Henry 1 of England. Who was the first English king. Yorks, Windsors and other dynasties

Plan
Introduction
1 Youth
2 Character
3 Accession to the throne
4 Conquest of Normandy
5 Reign of Henry I
5.1 Politics in Normandy
5.2 Politics in England
5.3 Church politics
5.4 Foreign policy
5.4.1 France
5.4.2 Germany
5.4.3 Scotland
5.4.4 Wales

6 Succession problem and death
7 Children
Bibliography

Introduction

Henry I, nicknamed Beauclerc (Eng. Henry I Beauclerc; September 1068, Selby, Yorkshire, England - December 1, 1135, Lyon-la-Foret, Normandy) - the youngest son of William the Conqueror, King of England (1100-1135) and Duke of Normandy (1106-1135). According to legend, Henry I was distinguished by learning, for which he received his nickname (fr. Beauclerc - well educated). The reign of Henry I was marked by the restoration of the unity of the Anglo-Norman monarchy after the victory over Robert Kurthöz in 1106, and by a series of administrative and financial reforms, which formed the basis state system England of the High Middle Ages. In particular, the Chamber of the Chessboard was created, a tradition of approval arose English monarchs Magna charters, local administration and the judiciary were streamlined. The marriage of Henry I with Matilda of Scotland, a descendant of the Anglo-Saxon kings, was an important milestone on the path of rapprochement between the Norman aristocracy and the Anglo-Saxon population of the country, which later led to the formation of the English nation. Henry I left no legitimate male heirs, and after his death, a long civil war broke out in England between his daughter Matilda and his nephew Stephen.

Henry was the youngest son of the English King William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders. He was born sometime between May 1068 and May 1069 in Yorkshire, thus becoming the only son of William I born in England after the Norman Conquest. The young prince received his name in honor of King Henry I of France. According to the customs of that time, Henry, as the youngest in the family, was initially prepared for a church career, which apparently explained a more thorough education compared to his older brothers Robert and Wilhelm. According to William of Malmesbury, Henry once said that an uneducated king is like a donkey with a crown. Obviously, he was the first after the conquest by the king of England, who spoke the Anglo-Saxon language. However, there is no exact data on Henry's teachers and places where he received his education, therefore, probably, the enthusiasm of medieval chroniclers regarding the level of education of the future king was greatly exaggerated.

Before his death in 1087, William the Conqueror divided his possessions between his two eldest sons: Robert Kurtgoz received Normandy, and William Rufus - England. He bequeathed only 5,000 pounds of silver to Henry, which, however, made the young prince one of the richest aristocrats in England. Soon he managed to purchase the Cotentin Peninsula and the Avranches region from Duke Robert for 3,000 pounds. This allowed Henry to play an important role in the struggle that unfolded in the 1090s between older brothers to unite the hereditary possessions of William the Conqueror. In 1090, Henry supported Duke Robert against William Rufus and participated in the brutal suppression of the uprising of the citizens of Rouen, but the very next year, when the English king landed in Normandy, he went over to the side of the latter. Soon, however, Wilhelm and Robert reconciled and turned their forces against Henry. The troops of the older brothers invaded the Cotentin and expelled Henry from there. Abandoned by everyone, he retired to Vexen and lived there for several years practically in poverty. According to legend, only three people remained faithful to him: a priest, a knight and a squire who left with him. Later, Henry managed to reconcile with his brothers and he returned to England. In 1094, with the support of William, Henry recaptured a significant part of the Cotentin, despite the resistance of other major Norman barons, led by Robert of Bellem.

2. Character

From his Norman ancestors, Henry inherited a strong character. But, in addition, like other children of William, he was unfriendly, cruel, mean and dissolute, which was manifested in the king's numerous extramarital affairs. Although he spoke Anglo-Saxon and occasionally flirted with the native population of the country, Henry, like other Norman aristocrats, had an aversion to the Anglo-Saxons, and when he became king, did not appoint them to administrative and ecclesiastical positions. However, of all the sons of William the Conqueror, only Henry inherited his father's state talents, which ensured stability for his rule in England and made it possible to significantly increase the efficiency of the state apparatus.

According to William of Malmesbury,

Heinrich was taller than short people, but inferior to tall ones; black hair, thinning from the forehead, eyes with a soft sheen, muscular chest, full body. He liked to joke at the right time, and the variety of affairs did not prevent him from being pleasant in society. Not striving for military glory, he said, imitating the words of Scipio Africanus: "My mother gave birth to me as a ruler, not a soldier." If he could, he won victory without bloodshed; if he could not otherwise, then with little bloodshed. In food, he is not capricious, he rather satisfies hunger than was fed up with various food; he never drank, but only quenched his thirst, condemning the slightest deviation from abstinence both in himself and in others. His eloquence was rather accidental than developed, not impetuous, but sufficiently developed.

