(Jody Gray): Many of our ancestors were related to and/or in close association with many of the Norman Kings; as such, they participated in and/or were affected by the events and customs of the period they lived in. Following “Kings and Queens” gives us insight into the customs and historic events of the period they lived. I am enjoying learning history through my ancestors. I’m certain this will be an ongoing project and additional information will be added to this Blog Post.
References: One of my standard sources is Wikipedia; I also perform a lot of Google Searches.
http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/KingsQueensofBritain/ Historic-uk.com -Kings and Queens of England and Britain. (Jody Gray): this is a very good website, containing many links.
NORMAN KINGS. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_the_Conqueror Wikipedia... William the Conqueror, aka "William the Bastard" because he was the illegitimate son of Robert "the devil", whom he succeeded as Duke of Normandy in 1035, William (b. ca.1028 d. 9/9/1087) was the great-great-great-grandson of Rollo, 1st Duke of Normandy, a Viking who became the first ruler of Normandy, a region of France; offspring of Rollo became known as Normans.
William became the 1st Norman King of England; in 1066, after his victory at the Battle of Hastings on 10/14/1066. Refer to, Blog Post: Battle of Hastings aka Battle of Senlac, 1066.
http://historicalandmisc.blogspot.com/2016/11/battle-of-hastings-aka-battle-of-senlac.html
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| Bayeux Tapestry, "the Mora" |
In 1085 the Domesday Survey (aka "Domesday Book") began the practice of recording all the King's subjects in order to collect taxes and raise money to fund his army, etc. This created the need of a reliable (unchanging) family Surname (the male head of the family); these surnames usually began as a reference to the location of the family seat. (Jody Gray): such is the case of our de Wahull ancestors: 27th GGF, Walter aka Seirer de Flanders, de Seton (b. 1046 d. 1124), also came to England with William the Conqueror in 1066; his son, and heir (26th GGF), became Walter de Wahull, a Baron in Bedford. The Domeday Survey and the use of surnames provided much needed information for future historians and genealogists! William rewarded his supporters, both financial and military with land. His marriage to Matilda of Flanders provided him with a powerful ally, and he was able to arrange the appointments of his supporters bishops and abbots in the Norman church... (Jody Gray): William I. "the Conqueror" is related through his marriage to our 1st cousin 29x removed, Matilda of Flanders.
http://alchetron.com/Matilda-of-Flanders-796152-W Matilda of Flanders. (French: Mathilde de Flandre; Dutch: Mathilda van Vlaanderen). (b. 1031 d. 1083). She was the daughter of Baldwin V, Count of Flanders and Adele of France. As a niece and granddaughter of kings of France; she was a descendant of the Anglo-Saxon House of Wessex. She married William, Duke of Normandy, about 1053; it is said that the pope had to be "bought off", because their union broke the rules of consanguinity [marriage between people more related that sixth cousin was prohibited]. William is not recorded to have had any bastard children, unusual in those days. When William embarked on the Norman conquest of England, Matilda governed the Duchy of Normandy in his absence; even after William became King of England, she spent most of her life in Normandy; there were no major uprisings or unrest during her rule. She supported her brothers interests in Flanders and sponsored ecclesiastic houses. She had just one of her children in England; Henry was born in Yorkshire when Matilda accompanied her husband in the Harrying of the North.
Matilda was crowned queen of England, 5/11/1068, in Westminster, in a ceremony presided over by the archbishop of York. Three new phrases were incorporated to cement the importance of the English consorts, stating that the Queen was divinely placed by God, shares in royal power, and blesses her people by her power and virtue. She died in November 1083. She is entombed in Caen at l'Abbaye aux Dames. According to the Guinness World Records, Matilda was reputed to be 4'2", making her England's smallest queen; her incomplete skeleton was examined and her bones were measured to determine her height: the 1819 estimate was under five feet, while the 1959 estimate was 5' tall.
Children of Matilda and William
1. Robert III "Curthose", born between 1051-1054, died 2/10/1134. Duke of Normandy, married Sybil of Conversano, daughter of Geoffrey.
2. Richard, born ca. 1054, died around 1075.
3. William Rufus, born, between 1056 and 1060, died 8/2/1100. King of England, killed in the New Forest.
4. Henry I, born late 1068, died 12/1/1135. King of England, 1st wife, Matilda of Scotland, daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland. 2nd wife, Adeliza of Louvain.
5. Agatha, betrothed to Harold II of England, Alfonso VI of Castile, and possibly Herbert I, Count of Maine, but died unmarried.
6. Adeliza (or Adelida, Adelaide), died before 1113.
7. Cecilia (or Cecily), born ca. 1056, died 1127. Abbess of Holy Trinity, Caen.
8. Matilda, "daughter of the King", born around 1061, died perhaps about 1086, or else much later (according to Trevor Foulds's suggestion that she was identical to Matilda d'Aincourt).
