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77-529: The English queen Matilda of Scotland received advice and help in the foundation from Anselm of Canterbury , the archbishop of Canterbury . The house was founded with clergy from St Botolph's Priory in Colchester , and the first prior was Norman, who was the queen's confessor. By 1115 the entire soke , or liberty of East Smithfield (including the ward of Portsoken ) was given by the Knighten Guilde to

154-503: A campaign led by Edgar Ætheling . The new king recognised William's authority over Lothian and attended William's court. William made two forays into Wales in 1097. Nothing decisive was achieved, but a series of castles were constructed as a marchland defensive barrier. In 1096, William's brother Robert Curthose joined the First Crusade . He needed money to fund this venture and pledged his Duchy of Normandy to William in return for

231-510: A convent, there was some controversy over whether she was a nun and thus canonically ineligible for marriage. During her time at Romsey Abbey, her aunt Christina forced her to wear a veil. Strong-willed, Edith was ready to fight for her status as a marriageable woman rather than staying in a monastery, despite the fact that her aunt insisted she "was a veiled nun, and that it would be an act of sacrilege to remove her from her convent." When Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury returned to England after

308-504: A council at Rockingham to bring Anselm to heel, but the archbishop remained firm. In October 1097, Anselm went into exile, taking his case to the Pope. The diplomatic and flexible Urban II , a new pope, was involved in a major conflict with Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV , who supported Antipope Clement III . Reluctant to make another enemy, Urban came to a concordat with William, whereby William recognised Urban as pope, and Urban gave sanction to

385-506: A defect of William's reign in particular. Of course, contemporary churchmen were themselves not above engaging in such politics: it is reported that, when Archbishop Lanfranc suggested to William I that he imprison the rebellious bishop Odo of Bayeux , he exclaimed "What! He is a clergyman." Lanfranc retorted that "You will not seize the bishop of Bayeux, but confine the earl of Kent." (Odo held both titles.) While there are complaints of contemporaries regarding William's personal behaviour, he

462-476: A few countrymen, including Eli who discovered the body. To the chroniclers, men of the Church, such an " act of God " was a just end for a wicked king, and was regarded as a fitting demise for a ruler who came into conflict with the religious orders to which they belonged. Over the following centuries, the obvious suggestion that one of William's enemies had a hand in this event has repeatedly been made: chroniclers of

539-406: A long exile, she sought him out to convince him that she had never been a nun. In fact, she had not only been forced to wear a veil, but her father had "ripped off the offensive headdress [...] and tore it to shreds" at sight of her being veiled. Professing himself unwilling to decide so weighty a matter on his own, Anselm called a council of bishops in order to determine the canonical legality of

616-499: A new archbishop for many years, appropriating ecclesiastical revenues in the interim. In panic, owing to serious illness in 1093, William nominated as archbishop another Norman-Italian, Anselm  – considered the greatest theologian of his generation – but this led to a long period of animosity between Church and State, Anselm being a stronger supporter of the Gregorian reforms in the Church than Lanfranc. William and Anselm disagreed on

693-464: A nun in order to protect her from the lust of William Rufus, which angered Edith's father because of the effect it might have on her prospects of marriage. The historian Emma Mason has noted that while during his reign William himself was never openly accused of homosexuality, in the decades after his death numerous medieval writers spoke of this and a few began to describe him as a "sodomite". Modern historians cannot state with certainty whether William

770-646: A payment of 10,000 marks, which equates to about a quarter of William's annual revenue. In a display of the effectiveness of English taxation, William raised the money by levying a special, heavy, and much-resented tax upon the whole of England. He then ruled Normandy as regent in Robert's absence. Robert did not return until September 1100, one month after William's death. As regent in Normandy, William campaigned in France from 1097 to 1099. He secured northern Maine but failed to seize

847-514: A political move made in order to win over the unruly Londoners who were vehement supporters of the Wessex Kings. Matilda had a great interest in architecture and used her considerable income to instigate the construction of many Norman-style buildings, including Waltham Abbey and Holy Trinity Aldgate . After her retinue encountered problems crossing the River Lea to get to Barking Abbey ,

