire suggests a continuity of judicial practice. Under the Danelaw, between 30% and 50% of
10877-428: The baron Walter Tirel, hit and killed William Rufus. Many conspiracy theories have been put forward suggesting that the King was killed deliberately; most modern historians reject these, as hunting was a risky activity and such accidents were common. Chaos broke out, and Tirel fled the scene for France, either because he had shot the fatal arrow, or because he had been incorrectly accused and feared that he would be made
11026-530: The birth of these children, Matilda preferred to remain based in Westminster while Henry travelled across England and Normandy, either for religious reasons or because she enjoyed being involved in the machinery of royal governance. Henry had a considerable sexual appetite and enjoyed a substantial number of sexual partners, resulting in many illegitimate children, at least nine sons and 13 daughters, many of whom he appears to have recognised and supported. It
11175-589: The brothers Æthelred and Alfred attempted to stop Ivar by attacking the Danes at Reading . They were repelled with heavy losses. The Danes pursued, and on 7 January 871, Æthelred and Alfred defeated the Danes at the Battle of Ashdown . The Danes retreated to Basing (in Hampshire ), where Æthelred attacked and was, in turn, defeated. Ivar was able to follow up this victory with another in March at Meretum (now Marton, Wiltshire ). On 23 April 871, King Æthelred died and Alfred succeeded him as King of Wessex. His army
11324-401: The churchman Roger of Salisbury . Robert attempted to go back on his deal with Henry and re-appropriate the county, but Henry's grip was already sufficiently firm to prevent this. Robert's rule of the duchy was chaotic, and parts of Henry's lands became almost independent of central control from Rouen. During this period, neither William nor Robert seems to have trusted Henry. Waiting until
11473-525: The city of York and surrounding area, before returning home. 1085 − Knut, now king, assembles a fleet for a major invasion against England. Informed of his planned crossing, William hurries back to England with a northern French army, and the Danish expedition is called off. Other than Eystein II of Norway taking advantage of the civil war during Stephen's reign , to plunder the east coast of England, there were no serious invasions or raids of England by
11622-402: The clergy; he promised to prevent royal abuses of the barons' property rights, and assured a return to the gentler customs of Edward the Confessor ; he asserted that he would "establish a firm peace" across England and ordered "that this peace shall henceforth be kept". As well as his existing circle of supporters, many of whom were richly rewarded with new lands, Henry quickly co-opted many of
11771-485: The coastlines of Britain and Ireland. In 865, instead of raiding, the Danes landed a large army in East Anglia , with the intention of conquering the four Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England. The armies of various Danish leaders had collaborated to make one combined force under a leadership that included Halfdan Ragnarsson and Ivar the Boneless , the sons of the legendary Viking leader Ragnar Lodbrok . The combined army
11920-402: The coinage in 1107, 1108 and in 1125, inflicting harsh corporal punishments to English coiners who had been found guilty of debasing the currency. In Normandy, he restored law and order after 1106, operating through a body of Norman justices and an exchequer system similar to that in England. Norman institutions grew in scale and scope under Henry, although less quickly than in England. Many of
12069-540: The conversion of communities of clerks into Augustinian canons, the foundation of leper hospitals , expanding the provision of nunneries, and the charismatic orders of the Savigniacs and Tironensians . He was an avid collector of relics, sending an embassy to Constantinople in 1118 to collect Byzantine items, some of which were donated to Reading Abbey. Normandy faced an increased threat from France, Anjou and Flanders after 1108. Louis VI of France succeeded to
12218-435: The count of the Cotentin. In early 1091, William Rufus invaded Normandy with a sufficiently large army to bring Robert to the negotiating table. The two brothers signed a treaty at Rouen, granting William Rufus a range of lands and castles in Normandy. In return, William Rufus promised to support Robert's attempts to regain control of the neighbouring county of Maine, once under Norman control, and help in regaining control over
12367-534: The count of western Normandy, in exchange for £3,000. Henry's lands were a new countship created by a delegation of the ducal authority in the Cotentin , but it extended across the Avranchin , with control over the bishoprics of both. This also gave Henry influence over two major Norman leaders, Hugh d'Avranches and Richard de Redvers , and the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel , whose lands spread out further across
