Henry I King of England

Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry "Beauclerc", was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in 1087, Henry's elder brothers Robert Curthose and William Rufus inherited Normandy and England, respectively, but Henry was left landless. He purchased the County of Cotentin in western Normandy from Robert, but his brothers deposed him in 1091. He gradually rebuilt his power base in the Cotentin and allied himself with William against Robert. Present at the place where his brother William died in a hunting accident in 1100, Henry seized the English throne, promising at his coronation to correct many of William's less popular policies. He married Matilda of Scotland and they had two children, William Adelin and Empress Matilda; he also had many illegitimate children by his many mistresses. Robert, who invaded in 1101, disputed Henry's control of England; this military campaign ended in a negotiated settlement that confirmed Henry as king. The peace was short-lived, and Henry invaded the Duchy of Normandy in 1105 and 1106, finally defeating Robert at the Battle of Tinchebray. Henry kept Robert imprisoned for the rest of his life. Henry's control of Normandy was challenged by Louis VI of France, Baldwin VII of Flanders and Fulk V of Anjou, who promoted the rival claims of Robert's son, William Clito, and supported a major rebellion in the Duchy between 1116 and 1119. Following Henry's victory at the Battle of Brémule, a favourable peace settlement was agreed with Louis in 1120. Considered by contemporaries to be a harsh but effective ruler, Henry skillfully manipulated the barons in England and Normandy. In England, he drew on the existing Anglo-Saxon system of justice, local government and taxation, but also strengthened it with additional institutions, including the royal exchequer and itinerant justices. Normandy was also governed through a growing system of justices and an exchequer. Many of the officials who ran Henry's system were "new men" of obscure backgrounds, rather than from families of high status, who rose through the ranks as administrators. Henry encouraged ecclesiastical reform, but became embroiled in a serious dispute in 1101 with Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury, which was resolved through a compromise solution in 1105. He supported the Cluniac order and played a major role in the selection of the senior clergy in England and Normandy. Henry's son William drowned in the White Ship disaster of 1120, throwing the royal succession into doubt. Henry took a second wife, Adeliza of Louvain, in the hope of having another son, but their marriage was childless. In response to this, he declared his daughter Matilda his heir and married her to Geoffrey of Anjou. The relationship between Henry and the couple became strained, and fighting broke out along the border with Anjou. Henry died on 1 December 1135 after a week of illness, possibly from food poisoning. Despite his plans for Matilda, the King was succeeded by his nephew Stephen of Blois, resulting in a period of civil war known as the Anarchy. Family and children Legitimate King Henry is famed for holding the record for the largest number of acknowledged illegitimate children born to any English king, with the number being around 20 or 25. He had many mistresses, and identifying which mistress is the mother of which child is difficult. His illegitimate offspring for whom there is documentation are: With Matilda (daughter of Malcolm III) • Maitida married Geoffrey Comte d'Anjou • William Ætheling Duke of Normandy With Edith • Matilda du Perche, married Count Rotrou II of Perche, perished in the wreck of the White Ship. With Ansfride • Ansfride was born c. 1070. She was the wife of Anskill of Seacourt, at Wytham in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire). Juliane de Fontevrault, married Eustace de Pacy. She tried to shoot her father with a crossbow after King Henry allowed her two young daughters to be blinded. • Fulk FitzRoy, a monk at Abingdon. • Richard of Lincoln, perished in the wreck of the White Ship. With Sybil Corbet Lady Sybilla Corbet of Alcester was born in 1077 in Alcester in Warwickshire. She married Herbert FitzHerbert, son of Herbert 'the Chamberlain' of Winchester and Emma de Blois. She died after 1157 and was also known as Adela (or Lucia) Corbet. Sybil was definitely mother of Sybil and Rainald, possibly also of William and Rohese. Some sources suggest that there was another daughter by this relationship, Gundred, but it appears that she was thought as such because she was a sister of Reginald de Dunstanville but it appears that that was another person of that name who was not related to this family. • Sybilla of England, married King Alexander I of Scotland. • William Constable, born before 1105. Married Alice (Constable); died after 1187. • Reginald de Dunstanville, 1st Earl of Cornwall. • Gundred of England (1114 – 1146), married 1130 Henry de la Pomeroy, son of Joscelin de la Pomerai. • Rohese of England, born 1114; married Henry de la Pomeroy. With Edith FitzForne • Robert FitzEdith, Lord Okehampton, (1093 – 1172) married Dame Maud d'Avranches du Sap. • Adeliza FitzEdith. Appears in charters with her brother Robert. With Princess Nest Nest ferch Rhys was born about 1073 at Dynefwr Castle, Carmarthenshire, the daughter of Prince Rhys ap Tewdwr of Deheubarth and his wife, Gwladys ferch Rhywallon. She married, in 1095, to Gerald de Windsor (aka Geraldus FitzWalter) son of Walter FitzOther, Constable of Windsor Castle and Keeper of the Forests of Berkshire. She had several other liaisons - including one with Stephen of Cardigan, Constable of Cardigan (1136) - and subsequently other illegitimate children. The date of her death is unknown. • Henry FitzRoy, died 1157. With Isabel de Beaumont Isabel (Elizabeth) de Beaumont (after 1102 – after 1172), daughter of Robert de Beaumont, sister of Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester. She married Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke, in 1130. She was also known as Isabella de Meulan. • Isabel Hedwig of England, born circa 1078 • Matilda FitzRoy, abbess of Montvilliers, also known as Montpiller With Geiva de Tracy: • William de Tracy, died shortly after King Henry. With de Caen Concubine • Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester. His mother may have been a member of the Gai/Gay/Gayt family. Additional Children: • Maud FitzRoy, married Conan III, Duke of Brittany • Constance FitzRoy, married Richard de Beaumont • Mabel FitzRoy, married William III Gouet • Aline FitzRoy, married Matthieu I of Montmorency • Gilbert FitzRoy, died after 1142. His mother may have been a sister of Walter de Gand. • Emma, born circa 1138; married Gui de Laval, Lord Laval. [Uncertain, born 2 years after Henry died.] Updated from a previous version of this profile. Not on the current version which has been mixed up. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_I_of_England