Henry I was also very fond of exotic animals. A royal menagerie was organized in Woodstock, where, in particular, lions, leopards, lynxes, camels and the king's favorite - a porcupine, presented to the king by Guillaume de Montpellier, were kept. Like his predecessors, Henry's main pastime was hunting. The territory of the royal forest during his reign grew significantly, and the penalties for illegal hunting were sharply tightened, up to the death penalty.

3. Accession to the throne

On August 2, 1100, Henry, along with some other Norman aristocrats, participated in that hunt in the New Forest, during which King William was unexpectedly killed by a random arrow. There is a version that the assassination of the king was not unintentional, but was part of a conspiracy by a group of barons, led by Gilbert Fitz-Richard, in which Henry himself could participate. Be that as it may, as soon as the news of William's death spread among the hunters, Henry, leaving his brother's corpse on the ground, galloped at full speed to Winchester and took possession of the royal treasury. The next day, the Anglo-Norman barons elected him king, despite the protests of supporters of his older brother, Duke Robert, who was returning at that time from the First Crusade. Already on August 5, Henry was crowned King of England in Westminster.

In the first months of his reign, Henry I did a great job of legitimizing his power and gaining the trust of the population. For the first time in English history, a king at his coronation signed a Magna Carta, in which he condemned the methods of government of his predecessor and promised to be guided exclusively by the principles of justice and concern for his subjects. He immediately approached Anselm, the exiled Archbishop of Canterbury, and invited him to return to the country, promising to meet his demands. William II's chief adviser Ranulf Flambard was thrown into prison. On November 11, 1100, Henry I married Matilda, daughter of King Malcolm III of Scotland and Margaret the Holy, granddaughter of the Anglo-Saxon king Edmund Ironside. This gave additional strength to the claims of Henry I to the English throne. He also managed to win the support of the King of France, whose son and heir took part in the first meeting of the Grand Royal Council of Henry I.

4. Conquest of Normandy

Normandy by 1106

At the beginning of 1101, Robert Curthose returned to Normandy, surrounded by a halo of glory for the exploits that he performed in the crusade. At the same time, Ranulf Flambard fled from the Tower, who joined Duke Robert and began to prepare the Norman invasion of England. Some of the English barons, including Robert of Bellemsky, Earl of Shrewsbury, who controlled a significant territory in the west of the country, came out in support of Kurtgoz's claims to the English throne. However, the king acted quickly: a confirmation of the coronation charter of Henry I and his oath of "good government" was sent to all the counties, the king personally supervised the preparation of the Anglo-Saxon fird, teaching the peasants how to resist the knightly cavalry, and secured the support of the clergy, led by Archbishop Anselm. This paid off: the rebellion of 1101 did not acquire the same magnitude as the rebellion of Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, in 1088, and most of the English barons remained loyal to the king. Although on July 21, 1101, Duke Robert's troops landed unexpectedly at Portsmouth and soon captured Winchester, their further advance was halted. In Altona, the brothers concluded a peace agreement: Robert recognized Henry as king of England in exchange for an annual pension of 3,000 marks and Henry's renunciation of all his lands in Normandy, with the exception of Domfront. The king also guaranteed amnesty for the participants in the uprising.

However, as soon as the threat to the throne of Henry I was eliminated, the promise of amnesty was forgotten. In 1102 the king confiscated the lands and titles of Robert of Bellem, the chief supporter of Curthuse in England, and seized his castles. Robert's flight to Normandy provided the king with an excuse to renew the war with his brother. The invasion of Normandy was well prepared: Henry I concluded treaties of alliance and military assistance with all the neighbors of the Duchy of Normandy (King of France, Counts of Flanders and Anjou, Duke of Brittany). In Normandy itself, a significant number of barons and cities tended to support the English king. Already in 1104, Henry I undertook the first campaign in Normandy, fortifying Domfront, placing English garrisons in the castles of his supporters and forcing Duke Robert to cede the county of Evreux to him. At the beginning of 1105, a large English army landed at the Cotentin and soon subjugated the entire peninsula, as well as the territory of Lower Normandy up to Caen. In 1106, the English, supported by contingents from Anjou, Flanders and Brittany, laid siege to Tanchebrey, an important fortress to the east of Avranches. To remove the blockade, Duke Robert himself arrived, who, despite the numerical advantage of the enemy, decided to give a general battle. The Battle of Tanchebray on September 28, 1106 ended with the complete victory of Henry I. The Normans were defeated, and Duke Robert was captured. As a result, Normandy was conquered and the unity of the Anglo-Norman monarchy of the time of William the Conqueror was restored.

