| Notes |
- Acceded:Westminster Abbey,London, Englan, 6 AUG 1100
HENRY I (1068-1135), a king of England, was the youngest son of William the Conqueror. He succeeded his brother William II in 1100. Henry married Matilda, daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland and his wife, Margaret, a member of the Saxon royal house of England. Thus, Henry gained the support of his Saxon subjects and strengthened his descendants' claim to the throne.
Henry promoted centralized rule and gave the royal courts greater authority. He seized Normandy from his eldest brother, Robert, in 1106 and later prevented Robert's son, William, from taking control of what had been his father's lands. After his own son's tragic death by shipwreck, Henry arranged for his daughter, Matilda, to succeed him. But when Henry died, his nephew Stephen became king.
5 Aug 1100 > 1 Dec 1135 = reign of Henry I of England. He was the youngest son of William the Conqueror. Nicknamed "Beauclerc" because he could read and write. He was a strong king and quickly took control of England when his brother William Rufus was Killed in the New Forest. When the eldest son, Robert came back from the Crusade he didn't manage to beat Henry and became Henry's prisoner until he died. Henry ruled England well. He married the daughter of the King of Scotland. They had two children: William and Matilda. Prince William was drowned in 1120. Henry made the Barons accept Matilda as his heir (to become Queen when he died). Matild's cousin Stephen was chosen to be king, this led to civil war and Matilda never became queen
Henry I (of England) (1068-1135), third Norman king of England (1100-1135), fourth son of William the Conqueror. Henry was born in Selby. Because his father, who died in 1087, left him no land, Henry made several unsuccessful attempts to gain territories on the Continent. On the death of his brother William II in 1100, Henry took advantage of the absence of another brother-Robert, who had a prior claim to the throne-to seize the royal treasury and have himself crowned king at Westminster. Henry subsequently secured his position with the nobles and with the church by issuing a charter of liberties that acknowledged the feudal rights of the nobles and the rights of the church. In 1101 Robert, who was duke of Normandy, invaded England, but Henry persuaded him to withdraw by promising him a pension and military aid on the Continent. In 1102 Henry put down a revolt of nobles, who subsequently took refuge in Normandy (Normandie), where they were aided by Robert. By defeating Robert at Tinchebray, France, in 1106, Henry won Normandy. During the rest of his reign, however, he constantly had to put down uprisings that threatened his rule in Normandy. The conflict between Henry and Anselm, archbishop of Canterbury, over the question of lay investiture (the appointment of church officials by the king), was settled in 1107 by a compromise that left the king with substantial control in the matter.
Because he had no surviving male heir, Henry was forced to designate his daughter Matilda as his heiress. After his death on December 1, 1135, at Lyons-la-Faret, Normandy, however, Henry's nephew, Stephen of Blois, usurped the throne, plunging the country into a protracted civil war that ended only with the accession of Matilda's son, Henry II, in 1154.
"Henry I (of England)," Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia copyright 1993-1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
Henry I was born in the year 1068---a factor he himself regarded as highly significant, for he was the only son of the Conqueror born after the conquest of England, and to Henry this meant he was heir to the throne. He was not an attractive proposition: he was dissolute to a degree, producing at least a score of bastards; but far worse he was prone to sadistic cruelty---on one occasion, for example, personally punishing a rebellious burgher by throwing him from the walls of his town.
At the death of William the Conqueror, Henry was left no lands, merely 5,000 pounds of silver. With these he bought lands from his elder brother Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, only to see them taken back again a few years later by Robert, in unholy alliance with his brother William Rufus.
Henry could do little to avenge such treatment, but in England he found numerous barons who were tired of the exactions and ambitions of their king. He formed alliances with some of these, notably with the important de Clare family. He and some of the de Clares were with William Rufus on his last hunting expedition, and it is thought that the king's death was the result of Henry's plotting.
Certainly he moved fast to take advantage of it; leaving Rufus's body unattended in the woods, he swooped down on Winchester to take control of the treasury. Two days later he was in Westminster, being crowned by the Bishop of London. His speed is understandable when one realizes that his elder brother, Robert [Curthose], was returning from the crusade, and claimed, with good reason, to be the true heir.
Henry showed great good sense in his first actions as King. He arrested Ranulph Flambard, William's tax-gatherer, and recalled Anselm, the exiled Archbishop. Furthermore, he issued a Charter of Liberties which promised speedy redress of grievances, and a return to the good government of the Conqueror. Putting aside for the moment his many mistresses, he married the sister of the King of Scots, who was descended from the royal line of Wessex; and lest the Norman barons should think him too pro-English in this action, he changed her name from Edith to Matilda. No one could claim that he did not aim to please.