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924-427: A portion of his lands. The two made up their differences and William agreed to help Robert recover lands lost to France , notably Maine . This plan was later abandoned, but William continued to pursue a ferociously warlike defence of his French possessions and interests to the end of his life, exemplified by his response to the attempt by Elias de la Flèche , Count of Maine , to take Le Mans in 1099. William Rufus

1001-436: A range of ecclesiastical issues, in the course of which the king declared of Anselm that, "Yesterday I hated him with great hatred, today I hate him with yet greater hatred and he can be certain that tomorrow and thereafter I shall hate him continually with ever fiercer and more bitter hatred." The English clergy, beholden to the king for their preferments and livings, were unable to support Anselm publicly. In 1095 William called

1078-488: A role in government as mediator to the Church, and led a literary court. She acted as regent when her husband was away, with many surviving charters signed by her. Matilda and Henry had two children: Empress Matilda and William Adelin ; through her daughter, she is the ancestor of all subsequent English and British monarchs. Queen Matilda was buried in Westminster Abbey and was fondly remembered by her subjects. There

1155-562: A stillborn child in July 1101. Some historians, such as Chibnall, have claimed that there was no pregnancy before the one with Empress Matilda "as it allows no time for a normal second pregnancy". Through Matilda, the post- Norman conquest English monarchs were related to the Anglo-Saxon House of Wessex monarchs. On 1 May 1118, Matilda died at Westminster Palace. Allegedly, three of her Anglo-Saxon ladies-in-waiting were so distraught by

1232-401: A war between William and his brother Robert, which would result in one of them being eliminated, thus opening the way for Henry to acquire both England and Normandy through a single assassination. Tirel fled immediately. Henry had the most to gain by his brother's death. Indeed, Henry's actions "seem to be premeditated: wholly disregarding his dead brother, he rode straight for Winchester, seized

1309-455: Is claimed to mark the spot where William fell. The claim that this is the location of his death appears to date from no earlier than a 17th century visit by Charles II to the forest. At the time the most popular account of William's death involved the fatal arrow deflecting off a tree, and Charles appears to have been shown a suitable tree. Letters in The Gentleman's Magazine reported that

1386-459: Is no longer used, but that probably referred to a location on what is now Park Farm on the Beaulieu estates. A memorial stone in the grounds of Beaulieu Abbey , Hampshire, states "Remember King William Rufus who died in these parts then known as Truham whilst hunting on 2nd August 1100". The king's body was abandoned by the nobles at the place where he fell. An arrow maker, Eli Parratt, later found

1463-609: Is not absolutely certain, but four sisters are more securely attested: Records indicate strained relations between the three surviving sons of William I. William's contemporary, chronicler Orderic Vitalis , wrote about an incident that took place at L'Aigle in Normandy in 1077 or 1078: William and Henry, having grown bored with casting dice, decided to make mischief by emptying a chamber pot onto their brother Robert from an upper gallery, thus infuriating and shaming him. A brawl broke out, and their father had to intercede to restore order. According to William of Malmesbury , writing in

1540-592: Is not known, but according to Frank Barlow it occurred by 1060. He was the third of four sons born to William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders , the eldest being Robert Curthose , the second Richard , and the youngest Henry . Richard died around 1075 while hunting in the New Forest . William succeeded to the throne of England on his father's death in 1087, but Robert inherited Normandy. William had five or six sisters. The existence of sisters Adeliza and Matilda

1617-501: The Bible . It is presumed Edith learned financial management and geometry as well. During her stay at Romsey and later at Wilton Abbey , the still 13-year-old Edith was much sought-after as a bride, with Hériman of Tournai claiming that even King William II of England considered marrying her. She refused proposals from William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey , and Alan Rufus, Lord of Richmond . However, her parents betrothed Edith to

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1694-572: The Bishop of Salisbury , ordering that "the daughter of the late King of Scotland be returned to the monastery that she had left". Edith did not return to Wilton, however, and is largely unaccounted for in chronicles until 1100. As her home in Scotland was held by her uncle, it is possible, likely even, that Edith joined her brothers at the English court of William Rufus, who supported her brother Edgar in assuming