Heinrich was greatly deprived by his father in the distribution of the inheritance. If he received Normandy, and England, then Henry got only 5,000 pounds of silver. Henry supported in the war against, but when the brothers reconciled and even made each other heirs, Henry had no choice but to quietly retire to the side. For several years he lived in the wilderness, in the company of a priest, knight and squire, and then, reconciled with, moved to England.

Heinrich took part in the ill-fated hunt, during which he was killed. Taking advantage of the fact that the official heir had not yet returned from the crusade, Henry rushed headlong into the capital to take possession of the royal treasury. The barons proclaimed him king, and three days later he was crowned.

Henry immediately signed the Magna Carta. The document returned to the Saxon nobles part of the freedoms taken away. Henry reconciled with the church, allowing Archbishop Anselm to return to England, and arrested the favorite of the previous king, treasurer Ranulf Flambard, responsible for collecting taxes, and therefore extremely unpopular with the people. In addition, Henry married Edith (Matilda), the daughter of the Scottish king, in whom the blood of the former Saxon kings flowed. By these actions, Henry attracted both barons and commoners to his side, and therefore, who returned from the crusade in 1101, there was no chance of winning. He, of course, invaded England, but behind Henry stood the mountain and the barons, and the common people, and the church. Strongly in need of money, Robert agreed to peace. He renounced his claim to the English crown in exchange for Henry's similar renunciation of Normandy and an annual compensation of 3,000 marks in silver.

Robert was a fearless knight, but a useless ruler. After the iron hand of William the Conqueror, the barons felt weak. In Normandy, strife and anarchy began. Taking advantage of this, in 1106 the English army landed in Normandy and laid siege to Tanchebray. Robert arrived there, determined to give a pitched battle and lift the siege. In a bloody battle, the Norman army was defeated, and Robert Kurtgoz was captured.

Having united England with Normandy, Henry began to rule more firmly and autocratically. The provisions enshrined in the Magna Carta were soon forgotten, and the document itself was withdrawn from all churches. Heinrich treated both the common people and the nobles equally harshly, imposing severe requisitions on both of them, which is why he spent a lot of time on punitive expeditions both on the island and on the mainland. Relations with the church also deteriorated: the king sought to retain the right to appoint bishops, hoping to receive bribes from them. Only in 1107, under the threat of excommunication, did he compromise: the bishops were appointed by the pope, but they swore an oath of allegiance to the king.

Heinrich was no less successful in foreign policy. Due to the marriages of his daughters, he entered into an alliance with the Holy Roman Empire and Anjou, and by taking Matilda of Scotland as his wife, he attracted northern neighbors to his side. Thanks to close contact with England, Scotland almost completely broke with its Celtic past.

Henry died at the end of 1135, believed to have been poisoned by lampreys. He had many illegitimate children, while his only legitimate son, William Adelin, died in a shipwreck on November 25, 1120. Left without male heirs, Henry took an unprecedented step, forcing the barons to swear allegiance to the heiress - his daughter and her son. Among those sworn in was the king's son-in-law. However, this oath did not save England from the civil strife that began immediately after the death of Henry.

6 Succession problem and death
7 Children
Bibliography

Introduction

Henry I, nicknamed Beauclerc (Eng. Henry I Beauclerc; September 1068, Selby, Yorkshire, England - December 1, 1135, Lyon-la-Foret, Normandy) - the youngest son of William the Conqueror, King of England (1100-1135) and Duke of Normandy (1106-1135). According to legend, Henry I was distinguished by learning, for which he received his nickname (fr. Beauclerc - well educated). The reign of Henry I was marked by the restoration of the unity of the Anglo-Norman monarchy after the victory over Robert Curthose in 1106, as well as a whole series of administrative and financial reforms that formed the basis of the state system of England of the High Middle Ages. In particular, the Chamber of the Chessboard was created, the tradition of the approval of the Magna Carta by the English monarchs arose, the local administration and the judicial system were streamlined. The marriage of Henry I with Matilda of Scotland, a descendant of the Anglo-Saxon kings, was an important milestone on the path of rapprochement between the Norman aristocracy and the Anglo-Saxon population of the country, which later led to the formation of the English nation. Henry I left no legitimate male heirs, and after his death, a long civil war broke out in England between his daughter Matilda and his nephew Stephen.