In 1101 Robert Curthose invaded, but Henry met him at Alton, and persuaded him to go away again by promising him an annuity of 2000 pounds. He had no intention of keeping up the payments, but the problem was temporarily solved.
He now felt strong enough to move against dissident barons who might give trouble in the future. Chief amongst these was the vicious Robert of Belleme, Earl of Shrewsbury, whom Henry had known for many years as a dangerous troublemaker. He set up a number of charges against him in the king's court, making it plain that if he appeared for trial he would be convicted and imprisoned. Thus Robert and his colleagues were forced into rebellion at a time not of their own choosing, were easily defeated and sent scuttling back to Normandy.
In Normandy Robert Curthose began to wreak his wrath on all connected with his brother, thus giving Henry an excellent chance to retaliate with charges of misgovernment and invade. He made two expeditions in 1104-5, before the great expedition of 1106 on which Robert was defeated at the hour-long battle of Tinchebrai, on the anniversary of Hastings. No one had expected such an easy victory, but Henry took advantage of the state of shock resulting from the battle to annex Normandy. Robert was imprisoned (in some comfort, it be said); he lived on for 28 more years, ending up in Cardiff castle whiling away the long hours learning Welsh. His son William Clito remained a free agent, to plague Henry for most of the rest of his reign.
In England the struggle with Anselm over the homage of bishops ran its course until the settlement of 1107. In matters of secular government life was more simple: Henry had found a brilliant administrator, Roger of Salisbury, to act as Justiciar for him. Roger had an inventive mind, a keen grasp of affairs, and the ability to single out young men of promise. He quickly built up a highly efficient team of administrators, and established new routines and forms of organization within which they could work. To him we owe the Exchequer and its recording system of the Pipe Rolls, the circuits of royal justiciars spreading the king's peace, and the attempts at codification of law. Henry's good relationships with his barons, and with the burgeoning new towns owed much to skilful administration. Certainly he was able to gain a larger and more reliable revenue this way than by the crude extortion his brother had used.
In 1120 came the tragedy of the White Ship. The court was returning to England, and the finest ship in the land was filled with its young men, including Henry's son and heir William. Riotously drunk, they tried to go faster and faster, when suddenly the ship foundered. All hands except a butcher of Rouen were lost, and England was without an heir.
Henry's only legitimate child was Matilda, but she was married to the Emperor Henry V of Germany, and so could not succeed. But in 1125 her husband died, and Henry brought her home and forced the barons to swear fealty to her---though they did not like the prospect of a woman ruler. Henry then married her to Geoffrey of Anjou, the Normans' traditional enemy, and the barons were less happy---especially when the newly-weds had a terrible row, and Geoffrey ordered her out of his lands. In 1131 Henry, absolutely determined, forced the barons to swear fealty once more, and the fact that they did so is testimony of his controlling power. Matilda and Geoffrey were reunited, and in 1133 she produced a son whom she named for his grandfather. If only Henry could live on until his grandson was old enough to rule, all would be well.
But in 1135, against doctor's orders, he ate a hearty meal of lampreys, got acute indigestion, which turned into fever, and died. He was buried at his abbey in Reading---some said in a silver coffin, for which there was an unsuccessful search at the Dissolution. [Source: Who's Who in the Middle Ages, John Fines, Barnes and Noble Books, New York, 1995]
Henry I was born in the year 1068---a factor he himself regarded as highly significant, for he was the only son of the Conqueror born after the conquest of England, and to Henry this meant he was heir to the throne. He was not an attractive proposition: he was dissolute to a degree, producing at least a score of bastards; but far worse he was prone to sadistic cruelty---on one occasion, for example, personally punishing a rebellious burgher by throwing him from the walls of his town.
At the death of William the Conqueror, Henry was left no lands, merely 5,000 pounds of silver. With these he bought lands from his elder brother Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, only to see them taken back again a few years later by Robert, in unholy alliance with his brother William Rufus.
Henry could do little to avenge such treatment, but in England he found numerous barons who were tired of the exactions and ambitions of their king. He formed alliances with some of these, notably with the important de Clare family. He and some of the de Clares were with William Rufus on his last hunting expedition, and it is thought that the king's death was the result of Henry's plotting.
Certainly he moved fast to take advantage of it; leaving Rufus's body unattended in the woods, he swooped down on Winchester to take control of the treasury. Two days later he was in Westminster, being crowned by the Bishop of London. His speed is understandable when one realizes that his elder brother, Robert [Curthose], was returning from the crusade, and claimed, with good reason, to be the true heir.
