Meet the (new) royals! Father, Willie and mother, Matilda (Tilly)!
This was the family who to power in England ascended!
And from which the present royal family is descended!
England now had a new royal family. An exciting new development because King Edward the Confessor had had no children so there had been no ‘royals’ for decades. William had a formidable wife, a relatively large family including three sons who would engage in a fair degree of sibling rivalry even as adults. But in common with their father would also become powerful rulers.
Mother Matilda (1031-1083)
William was married to Matilda, daughter of the Duke of Flanders. William had not been Matilda’s first choice of husband. This honour fell to a Saxon noble, one Brithric who had once represented the English monarchy at her father’s court in Flanders. Matilda had developed a deep attachment to the handsome Saxon nobleman when she met him as a young woman. However it was a case of unrequited love because Britheric spurned Matilda’s amorous advances. The young woman was heartbroken.
To upset Tilly, well you really must be silly!
Can’t forget what happened to the man that she wanted instead of Duke Willie!
After the Norman conquest, Matilda persuaded William to strip Brithric of his possessions and have him imprisoned where he subsequently died.
Meet the children!
We need only mention the boys!
All three, once given power would avail themselves of its joys!
Robert Curthose ( Bobby short-legs (1051-1134
The eldest son, Robert would succeed his father as Duke of Normandy. Robert spent the first half of his life risking death on the battlefield and the second languishing in a Welsh jail at Cardiff castle having been imprisoned by his brother Henry. Despite a less comfortable life, he managed to reach the astonishing age of 83 which represented great longevity in the middle ages. However Robert’s incarceration was not entirely without achievement. He took the trouble to learn Welsh and wrote at least one poem in the language.
William Rufus (Rufus means ruddy complexion) c 1056 1100.
Wiilliam Rufus succeeded his father as King of England and would be killed by an arrow fired by a companion while hunting in the New Forest.
Henry Beauclerc (Beauclerc means good administrator) c1068 – 1135.
Henry was the youngest of the three surviving sons of the Conqueror and the only one to be born in England. As the youngest son, He was not expected to inherit very much at all from his father. However Henry would become both Duke of Normandy, and King of England. With the death of William Rufus and his jailing of Robert, Henry ended up with Conqueror’s entire estate.
This was the beginning of the new dynasty that would rule England.