2. Character

According to William of Malmesbury,

3. Accession to the throne

4. Conquest of Normandy

Normandy by 1106

5. Reign of Henry I

5.1. Politics in Normandy

Having conquered Normandy, Henry I quickly restored the state administration that existed during the time of William the Conqueror. The lands and castles distributed by Robert Kurthöz to the Norman barons were returned to the ducal domain. The autocracy of the barons and civil strife came to an end: the king severely punished any violators of public peace. Fortresses illegally built by local feudal lords were destroyed. The central authority in the duchy increased dramatically, and the streamlining of the fiscal and judicial systems made it possible to significantly increase financial revenues from Normandy to the state treasury. The main problem, however, remained the loyalty of the local aristocracy. Although Duke Robert was under arrest in England until his death in 1134, his son William Cleton was at large and did not leave claims to the throne of Normandy. This did not allow Henry I to leave the duchy for a long time and weaken his control over the Norman barons, some of whom openly supported Cleton (Robert of Bellemsky, Amaury de Montfort), and later Geoffroy of Anjou. More than half of the twenty-nine years that elapsed after the Battle of Tanchebray until the death of Henry I, the king spent in Normandy. During his absence, the administration of the duchy was usually carried out by the king's leading adviser on Norman affairs, Jean, Bishop of Lisieux.

5.2. Politics in England

Monarchy of Henry I Other dependencies

The reign of Henry I in England was characterized by a significant strengthening of royal power and important reforms aimed at creating a centralized administrative apparatus. The royal curia acquired a clearer structure, a payment system was created for the highest government positions. The attraction of middle and small chivalry to the service at court contributed to the emergence of bureaucracy in England. The functions of individual units of the curia became more specialized. The main innovation in the administrative sphere was the establishment of the Chamber of the Chessboard - the highest body of financial management and the court. The sheriffs of the counties ceased to represent the interests of local barons and turned into royal officials, directing the execution of the royal will on the ground, collecting state revenues and regularly reporting to the Chamber of the Chessboard and the king himself. Henry I also ordered that the courts of counties and hundreds be held in the same places and with the same frequency as in the time of Edward the Confessor. Although the king made virtually no new laws and maintained the legal system of the Anglo-Saxon period, his constant personal involvement in the administration of justice and strict supervision of the work of royal officials in the field contributed to the streamlining of the judicial system and the introduction of more efficient forms of justice, in particular, the use of jury trials was expanded, and the use of such archaic institutions as ordeals and judicial duels declined. To finance public spending, the king began to actively resort to the collection of shield fees, the funds from which were largely used to maintain mercenary units for waging wars in France. The leading adviser to Henry I and the initiator of many of his administrative activities was Roger, Bishop of [[Salisbury (England)|Salisbury]], Chancellor and Chief Justice of England, who repeatedly replaced the King during his absence from the country.

In the field of constitutional law, Henry I gave rise to the custom of English kings signing at their coronation the Magna Carta, in which the monarchs promised a just government and assumed obligations to protect the rights and interests of various groups of the population. The Magna Carta of Henry I was approved in 1101, when his position on the throne was rather shaky, and the king was trying to secure the support of the Anglo-Norman aristocracy and clergy. Later, when Henry's power was consolidated, he began to ignore the promises made at the coronation and abuse such royal prerogatives as the collection of reliefs and payments for the marriage of the daughters of barons, the right of guardianship and the withholding of income from vacant church beneficiaries. Nevertheless, the Magna Carta of Henry I played a large role in the process of forming mechanisms for limiting royal power and formed the basis of the Magna Carta of 1215.

Henry I actively encouraged urban development and city government in England. Under him, the largest cities of the country began to buy out the rights to independently collect taxes and pay them directly to the royal treasury - the first steps towards the conquest of internal autonomy by English cities. Especially great importance had a charter of Henry I to London, which, in addition to freeing the townspeople from paying "Danish money", trade and customs duties, granted the right to elect their own sheriff and chief judge. The king also supported the development of trade, crafts and communications in the country, granting various privileges to cities and merchant guilds and approving the charters of the first English craft workshops.