12516-466: The county of the Cotentin. Henry was held there over the winter, but in the spring of 1089 the senior elements of the Normandy nobility prevailed upon Robert to release him. Although no longer formally the Count of Cotentin, Henry continued to control the west of Normandy. The struggle between his brothers continued. William Rufus continued to put down resistance to his rule in England, but began to build
12665-553: The couple became strained, and fighting broke out along the border with Anjou . Henry died on 1 December 1135 after a week of illness. Despite his plans for Matilda, the King was succeeded by his nephew Stephen of Blois , resulting in a period of civil war known as the Anarchy . Henry was probably born in England in 1068, in either the summer or the last weeks of the year, possibly in the town of Selby in Yorkshire . His father
12814-439: The course of his life; Henry had always taken an interest in religion, but in his later years he may have become much more concerned about spiritual affairs. If so, the major shifts in his thinking would appear to have occurred after 1120, when his son William Adelin died, and 1129, when his daughter's marriage teetered on the verge of collapse. As a proponent of religious reform, Henry gave extensively to reformist groups within
12963-453: The court from pillaging neighbouring villages, as had been the norm under William Rufus. Henry was responsible for a substantial expansion of the royal justice system. In England, Henry drew on the existing Anglo-Saxon system of justice, local government and taxes , but strengthened it with more central governmental institutions. Roger of Salisbury began to develop the royal exchequer after 1110, using it to collect and audit revenues from
13112-504: The daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland , in Westminster Abbey . Henry was now around 31 years old, but late marriages for noblemen were not unusual in the 11th century. The pair had probably first met earlier the previous decade, possibly being introduced through Bishop Osmund of Salisbury. Historian Warren Hollister argues that Henry and Matilda were emotionally close, but their union was also certainly politically motivated. Matilda had originally been named Edith, an Anglo-Saxon name, and
13261-439: The duchy, including Henry's lands. They nominated each other as heirs to England and Normandy, excluding Henry from any succession while either one of them lived. War now broke out between Henry and his brothers. Henry mobilised a mercenary army in the west of Normandy, but as William Rufus and Robert's forces advanced, his network of baronial support melted away. Henry focused his remaining forces at Mont Saint-Michel, where he
13410-399: The eldest son would inherit a title, was growing in popularity. In other parts of Europe, including Normandy and England, the tradition was for lands to be divided, with the eldest son taking patrimonial lands – usually considered to be the most valuable – and younger sons given smaller, or more recently acquired, partitions or estates. In dividing his lands, William appears to have followed
13559-472: The end of the prospect of a Northern Viking Kingdom stretching from York to Dublin and the Isles. 1002 – St. Brice's Day massacre of the Danes 1066 − Harald Hardrada landed with an army, hoping to take control of York and the English crown. He was defeated and killed at the Battle of Stamford Bridge . This event is often cited as the end of the Viking era. The same year, William the Conqueror , himself
13708-620: The evidence to support this theory is limited. By early 1101, Henry's new regime was established and functioning, but many of the Anglo-Norman elite still supported his brother Robert, or would be prepared to switch sides if Robert appeared likely to gain power in England. In February, Flambard escaped from the Tower of London and crossed the Channel to Normandy, where he injected fresh direction and energy to Robert's attempts to mobilise an invasion force. By July, Robert had formed an army and
13857-399: The existing administration into his new royal household. William Giffard , William Rufus's chancellor, was made the bishop of Winchester , and the prominent sheriffs Urse d'Abetot , Haimo Dapifer and Robert Fitzhamon continued to play a senior role in government. By contrast, the unpopular Ranulf Flambard , the bishop of Durham and a key member of the previous regime, was imprisoned in
14006-442: The guardian of the troubled Duchy. Henry inherited the kingdom of England from William Rufus, giving him a claim of suzerainty over Wales and Scotland , and acquired the Duchy of Normandy , a complex entity with troubled borders. The borders between England and Scotland were still uncertain during Henry's reign, with Anglo-Norman influence pushing northwards through Cumbria , but his relationship with King David I of Scotland