Henry showed great good sense in his first actions as King. He arrested Ranulph Flambard, William's tax-gatherer, and recalled Anselm, the exiled Archbishop. Furthermore, he issued a Charter of Liberties which promised speedy redress of grievances, and a return to the good government of the Conqueror. Putting aside for the moment his many mistresses, he married the sister of the King of Scots, who was descended from the royal line of Wessex; and lest the Norman barons should think him too pro-English in this action, he changed her name from Edith to Matilda. No one could claim that he did not aim to please.
In 1101 Robert Curthose invaded, but Henry met him at Alton, and persuaded him to go away again by promising him an annuity of 2,000 pounds. He had no intention of keeping up the payments, but the problem was temporarily solved.
He now felt strong enough to move against dissident barons who might give trouble in the future. Chief amongst these was the vicious Robert of BellĂssme, Earl of Shrewsbury, whom Henry hhhhhad known for manyy yearrssss asss aaa dangerous troublemaker. He set up a number of charges against him in the king's court, making it plain that if he appeared for trial he would be convicted and imprisoned. Thus Robert and his colleagues were forced into rebellion at a time not of their own choosing, were easily defeated and sent scuttling back to Normandy.
In Normandy Robert Curthose began to wreak his wrath on all connected with his brother, thus giving Henry an excellent chance to retaliate with charges of misgovernment and invade. He made two expeditions in 1104-5, before the great expedition of 1106 on which Robert was defeated at the hour-long battle of Tinchebrai, on the anniversary of Hastings. No one had expected such an easy victory, but Henry took advantage of the state of shock resulting from the battle to annex Normandy. Robert was imprisoned (in some comfort, it be said); he lived on for 28 more years, ending up in Cardiff castle whiling away the long hours learning Welsh. His son William Clito remained a free agent, to plague Henry for most of the rest of his reign.
In England the struggle with Anselm over the homage of bishops ran its course until the settlement of 1107. In matters of secular government life was more simple: Henry had found a brilliant administrator, Roger of Salisbury, to act as Justiciar for him. Roger had an inventive mind, a keen grasp of affairs, and the ability to single out young men of promise. He quickly built up a highly efficient team of administrators, and established new routines and forms of organization within which they could work. To him we owe the Exchequer and its recording system of the Pipe Rolls, the circuits of royal justiciars spreading the king's peace, and the attempts at codification of law. Henry's good relationships with his barons, and with the burgeoning new towns owed much to skilful administration. Certainly he was able to gain a larger and more reliable revenue this way than by the crude extortion his brother had used.
In 1120 came the tragedy of the White Ship. The court was returning to England, and the finest ship in the land was filled with its young men, including Henry's son and heir William. Riotously drunk, they tried to go faster and faster, when suddenly the ship foundered. All hands except a butcher of Rouen were lost, and England was without an heir.
Henry's only legitimate child was Matilda, but she was married to the Emperor Henry V of Germany, and so could not succeed. But in 1125 her husband died, and Henry brought her home and forced the barons to swear fealty to her---though they did not like the prospect of a woman ruler. Henry then married her to Geoffrey of Anjou, the Normans' traditional enemy, and the barons were less happy---especially when the newly-weds had a terrible row, and Geoffrey ordered her out of his lands. In 1131 Henry, absolutely determined, forced the barons to swear fealty once more, and the fact that they did so is testimony of his controlling power. Matilda and Geoffrey were reunited, and in 1133 she produced a son whom she named for his grandfather. If only Henry could live on until his grandson was old enough to rule, all would be well.
But in 1135, against doctor's orders, he ate a hearty meal of lampreys, got acute indigestion, which turned into fever, and died. He was buried at his abbey in Reading---some said in a silver coffin, for which there was an unsuccessful search at the Dissolution. [Source: Who's Who in the Middle Ages, John Fines, Barnes & Noble Books, New York, 1995]
Update: from Queen's Official Web Site 8/10/97.
Henry I
After William's death while hunting in the New Forest in 1100, his younger brother, Henry I (reigned 1100-35), succeeded to the throne. By 1106 he had captured Normandy from his brother, Robert, who then spent the last 28 years of his life as his brother's prisoner. An energetic and decisive ruler, Henry centralised the administration of
England and Normandy in the royal court, and extended royal powers of patronage.
Reigned 1100-1135. Duke of Normandy 1106-1135.
