William II of England

About William II of England

Who is it?: King of England
Birth Year: 1056
Birth Place: Normandy, British
Reign: 9 September 1087 – 2 August 1100
Coronation: 26 September 1087
Predecessor: William I
Successor: Henry I
Burial: Winchester Cathedral
House: House of Normandy
Father: William I of England
Mother: Matilda of Flanders

William II of England

William II of England was born on 1056 in Normandy, British, is King of England. William II (Rufus) was the King of England from 1087 to 1100 who ascended the throne upon the death of his father, William I the Conqueror. Born in Normandy around 1056, William II or William Rufus, so named after his ruddy complexion, was the second surviving and the favorite son of William I. Upon his death in 1087, William I bequeathed his inheritance, the Dukedom of Normandy, to his eldest son, Robert Curthose and gave England to William Rufus. Shortly after inheriting the English throne, William II faced a baronial uprising to overthrow him in favor of his elder brother, Robert. But, with loyalty and support from most of the Englishmen, William II was able to defeat the rebellion and secure his authority. Afterwards, he laid claim to Normandy and waged war against Robert, and also seized lands from his younger brother, Henry. During his reign as the King of England, William II faced several revolts from kings and barons but soon crushed them viciously and emerged triumphant. Later, when Robert went on Crusade, he mortgaged Normandy to William II in return of money and thereafter, William II also ruled over Normandy as ‘de facto duke’ until his death. William Rufus was accidently killed while hunting in the forest, an incident which some believe to be an assassination plotted by his younger brother, Henry, who later seized the English throne.
William II of England is a member of Historical Personalities

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Famous Quotes:

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.
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.

Biography/Timeline

2012

According to william of Malmesbury, writing in 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."

2013

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 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.

2014

Barlow says he 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 the other hand, he was a wise ruler and victorious general. Barlow finds that, "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."

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