14155-410: The intent of intercepting Alfred should he flee from Guthrum's forces. However, they stopped during their march to capture a small fortress at Countisbury Hill, held by a Wessex ealdorman named Odda . The Saxons, led by Odda, attacked the Danes while they slept and defeated their superior forces, saving Alfred from being trapped between the two armies. Alfred was forced to go into hiding for the rest of
14304-417: The invasion force. The two armies met at Alton, Hampshire , where peace negotiations began, possibly initiated by either Henry or Robert, and probably supported by Flambard. The brothers then agreed to the Treaty of Alton , under which Robert released Henry from his oath of homage and recognised him as king; Henry renounced his claims on western Normandy, except for Domfront, and agreed to pay Robert £2,000
14453-427: The king. Henry's mother, Matilda of Flanders , was the granddaughter of King Robert II of France , and she probably named Henry after her uncle Henry I of France . Henry was the youngest of William and Matilda's four sons. Physically he resembled his older brothers Robert Curthose , Richard and William Rufus , being, as historian David Carpenter describes, "short, stocky and barrel-chested," with black hair. As
14602-472: The late ninth century. The term applies to the areas in which English kings allowed the Danes to keep their own laws following the tenth-century English conquest in return for the Danish settlers' loyalty to the English crown. "Danelaw" is first recorded in the early 11th century as Dena lage . The Danelaw originated from the invasion of the Great Heathen Army into England in 865, but the term
14751-406: The master-marshal was responsible for travel and accommodation. The familia regis included Henry's mounted household troops, up to several hundred strong, who came from a wider range of social backgrounds, and could be deployed across England and Normandy as required. Initially Henry continued his father's practice of regular crown-wearing ceremonies at his curia , but they became less frequent as
14900-478: The neighbouring counts around Normandy's borders, and King Philip of France was persuaded to remain neutral. Henry occupied western Normandy, and advanced east on Bayeux, where Fitzhamon was held. The city refused to surrender, and Henry besieged it, burning it to the ground. Terrified of meeting the same fate, the town of Caen switched sides and surrendered, allowing Henry to advance on Falaise, Calvados , which he took with some casualties. His campaign stalled, and
15049-399: The neighbouring territories, in particular Maine. Around 1110, Henry attempted to arrest the young William Clito, but William's mentors moved him to the safety of Flanders before he could be taken. At about this time, Henry probably began to style himself as the duke of Normandy. Robert of Bellême turned against Henry once again, and when he appeared at Henry's court in 1112 in a new role as
15198-545: The new king. Henry made concessions to the Church and reconciled with Anselm. He married Edith , the daughter of King Malcolm III of Scotland, who was of mixed Anglo-Scots heritage, and so garnered great favour with the Anglo-Saxons. She changed her name to the Norman Mathilda. However, the choice displeased the barons and earls. Henry needed to mollify the nobles and secure his throne. William II had issued
15347-574: The nobles that their liberties had been guaranteed over a century prior in Henry I's Charter of Liberties. Henry I of England , nicknamed Beauclerc, was the fourth and youngest son of William I ( William the Conqueror ) by his queen Matilda of Flanders . The name Beauclerc was given because Henry was well educated, being able to read and write Latin, and possessed a knowledge of English law and natural history. He had received 5,000 pounds of silver from his father, but no land holdings. He used this to purchase
15496-404: The officials that ran Henry's system were termed "new men", relatively low-born individuals who rose through the ranks as administrators, managing justice or the royal revenues. Henry's ability to govern was intimately bound up with the Church, which formed the key to the administration of both England and Normandy, and this relationship changed considerably over the course of his reign. William
15645-524: The pair worked closely together, combining to deal with Duke Robert's invasion of 1101, for example, and holding major reforming councils in 1102 and 1108. A long-running dispute between the Archbishops of Canterbury and York flared up under Anselm's successor, Ralph d'Escures . Canterbury, traditionally the senior of the two establishments, had long argued that the Archbishop of York should formally promise to obey their Archbishop, but York argued that
