An Insight Into The Kings of England From William The Conqueror To King John

The purpose of this blog is to provide the reader with an insight into some of England's medieval kings. I have provided a quote from different medieval chronicles for each king. The quotes vary on what they discuss. For example, for William I, William of Malmesbury discusses The Conqueror's obsession with money and for William II, we look at the king's physical appearance. I hope the blog gives an insight into these remarkable men.

 WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR r.1066-1100

“ To scrape together money, William cared not how he would get it. He sought all opportunities to gain money. He would say and do almost anything, unbecoming such great majesty, where the hope of money allured him. For dread of his enemies, William would drain the country of money, in order to repel his enemies attacks”.

(Quote- William of Malmesbury).

William of Malmesbury is certainly not exaggerating when he says William The Conqueror feared English rebellions against his rule. The Norman king built literally hundreds of Motte and Bailey castles across England, in order to bring the country fully under his command.

WILLIAM II  r.1087-1100

“William Rufus was "well set; his complexion florid, his hair yellow; of open countenance; different coloured eyes varying with certain glittering specks; of astonishing strength, though not very tall, and his belly rather projecting." (Quote-WILLIAM OF MALMESBURY)

Whilst William II is a rather forgettable monarch, he certainly had an interesting physical appearance. 

 

HENRY I r.1100-1135

WILLIAM OF MALMESBURY : "Henry passed his early years in pursuit of the liberal arts, and so thoroughly imbibed the sweets of learning, that no warlike commotions, no pressure of business, could ever erase them from his noble mind, although he never read much openly, nor displayed his attainments except sparingly. His learning, though obtained by snatches, aided him in the science of governing”.

Henry I was the youngest of the four sons of William The Conqueror and his interest in learning is indicative of the fact he probably never expected to be king. Although one of his brothers died when Henry was only a toddler, his other brothers, Robert and William, were still ahead of him in the pecking order. However, circumstances could change rapidly in the middle ages and so it proved for Henry.

Stephen  r.1135-1154

“Stephen was a man of activity but imprudent, strenuous of war, of great mind in attempting works of difficulty, mild and compassionate to his enemies and affable.” 

Whilst these words, written by William of Malmesbury, may look fairly flattering but the reality was that Stephen was a weak man and a terrible king. What made his reign all the worse is that he was not the rightful monarch. The crown should have been that of his cousin Empress Matilda. And so his reign was described as being a time when “Christ And His Angels Slept”.

Henry II r.1154-1189

“In these early days (of his reign) Henry II paid due regard to public order and was at great pains to revive the vigour of the laws in England, which had seemed under King Stephen to be dead and buried”.

As this quote from William of Newburgh gives a small indication of, Henry was a proactive and energetic young man at the time of his succession. He was exactly what the country needed after decades of turmoil.

Richard The Lionheart r.1189-1199

“Since Richard had resisted his father and had done much to stir up the French factions that were hostile to the Normans, he had earned the disapproval of good and wise men. Now, as king, he sought to make up for all his past excesses by doing all could to show honour to his mother. He hoped that his obedience to his mother (Eleanor of Aquitaine) would atone for his offences against his father”. 

(quote-Ralph of Diceto)

Whilst Ralph’s comments make for a nice story, it’s doubtful Richard changed his behaviour towards his mother Eleanor in any particular way. He was Eleanor's favourite of the 4 sons she had with Henry II (who survived into adulthood) and the first thing he did as king was release Eleanor from the 15 year long captivity Henry had sentenced her too for her role in Richard’s and his brothers rebellions.

John r.1199-1216

“When John came to Sleaford, which he had taken from the Bishop of Lincoln during the war, his illness grew worse and he was carried on a litter to Newark, another castle of the Bishop of Lincoln, but which the king had taken possession of some time ago. Here, laid low by illness, he died on the 19th October 1216.)

(quote- Ralph of Coggeshall

Those words describe John’s final moments. He was a desperate man on the run, from his own subjects. John had been a selfish, greedy, at times cruel and often incompetent king. His death would have come as a relief to many although the trouble in England was not over yet. So bad had John’s reign been, that there was a foreign prince in the country trying to seize the English crown and John’s death didn’t deter that prince from continuing his quest.