Old Ruf’n Reddy!
King Billy’s Boys.
You may well have heard of sibling rivalry in families, well this family were something else in this respect. The first recorded conflict appears to have begun when Robert (Bobby short legs) and William Jr (Rufus) were teenagers.
An argument over a dice game led Rufus and Henry who were in an upstairs gallery tipping the contents of a chamber pot over Robert’s head who was standing below. A furious Robert ran after the giggling boys, and he was so angry that the Conqueror himself had to be called to restrain him before he killed his two brothers.
Thereafter, things slipped and boy, did they slip!
William Rufus, the second Norman King!
Of whom, very few, his praises would sing!
The term rough and ready appears to be a fairly accurate description of this particular monarch. William was pretty rough in manner and he was always ready to defend his interests and indulge himself in all kind of pleasures, some of which shocked contemporaries.
William Rufus was born sometime between 1056 and 1059 and was the second eldest son of the Conqueror to reach manhood. He was named ‘Rufus’ for his red hair and ruddy complexion. He had enjoyed strong relations with his father and was William’s favourite son. William was crowned king by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Lanfranc on the 26th of September 1087.
He became king through default as the rules of hereditary succession dictates that the eldest son, in this case William’s son Robert, should get the top job.
So how come Robert (Bobby short-legs) was passed over?
The feckless Robert had rebelled against his father and at one point almost killed William during hand to hand fighting in battle. For once in his life William showed considerable forbearance, Robert got second prize, the Duchy of Normandy.
Holy smoke!
The Church really does not like this bloke!
The king had a somewhat less than cordial relationship with the Church. This was for a number of reasons. Contemporary chroniclers tell us that the Church took a dim view of both William’s taste in clothing and his personal manner, both of which they considered effeminate. Many Churchmen suspected him of being a homosexual. The fact that he never took a wife, or had illegitimate children, led many to conclude that he was.
In those days, if a Bishop were to die, the revenue from his estates reverted to the crown until a new Bishop could be appointed.
Who appointed the Bishops?
In the first instance, the king!
Then the royal decision had to be approved by the Pope.
So it made sense for any medieval king to drag his feet when appointing Bishops because as long as the Bishopric remained vacant, the funds from the estate flowed into the royal coffers. The church were furious because it meant that they were losing money. All kings were at this scam, only Rufus was worse. He even dared to do this with Canterbury when Archbishop Lanfranc died. Rufus was shameless!
Canterbury Cathedral.
Short of cash?
Go give that monastery a bash!
Rufus also had a nasty habit of raiding monasteries when he was short of cash!
The New Forest
The Conqueror had loved hunting deer and decided to create a number of royal ‘hunting playgrounds’. One of these was the New Forest in Hampshire. The Forest abounded with deer and the only person allowed to hunt was the King and his friends.
His project involved the eviction of large numbers of people who lived in the forest, and who now became homeless as a result. The Conqueror introduced the death penalty for anyone caught poaching in the New Forest. It is ironic that two of William’s son’s Richard and William Rufus would die there
The death of William Rufus!
On August 2nd 1100, Rufus led a hunting party in the New Forest. His companions included his younger brother Henry and a knight named Walter Tyrell. As the men were about to depart, a letter arrived from the Abbott of Gloucester. The Abbott wrote that one of his monks had dreamt that the king would be killed soon. Rufus dismissed the warning, declaring that he had:
‘no interest in the dreams of snoring monks.’
What an almighty drag!
My arrow missed the damn stag!
As the men galloped through the woodland, they spread out but Tyrell stayed with the king. Tyrell shot at a stag, but the arrow bounced off of an oak tree striking the king in the chest. Rufus was killed instantly. Tyrell fled immediately, and then prince Henry, without delay, rode to Winchester to be crowned.
Whether this was a tragic (?) accident or a well planned assassination is hard to judge and impossible to prove.
The memorial to Rufus which stands in the New Forest.