15794-594: The person of King Edward. 919 − Norwegian Vikings under King Ragnvald Sygtryggsson of Dublin took York. 920 − Edward was accepted as father and lord by the King of the Scots, by Rægnold, the sons of Eadulf , the English, Norwegians, Danes and others all of whom dwelt in Northumbria and the King and people of the Strathclyde Welsh. 954 − King Eric was driven out of Northumbria, his death marking
15943-544: The political hostages he was holding, and in North Wales Gruffudd ap Cynan threatened the power of the Earl of Chester. Henry sent three armies into Wales that year, with Gilbert Fitz Richard leading a force from the south, Alexander, King of Scotland, pressing from the north and Henry himself advancing into Mid-Wales. Owain and Gruffudd sued for peace, and Henry accepted a political compromise. He reinforced
16092-466: The population in the countryside had the legal status of ' sokeman ', occupying an intermediate position between the free tenants and the bond tenants . This tended to provide more autonomy for the peasants. A sokeman was a free man within the lord's soke , or jurisdiction. According to many scholars, "... the Danelaw was an especially ‘free’ area of Britain because the rank and file of the Danish armies, from whom sokemen were descended, had settled in
16241-576: The rebellion against William Rufus was safely over, Henry returned to England in July 1088. He met with the King but was unable to persuade him to grant him their mother's estates, and travelled back to Normandy in the autumn. While he had been away, however, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux , who regarded Henry as a potential competitor, had convinced Robert that Henry was conspiring against the duke with William Rufus. On landing, Odo seized Henry and imprisoned him in Neuilly-la-Forêt , and Robert took back
16390-638: The region. 902 − Essex submitted to Æthelwald . 903 − Æthelwald incited the East Anglian Danes into breaking the peace. They ravaged Mercia before winning a pyrrhic victory that saw the death of Æthelwald and the Danish King Eohric; this allowed Edward the Elder to consolidate power. 911 − The English defeated the Danes at the Battle of Tettenhall . The Northumbrians ravaged Mercia but were trapped by Edward and forced to fight. 917 − In return for peace and protection,
16539-407: The reign of Stephen, Henry I came to be known as the "Lion of Justice". The Charter of Liberties was a precedent for Magna Carta (Great Charter) of 1215, at the end of the reign of John of England . Henry I of England Henry I ( c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc , was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William
16688-440: The request of the King, who in any event abandoned the campaign and returned to England. Over the next few years, Henry appears to have strengthened his power base in western Normandy, visiting England occasionally to attend at William Rufus's court. In 1095 Pope Urban II called the First Crusade , encouraging knights from across Europe to join. Robert joined the Crusade, borrowing money from William Rufus to do so, and granting
16837-426: The revenues of his estates. Anselm threatened excommunication, and in July 1105 the two men finally negotiated a solution. A distinction was drawn between the secular and ecclesiastical powers of the prelates, under which Henry gave up his right to invest his clergy, but retained the custom of requiring them to come and do homage for the temporalities , the landed properties they held in England. Despite this argument,
16986-439: The royal exchequer and itinerant justices . Normandy was also governed through a growing system of justices and an exchequer. Many of the officials who ran Henry's system were "new men" of obscure backgrounds, rather than from families of high status, who rose through the ranks as administrators. Henry encouraged ecclesiastical reform , but became embroiled in a serious dispute in 1101 with Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury , which
17135-403: The south-west to attack Bridgnorth . His power base in England broken, Robert accepted Henry's offer of banishment and left the country for Normandy. Henry's network of allies in Normandy became stronger during 1103. He arranged the marriages of his illegitimate daughters, Juliane and Matilda , to Eustace of Breteuil and Rotrou III, Count of Perche , respectively, the latter union securing
17284-404: The steward, and Robert son of Hamo, and Robert Malet. At London when I was crowned. Farewell. William I had been a great admirer of the laws of Edward the Confessor . He had reformed many laws in an effort to make the law of Edward the common law of England while establishing a strong Norman rule and custom. During the entire Norman period, there was little legislation. Henry began his reign with
17433-469: The taking and holding of taxes, in reality, led to greater power of the crown. The direction of its chief minister, Bishop Roger of Salisbury , evolved the law for tenants in chief which became the harshest and most severe in Europe. This occurred silently, and placed precedent upon precedent. Early in his reign, Henry issued a writ declaring the county and hundred courts should be held as in the days of Edward
