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Kings & Queens of Medieval England

William II

by Morgan of Osprey

  • Originally published in A Sealion's Tale

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.

William II: The third son of William I, he became King while William’s eldest son, Robert, became duke of Normandy. He was sometimes called "Rufus" due to his red hair and complexion. In 1088, he crushed a rebellion in Normandy of his uncle, Odo of Bayeux, who supported Robert’s claim to the English throne. In 1090, William led an invasion of Normandy to subdue his brother Robert. In 1091, he defeated a Scottish invasion of England led by Malcolm III but two years later, Malcolm is killed during a second invasion at the Battle of Alnwick. In 1095, William suppressed a revolt in Northumbria and in 1098, he suppressed a Welsh rebellion against the Norman Lords.

William II died on August 2, 1100 after receiving an arrow while hunting with friends in New Forrest. It has been debated and suggested that he was intentionally shot on the instructions of his brother Henry. Contemporary accounts hold that William II constantly surrounded himself and socialized with young, long-haired, effeminate young men. This prompted wide-spread rumor that the unmarried King was gay.

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