9. Constance, died 1090, married Alan IV Fergent, Duke of Brittany.
10. Adela, died 1137, married Stephen, Count of Blois. Mother of King Stephen of England.
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrying_of_the_North Harrying of the North by William the Conqueror in the winter of 1069-70 to subjugate northern England. The presence of the last Wessex claimant, Edgar Atheling, had encouraged Anglo-Danish rebellions that broke the Norman hold on the North. William paid the Danes to go home, but the remaining rebels refused to meet him in battle, and he decided to starve them out by laying waste to the northern shires, especially the city of York, before installing a Norman aristocracy throughout the region.
At the time of the Norman Conquest the North consisted of what became Yorkshire, Durham, and Northumberland in the east and Lancashire with the southern parts of Cumberland and Westmorland in the west. The population of the north pre-conquest can be described as “Anglo-Scandinavian” carrying a cultural continuity from a mixing of Viking and Anglo-Saxon traditions; the aristocracy was primarily Danish in origin.
Writing about the Harrying of the North, chronicler Orderic Vitalis (in his Ecclesiastical History 55 years after the event) said: “The King stopped at nothing to hunt his enemies… To his shame, William made no effort to control his fury, punishing the innocent with the guilty. He ordered that crops and herds, tools and food be burnt to ashes. More than 100,000 people perished of starvation. I have often praised William in this book, but I can say nothing good about this brutal slaughter. God will punish him.” ...Food and livestock were destroyed… survivors were reduced to cannibalism… In 1088, Yorkshire and the North Riding still had large areas of waste territory, the Domesday Book entries indicate… a total of 60% of all holdings were waste… There was only 25% of the population and plough teams remaining and 80,000 oxen and 150,000 people fewer.
Mark Hagger suggests… we should not describe it as genocide as William was acting by the rules of his own time, not ours… Vegetius said “The main and principal point in war is to secure plenty of provisions and to destroy the enemy by famine.”
Having effectively subdued the population, William carried out a wholesale replacement of Anglo-Saxon leaders with Norman ones… one exception was that of Alan Rufus, a trusted Breton lord… by 1088 Alan was one of the richest and most powerful men in England.
In Scotland, Malcolm married the Athelings sister, Margaret in 1071. Edgar sought Malcolm's assistance against William. The marriage of Malcolm to Edgar’s sister profoundly affected the history of both England and Scotland. The influence of Margaret and her sons brought about the Anglicization of the Lowlands and provided the Scottish king with an excuse for forays into England, which he could claim were to redress the wrongs against his brother-in-law.
The formal link between the royal house of Scotland and Wessex was an obvious threat to William, who marched up to Scotland in 1072 to confront the Scottish king. The two kings negotiated the Treaty of Abernethy (1072) though which according to the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, Malcolm became William’s vassal; amongst the other provisions was the expulsion of Edgar Atheling from the Scottish court; Edgar submitted to William in 1074.
In 1080 Walcher, the Bishop of Durham, was murdered by the local Northumbrians. William sent his half-brother, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux north with an army to harry the Northumbrian countryside… Many of the Northumbrian nobility were driven into exile.
As a result of the depopulation, Norman landowners sought settlers to work in the fields. Evidence suggests that such barons were willing to rent lands to any men not obviously disloyal. Unlike the Vikings in the centuries before, Normans did not settle wholesale in the shire, but only occupied the upper ranks of society. This allowed an Anglo-Scandinavian culture to survive beneath Norman rule… The relative scarcity of Norman place-names implies that the new settlers came in only at the top rank.
The Normans used the church as an agent of colonization and, post-1070, founded several monasteries in the north… the Normans (also) increased the number of motte-and-bailey castles they built there.
From the Norman point of view, the Harrying of the North was a successful strategy, as large areas, including Cheshire, Shropshire, Derbyshire and Staffordshire were devastated… The object of the harrying was to prevent further revolts in Mercia and Northumbria…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_London. The Tower of London aka The White Tower, was built in 1078 by William the Conqueror. His reign was marked by the construction of castles, the settling of a new Norman nobility on the land, and change in the composition of English clergy. He did not try to integrate his various domains into one empire, but instead continued to administer each part separately. William I. died 9/9/1087, of wounds suffered at the siege of Mantes; buried at Caen, in Normandy, France. He had reigned as King of England from 1066-1087 (21 yrs). William’s lands were divided after his death: Normandy went to his eldest son, Robert, and his second surviving son, William, received England.
NORMAN KINGS. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_I_of_England Henry I of England. (ca. 1068-12/1/1135); was the 4th son of William the Conqueror. Reigned from 1100-1135 (21 yrs).