1771-488: The English Channel . Since the younger William and his brother Robert were natural rivals, these nobles worried that they could not hope to please both of their lords, and thus ran the risk of losing the favour of one ruler or the other, or both. The only solution, as they saw it, was to unite England and Normandy once more under one ruler. The pursuit of this aim led them to revolt against William in favour of Robert in

1848-547: The English investiture controversy of 1103–07 , Matilda acted as intercessor between King Henry and Archbishop Anselm. She wrote several letters during Anselm's absence, first asking him for advice and to return, but later increasingly to mediate. With the Queen's help, the issue was resolved through a compromise solution in 1105: the King gave up the right to pick and invest his own bishops, but

1925-628: The Norman conquest of England in derision of their more rustic style, especially when compared to William II's flamboyance. Despite this, Matilda's court at Westminster was filled with poets. She was known as a patron of the arts, especially music. Acting as regent of England during her husband's frequent absences for military campaigns in Normandy and France , Queen Matilda was the designated head of King Henry's court. She went on travels around England and probably visited Normandy in 1106–1107. During

2002-520: The Rebellion of 1088 , under the leadership of the powerful Bishop Odo of Bayeux , who was a half-brother of William the Conqueror. As Robert failed to appear in England to rally his supporters, William won the support of the English with silver and promises of better government, and defeated the rebellion, thus securing his authority. In 1091 he invaded Normandy, crushing Robert's forces and forcing him to cede

2079-402: The 12th century, 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." The division of William the Conqueror's lands into two parts upon his death presented a dilemma for those nobles who held land on both sides of

2156-529: The Anglo-Norman ecclesiastical status quo . Anselm remained in exile, and William was able to claim the revenues of the archbishop of Canterbury to the end of his reign. However, this conflict was symptomatic of medieval English politics, as exemplified by the murder of Thomas Becket during the reign of the later Plantagenet king Henry II (his great-nephew through his brother Henry) and Henry VIII 's actions centuries later, and as such should not be seen as

2233-663: The Anglo-Saxon princess Margaret of Wessex , Matilda was educated at a convent in southern England, where her aunt Christina was abbess and forced her to wear a veil. In 1093, Matilda was engaged to an English nobleman until her father and her brother Edward were killed in the Battle of Alnwick in 1093. Her uncle Donald III seized the throne of Scotland, triggering a messy succession conflict. England opposed King Donald and supported first her half-brother Duncan II as king of Scotland, and after his death, her brother Edgar , who assumed

2310-475: The Church agreed that he could receive homage from the bishops for the temporal lands the Church held in his domains. Matilda had a small dower but it did incorporate lordship rights, which allowed her to administer her properties. Most of her dower estates were granted from lands previously held by Edith of Wessex . Additionally, King Henry made numerous grants to the Queen, including substantial property in London,

2387-555: The Conqueror , he is commonly referred to as William Rufus ( Rufus being Latin for "the Red"), perhaps because of his ruddy appearance or, more likely, due to having red hair. William was a figure of complex temperament, capable of both bellicosity and flamboyance. He did not marry nor have children, which – along with contemporary accounts – has led some historians to speculate on homosexuality or bisexuality . He died after being hit by an arrow while hunting. Circumstantial evidence in

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2464-659: The English and help to reconcile the Normans and Anglo-Saxons. Edith was a great-granddaughter of Edmund Ironside from the royal family of Wessex , in their heirs, the two factions would be united, further unifying the new regime. Another benefit was that England and Scotland became politically closer; three of her brothers became kings of Scotland in succession and were unusually friendly towards England: Alexander I married Sybilla , one of Henry I's illegitimate daughters, and David I lived at Henry's court for some time before his accession. Because Edith had spent much of her life in

2541-572: The English monarchy. If he was less effective than his father in containing the Norman lords' propensity for rebellion and violence, through charisma or political skills, he was forceful in overcoming the consequences. In 1095, Robert de Mowbray , the earl of Northumbria , refused to attend the Curia Regis , the thrice-annual court where the King announced his governmental decisions to the great lords. William led an army against Robert and defeated him. Robert