17582-462: The terror of every neighborhood. Henry made the measure of his own arm the standard ell . The drowning of his son, William , in the loss of the White Ship in 1120, led to the end of the Norman dynasty. Stephen of England claimed the throne in 1135. He was the last Norman king. His conflict with Henry's daughter Matilda led to The Anarchy . Plucknett describes the Charter of Liberties as
17731-505: The throne of Northumbria as a puppet ruler. King Æthelred of Wessex and his brother, Alfred , led their army against the Danes at Nottingham , but the Danes refused to leave their fortifications. King Burgred of Mercia negotiated peace with Ivar, with the Danes keeping Nottingham in exchange for leaving the rest of Mercia alone. Under Ivar the Boneless, the Danes continued their invasion in 869 by defeating King Edmund of East Anglia at Hoxne and conquering East Anglia. Once again,
17880-466: The time of William I, before it had been corrupted by William II. The promises made in the Charter could not be enforced. There is ample evidence that Henry I ignored them. The Pipe Rolls which came thirty-one years into Henry's reign indicate he had extended the power of the crown well beyond the limits set in the Charter. The establishment of the Exchequer , ostensibly to end corruption and fraud in
18029-483: The top of Rouen Castle and then, despite Conan's offers to pay a huge ransom, threw him off the top of the castle to his death. Contemporaries considered Henry to have acted appropriately in making an example of Conan, and Henry became famous for his exploits in the battle. In the aftermath, Robert forced Henry to leave Rouen, probably because Henry's role in the fighting had been more prominent than his own, and possibly because Henry had asked to be formally reinstated as
18178-653: The treaty, Henry set about inflicting severe penalties on the barons who had stood against him during the invasion. William de Warenne , the Earl of Surrey , was accused of fresh crimes, which were not covered by the Alton amnesty, and was banished from England. In 1102 Henry then turned against Robert of Bellême and his brothers, the most powerful of the barons, accusing him of 45 different offences. Robert escaped and took up arms against Henry. Henry besieged Robert's castles at Arundel , Tickhill and Shrewsbury , pushing down into
18327-421: The two episcopates were independent within the English Church and that no such promise was necessary. Henry supported the primacy of Canterbury, to ensure that England remained under a single ecclesiastical administration, but the Pope preferred the case of York. The matter was complicated by Henry's personal friendship with Thurstan , the Archbishop of York, and the King's desire that the case should not end up in
18476-421: The vows to formally become a nun, which formed an obstacle to the marriage progressing. She did not wish to be a nun and appealed to Anselm for permission to marry Henry, and the Archbishop established a council at Lambeth Palace to judge the issue. Despite some dissenting voices, the council concluded that although Matilda had lived in a convent, she had not actually become a nun and was therefore free to marry,
18625-457: The winter and spring of 878 in the Somerset marshes in order to avoid the superior Danish forces. In the spring, Alfred was able to gather an army and attacked Guthrum and the Danes at Edington. The Danes were defeated and retreated to Chippenham, where the English pursued and laid siege to Guthrum's forces. The Danes were unable to hold out without relief and soon surrendered. Alfred demanded, as
18774-430: The years passed. Henry's court was grand and ostentatious, financing the construction of large new buildings and castles with a range of precious gifts on display, including his private menagerie of exotic animals, which he kept at Woodstock Palace . Despite being a lively community, Henry's court was more tightly controlled than those of previous kings. Strict rules controlled personal behaviour and prohibited members of
18923-422: The “laga Eadwardii” Law of Edward the Confessor , as amended by William I, would be restored. The proclamation was made with the assumption that the barons would make the same concessions to their tenants as the king had promised to them. Plucknett is of the opinion that this good will probably did flow down the feudal chain. The Charter was not legislation, but rather a promise to return to the law, as it existed in
19072-576: Was William the Conqueror , the duke of Normandy who had invaded England in 1066 to become the king of England , establishing lands stretching into Wales . The invasion had created an Anglo-Norman ruling class , many with estates on both sides of the English Channel . These Anglo-Norman barons typically had close links to the Kingdom of France , which was then a loose collection of counties and smaller polities, only nominally under control of