Background (preceding Henry I -his father’s reign) William the Conqueror became King of England, his lands stretched into Wales; rewarding his supporters with land, he created a Anglo-Norman elite with estates spread across both sides of the English Channel. These barons typically had close links to the kingdom of France, which was then a loose collection of counties and smaller polities, under only the minimal control of the king. Henry’s mother, Matilda of Flanders, was the granddaughter of Robert II of France, and she probably named Henry after her uncle, King Henry I of France... When William I died the rules of succession in western Europe at the time were uncertain; in some parts of France, primogeniture, in which the eldest son would inherit a title, was growing in popularity. In Normandy and England, the tradition was for lands to be divided up, with the eldest son taking patrimonial lands (the most valuable) and the younger sons given smaller, or more recently acquired, partitions or estates. William appears to have followed the Norman tradition, distinguishing between Normandy, which he had inherited, and England, which he had acquired through war. Robert, the eldest, despite being in armed rebellion against his father, received Normandy. England was given to William Rufus. Henry was given a large sum of money, with the expectation that he would also be given his mother’s modest set of lands in Buckinghamshire and Gloucestershire. After William’s death, his elder sons fought against each other over land and title. Later, William Rufus sequestered Henry’s new estates in England, leaving Henry landless.
In 1095, Pope Urban II called the 1st Crusade (attempts to capture the Holy Land -started as a widespread pilgrimage in western Christendom -when it was launched, 11/27/1095, by Pope Urban II, the primary goal of responding to an appeal from Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, who requested that western volunteers come to his aid and help to repel the invading Seljuk Turks from Anatolia. An additional goal soon became the principal objective -the Christian reconquest of the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land and the freeing of the Eastern Christians from Muslim rule), encouraging knights from across Europe to join...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Crusade 1st Crusade; list of commanders and leaders (familiar to me, as our ancestors): German, Baldwin of Boulogne. Southern French: Hugh I of Vermandois. Northern French: Stephen II of Blois; Robert II of Flanders; Robert II of Normandy. They were referred to as the “Belligerents”: Kingdom of France, Blois, Toulouse, Boulogne, Flanders, Kingdom of England, Normandy, Le Puy-en-Velay, Vermandois, Brittany, Republic of Genoa, Armenian Cilicia, County of Sicily, Taranto, Roman (Byzantine) Empire... Henry became King of England following the death of William Rufus, who had been shot while hunting -numerous conspiracy theories developed; modern historians reject these as such accidents were common during hunts… Henry argued that, unlike Robert, he had been born to a reigning king and queen, thereby giving him claim under right of porphyrogeniture [system of political succession that favors the rights of sons born after their father has become king or emperor, over older siblings born before their father’s ascent to the throne]... (a supporter of Henry I was Henry de Beaumont)... Henry made commitments to his subjects and the church… he rewarded his supporters with new lands… 11/11/1100, Henry (abt 31 yrs old) m: Matilda, daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland (a descendent of Alfred the Great) late marriages for noblemen were not unusual in the 11th century… she was said to be an ambitious woman and this was an opportunity for high status and power in England; she was educated in convents with the objective of becoming a nun and had to receive permission from the church to marry Henry… 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. Following the birth of her children, Matilda preferred to remain based in Westminster while Henry traveled across England and Normandy… Henry enjoyed a substantial number of sexual partners -as a result he had many illegitimate children (at least 9 sons and 13 daughters), many of whom he appears to have recognized and supported -kings were expected to have mistresses (it was normal for unmarried Anglo-Norman noblemen to have sexual relations with prostitutes and local women)... Loyalties shifted when Henry’s elder brother appeared likely to gain power in England… the Church emphasizing the religious importance of loyalty to Henry… the armies of Robert and Henry met at Alton, resulting in the Treaty of Alton: Robert released Henry from his oath of homage and recognized him as King; Henry renounced his claims on western Normandy, except for Domfront, and agreed to pay Robert 2,000 lb 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… the two brothers would campaign together to defend their territories in Normandy… Despite 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 (he joined Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy when he invaded England in 1101), was accused of fresh crimes, and was banished from England… Robert of Belleme and his brothers, the most powerful of barons, were banished and left the country for Normandy... Henry created alliances by marrying illegitimate daughters to influential men… he gave English estates and lucrative offers to key Norman lords… he accused his brother Robert of siding with his enemies… Henry had the support of most of the neighboring counts around Normandy’s borders, and King Philip of France was persuaded to remain neutral… there were invasions of Normandy… eventually Duke Robert was taken prisoner and ordered his last garrisons to surrender. Henry reaffirmed the laws and customs of Normandy and took homage from the leading barons and citizens. Robert and several other leading nobles were imprisoned indefinitely… Henry had no way of legally removing the Duchy from his brother, initially he avoided using the title “duke”, emphasizing that, as the King of England, he was only acting as the guardian of the troubled Duchy…
Henry inherited the kingdom of England from William Rufus, giving him a claim of suzerainty [a situation in which a powerful region or people controls the foreign policy and international relations of a tributary vassal state while allowing the subservient nation internal autonomy -the tributary enjoys some self-rule] over Wales and Scotland, and acquired the Duchy of Normandy with its troubled borders. The borders between England and Scotland were uncertain, with Anglo-Norman influence pushing northwards through Cumbria. Henry’s relationship with King David I of Scotland was generally good, partially due to Henry’s marriage to his sister. Normandy was controlled via various interlocking networks of ducal, ecclesiastical and family contacts, backed by a growing string of important ducal castles along the borders. Alliances with neighboring counties were important to maintaining the stability of the (Norman) Duchy. Political friendships were important during the 12th century; Henry mediated between friends and rewarded those who were loyal to him; he maintained an effective network of informers and spies, helping him removing his enemies until the “reconstructive baronage”, was predominantly loyal and dependent on the King... At the heart of Henry’s itinerant royal court (familia regis - “an intimate” - which embraces servants, confidents, and close associates)... The domus ( “domestic household”): The chapel, headed by the chancellor, looked after the royal documents (kings usually had a private chapel, in close proximity to their “castle”), the chamber dealt with financial affairs and the master-marshal was responsible for travel and accommodation. The familia regis included: mounted household troops (up to several hundred)... He constructed large new buildings and castles with a range of precious gifts on display… Strict rules controlled personal behavior and prohibited members of the court from pillaging villages…
Judiciary elements of Henry’s reign: He was responsible for substantial expansion of the royal justice system… Roger of Salisbury developed the royal exchequer used to collect and audit revenues from the King’s sheriffs in the shires. Itinerant justices began to emerge and more laws were formally recorded; revenue was expanded both from fines and from fees. The first Pipe Roll [a collection of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, or Treasury -early medieval ones are especially useful for historical study] that is known to have survived dates from 1130… Many of 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.