2618-648: The French-controlled part of the Vexin region. According to William of Malmesbury he was planning to invade the Duchy of Aquitaine at the time of his death. William went hunting on 2 August 1100 in the New Forest , probably near Brockenhurst , and was killed by an arrow through the lung, although the circumstances remain unclear. The earliest statement of the event was in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , which noted that

2695-400: The Queen built the first arched bridge in England at Stratford-le-Bow , with a causeway across the marshes . Like her mother, Matilda was renowned for her devotion to the poor, building public lavatories at Queenhithe and a bathhouse with piped-in water. She exhibited a particular interest in leprosy , founding at least two leper hospitals, including the institution that later became

2772-514: The Queen's death that they immediately became nuns. She would have liked to have been buried at Holy Trinity, Aldgate, but King Henry asked for her to be buried at Westminster Abbey near Edward the Confessor. The inscription on her tomb reads: "Here lies the renowned queen Matilda the second, excelling both young and old of her day. She was for everyone the benchmark of morals and the ornament of life." The death of Matilda's son, William Adelin, in

2849-667: The Rufus Stone reads: Here stood the Oak Tree, on which an arrow shot by Sir Walter Tyrrell at a Stag, glanced and struck King William the Second, surnamed Rufus, on the breast, of which he instantly died, on the second day of August, anno 1100. That the spot where an Event so Memorable might not hereafter be forgotten; the enclosed stone was set up by John Lord Delaware who had seen the Tree growing in this place. This Stone having been much mutilated, and

2926-449: The Welsh chronicles claim that Henry was able to succeed to the throne because his brother had made use of concubines and thus died childless, although no illegitimate offspring are named. Barlow also allows that William may have been sterile. Noting that no " favourites " were identified, and that William's "baronial friends and companions were mostly married men", despite having concluded that

3003-502: The behaviour of those around him – including his younger brother Henry I – raises strong, but unproven, suspicions of murder. Henry I hurriedly succeeded him as king. Historian Frank Barlow observed William was "[a] rumbustious, devil-may-care soldier, without natural dignity or social graces, with no cultivated tastes and little show of conventional religious piety or morality – indeed, according to his critics, addicted to every kind of vice, particularly lust and especially sodomy." On

3080-471: The body. William's younger brother, Henry , hastened to Winchester to secure the royal treasury (initially defended by the Norman St William of Breteuil in deference to the claims of Duke Robert), then to London, where he was crowned within days before either archbishop could arrive. William of Malmesbury , in his account of William's death, stated that the body was taken to Winchester Cathedral by

3157-536: The church of Holy Trinity within Aldgate. The prior of the abbey was then to sit as an ex officio Alderman of London. Matilda of Boulogne continued the close relationship between queenship and the priory. Two of her children were buried here and she took the prior as her confessor. In the 12th century the priory had a reputation as a centre of learning under Prior Peter of Cornwall . Holy Trinity Priory in London, commended to St Botolph's Priory by Matilda of Scotland,

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3234-510: The disaster of the White Ship (November 1120) and her widower's failure to produce a legitimate son from his second marriage led to the succession crisis and, as a consequence, a long civil war . During his reign, Stephen of Blois insisted that Queen Matilda had in fact been a nun and that her daughter, Empress Matilda, was therefore not a legitimate successor to the English throne . Queen Matilda's reputation considerably improved throughout

3311-427: The feet and kissing the hands of the sick. Queen Matilda was patroness of the monk Bendeit's version of The Voyage of Saint Brendan , written around 1106–1118. She also commissioned the monk Thurgot of Durham, to write a biography of her mother, Saint Margaret. While Henry had numerous illegitimate children by various mistresses, he and Matilda had two children who reached adulthood: The couple may have also had

3388-467: The importance of piety. When about six years old, Edith and her younger sister Mary were sent to be educated at Romsey Abbey , in southern England, where their maternal aunt Christina was abbess. Their studies went beyond the standard feminine pursuits of the time, which was not surprising since their mother was a great lover of books. The princesses learned the English , French , and Latin languages, enabling them to read St. Augustine 's works and

