This is a series of articles dealing with the British nobility beginning with William the Conqueror in 1066 and ending with Henry VIII circa 1530. The information within has been compiled from multiple resources and a bibliography will follow the completed work. Beginning with the Normans, the Plantagenets, the Lancasters, the Yorks, and then finally, the Tudors.
Henry I: Although he came to power in 1100 under suspicion, he is thought to have ruled well and been a popular monarch. In 1100, he issued The Charter of Liberties, which pledged good government. He also married Edith, daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland. A year later, Henry’s brother Robert invaded and tried to wrest the English throne. Henry is victorious and they both sign the Treaty of Alton, which confirms Henry as King of England and Robert as Duke of Normandy. But in 1106, Robert reneges and wars with Henry and the former is succinctly captured and imprisoned in Cardiff Castle. In 1120, Henry’s son and heir to the throne drown and his daughter, Matilda, becomes heir, which is finally accepted by the Barons in 1026.
Henry dies in 1135 of food poisoning. Henry was considered a good ruler who expanded the justice system and established the King’s Council, a council to settle disputes between the Crown and the feudal lords.