Relations with the church: 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 the Conqueror (Henry’s father) 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 and Anselm had gone into exile. Henry also believed in Church reform [in this case, reform refers to a structural (authoritative, governing) sense, not a “moral or ethical sense”], but on taking power in England he became embroiled in the investiture controversy -see, “boxed” information, below -Anselm of Canterbury Conflicts with King Henry I. -The argument concerned who should invest a new bishop with his staff and ring: traditionally 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, informed Henry that he would be complying with the Pope’s wishes; Henry was conflicted as he needed Anselm’s support in his struggle with his brother Duke Robert. When the situation escalated, Anselm was returned to exile and Henry confiscated the revenues of his estates. Anselm threatened excommunication, in July 1105 the two men negotiated a solution: a distinction was drawn between the secular and ecclesiastical powers of the prelates, under which Henry gave up his right in invest his clergy, but retained the custom of requiring them to come and do homage for the temporalities [secular properties and possessions of the Christian Church that were used to support a bishop or other religions person or establishment -it’s opposite description would be the spiritualities -in the Middle Ages, the they were usually lands that were held by a bishop, that were used to support him. The temporalities were often confiscated by secular rulers to punish bishops.], the landed properties they held in England... A long-running dispute between the Archbishops of Canterbury and York flared up under Anselm’s successor, Ralph d’Escures. Henry supported the primacy of Canterbury, to ensure that England remained under a single ecclesiastical administration, but the Pope preferred the case of York. Henry needed the support of the Papacy in his struggle with Louis of France… after the investiture dispute, the King 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; his chancellors, and those of his queens, became bishops of Durham, Hereford, London, Lincoln, Winchester and Salisbury. Henry particularly used Roger of Salisbury as an advisor, breaking the tradition of relying primarily on the Archbishop of Canterbury…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anselm_of_Canterbury#Conflicts_with_King_Henry_I Anselm of Canterbury Conflicts with King Henry I. Anselm is now famed as the originator of the ontological argument for the existence of God and the satisfaction theory of atonement. He was proclaimed a Doctor of the Church by a bull of Pope Clement XI in 1720 [papal bull: a type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, named after the lead seal (bulla); the term was not used until around the end of the 13th century, and then only internally for unofficial administrative purposes. It had become official by the 15th century -the majority of the “great bulls” now in existence are in the nature of confirmations of property or charters of protection accorded to monasteries and religious institutions. Modern scholars have retroactively used the term “bull” to describe any elaborate papal document issued in the form of a decree or privilege -solemn or simple.] Anselm, as archbishop, defended the church’s interests in England amid the Investiture Controversy. As a result of his resistance to the English kings William II and Henry I, he was exiled twice.