3465-458: The inscriptions on each of its three sides defaced, this more Durable Memorial, with the original inscriptions, was erected in the year 1841, by Wm [William] Sturges Bourne Warden. King William the Second, surnamed Rufus being slain, as before related, was laid in a cart, belonging to one Purkis, and drawn from hence, to Winchester, and buried in the Cathedral Church, of that City. William

3542-454: The king was "shot by an arrow by one of his own men." Later chroniclers added the name of the killer, a nobleman named Walter Tirel , although the description of events was later embroidered with other details that may or may not be true. The first mention of any location more exact than the New Forest comes from John Leland , who wrote in 1530 that William died at Thorougham, a placename that

3619-510: The latter in 1093. Before the marriage could take place, both her father and older brother Edward were killed at the Battle of Alnwick in November 1093. Upon hearing of the death of both her husband and her son, Queen Margaret died on 16 November. Edith's paternal uncle Donald usurped the throne of Scotland, and her surviving brothers, Edgar, Alexander, and David, were sent to England to the court of King William II for safety. Shortly afterwards,

3696-408: The orphan princess was abandoned by her betrothed, who eloped with Gunhild of Wessex , a daughter of Harold Godwinson . Alan Rufus died, however, before marrying Gunhild. Around this time, possibly due to the succession conflict in Scotland between her uncle Donald III, her half-brother Duncan II and her brother Edgar , Edith left the monastery. In 1093, Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury wrote to

3773-470: The other hand, he was a wise ruler and victorious general. Barlow noted, "His chivalrous virtues and achievements were all too obvious. He had maintained good order and satisfactory justice in England and restored good peace to Normandy. He had extended Anglo-Norman rule in Wales, brought Scotland firmly under his lordship, recovered Maine , and kept up the pressure on the Vexin ." William's exact date of birth

3850-496: The parish church of St Giles-in-the-Fields . In late 1108 or early 1109, King Henry V of Germany sent envoys to Henry I proposing a marriage alliance between himself and the King's daughter Matilda. He also wrote separately to Queen Matilda on the same matter. The match was attractive to the English king: by marrying his daughter to one of the most prestigious monarchs in Europe, it would reaffirm his own, slightly dubious, status as

3927-483: The proposed marriage and ordered two inquiries at Wilton to get first-hand information on the matter. Edith testified that she had never taken holy vows, insisting that her parents had sent her to England for educational purposes and her aunt had veiled her to protect her "from the lust of the Normans ," but she had pulled the veil off and stamped on it, which made her aunt beat and scold her. The council concluded that Edith

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4004-481: The realm, rendering him relatively impervious to papal condemnation. In 1097 he commenced the original Westminster Hall , built "to impress his subjects with the power and majesty of his authority". Less than two years after becoming king, William II lost his father's adviser and confidant, the Italian-Norman Lanfranc , Archbishop of Canterbury . After Lanfranc's death in 1089, the king delayed appointing

4081-505: The reign of her grandson Henry II , but she was remembered to a continuously lesser extent between the late 13th and 14th centuries. William Rufus William II ( Anglo-Norman : Williame ; c.  1057 – 2 August 1100) was King of England from 26 September 1087 until his death in 1100, with powers over Normandy and influence in Scotland . He was less successful in extending control into Wales . The third son of William

4158-561: The revised Monasticon . The priors of this house include: 51°30′49″N 0°04′41″W  /  51.5136°N 0.0780°W  / 51.5136; -0.0780 Matilda of Scotland Matilda of Scotland (originally christened Edith , 1080 – 1 May 1118), also known as Good Queen Maud , was Queen of England and Duchess of Normandy as the first wife of King Henry I . She acted as regent of England on several occasions during Henry's absences: in 1104, 1107, 1108, and 1111. Daughter of King Malcolm III of Scotland and

4235-415: The theory is not universally accepted. Barlow says that accidents were common and there is not enough hard evidence to prove murder. Bartlett notes that hunting was dangerous. Poole says the facts "look ugly" and "seem to suggest a plot." John Gillingham points out that if Henry had planned to murder William it would have been in his interest to wait until a later time. It looked as though there would soon be

