HENRIE THE FIRST, YOONGEST SONNE
TO WILLIAM THE CONQUEROUR.
Henrie the yoongest sonne to William the first, brother to Rufus latelie departed, the first of that name that ruled heere in England, & for his An. Reg. 1.
1100. knowledge in good literature surnamed Beauclerke, was admitted king by the whole assent of the lords and commons, and began his reigne ouer England the first of August, in the yeare after the creation of the world 1067. after the birth of our Sauiour 1100. and 44. of the emperour Henrie the fourth, Paschall the second then gouerning the sée of Rome, Wil. Thorne. Geruasius Dorobernensis. which was about the 51. yeare of Philip the first of that name king of France, and in the beginning of the reigne of Edgar king of Scotland. This king was consecrated and crowned at Westminster, the fift daie of August, by Thomas archbishop of Yorke, and Maurice bishop of London, bicause at that time Anselme archbishop of Canturburie was exiled. This prince had aforehand trained the people to his humor and veine, in Matth. Paris. bringing them to thinke well of him, and to conceiue a maruellous euill opinion of his brother duke Robert, persuading them moreouer, that the said duke was likelie to prooue a sharpe and rigorous gouernour, if he once obteined the crowne and dominion of the land. Moreouer, he caused to be reported for a certeine truth, that the same Robert was alreadie created king of Jerusalem. And therefore considering that the kingdome of Palestine (as the rumor ran) was of greater reuenues than that of England, there was no cause why they should staie for him, who would not willinglie leaue the greater for the lesser. By which meanes the Nobilitie and Commons were the sooner persuaded to decline from the election of the said Robert, and to receiue his brother Henrie for their lawfull king, who on the other side ceased not to promise mountaines, till his enterprise tooke effect; and then at leisure paied some of them with molhils as by the sequele of the storie shall more at large appéere.
This Henrie therefore comming thus to the crowne, considered furthermore with himselfe, that hereafter, when his eldest brother Robert should returne, and vnderstand how the matter was brought about, he would thinke himselfe to haue had much wrong, and béene verie euill dealt withall, sith that as well by birthright, as also by agréement made with his brother William Rufus, he ought of right to be preferred, and therevpon would not faile but make earnest claime against him. Wherefore yer he should come home out of the holie land (where he then remained) the king studied by all possible The king séeketh to win the peoples fauour. meanes how to gratifie all the states of his realme, & to plant in their harts some good opinion of him. And first of all he reformed such things as his brother had left verie preiudiciall to the estate of the church, setting the same frée which before was sore oppressed. And furthermore, somewhat to reléeue the Simon Dun. Hen. Hunt. Matth. Paris.
Anselme called home.
Wil. Malm.
William Gifford bishop of Winchester.
Hen. Hunt. common-wealth, he promised to restore the lawes of good king Edward, and to abolish or amend those which by his father and brother were alreadie ordeined to the hurt & preiudice of the old ancient liberties of the realme of England. He reuoked Anselme the archbishop of Canturburie out of exile, who fled (as yee haue heard) to auoid the wrath of king William. Moreouer, he placed in the see of Winchester, one William Gifford, a graue and discréet person, and also ordeined moonkes of honest reputation to be abbats in certeine abbies which had beene long void, and in the hands of William his brother: in like maner he remitted certeine paiments which his brother and predecessour had caused to be raised by waie of taxes and customes. Besides this, on the 8. daie of Rafe bishop of Durham committed to the Tower.
Simon Dun.
The first ordeining of the yard measure.
Wil. Malm. September, he committed Rafe bishop of Durham to the Tower of London, by whose lewd counsell his said brother being seduced, had in his life time doone manie oppressions to his people. He ordeined also that one length of measuring should be vsed through this realme, which was a yard, appointing it to be cut after the length of his owne arme. Manie other things he redressed, to the contentation and commoditie of his subiects, who gaue God thanks that he had in such wise deliuered them out of the hands of cruell extortioners.
Wil. Malm. Polydor. After he had thus brought the common-wealth in so good estate, he consulted with his Nobilitie, where he might best get him a wife, and thereby leaue vnlawfull companie keeping with concubines: which demand was not misliked at all. Herevpon they considered that Edgar king of Scotland had a sister named Maud, a beautifull ladie, and of vertuous conditions, who was a professed nunne in a religious house, to the end she might auoid the stormes of the world, and lead hir life in more securitie after hir fathers deceasse. This gentlewoman, notwithstanding hir vow, was thought to be a meet bedfellow for the king: wherefore he sent ambassadors to hir brother Edgar, requesting that he might haue hir in mariage. But she refusing superstitiouslie at the first to breake hir professed vow, would not heare of the offer: wherewithall king Henrie being the more inflamed, sent new ambassadors to moue the case in more earnest sort than before, in somuch that Edgar, vpon the declaration of their ambassage, set the abbesse of the house (where then she abode) in hand to persuade hir, who so effectuallie and diuerselie telling hir how necessarie, profitable, & honorable the same should be both to her countrie and kinred, did so preuaile at the last, that the yoong ladie granted willinglie to the mariage. Herevpon she was transported into England, and wedded to the king, who caused the archbishop Anselme to crowne hir queene on S. Martins daie, which fell vpon a sundaie, being the eleuenth of Nouember.