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Continental and Welsh politics, 1108-14: Normandy faced an increased threat from France, Anjou and Flanders after 1108. Louis VI succeeded to the French throne in 1108 and began to reassert central royal power; he demanded that Henry give homage to him and that two disputed castles along the Normandy border be placed into the control of neutral castellans… after some arguments the two kings negotiated a truce without fighting… Fulk V (also known as Fulk the Younger, was the Count of Anjou from 1109 to 1129; King of Jerusalem from 1131 to his death - http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=11784872 assumed power in Anjou in 1109 and began to rebuild Angevin authority -Fulk inherited the county of Maine, but refused to recognize Henry as his feudal lord and instead allied himself with Louis. Robert II of Flanders briefly joined the alliance before his death in 1111... In 1108, Henry betrothed his 8-yr-old daughter, Matilda to Henry V, the future Holy Roman Emperor. For King Henry, this was a prestigious match; for Henry V (of France), it was an opportunity to restore his financial situation and fund an expedition to Italy, as he received a dowry of 6,666 lbs from England and Normandy. Matilda was crowned Henry V’s Queen in 1110... Henry responded to the French and Angevin threat by expanding his own network of supporters beyond the Norman borders; Henry arresting or dispossessing some Norman barons deemed unreliable -he used their forfeited estates to bribe his potential allies in the neighboring territories. Rebellions broke out in France and Anjou between 1111 and 1113; Henry crossed into Normandy to support his nephew, Count Theobald of Blois. In a bid to diplomatically isolate the French King, Henry betrothed his young son, William to Fulk’s daughter Matilda, and married his illegitimate daughter Matilda to Conan III, the Duke of Brittany, creating alliances with Anjou and Brittany respectively. Louis met Henry near Gisors to agree a peace settlement, giving Henry the disputed fortresses and confirming Henry’s overlordship of Maine, Belleme and Brittany... Henry had conducted a campaign in South Wales in 1108, pushing out royal power in the region and colonizing the area around Pembroke with Flemings… Owain ap Cadwgan blinded one of the political hostages he was holding and in North Wales Gruffudd ap Cynan (ap means “son of”) threatened the power of the Earl of Chester. Henry sent three armies into Wales in 1114, with Gilbert Fitz Richard (Fitz means “son of”) leading a force from the south, Alexander, King of Scotland, pressing from the north and Henry himself advancing into Mid-Wales; later a political compromise was reached and Henry reinforced the Welsh Marches (fortified castles) with his own appointees, strengthening the border territories....
Rebellion, 1115-20 Concerned about the succession, Henry sought to persuade Louis VI to accept his son, William as the legitimate future Duke of Normandy, in exchange for his son’s homage. Henry crossed into Normandy in 1115 and assembled the Norman barons to swear loyalty… Louis, backed by his ally Baldwin of Flanders, instead declared that he considered William Clito the legitimate heir to the Duchy... When war broke out, Henry and Louis raided each other’s towns along the border… ca. 1116, Henry was pushed into the defensive as French, Flemish and Angevin forces began to pillage the Normandy countryside -there was an assassination plot from within Henry’s own household... Henry was defeated by Fulk and the Angevin army and forced to retreat from Alencon; his position deteriorated as his resources became overstretched and more barons abandoned his cause. Early in 1119, Eustace of Breteuil and Henry’s daughter, Juliana, threatened to join the baronial revolt... hostages were at first exchanged, later, both sides mutilated their captives -Juliana even attempted to kill her father with a crossbow, resulting in Henry disposing Eustace and Juliana from almost all of their lands in Normandy... In May 1119 he enticed Fulk to switch sides by finally agreeing to marry (his son) William to Fulk’s daughter, Matilda, and paying Fulk a large sum of money… Henry, later, surrounded Louis’s army in the Battle of Bremule; Louis and William Clito escaped, Henry returned to Rouen in triumph… In June 1120, Henry and Louis formally made peace on terms advantageous to the English King: William gave homage to Louis, in return Louis confirmed William’s right to the Duchy...
Crisis, the sinking of the White Ship, on 11/25/1120; Henry’s son and heir, Prince William was one of the passengers who drowned; leaving Henry with no legitimate son, his various nephews now the closest male heirs… In January of 1121, Henry I. married, Adeliza of Louvain, hoping for a new royal son…
2. (our 29th GGF) Thomas Fitz Stephen (b. 1058 d. 1120), commanded the “White Ship” aka "Blanche Nef" -known as the finest vessel in the Norman navy. On, 11/25/1120, the White Ship on route from Harfleur to England struck a submerged rock off Barfleur and sunk. Only one of the passengers and crew survived; of the nobility who perished were Prince William, the only legitimate son and heir of King Henry I. of England, half-sister Matilda, and his half-brother Richard. It was reported that Capt. Thomas Fitz Stephen, came to the surface after the sinking and when he learned that Prince William had perished, he let himself drown rather than face the King. This disaster left Henry I. with only one legitimate child, his daughter Matilda.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, wrote the ballad “The White Ship” 1st published in 1881. Following, are some excerpts that refer to Thomas Fitz Stephen, the commander of the White Ship.
“The White Ship” by Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Stout Fitz Stephen came to the King--
Stout Fitz Stephen came to the King--
A captain famous in seafaring;
And he held to the King, in all men's sight,
A mark of gold for his tribute's right.
"Liege Lord! My father guided the ship
From whose boat your father's foot did slip,
"When he caught the English soil in his grip,
And cried, 'by this clasp I claim command
O'er every rood of English land!'
"He was borne to the realm you rule o'er now
In that ship with the archer carved at her prow,
"And thither I'll bear an' it be my due,
Your father's son and his grandson too".
Quoth the King; "My ships are chosen each one,
But I'll not say nay to Stephen's son.
"My son and daughter and fellowship
Shall cross the water in the White Ship."