5.3. Church politics

Anselm,
Archbishop of Canterbury

One of the first actions of Henry I after his coronation was an appeal to Archbishop Anselm, who was expelled during the reign of William II, with a request to return to England. However, when the latter arrived in England, he refused to accept an investiture from the king for the land holdings of the Archbishopric of Canterbury, declaring the inadmissibility of secular interference in the affairs of the church. Henry I, for his part, was also unwilling to give up the ancient prerogative of English kings to invest bishops and abbots prior to their ordination. As a result, the struggle for investiture, which had already flared up in Germany and France, was transferred to the territory of England. An attempt to reach a compromise between the king and the archbishop failed due to the harsh position of Pope Paschal II, an ardent supporter of the Gregorian reform. In 1103, Anselm, unable to act as archbishop without the consent of the king, again left England. The crisis culminated in 1105 when the pope excommunicated the English bishops who had accepted investiture from the king, and Anselm threatened Henry I himself with excommunication. This forced the king to soften his position, and in 1107 the parties came to an agreement. Henry I renounced the right to invest prelates with a ring and staff and recognized the freedom to elect bishops, while Anselm confirmed the clergy who received an investiture from Henry I and recognized the king's right to demand homage from elected bishops and abbots before their ordination.

The terms of the 1107 agreement were favorable to royalty, which retained leverage over the process of electing bishops and abbots. After the death of Anselm in 1109, Henry I returned to the policy towards the church that William II pursued: episcopal chairs remained vacant for a long time, which allowed the king to withdraw church revenues to the state treasury; the practice of collecting relief was resumed when bishops and abbots took possession of their lands, condemned by the church as a sin of simony; married clerics retained their posts subject to the payment of a fine to the king. The relations of the clergy with Rome were placed under the control of the king, and the pope was effectively deprived of control over the English church. Nevertheless, relations with the papacy remained quite friendly, especially during the pontificate of Calixtus II, who was Henry I's second cousin: the pope took the side of England in its conflicts with France and the County of Anjou and confirmed the right of the English kings to authorize the sending of papal legates to England.

During the reign of Henry I, the monastic movement began to revive in the country, which had been in decline since the Norman Conquest. The king encouraged the founding of monasteries, especially Cistercian ones, as well as hospitals for the poor and leper colonies. Henry I himself founded Reading Abbey, where he was buried after his death.

5.4. Foreign policy

Northern France by 1135 the possession of Henry I, King of England the domain of the king of France the domain of the counts of Anjou the domain of the counts of Blois and Champagne

The sharp strengthening of the English kingdom after the annexation of Normandy in 1106 led to the formation of a powerful coalition against Henry I on the continent, led by the French king Louis VI, who for the first time after a long period of weakening royal power in France launched a program of territorial expansion. The counts of Flanders and Anjou were hostile towards Henry I. In 1110, Fulk V of Anjou inherited the County of Maine, which was considered vassal to the Duchy of Normandy, but refused to bring homage to Henry I. Opponents of the English king also found support from some of the Norman barons, who were dissatisfied with the harsh methods of Henry's rule. The king's only true ally on the continent was Thibault II, Count of Blois, son of the sister of the English king and implacable enemy of the king of France.

Most of the reign of Henry I in Normandy was spent in constant wars with neighbors. The first war (1111-1113) ended quite successfully: the count of Flanders was killed in 1111; Robert of Bellemsky, leader of the Norman opposition, was taken prisoner in 1112; English troops captured Alencon, and Fulk of Anjou was forced to bring homage to Henry I for Maine. The King of France remained isolated and invited Henry I to resolve the conflict in a personal duel, which, according to legend, took place in the Gisors region. As a result, in 1113, Louis VI recognized the power of Henry I not only in Normandy, but also his suzerainty over Maine and Brittany. However, already in 1116 broke out new war. Although the British suffered a number of defeats on the battlefields, Henry I managed to split the ranks of his opponents through diplomacy. In 1119, a peace agreement was concluded with Anjou, secured by the marriage of Fulk V's daughter Matilda and Henry I's son and heir William. In August 1119, the troops of the King of France were defeated at the Battle of Bremul. Moreover, the battle did not last long and was almost bloodless. According to Orderic Vitaliy, only three knights were killed at the Battle of Bremul. Soon, through the mediation of the Pope, Henry I and Louis VI reconciled, and the latter agreed to refuse to support the claims of William Cleton to the throne of Normandy.