19221-471: Was a member of the West Saxon royal family, being the niece of Edgar the Ætheling , the great-granddaughter of Edmund Ironside and a descendant of Alfred the Great . For Henry, marrying Matilda gave his reign increased legitimacy, and for Matilda, an ambitious woman, it was an opportunity for high status and power in England. Matilda had been educated in a sequence of convents and may well have taken
19370-476: Was besieged, probably in March 1091. The site was easy to defend, but lacked fresh water. The chronicler William of Malmesbury suggested that when Henry's water ran short, Robert allowed his brother fresh supplies, leading to remonstrations between Robert and William Rufus. The events of the final days of the siege are unclear: the besiegers had begun to argue about the future strategy for the campaign, but Henry then abandoned Mont Saint-Michel, probably as part of
19519-607: Was defeated by Harold at the Battle of Stamford Bridge , in Yorkshire . Then, three weeks later, William of Normandy defeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings , in Sussex , and in December he accepted the submission of Edgar the Ætheling , last in the line of Anglo-Saxon royal succession, at Berkhamsted . The Danelaw appeared in legislation as late as the early 12th century with the Leges Henrici Primi , where it
19668-482: Was described in the annals as the Great Heathen Army . After making peace with the local East Anglian king in return for horses, the Great Heathen Army moved north. In 867 they captured Northumbria and its capital, York ("Jórvík"), defeating both the recently deposed King Osberht of Northumbria and the usurper Ælla of Northumbria . The Danes then placed an Englishman, Ecgberht I of Northumbria , on
19817-686: Was driven out of Northumbria in 954. The reasons for the waves of immigration were complex and bound to the political situation in Scandinavia at that time; they occurred when Viking settlers were also establishing their presence in the Hebrides , Isle of Man , Orkney , Shetland , Faroe Islands , Ireland , Iceland , Greenland , L'Anse aux Meadows , France ( Normandy ), the Baltics, Russia and Ukraine (see Kievan Rus' ). The Danes did not give up their designs on England. From 1016 to 1035, Cnut
19966-455: Was generally good, partially due to Henry's marriage to his sister. In Wales, Henry used his power to coerce and charm the indigenous Welsh princes, while Norman Marcher Lords pushed across the valleys of South Wales . Normandy was controlled via interlocking networks of ducal, ecclesiastical and family contacts, backed by a growing string of important ducal castles along the borders. Alliances and relationships with neighbouring counties along
20115-485: Was given military training by an instructor called Robert Achard, and Henry was knighted by his father on 24 May 1086. In 1087, William was fatally injured during a campaign in the Vexin . Henry joined his dying father near Rouen in September, where the King partitioned his possessions among his sons. The rules of succession in western Europe at the time were uncertain; in some parts of France, primogeniture , in which
20264-539: Was in favour with the dying king. Henry was given a large sum of money, usually reported as £5,000, with the expectation that he would also be given his mother's modest set of lands in Buckinghamshire and Gloucestershire . William's funeral at Caen was marred by angry complaints from a local man, and Henry may have been responsible for resolving the dispute by buying off the protester with silver. Robert returned to Normandy, expecting to have been given both
20413-414: Was initially brought up in the Duchy. He was probably educated by the Church, possibly by Bishop Osmund , the King's chancellor , at Salisbury Cathedral ; it is uncertain if this indicated an intent by his parents for Henry to become a member of the clergy. It is also uncertain how far Henry's education extended, but he was probably able to read Latin and had some background in the liberal arts . He
20562-415: Was killed in a hunting accident on 2 August 1100. (Henry was present on this hunting trip.) With William dead and Robert absent, Henry claimed the English crown. Henry was immediately faced with three political problems. (1) The earls and barons did not accept him. (2) There was antagonism from the Church, especially Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury . (3) The native Anglo-Saxon population was not receptive to
20711-492: Was normal for unmarried Anglo-Norman noblemen to have sexual relations with prostitutes and local women, and kings were also expected to have mistresses. Some of these relationships occurred before Henry was married, but many others took place after his marriage to Matilda. Henry had a wide range of mistresses from a range of backgrounds, and the relationships appear to have been conducted relatively openly. He may have chosen some of his noble mistresses for political purposes, but
