William II 'Rufus' England

b 1060, , , Normandy, France
d 01 Aug 1100, , New Forest, Hampshire, England
bur 02 Aug 1100, Cathedrlstswiten, Winchester, Hampshire, England			Richard I 'The_Fearless' Normandy, [Duke]	>
61 18 May 1933, !&		Richard II 'The_Good' Normandy	Gonnor De Crepon, [Duchess]	>
	Robert I Normandy	b 0962	Conan I Count Bretagne, [Duke of]
	\| b 0999	Judith Princess Of Brittany_(Bretag	Ermangarde D' Anjou, [Duchess]	>
William I 'The_Conqueror' England, [Duke]	d 02 Jul 1035	b 0956
\|b 14 Oct 1024	\|	Fulbert De Falaise
\|d 10 Sep 1087	Harlette De Falaise	b 0978
\|	b 1003	Doda
William II 'Rufus' England		b 0980	Arnold II Count Flanders	>
\|		Baudouin IV 'Barbatus', Flanders	Rosele Italy	>
\|	Baldwin V Count Flanders	b ABT 967 968	Frederick I, Count Luxemburg	>
\|	\|b 1012	Ogive De Luxembourg	Ermentrude, Countess Of Luxemburg	>
Matilda Countess Of Flanders, [Queen]	d 01 Sep 1067	b 0986	Hugh Capet, King of France	>
b 1031	\|	Robert II 'The_Pious' France, King of France	Adelaide Princess Of Aquitaine	>
d 02 Nov 1083	Adele (Alix) Princess France	b 27 Mar 0972	William III Taillefer, [Count]	>
	b 1009	Constance De Toulouse, Queen of France	Arsinde (Blanche) De Anjou, [Countess]	>
	d 1079	b 0974

Children

Bertrannus Berstand

Notes

William II 'Rufus' King Of England became king in 1087. He was called Rufus, meaning red, because of his ruddy complexion. Lustful for power and completely illiterate, he ruled with violence rather than strength. The clergy denounced his brutality and his infringements on church rights.

In 1088, several powerful Norman barons revolted against William. He put down the revolt and strengthened his position. Later, he gained control of Normandy by financing the crusading ventures of his brother Robert, Duke of Normandy. He also invaded Scotland and brought it under his control in 1097.

William's reign was marked by a bitter quarrel with the Roman Catholic Church. William kept the see of Canterbury vacant after the archbishop die in 1089, in order to collect its revenues for himself. When he fell seriously ill in 1093, he welcomed the election of Aneselm as archbishop to atone for his sins. But when he recovered his health, he forced Anselm into exile. An arrow shot by a fellow hunter killed William while he was hunting. The clergy refused to give him a church funeral.

Source: 'The World Book Encyclopedia', 1968, p WXYZ259.

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