After the death in 1120 of the only legitimate son of Henry, William Cleton became the heir to the English crown. Fulk V of Anjou and Louis VI took advantage of this. In 1123, an uprising broke out in Normandy in support of Cleton, supported by the Angevins and the French king. However, the effective actions of Henry I, who captured the leaders of the rebellion, made it possible to quickly suppress the uprising. The forces of Louis VI, meanwhile, found themselves bound by an attack on the eastern borders of France by Emperor Henry V, an ally and son-in-law of the English king. The situation became more complicated in 1127, when the French king handed over the castles on the Norman frontier to William Cleito and made him Count of Flanders. Only the unexpected death of William in 1128 removed the threat to the possessions of Henry I on the continent and finally secured Normandy for the English king. Henry consolidated his foreign policy successes in the same year by marrying his daughter and heiress Matilda to Geoffroy of Anjou, thereby tearing Anjou away from the alliance with the king of France. By the end of his reign, the position of Henry I in Normandy was unusually strong, the expansion of France was stopped, and the external threat to the Anglo-Norman monarchy was eliminated.

Germany

The reign of Henry I includes an important foreign policy achievement - the establishment of friendly relations with Germany, which later became one of the cornerstones of English policy. In 1109, Henry I's daughter Matilda was betrothed to the Holy Roman Emperor Henry V. When Matilda came of age, on January 7, 1114, their wedding took place in Mainz. The consequence of this marriage was the close cooperation of the two states in the international arena, expressed in particular in joint military operations against France in 1124. The development of the policy of rapprochement with Germany was the marriage of Henry I after the death of his first wife to Adelisa of Louvain, daughter of Godfried the Bearded, Duke of Lower Lorraine and the first Landgrave of Brabant, who dominated the imperial part of the Netherlands. This marriage laid the foundations for close economic and political cooperation and the union of England and Brabant, which lasted throughout the Middle Ages.

Scotland

With Scotland, Henry I also maintained friendly relations. Busy with problems on the continent, the king did not seek to subdue Scotland and cared only about the security of his northern borders. It was during this period that the active penetration of Anglo-Norman influence into Scotland began: in 1100, Henry married Matilda, daughter of the Scottish king Malcolm III; her brothers, Kings Alexander I and David I, studied in England and also married representatives of the English aristocracy. Apparently, both of them brought homage to Henry I for possessions in England. The process of anglicization of Scotland was especially accelerated during the reign of David I (1124-1153), who attracted a large number of Anglo-Norman knights to his country, endowing them with lands, and began the transformation of the state and social system of Scotland according to the English feudal model. By the middle of the 12th century English language became dominant in Lothian and other lowland regions of southern Scotland. David I himself was brought up in the Anglo-Norman cultural tradition, participated in the wars of Henry I in Normandy, and, by right of his wife, owned vast land holdings in England and the title of Earl of Huntingdon. He was one of the first in 1127 to recognize the daughter of Henry I, Matilda, as the heir to the English throne, and after the death of Henry, he became her most faithful supporter in the struggle for the crown of England.

By the beginning of the reign of Henry I, the Anglo-Norman barons, who had advanced deeply into Welsh territory in the 1080s, were driven back to their former borders as a result of an uprising in 1094. The king's attempt to restore his position in North Wales and the expedition to Gwynedd undertaken for this failed in 1114: the Welsh avoided battles and Henry I failed to achieve anything other than the recognition by Gruffydd ap Cynan, king of Gwynedd, of the nominal suzerainty of England. After the departure of Henry's army, the Normans were forced out beyond Clwyd. In Mid-Wales the fall of Robert of Bellem, Earl of Shrewsbury in 1102 also sharply weakened English influence, which led to the revival of the power of the Welsh kingdom of Powys. However, the adventures of Owain ap Cadwgan[sn 2] led to a confrontation with the king of England, as a result of which, by 1116, the territory and influence of Powys were greatly reduced, and its rulers actually lost their independence.

In South Wales, the reign of Henry I was a period of consolidation of Anglo-Norman power. The southern tip of Pembrokeshire was colonized by the Flemings, who practically displaced the indigenous population from here. Ceredigion in 1110 came under the rule of Gilbert de Clare; Brecknock became the possession of Mile of Gloucester, Lord Constable of England; Glamorgan was conquered by Robert Fitz-Hamon, and after his death was granted by the king to his illegitimate son Robert. Norman feudal lords established themselves in other areas of South Wales, and the territory that remained under the control of local princes was reduced to a few cantreves. By 1135, the southern part of Wales had effectively become an English province. However, the power of the Normans was still fragile: immediately after the death of Henry I, a massive uprising of the Welsh broke out, which led to the restoration of the kingdom of Deheubarth.

