William II 

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  • William II
    • Rebellions
      • 1088 Rebellion
        • Upon the death of William I, a rebellion ensued against the reign of William II
        • Typically, Kingdoms would go to the eldest son, which was William's brother Robert. The decision to void this by William angered many who preferred Robert
        • It was estimate that during the course of the rebellion, Robert has the support of 6 of the 10 most powerful barons
      • 1095 Rebellion
        • in 1095, a previously loyal vassal, Robert De Mowbray, ordered the plundering of a commercial naval squadron sent from Scandinavia. As a result, William demanded his presence at court to agree reparations for the fleet, which Robert refused to do
        • William in response marched an army north, ordering the storming of the tynemouth castle, capturing Roberts brothers in the process. This forced Robert to retreat to banbury castle, where William besieged him by building a second 'bad neighbour' castle to force him out
    • The Church
      • William was overall very hostile towards the church. He took an overtly aggressive stance and for the most part didn't work with them
        • However, William still expected help from the church
      • William promoted a policy of leaving see's vacant, so that he could retain power and reduce the amount of religious influence
        • Furthermore, by leaving see;s open, William was free to sell of positions within the Church (Simony), and to install relations to high positions (Nepotism)
      • William promoted Anselm of Bec to be archbishop of Canterbury. However, Anselm initially did not want the position, and was forcibly carried to the church. He eventually accepted the position so he could change the church in england
        • Unfortunately, concessions were not made as stipulated. There was much tension between the two, which culminated in his expulsion when he requested that he go and collect his Pallium.
    • William's Death
      • William's death in 1100 is regarded as suspicious, there are often four different ways considered he could have died
        • The final theory is that the misfiring of the Arrow was a genuine accident. Walter Tirel was a friend of his and had fought along side him in the Vexin region, and as such would have no reason to shoot him intentionally.
        • The French agreed for someone close to William, Walter Tirel, to kill him in revenge for his attacks on the Vexin
        • Another theory is that Henry I had William bumped off. Henry had only received money from his fathers plans to divide his estate, but his elder brother Robert was away at the crusades and returning home with his wife and son. By acting fast and having William killed, Henry could claim the throne before Robert
        • There are reports of supernatural activity. It is suspected to some degree that supernatural causes had a factor in his death, and perhaps God killed him, although this is naturally difficult to prove
    • William and France
      • Rufus was still heir to the throne of Normandy throughout all of his reign, thanks to the treaty of Rouen in 1091 and later agreement's in 1095 with Robert
      • Robert and Rufus had large scale disagreement over the claim to the throne, as typically the eldest son, in this instance Robert, would be the inheritor of the largest prize
      • William held large influence in Maine. A friend of Robert of Belleme, he helped to maintain Norman dominance of the region, whilst also helping to defeat the rebel Helias and Fulk of Anjou
      • William fought a series of two conflicts in the Vexin region in France. Claiming it was a justice for the injury his father suffered there years before, William mobilised in 1097, before quickly leaving to fight Helias in 1098. He returned in 1098, and saw little progress or fighting, before leaving the region

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