See also Tirry's Anglo-Normans; Strickland, I, 117; Hume I, 262, etc. Strickland says, (I, 116), that Thomas Fitz Stephen "demanded the honor of conveying the heir of England home because his father had commanded the Mora, the ship that brought William the Conqueror to the shores of England. His petition was granted."
A marriage alliance (with Anjou) disintegrates His son-in-law, Fulk demanded that Henry return Matilda and her dowry, a range of estates and fortifications in Maine. Matilda left for Anjou, but Henry argued that the dowry had originally belonged to him before it came into the possession of Fulk, and so declined to hand the estates back to Anjou. Fulk married his daughter Sibylla to William Clito, and granted them Maine...
In 1123, Amaury de Montford (who allied himself with Fulk) led a revolt along the Norman-Anjou border… Henry began the process of besieging the rebel castles, before wintering in the Duchy until spring when the campaign began again… Waleran was captured, but Amaury escaped. Henry blinded some of the rebel leaders -considered, a more merciful punishment than execution. Henry paid Pope Callixtus a large amount of money, in exchange for the Papacy annulling the marriage of William Clito and Sibylla on the grounds of consanguinity [the quality of being descended from the same ancestor as another person -laws of many jurisdictions set out degrees of consanguinity in relation to prohibited sexual relations and marriage parties or whether a given person inherits property when a deceased person has not left a will]...
After Empress Matilda’s husband Emperor Henry died in 1125, King Henry recalled his daughter to England the next year and declared he his successor if he died without a male heir... In 1127, Charles, Count of Flanders, was murdered -he had no children… Backed by King Louis, William Clito was chosen by the Flemings to become their new ruler -Henry felt Normandy was threatened by the event and began to finance a proxy war in Flanders [a conflict between two nations where neither country directly engages the other, frequently involves both countries fighting their opponent’s allies or assisting their allies in fighting their opponent]. In effort to disrupt the French alliance with William, Henry mounted an attack into France in 1128, forcing Louis to cut his aid to William; William’s death in July (1128) removed the last major challenger to Henry’s will and brought the war in Flanders to a halt. Without William, the baronial opposition in Normandy lacked a leader -peace was made with France, and the King was finally able to release the remaining prisoners from the revolt of 1123; Waleran of Meulan was rehabilitated into the royal court...
Henry rebuilt his alliance with Fulk of Anjou, by marrying his daughter Matilda to Fulk’s eldest son, Geoffrey... In 1129, Fulk left Anjou for Jerusalem, declaring Geoffrey the Count of Anjou and Maine. Unfortunately the couple did not particularly like each other and the disputed castles proved a point of contention, resulting in Matilda returning to Normandy later that year -in 1131 they were reconciled and Matilda gave birth to a sequence of two sons, Henry and Geoffrey. They urged Henry to hand over the royal castles in Normandy to Matilda while he was still alive, and that the Norman nobility swear immediate allegiance to her, giving the couple a more powerful position after Henry’s death. Henry declined probably out of concern that Geoffrey would try to seize power in Normandy... when rebellion broke out amongst the barons in southern Normandy, led by William the Count of Ponthieu, Geoffrey and Matilda intervened in support of the rebels...
Henry campaigned and strengthened the southern frontier; then traveled to Lyons-la-Foret in November to enjoy some hunting; it was here that he fell ill. When death appeared imminent, Henry gave confession and summoned Archbishop Hugh of Amiens, who was joined by Robert of Gloucester and other members of the court -preparations were made to settle Henry’s outstanding debts and to revoke outstanding sentences of forfeiture. Henry died 12/1/1135, his corpse was taken to Rouen accompanied by the barons, where it was embalmed; his entrails were buried locally at Port-du-Salut Abbey, and the preserved body was taken on to England, where it was interred at Reading Abbey... Henry I, reigned from 1100-1135 (21 yrs).
Historiography: Some Historians and chroniclers: William of Malmesbury; Orderic Vitalis; Judith Green (2006); Warren Hollister (2001); Martin Brett… Historians have drawn on a range of sources on Henry, including the accounts of chroniclers; including early pipe rolls; and surviving buildings and architecture… there are a number of royal acts, charters, writs, and letters -some of these have since been discovered to be forgeries, and others had been subsequently amended or tampered with. Earlier historians considered Henry as a cruel, draconian ruler. More recent historians view his implementation of justice much more sympathetically.... Henry’s burial at Reading Abbey is marked by a local cross, but Reading Abbey was slowly demolished during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th century… A plan to locate his remains was announced in March 2015, with support from English Heritage and Philippa Langley, who aided with the successful exhumation of Richard III.
Children of Henry and Matilda
Henry had numerous mistresses and illegitimate children (some of which he ‘recognized’ when he arranged their marriages for political reasons); this web-link lists them. In my family tree, I have included his two known legitimate children and three illegitimate children whose mother is thought to be Ansfride.