¶ It should séeme by Eadmerus, that she was neuer nunne, but onelie veiled by hir mother, and placed amongst nunnes against hir will (as she protested to the whole world) at such time as archbishop Anselme refused to solemnize the mariage betwixt them, till that doubt were cleared, and the occasion remoued, wherevpon euill disposed men would haue surmised ilfauoredlie, and reported the worst. Howbeit whether she were professed, or veiled onelie, loth she was to consent at the first (as partlie ye haue heard) but after that she was coupled with the king in mariage, she prooued a right obedient wife.
The archbishop of Vienna the popes legat. About this season the archbishop of Vienna came ouer into England with the popes authoritie (as he pretended) to be legat ouer all Briteine, which was strange newes vnto England, and greatlie woondered at (as Eadmerus saith) of all men. For it had not beene heard of in England before that time, that any person should supplie the popes roome except He is not receiued for legat. the archbishop of Canturburie. And so he departed as he came, for no man receiued him as legat, neither did he exercise anie legantine authoritie. Not long after, the king sent ambassadours to Rome, about a suit which he had against the archbishop Anselme, for that he denied not onelie to doo him homage, but also would not consecrate such bishops and ecclesiasticall gouernours as he vndertooke to inuest. Touching which matter no small trouble arose, as hereafter shall appeere.
1101. In the meane time, Robert the kings elder brother, returning out of the holie land, came into Normandie: for after he had aduertisement of the death of his brother Rufus, and that his yoonger brother was crowned king of England, he was greatlie displeased in his mind, and meant with all spéed to assaie if he might recouer it out of his hands.
Ran. Higd. Duke Robert chosen king of Hierusalem. ¶ We read, that when christian princes had woone Hierusalem, they met togither in the temple to chuse a king for the gouernement of that citie and countrie, in which conuent duke Robert was chosen before all the residue to be king there, by reason of a miracle (as some haue left recorded) wrought by quenching of a taper, and the sudden kindling thereof againe, as he held the same in his hand, standing in the church before the altar amongst other on Easter euen: so as thereby it should Polydor. be thought he was appointed among all the residue to be king, and so was nominated. But he hauing his mind more inclined to England, refused to take the charge vpon him: wherevpon after that daie he neuer greatlie prospered in anie businesse which he tooke in hand: as some doo gather. Other authors of good credit, which haue written that voiage into the holie land, make no mention of anie such matter, but declare, that Godfraie of Bolongne was by the generall consent of all the princes and capiteins there elected king, as in the description of that voiage more plainelie appéereth. But now to returne from whence I haue digressed.
An. Reg. 2. When the fame was blown into England, that duke Robert was returned into Normandie, and that the people had receiued him for their duke with great triumph and ioy: there were diuerse which desiring innouations, deliting in alterations, and being wearie of the quiet gouernment of Duke Robert is solicited to come into England to claim the crowne. king Henrie, wrote letters into England to the duke, signifieng to him, that if he would make hast, and come to recouer the realme out of his brothers hands (who vsurped it by an vniust title) they would be readie to aid him with all their power. Herewithall the duke being readie of his owne accord to this enterprise, was not a little inflamed, and grew more earnest to make hast about this businesse: in so much as, where he would not séeme at the first to estéeme greatlie of the offer made to him by the Englishmen, who had thus written ouer vnto him (blaming generallie all the English Nobilitie, for that while he was abroad in the seruice of the christian common-wealth against the infidels, they would suffer him to be in such wise defrauded of his fathers inheritance, by his brother, through their vntruth and negligence) yet Wil. Malm. Simon Dun. although he meant to delaie the matter, and thought it rather better to dissemble with them for a time, than to commit the successe of his affaires and person to their inconstancie; shortlie after being set on fire, and still incouraged by the persuasion of Rafe bishop of Durham In the Kal. of Februarie. R. Houe. Hen. Hunt. Polydor. (who by a woonderfull wilie shift, about the first of Februarie had broken out of prison) with all speed possible he gathered an armie, purposing out of hand to passe ouer with the same into England, and to hazard his right by dent of sword, which was thus by plaine iniurie most wickedlie deteined from him.