His reign is notable for important legal and administrative reforms, and for the final resolution of the investiture controversy. Abroad, he waged several campaigns in order to consolidate and expand his continental possessions.
Was so hated by his brothers that they vowed to disinherit him. In 1106 he captured Robert and held him til he died. He proved to be a hard but just ruler. He aparently died from over eating Lampreys!
Additional Information:
Henry I was the youngest son of William the Conqueror. Henry was granted 5000 pounds of silver when William I died. He spent several years shifting loyalties from one brother to the other. This led to the brothers signing a mutual accession treaty to keep Henry from ever holding the crown. When Robert left on the crusade, Henry realized that William's death would result in his gaining the throne. William would later die on a hunting trip, but Henry's involvement is uncertain. Within 3 days of William's death he was crowned king. Robert headed back to Normandy to reclaim it from Henry, but by 1106 Henry had regained Normandy and Robert spent the rest of his life in prison.
Henry I married Eadgyth, who later changed her name to Matilda. Matilda had two sons and a daughter. One of the sons died early, and the other, William, died in the wreck of the White ship in 1120. Matilda died in 1118, and Henry remarried, but that marriage produced no children. Henry also had two illegitimate children: Robert de Mellent, Earl of Gloucester, and Sibylla, wife of King Alexander I of Scotland.
Henry gained his nickname, "Beauclerc," because of his education. Beauclerc means "great scholar."
During his reign, the church protested the king selling appointments to the clergy as a means of gaining money. Henry didn't do much about it until the pope threatened to excommunicate him in 1105. Following this, Henry agreed to stop selling the appointments, but still managed to maintain a deciding voice in the clerical appointments.
Henry I made the Norman barons swear allegiance to his niece, Matilda, as the future queen of England. This was doomed to fail, however, and Stephen of Blois would become the next king of England. Henry died in 1135.
Henry I and the Scottish Kings
The Scottish Kings. The Scottish and English monarchs had fought each other and now the Scots claimed territory as far south as Lancashire. This was the time of the great Scottish king David and it was under him that his nation reached the height of its powers.
King Henry thought David so important that it was his biggest ambition that the Scottish monarch should swear an oath of allegiance to England. Under David the Scottish courts became far more sophisticated and according to the chronicler William of Malmesbury 'rubbed off the tarnish of Scottish barbarism'.
In England the battle took place to make a woman monarch. She was Matilda, daughter of Henry I, who would become one of the most famous pretenders to the throne.
Her son, Henry would one day become king and it was he that would lead the great invasion of Ireland that began 800 years of struggles between the two nations.
Justice, Power and the Death of Henry
Henry I of England sailed for France and Rouen. His daughter, Matilda, had married Geoffrey of Anjou and had the first son, Henry who will be Henry II, Henry Plantagenet. Henry I was taken ill on his visit to France and died.
He had declared Matilda to be his heir but it was his nephew, Stephen I, who went straight to Winchester and then to London to claim the English crown. Many of the English noblemen did not want Matilda to be queen. Matilda however still had a claim to the throne and was supported by Robert of Gloucester.
So once again England was facing turbulent times.
===========================================
WAGES IN THE ROYAL HOUSEHOLD IN 1135
chancellor
five shillings a day
one lord's simnel loaf
two salted simnel loaves
one sextary of clear wine
one sextary of ordinary wine
one fat wax candle
40 pieces of candle
steward
as the chancellor
cook
three half pence a day
keeper of the vessels
three half pence a day
a packhorse with its allowances
scullion
customary food
usher of the turnspit
customary food
three half pence a day
carter
double food
a just allowance for his horse
master-butler
as the steward
master-chamberlain
as the steward
Porter of the king's bed
three half pence a day
one packhorse with its allowances
werer
double the customary food when the king goes on a journey
one penny a day for drying the king's clothes
four pence when the king bathes except on the three feasts of the year
watchman
double food
three half pence
four candles
two loaves
one tray of meat
one measure of beer
stoker of the fire
four pence a day for the fire
usher of the chamber (on each day the king travels)
four pence
keeper of the tents (when the tents have to be carried)
an allowance for a man and a packhorse
four marshals
eight pence a day
a gallon of ordinary wine
twelve pieces of candle
=================================================
More info;
The only child of the Conqueror to be born in England, he was also the only son to be born in "purple" as only two years previously William the Conqueror had become King of England. As the youngest child he was his mother's favourite and when she died she left him her English estates. It seems he had a good education, learning to read and write Latin as well as English and Law. In 1086 he was knighted by his father.