(legitimate) Children of Henry and Matilda (included in my Family Tree)
1.Matilda b. 1102 d. 1167
2.William Adelin b. 1103 d. 1120 (wreck of the “White Ship”)
Children of Henry with mistress, Ansfride
Juliane de Fontervrault b. 1090 d. 1136
Fulk Fitz Roy b. 1092
Richard of Lincoln b. 1094 d. 1120 (wreck of the “White Ship”)
Other References for King Henry I of England
http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ENGLAND,%20Kings%201066-1603.htm Projects MedLands, England, Kings. Includes the number and identity of the illegitimate children of Henry I.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Henry_I_of_England New World Encyclopedia. Henry I of England.
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NORMAN KINGS https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen,_King_of_England Stephen, King of England (c. 1092/6-10/25/1154) often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was a grandson of William the Conqueror. (his mother, Adela, daughter of William, married Stephen II, Count of Blois) He was also the Count of Boulogne in right of his wife. Stephen’s reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin, and rival, the Empress Matilda.
The early years of Stephen’s reign were largely successful, despite a series of attacks on his possessions in England and Normandy by David I. of Scotland, Welsh rebels, and the Empress Matilda’s husband, Geoffrey of Anjou… In 1153 the Empress’s son, Henry FitzEmpress (Fitz meaning “son of”), invaded England and built an alliance of powerful regional barons to support his claim for the throne. A battle ensued at Wallingford; (Stephen’s son, and potential heir, Eustace died suddenly) Stephen and Henry agreed to the Treaty of Winchester, in which Stephen recognized Henry as his heir in exchange for peace (passing over Stephens send son, William, who hadn’t reached the age of maturity).
Historiography. Much of the modern history of Stephen’s reign is based on accounts of chroniclers who lived in, or close to, the middle of the 12th century, forming a relatively rich account of the period. All of the main chronicler accounts carry significant regional biases in how they portray the disparate events -[names of some: Gesta Stephani, William of Malmesbury, Orderic Vitalis, Robert of Torigni, Henry of Huntingdon, and, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle)... those writing for the church, such as John of Salisbury, paint Stephen as a tyrant due to argument with the Archbishop of Canterbury; by contrast, clerics in Durham regarded Stephen as a savior, due to his contribution to the defeat of the Scots in the Battle of the Standard…
Historians in the “Whiggish” tradition that emerged during the Victorian period traced a progressive and universalist course of political and economic development in England over the medieval period. William Stubbs focused on these constitutional aspects of Stephen’s reign in his 1874 volume the Constitutional History of England. His analysis, focusing on the disorder of the period, influenced his student John Round to coin the term “the Anarchy” to describe the period… The late-Victorian scholar Frederic William Maitland also introduced the possibility that Stephen’s reign marked a turning point in English legal history -the so-called “tenurial crisis”... Modern historians vary in their assessments of Stephen. R.H. Davis’s influential biography paints a picture of a weak king; a capable military leader in the field, full of activity and pleasant, but “beneath the surface… mistrustful and sly”, with poor strategic judgement that ultimately undermined his reign. Stephen’s lack of sound policy judgement and his mishandling of international affairs, leading to the loss of Normandy and his consequent inability to win the civil war in England, is also highlighted… Keith Stringer argues that his ultimate failure as king was the result of external pressures on the Norman state, rather than the result of personal failings. Stephen, reigned from (1135-1154). (19 yrs)
Historiography. Much of the modern history of Stephen’s reign is based on accounts of chroniclers who lived in, or close to, the middle of the 12th century, forming a relatively rich account of the period. All of the main chronicler accounts carry significant regional biases in how they portray the disparate events -[names of some: Gesta Stephani, William of Malmesbury, Orderic Vitalis, Robert of Torigni, Henry of Huntingdon, and, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle)... those writing for the church, such as John of Salisbury, paint Stephen as a tyrant due to argument with the Archbishop of Canterbury; by contrast, clerics in Durham regarded Stephen as a savior, due to his contribution to the defeat of the Scots in the Battle of the Standard…
Historians in the “Whiggish” tradition that emerged during the Victorian period traced a progressive and universalist course of political and economic development in England over the medieval period. William Stubbs focused on these constitutional aspects of Stephen’s reign in his 1874 volume the Constitutional History of England. His analysis, focusing on the disorder of the period, influenced his student John Round to coin the term “the Anarchy” to describe the period… The late-Victorian scholar Frederic William Maitland also introduced the possibility that Stephen’s reign marked a turning point in English legal history -the so-called “tenurial crisis”... Modern historians vary in their assessments of Stephen. R.H. Davis’s influential biography paints a picture of a weak king; a capable military leader in the field, full of activity and pleasant, but “beneath the surface… mistrustful and sly”, with poor strategic judgement that ultimately undermined his reign. Stephen’s lack of sound policy judgement and his mishandling of international affairs, leading to the loss of Normandy and his consequent inability to win the civil war in England, is also highlighted… Keith Stringer argues that his ultimate failure as king was the result of external pressures on the Norman state, rather than the result of personal failings. Stephen, reigned from (1135-1154). (19 yrs)
He was succeeded by Matilda’s son, Henry II, the first of the Angevin kings aka Plantagenet kings (1154-1189).