4312-481: The throne in 1097. Henry I succeeded his brother William Rufus as king of England in 1100 and quickly proposed marriage to Matilda due to her descent from the Anglo-Saxon House of Wessex , which would help legitimize his rule. After proving she had not taken religious vows, Matilda and Henry were married. As Queen of England, Matilda embarked on several building projects for transportation and health , took

4389-626: The throne of Scotland in 1097. After William II's death in the New Forest in August 1100, his brother Henry immediately seized the royal treasury and crown. He was manipulative and profoundly clever, known for his strict but proper government and utterly merciless nature in case of war or rebellion. His next task was to marry and his choice was Edith, whom he had known for some time. William of Malmesbury stated that Henry had "long been attached" to her, Orderic Vitalis said that Henry had "long adored" her character and capacity. Some sources add that she

4466-449: The time point out themselves that Tirel was renowned as a keen bowman, and thus was unlikely to have loosed such an impetuous shot. Moreover, Bartlett says that rivalry between brothers was the pattern of political conflict in this period. William's brother Henry was among the hunting party that day and succeeded him as king. Modern scholars have reopened the question, and some have found the assassination theory credible or compelling, but

4543-523: The tradition of Norman leaders, William scorned the English and the English culture. Contemporaries of William raised concerns about a court dominated by homosexuality and effeminacy, epitomised through seemingly "luxurious" attire and unusual footwear than with sexual practices. Citing the traditions of Wilton Abbey in the 1140s, Herman of Tournai wrote that the abbess had ordered the Scottish princess Edith (later Matilda, wife of Henry I ) to become

4620-539: The treasury (always the first act of a usurping king), and the next day had himself elected." William's remains are in Winchester Cathedral , scattered among royal mortuary chests positioned on the presbytery screen, flanking the choir. His skull appears to be missing, but some long bones may remain. A stone known as the "Rufus Stone", close to the A31 near the village of Minstead ( grid reference SU270124 ),

4697-449: The tree was cut down and burned during the 18th century. Later in that century the Rufus Stone was set up. Originally it was around 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall with a stone ball on top. King George III visited the stone in 1789, along with Queen Charlotte , and an inscription was added to the stone to commemorate the visit. It was protected with a cast iron cover in 1841 after repeated vandalism. The inscription on

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4774-540: The two kings quarrelled over Malcolm's possessions in England, and Malcolm again invaded, ravaging Northumbria. At the Battle of Alnwick , on 13 November 1093, Malcolm was ambushed by Norman forces led by Robert de Mowbray. Malcolm and his son Edward were killed and Malcolm's brother Donald seized the Scottish throne. William supported Malcolm's son Duncan II , who held power for a short time, and then another of Malcolm's sons, Edgar . Edgar conquered Lothian in 1094 and eventually removed Donald in 1097 with William's aid in

4851-583: The youngest son of a new royal house, and it would gain him an ally in his conflicts with France. In return, Henry V would receive a dowry of 10,000 marks to fund his expedition to Rome for his coronation as the Holy Roman emperor . The final details of the deal were hammered out at Westminster in June 1109, and Matilda left England in February 1110 to travel to Germany in preparation for her marriage. Queen Matilda

4928-423: Was Ranulf Flambard , whom he appointed Bishop of Durham in 1099: this was a political appointment, to a see that was also a great fiefdom . The particulars of the king's relationship with the people of England are not credibly documented. Contemporaries of William, as well as those writing after his death, roundly denounced him for presiding over what these dissenters considered a dissolute court. In keeping with

5005-443: Was christened Edith. Present at the baptismal font were Robert Curthose standing as her godfather, and Queen Matilda of England as her godmother. The infant Edith pulled at Matilda's headdress, which was seen as an omen that the child would one day be a queen. Edith and her siblings were raised by a loving but strict mother who did not spare the rod when it came to raising her children in virtue, and instilled in her offspring

5082-518: Was dissolved in February 1532 when it was given back to King Henry VIII . In 1544, the priory came onto Thomas Duke of Norfolk , and was from then called The Duke's Place . It was sold to "the Lord Mayor, the commonalty and the citzens of London" in 1592. The Great Synagogue was built in the area of The Duke's Place in 1791. The buildings and land associated with the priory were given, or sold, to prominent courtiers and City merchants. In 1846, it