6. The problem of inheritance and death

From his marriage to Matilda of Scotland, Henry I had two children: a daughter, Matilda, and a son, William. William was recognized as the heir to England and Normandy, but on November 25, 1120, the White Ship, on which William was returning to England, crashed and all on board died. This sharply exacerbated the dynastic problem: the only descendant of William the Conqueror in the male line was William Cleton, the son of the Duke of Normandy Robert Kurthgoz who was in prison and the main opponent of Henry I on the continent. The absence of legitimate sons forced Henry to marry a second time in 1121, but the new wife, Adeliza of Louvain, turned out to be childless. The king approached Stephen of Blois, the son of his sister Adela of Normandy, to whom he intended to transfer the throne in the event of the death of the king. But in 1125, Emperor Henry V, the husband of Henry I's daughter Matilda, died, and she was given the opportunity to return to England. Already in 1127, Henry declared Matilda his heiress and forced the Anglo-Norman barons to swear allegiance to her. The following year, Matilda married Geoffroy Martel, ruler and heir of the County of Anjou, from whom a son, Henry, was born in 1133. This seemed to settle the issue of succession to England. However, a significant part of the Anglo-Norman aristocracy was dissatisfied with the transfer of the throne to a woman and the prospect of accession to the country of the Angevin dynasty.

In August 1133, Henry I went to Normandy. Last years he spent his life here with his grandson, unable to return to England due to the unrest of the local barons, inspired by Geoffroy Martel and Matilda. On November 25, 1135, at Lyon-la-Foret, near Rouen, the king suddenly fell ill, presumably after being poisoned by lampreys. On December 1, Henry I died. His body was transported to England and buried in Reading Abbey founded by the king. During the Reformation of the 16th century, the abbey was destroyed and the exact burial place of the king is currently unknown.

Although during his reign, Henry I managed to significantly strengthen the central power in the country, repel external threats and suppress internal opposition, in strategic plan his achievements were small. The hostility of the neighboring states, primarily France and the County of Anjou, still persisted, and high level centralization led to an increase in dissatisfaction with the Anglo-Norman aristocracy, the main pillar of the monarchy. Immediately after the death of Henry I, the barons refused to fulfill the oath of allegiance given to his daughter Matilda, and, hoping to restore their influence in the country, they elected Stephen of Blois as king. This was the beginning of a civil war and anarchy in England, stretching for almost two decades. Only in 1154, with the accession to the throne of Matilda's son Henry II, the conflict was resolved, and the Plantagenet dynasty reigned in the country.

According to contemporary chroniclers, Henry I was distinguished by a special voluptuousness. In addition to two legal wives, he had many mistresses, and in terms of the number of illegitimate children, Henry I is considered the champion among all English kings: he had them, according to various estimates, from 20 to 25. It is often not possible to establish the motherhood of the king's children. legally married to Matilda of Scotland only two were born.

· Matilda(1101-1167), future Queen of England (1141), first marriage (1114) married to Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor, second marriage (1128) married to Geoffrey Martel, Count of Anjou; and

· William(1103-1120), who died in a shipwreck off the coast of Normandy.

From second marriage to Adelisa of Louvain Henry I had no children. Among the many mistresses of the king, Nest, daughter of Rhys ap Theudur, King of Deheubarth, nicknamed “Welsh Helen” for her beauty, and Isabella de Beaumont, daughter of Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester, stood out. The most famous of Henry I's side children were:

· Robert of Gloucester(d. 1147), one of the largest English magnates and leader of the party of supporters of the Empress Matilda;

· Maud Fitz Roy, wife of Conan III, Duke of Brittany;

· Sybil of Normandy(1092-1122), wife of Alexander I, King of Scotland;

· Reginald Dunstanville(d. 1175), 1st Earl of Cornwall, supporter of Empress Matilda.

For a complete list of by-children of King Henry I, see Genealogy.eu

Bibliography:

1. The real name of the first wife of Henry I was Edith, but during the marriage she changed her name to Matilda in honor of the king's mother.

2. Owain kidnapped Nest, "Helen of Welsh", former mistress of King Henry I and wife of Gerald of Windsor.

Egbert the Great (Anglo-Saxon. Ecgbryht, English Egbert, Eagberht) (769/771 - February 4 or June 839) - King of Wessex (802 - 839). A number of historians consider Egbert the first king of England, since for the first time in history he united under the rule of one ruler most of the lands located on the territory of modern England, and the remaining regions recognized him over themselves. supreme power. Officially, Egbert did not use such a title and for the first time it was used in his title by King Alfred the Great.

