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As the fourth son, Henry was expected to become a bishop, and so had an excellent education. On the death of his father, his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, received Normandy, William Rufus received England, and Henry received only money. Thirteen years later, William was killed in an accident while Robert was on a crusade. Henry was present in England at the time, and had himself crowned several months before Robert returned to claim his rights. By that time, Henry had consolidated power, by bringing back the well-respected archbishop Anselm from exile, gaining the support of the church, and making other popular reforms. Robert's initial rebellion was repulsed, but after five years of conspiracies, Henry decided to remove the threat altogether and marched upon Normandy. He defeated and imprisoned Robert, and annexed Normandy to his dominions but later had to deal with similar rebellions by Robert's son William.
The most tragic event of Henry's reign was the death of his one legitimate son on a pleasure cruise. This left terrible succession problems which Henry attempted to solve by forcing his Baron's to accept his daughter Matilda as sovereign. This effort failed, and led to wide-spread civil wars after Henry's death in 1135.
Birth of Henry, fourth son of William the Conqueror | |
Death of William the Conqueror. Henry left money, but no land. | |
Falls from favor of both William Rufus and Robert Curthose. | |
Reconciled with William Rufus. | |
Present at death of William Rufus. Immediately crowned as king. | |
Robert Curthose attempts to claim the crown of England but is repelled. | |
Invades Normandy and defeats Brother at the Battle of Tichebray. | |
Annexes Normandy to his dominions. | |
Settled dispute with Anselm over Investiture | |
Repelled a Norman conspiracy led by the son of Robert Curthouse. | |
Death of Henry's son William on the 'White Ship.' | |
Death of his Norman rival, the son of Robert Curthose. | |
Died of food poisoning. |
Sons of William the Conqueror in | Fifty Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin |
White Ship in | Fifty Famous Stories Retold by James Baldwin |
The Loss of the White Ship in | Cambridge Historical Reader—Primary by Cambridge Press |
Henry I—The Story of the 'White Ship' in | Our Island Story by H. E. Marshall |
How the White Ship Sailed in | Historical Tales: English by Charles Morris |
Image Links | ||
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![]() Henry I in Cambridge Historical Reader—Primary |
![]() The wreck of the White Ship in Cambridge Historical Reader—Primary |
![]() The little boy knelt before the King and stammered out the story. in Our Island Story |
Robert III of Normandy | Eldest son of William the conqueror. Raised a rebellion against his father. |
St. Anselm | Archbishop of Canterbury under William Rufus and Henry I. Feuded with both kings. |
Son of William the Conqueror. A bad and brutal king. Killed in the New Forest. | |
Scottish wife of Henry I. Grandmother of Henry II. Patron and benefactor to poor of England. | |
Daughter of Henry I. Fought her cousin Stephen for the throne. Her son Henry II won the crown. |