5159-409: Was "not bad looking" despite that she did not improve her appearance through face painting. It is possible that Edith spent time at William Rufus's court, along with her brothers, and that the pair had met there, but Henry could have been introduced to her by his teacher Bishop Osmund . Henry had been born in England, but a bride with ties to the ancient Wessex line would increase his popularity with

5236-618: Was an attempt to have her canonised as a saint in the Catholic Church , which was not pursued. Born in 1080, in Dunfermline , Scotland , Matilda's parents were King Malcolm III and Margaret of Wessex . She was therefore a descendant of both the Scottish and the Anglo-Saxon royal families, great-granddaughter of Edmund Ironside and descended from Alfred the Great . The Scottish princess

5313-528: Was an effective soldier, but he was a ruthless ruler and, it seems, was little liked by those he governed. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , he was "hated by almost all his people and abhorrent to God." Chroniclers tended to take a dim view of William's reign, arguably on account of his long and difficult struggles with the Church: these chroniclers were themselves generally clerics, and so might be expected to report him somewhat negatively. His chief minister

5390-487: Was described as "a woman of exceptional holiness, in piety her mother's rival, and in her own character exempt from all evil influence." She was remembered by her subjects as Mathilda bona regina and for a time sainthood was sought for her, though she was never canonized. Matilda was known for her generosity towards the church, founding and supporting cloisters and hospitals for leprosies. Malmesbury described her as attending church barefoot at Lent , as well as washing

5467-466: Was dispossessed and imprisoned, and another noble, William of Eu , accused of treachery, was blinded and castrated . In external affairs, William had some successes. In 1091 he repulsed an invasion by King Malcolm III of Scotland , forcing Malcolm to pay homage. In 1092 he built Carlisle Castle , taking control of Cumberland and Westmorland , which had previously been claimed by the Scots. Subsequently,

5544-429: Was homosexual or not; however, he never took a wife or a mistress, or fathered any children. As a bachelor king without an heir, William would have been pressed to take a wife and would have had numerous proposals for marriage. That he never accepted any of these proposals nor had any relations with women may show that he either had no desire for women, or he may have taken a vow of chastity or celibacy. Barlow said that

5621-498: Was initially supposed to be obedient to them. However this authority was disputed by Holy Trinity, and after a lawsuit before arbitrators appointed by Pope Honorius III the matter was referred to the bishop of London, who decided in 1223 that Holy Trinity should be free from visitation from the canons and priors of St Botolph's. Thomas Pomerey is named as the prior of the house & church of Holy Trinity within Algate, in 1460. The priory

5698-507: Was instrumental in assisting the foundation of Bermondsey Abbey , endowing it with the manor of Bermondsey, and it is reported that his "customary oath" was "By the Face at Lucca !" William Rufus inherited the Anglo-Norman settlement detailed in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey undertaken at his father's command, essentially for the purposes of taxation, which was an example of the control of

5775-623: Was not a nun, she never had been, and her parents had not intended that she become one, giving their permission for the marriage. Edith and Henry were married on 11 November 1100 at Westminster Abbey by Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury. At the end of the ceremony, Edith was crowned and took the regnal name of "Matilda", a hallowed Norman name. The exact reason for the name change remains unclear, though historians suspect she did it in an attempt to please her Norman subjects and husband. By courtiers, however, she and her husband were soon nicknamed 'Godric and Godiva', two typical English names from before

5852-456: Was reported that there remained scarcely anything of the priory. None of the buildings survive today except for some pointed arches within the office building on the corner of Aldgate and Mitre Street. Mitre Street itself follows roughly the line of the nave of the priory church, while Mitre Square corresponds roughly to the former cloister. Some account of the Priory is given by John Stow , and in

5929-613: Was thus secure in his kingdom. As in Normandy, his bishops and abbots were bound to him by feudal obligations, and his right of investiture in the Norman tradition prevailed within his kingdom during the age of the Investiture Controversy that brought excommunication upon the Salian Emperor Henry IV . The king's personal power, through an effective and loyal chancery , penetrated to the local level to an extent unmatched in France. The king's administration and law unified

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