Henry
I, the third son of William the Conqueror, acted promptly on the death of his
brother William Rufus on 2nd August 1100. He immediately seized the treasury
at Winchester and then had himself crowned at Westminster on the 5th. Marriage
alliances were important way of securing a king’s power in medieval England
and Henry took the opportunity of an alliance with Scotland by marrying Edith
(alias Matilda), daughter of King Malcolm Canmore. Edith was a very religious
woman and it may be for this reason that Henry returned to his many mistresses.
Henry earned his nickname
‘Beauclerc’ by improving the system of administration in his realms in
part, at least, to raise
money for wars in Normandy. This meant he was a frequent traveller between
England and Normandy. Henry’s principal rival was his older brother Robert
who reclaimed Normandy on his return from Crusade. In 1106 Henry defeated and
captured Robert at the battle of Tinchebrai. Normandy remained the scene of
conflict which Henry attempted to resolve with marriage alliances. His son
William was married to the daughter of his old enemy the Count of Anjou. Henry
also had to fight the King of France whom he defeated at Brémule in 1119.
After William drowned in 1120 Henry
installed his daughter Matilda, the widow of the German emperor, as his heir.
He also married her to Geoffrey, the heir to Anjou. Henry died in 1135 and was
succeeded by his nephew Stephen, Count of Mortain.