Royal Heritage of Matilda of Flanders
Royal Heritage of Matilda of Flanders
Matilda as our 1st cousin 29x removed, is what I refer to as a “TWIG” -descended from an Uncle, a brother of a grandfather/mother; [She was descended from the powerful “House of Flanders” - Arnulf I “The Great” our 35th Grt-Uncle; son of Baldwin II “The Bald” Margrave of Flanders; his father, Baldwin I “Iron Arm” married Judith Princess of West Francia (our 36th GGP); who had been married to Ethelwulf, King of Wessex; she was a daughter of Charles “the Bald” King of West Francia and Ermentrude (our 37th GGP)]. Matilda married William of Normandy,who became the 1st Norman King of England. Their daughter, Adela (our 2nd cousin 28x removed) married Stephen II “of Blois”; their son, Stephen “of Blois” (3rd cousin 27x removed), became King of England, after the death of Henry I (son of William I.) -thus, through these marriages we are related to Kings and Queens.
Note: early rulers of France were referred to as “King of the Franks”
Matilda was the daughter of Adele aka Adelaide of France (our 30th GGM); the daughter of Robert II “the Pious” King of the Franks (our 29th GGF) and Constance of Arles. Adele m: Hugh “the White” King of the Franks (our 30th GGF), son of Hugh “The Great” King of the Franks (our 31st GGF), son of Robert I. King of the Franks (our 32nd GGF) and Beatrice of Vermandois (our 32nd GGM), the daughter of Herbert I, Count of Vermandois (our 33rd GGF); son of Pipin Count of Vermandois (our 34th GGF); son of Bernard King of Italy (our 35th GGF); son of Carloman (our 36th GGF); son of Charlemagne Emperor of the Romans (our 36th GGF)…
Our “bloodline” connection -Matilda’s Uncle (brother of Adele b. 1009), Henry I, King of the Franks, is our 28th GGF, making Matilda our cousin… through the marriage of Anne of Kiev and Anne of Kiev, we are connected to Russian and Swedish royalty…
Henry married. Anne of Kiev b. 1030, daughter of Yaroslav I “the Wise”, Grand Prince of Russia b. 978 and Ingegerd Olofsdotter of Sweden, daughter of Swedish King Olof Skotkonung and Estrid of Obotrites…
Blog Posts related to these people.
Blog Post: Lineage to Charlemagne, Emperor of the Romans
http://gray-adamsfamily.blogspot.com/2016/04/lineage-to-charlemagne-emperor-of-romans.html Pepin the Short (714)
Blog Post: House of Wessex and it’s Kings
https://gray-piperfamily.blogspot.com/2016/04/house-of-wessex-and-its-kings.html Egbert (775), King of Wessex…
Blog Post: Noble Family, House of Flanders. Counts of Flanders and Counts of Boulogne
https://gray-piperfamily.blogspot.com/2016/04/noble-family-house-of-flanders-counts.html Founder of House of Flanders, Baldwin I (830),
Blog Post: Lineage: Noble Family - House of Capet, also called the House of France
http://gray-adamsfamily.blogspot.com/2016/04/lineage-nobel-family-house-of-capet.html Henry I (1008), King of France… connections to Russia and Sweden…
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A review of our Fitz Stephen and de Wahull ancestors, who came from Normandy to England with William the Conqueror.
1. 30th GGF, Airard Fitz Stephen (b. 1036 d. 1085), was the commander of "the Mora", the ship that transported William to the battle. After William's victory and ascension to the throne, Airard received lands in Hampshire, Berkshire, and Warwickshire, as reward for his services -Airard commanded the "Mora" until his death -his descendants remained closely associated with the throne and influential officials of the papal church.
our de Wahull ancestors: 27th GGF, Walter aka Seirer de Flanders, de Seton (b. 1046 d. 1124), also came to England with William the Conqueror in 1066; his son, and heir (26th GGF), became Walter de Wahull, a Baron in Bedford.
2. (our 29th GGF) Thomas Fitz Stephen (b. 1058 d. 1120), commanded the “White Ship” aka "Blanche Nef" -known as the finest vessel in the Norman navy. On, 11/25/1120, the White Ship on route from Harfleur to England struck a submerged rock off Barfleur and sunk. Only one of the passengers and crew survived; of the nobility who perished were Prince William, the only legitimate son and heir of King Henry I. of England,
3. (our 28th GGF) Ralph Fitz Stephen b. 1090 d. before 1135; was the son and heir of Thomas Fitz Stephen, captain of the White Ship; the date of his death is unknown; in his 1904 genealogy, C. Ellis Stevens, states Ralph flourished in the reign of Henry I., who died 11/1/1135.
Evidently, he wasn’t a “noteworthy” individual, nothing else is known of him. xxx