Edward II (eng. Edward II, 1284-1327, also called Edward of Caernarvon, at his place of birth in Wales), is the English king (from 1307 until his deposition in January 1327) from the Plantagenet dynasty, the son of Edward I.
The first English heir to the throne, who bore the title of "Prince of Wales" (according to legend, at the request of the Welsh to give them a king who was born in Wales and did not speak English, Edward I presented them with his newborn son, who had just been born in his camp) . Having inherited the throne of his father at the age of less than 23 years, Edward II led a very unsuccessful fighting against Scotland, whose troops were led by Robert the Bruce. The popularity of the king also undermined his commitment to the favorites hated by the people (as it was believed, the king's lovers) - the Gascon Pierre Gaveston, and then the English nobleman Hugh Despenser Jr. french king Philip IV the Handsome, who fled to France.

Edward III Edward III .

Richard II (eng. Richard II, 1367-1400) - English king (1377-1399), representative of the Plantagenet dynasty, grandson of King Edward III, son of Edward the Black Prince.
Richard was born in Bordeaux - his father fought in France in the fields Hundred Years War. When the Black Prince died in 1376, during the life of Edward III, the young Richard received the title of Prince of Wales, and a year later inherited the throne from his grandfather.

Henry IV Bolingbroke (Eng. Henry IV of Bolingbroke, April 3, 1367, Bolingbroke Castle, Lincolnshire - March 20, 1413, Westminster) - King of England (1399-1413), founder of the Lancaster dynasty (a younger branch of the Plantagenets).

Henry V (Eng. Henry V) (August 9, according to other sources, September 16, 1387, Monmouth Castle, Monmouthshire, Wales - August 31, 1422, Vincennes (now in Paris), France) - King of England from 1413, from the Lancaster dynasty, one of the greatest commanders of the Hundred Years War. Defeated the French at the Battle of Agincourt (1415). Under an agreement in Troyes (1420), he became the heir of the French king Charles VI the Mad and received the hand of his daughter Catherine. He continued the war with the son of Charles, who did not recognize the treaty, the Dauphin (the future Charles VII) and died during this war, just two months before Charles VI; if he had lived these two months, he would have become the king of France. He died in August 1422, presumably from dysentery.

Henry VI (eng. Henry VI, fr. Henri VI) (December 6, 1421, Windsor - May 21 or 22, 1471, London) - the third and last king England from the Lancaster dynasty (from 1422 to 1461 and from 1470 to 1471). The only one of the English kings who wore the title "King of France" during the Hundred Years War and after it, who was actually crowned (1431) and reigned over a large part of France.

Edward IV (April 28, 1442, Rouen - April 9, 1483, London) - King of England in 1461-1470 and 1471-1483, a representative of the York Plantagenet line, seized the throne during the War of the Scarlet and White Roses.
Eldest son of Richard, Duke of York and Cecilia Neville, brother of Richard III. On his father's death in 1460, he inherited his titles of Earl of Cambridge, March and Ulster and Duke of York. In 1461, at the age of eighteen, he ascended the English throne with the support of Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick.
He was married to Elizabeth Woodville (1437-1492), children:
Elizabeth (1466-1503), married to King Henry VII of England
Maria (1467-1482),
Cecilia (1469-1507),
Edward V (1470-1483?),
Richard (1473-1483?),
Anna (1475-1511),
Catherine (1479-1527),
Bridget (1480-1517).
The king was a great hunter of the female sex, and in addition to his official wife, he was secretly engaged to one or more women, which later allowed royal council declare his son Edward V illegitimate and, together with his other son, imprison him in the Tower.
Edward IV died unexpectedly on April 9, 1483.

Edward V (November 4, 1470 (14701104) -1483?) - King of England from April 9 to June 25, 1483, son of Edward IV; not crowned. Deposed by his uncle the Duke of Gloucester, who declared the king and his younger brother Duke Richard of York illegitimate children, and himself became King Richard III. 12-year-old and 10-year-old boys were imprisoned in the Tower, further fate their exactness is unknown. The most common point of view is that they were killed on the orders of Richard (this version was official under the Tudors), however, various researchers accuse many other figures of that time, including Richard's successor Henry VII, of the murder of the princes.

Richard III (Eng. Richard III) (October 2, 1452, Fotheringay - August 22, 1485, Bosworth) - King of England c 1483, from the York dynasty, the last representative of the male Plantagenet line on the English throne. Brother of Edward IV. He took the throne, removing the minor Edward V. At the Battle of Bosworth (1485) he was defeated and killed. One of only two kings of England to die in battle (after Harold II, who was killed at Hastings in 1066).

Henry VII (Eng. Henry VII; )