When his father died in 1087 his brother Robert received the Duchy of Normandy while William Rufus became King of England. Henry, having estates in both territories like so many other Norman Barons, had to keep in line with two overlords. When in 1100 William II Rufus mysteriously died, the very next day Henry was elected to succeed as King of England and on 6 August he was crowned in Westminster Abbey. His first act as King was to restore Anselm as Archbishop of Canterbury to be followed by a search for a bride. For his Queen he selected Edith of Scotland, daughter of King Malcolm Canmore and, more importantly, of St. Margaret of Wessex who was a descendant of the Kings of England prior to the conquest. In honour of the King's mother, Matilda of Flanders, Edith changed her name to Matilda. However, restoring Anselm did not assure peace in the kingdom as Anselm refused to do homage to the King, claiming to hold the church estates in the name of the pope. Anselm was then forced into exile but peace was restored only in 1107 when the King's sister, Adela, Countess of Blois, found a solution acceptable to both: bishops would pay homage to the king and the king would allow clerical investiture.
When Duke Robert of Normandy returned from a crusade he proved such a bad ruler that the Barons in Normandy revolted and asked for Henry's support. Robert was imprisoned and Henry became Duke of Normandy. Henry was a good diplomat and, even though troubles within Normandy and with France continued, he made a successful alliance when his only daughter, Matilda, married the Emperor Heinrich V in 1114. However, in 1119 his only son, William, went to the continent and married a daughter of the Count of Anjou. On the journey home their ship, "the White Ship", was wrecked and William with his entourage drowned.
As his wife had died in 1118, Henry waited until 1122 before taking a second wife in Adeliza of Louvain. Even though he had fathered two legitimate and probably nineteen illegitimate children, this second marriage remained childless. In 1126 he designated his daughter, the widowed Empress Matilda, as his successor; and in 1127 he selected Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, as her second husband even though he was ten years younger than the Empress Matilda. Henry travelled a great deal between England and Normandy and, on 1 August 1135, left England for the last time. He died 1 December 1135 at St. Denis-le-Fermont near Gisors. His body was taken back to England and buried at Reading Abbey.
GIVEN_NAMES: Also shown as Henry I "Beauclerc"
BIRTH: Also shown as Born Selby Yorkshire England.
DEATH: Also shown as Died Lyons-la-Foret near Rouen Normandy.
==============================
The Illegitimate Children of Henry I
Although he had only three children by his wife, Edith of Scotland, Henry I had more illegitimate children than any other British monarch, numbering twenty-four in all:-
(1) Robert of Caen, Earl of Gloucester circa 1090-1147
(2) Sybil circa1090-1122 m. Alexander I of Scotland, daughter of Sybil Corbet
(3) Reginald de Dunstanville, Earl of Cornwall c.1103-1175 son of Sybil Corbet
(4) William b. circa 1105 possibly the son of Sybil Corbet
(5) Rohese m. Henry de la Pomerai, possibly the daughter of Sybil Corbet
(6) Gundred possibly the daughter of Sybil Corbet
(7) Robert, d. 1172 son of Edith of Greystoke
(8) Richard c.1099-1120 son of Ansfride
(9) Juliane b. circa 1090 m. Eustace de Pacy, daughter of Ansfride
(10) Maud d.1120 m. Rotrou, Count of Perche, daughter of Edith, she drowned in the White ship.
(11) Maud m. Conan III, Duke of Brittany
(12) Alice m. Matthew de Montmoremci, Constable of France
(13) Constance m. Roscelin de Beaumont, Viscount of Maine
(14) Maud, Abbess of Montvilliers
(15) Isabel b. circa 1120 daughter of Isabel of Meulan
(16) Fulk, possibly son of Ansfride
(17) Gilbert b. circa 1130
(18) William de Tracy d. circa 1140
(19) Henry c. 1105-1157 son of Nesta, Princess of South Wales
(20) Sybil of Falaise m. Baldwin de Boullers
Henry had at least another three illegitimate daughters whose names have gone unrecorded.
|
1068 - 1135
Home
Search
Print
Login
Add Bookmark
[3, 4] 
: Address
: Location
: City/Town
: County/Shire
: State/Province
: Country
: Not Set
Find
Surnames
Bookmarks
Places
Dates
Cemeteries
Search People
Search Families
Photos
Documents
Histories
Recordings
Videos
Albums
All Media
What's New
Most Wanted
Reports
Statistics
Notes
Sources
Repositories
Contact Us
Individual
Ancestors
Descendants
Relationship
Timeline
GEDCOM
Suggest
= Link to Google Maps