20860-548: Was not used to describe a geographic area until the 11th century. With the increase in population and productivity in Scandinavia , Viking warriors, having sought treasure and glory in the nearby British Isles , "proceeded to plough and support themselves", in the words of the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle for 876. Danelaw can describe the set of legal terms and definitions created in the treaties between Alfred
21009-408: Was only three years old and was released to the care of Helias of Saint-Saens , a Norman baron. Henry reconciled himself with Robert of Bellême, who gave up the ducal lands he had seized and rejoined the royal court. Henry had no way of legally removing the Duchy from his brother, and initially Henry avoided using the title "duke" at all, emphasising that, as the king of England, he was only acting as
21158-441: Was predominantly loyal and dependent on the King. Henry's itinerant royal court comprised several parts. At the heart was his domestic household, called the domus ; a wider grouping was termed the familia regis , and formal gatherings of the court were termed curia . The domus was divided into several parts. The chapel, headed by the chancellor, looked after the royal documents, the chamber dealt with financial affairs and
21307-538: Was resolved through a compromise solution in 1105. He supported the Cluniac order and played a major role in the selection of the senior clergy in England and Normandy. Henry's son William drowned in the White Ship disaster of 1120, throwing the royal succession into doubt. Henry took a second wife, Adeliza of Louvain , in the hope of having another son, but their marriage was childless. In response to this, he declared his daughter Matilda his heir and married her to Geoffrey of Anjou . The relationship between Henry and
21456-542: Was still going on when Henry I assumed the throne and entered into open conflict with Anselm. This conflict was moderated and ameliorated by the canon lawyer Ivo of Chartres . It was agreed that Henry could observe the selection of bishops, without interference. This accord was extended to all of Europe by 1122. The Concordat of Worms in 1122 did not last, but only changed the nature of tension between Church and State. The government of Henry I at Westminster became exquisitely effective. The mechanism of Norman government needed
21605-527: Was succeeded by Guthrum the Old. Guthrum quickly defeated Burgred and placed a puppet on the throne of Mercia. The Danes now controlled East Anglia, Northumbria and Mercia, with only Wessex continuing to resist. 875 − The Danes settled in Dorset , well inside Alfred's Kingdom of Wessex, but Alfred quickly made peace with them. 876 − The Danes broke the peace when they captured the fortress of Wareham, followed by
21754-442: Was taken prisoner, but Bellême escaped. Henry mopped up the remaining resistance in Normandy, and Duke Robert ordered his last garrisons to surrender. Reaching Rouen, Henry reaffirmed the laws and customs of Normandy and took homage from the leading barons and citizens. The lesser prisoners taken at Tinchebray were released, but the Duke and several other leading nobles were imprisoned indefinitely. The Duke's son, William Clito ,
21903-504: Was the first to arrive in Rouen in November. Violence broke out, leading to savage, confused street fighting as both sides attempted to take control of the city. Robert and Henry left the castle to join the battle, but Robert then retreated, leaving Henry to continue the fighting. The battle turned in favour of the ducal forces and Henry took Conan prisoner. Henry was angry that Conan had turned against his feudal lord. He had him taken to
22052-517: Was unwilling to side openly with William Rufus, or because Robert might have taken the opportunity to confiscate Henry's inherited money if he had tried to leave. William Rufus sequestered Henry's new estates in England, leaving Henry landless. In 1088, Robert's plans for the invasion of England began to falter, and he turned to Henry, proposing that his brother lend him some of his inheritance, which Henry refused. Henry and Robert then came to an alternative arrangement, in which Robert would make Henry
22201-446: Was weak and he was forced to pay tribute to Ivar in order to make peace with the Danes. During this peace, the Danes turned to the north and attacked Mercia, a campaign that lasted until 874. The Danish leader Ivar died during this campaign. Ivar was succeeded by Guthrum, who finished the campaign against Mercia. In ten years, the Danes had gained control over East Anglia, Northumbria and Mercia, leaving just Wessex resisting. Guthrum and
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