Was William II or Henry I king of England the better King?
Of William I’s (1066-1087) sons, William the II (1087-1100) was a better king than his younger brother Henry I (1100-1135). William I’s was the first Norman king to rule England. He split his heritance between his three living sons. Robert received the rule of Normandy, William II received England and Henry I received five thousand pounds. In early medieval England a good king was a heroic soldier and a strong leader who was fair but enforced the law. It was also important that they were Christian and unsinful. William II “The Rufus”-because of his red face or temper, was true to himself and what he believed in while Henry I “Beauclerc”-because of his high level of education, was a brutal and selfish king, not only to his people, but also to his brothers. William II was not without fault. He was an Atheist and treated the church terribly, but Henry I was sneaky with his manipulative plans.
Henry I was very manipulative towards the people around him. He went between the older brothers, coercing them both that they should conquer both kingdoms, like their mighty father had. Henry I took sides between the brothers, as they fought, according to who was winning. Finally it was Robert who surrendered and he retired to Normandy leaving William II to rule England and Henry I to soon become William II’s very close companion. The bishop of Linton said “When Henry praised anyone he was sure to be plotting their destruction.” [1]Henry I used his manipulative powers to bring him closer to the throne of England.
William II was unmarried and died childless. He was an atheist and treated the church badly, by taking large sums of money from them and not giving anything back in return. But one churchman wrote in the Chronicle “[William II] is abominable to god”,[1] suggesting that he was a homosexual. This theory spread thought out Britain and William II was considered an insufficient king because he was “gay”. Because it was the churchmen who wrote all the primary sources
Henry I was very manipulative towards the people around him. He went between the older brothers, coercing them both that they should conquer both kingdoms, like their mighty father had. Henry I took sides between the brothers, as they fought, according to who was winning. Finally it was Robert who surrendered and he retired to Normandy leaving William II to rule England and Henry I to soon become William II’s very close companion. The bishop of Linton said “When Henry praised anyone he was sure to be plotting their destruction.” [1]Henry I used his manipulative powers to bring him closer to the throne of England.
William II was unmarried and died childless. He was an atheist and treated the church badly, by taking large sums of money from them and not giving anything back in return. But one churchman wrote in the Chronicle “[William II] is abominable to god”,[1] suggesting that he was a homosexual. This theory spread thought out Britain and William II was considered an insufficient king because he was “gay”. Because it was the churchmen who wrote all the primary sources