House of Normandy - King William II Rufus
Name: King William II Rufus
Father: William I
Mother: Matilda of Flanders
Born: c.1056 at Normandy
Ascended to the throne: September 9, 1087
Crowned: September 26, 1087 at Westminster Abbey
Married: Unmarried
Died: August 2, 1100 at New Forest, Hampshire
Buried at: Winchester
King of England from 1087, the third son of William (I) the Conqueror. He spent most of his reign attempting to capture Normandy from his brother Robert (II) Curthose , Duke of Normandy. His extortion of money led his barons to revolt. Malcolm II of Scotland twice invades England in 1091 and 1093 before Malcolm is defeated and killed at the Battle of Alnwick. William also had to deal with rebellions in Northumbria and along the Welsh border. He was killed in 1100 while hunting in the New Forest, Hampshire, and was succeeded by his brother Henry I.
Timeline for King William II Rufus
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1087 | William Il accedes to the throne on the death of his father, William I. |
| 1088 | William crushes a baronial rebellion in Normandy led by his uncle, Odo of Bayeux. William’s brother, Robert, supports the claims of Normandy to the English throne. |
| 1089 | Ranulf Flambard, leading adviser to William, is appointed Justiciar (the King’s judicial officer). He begins to levy heavy taxes on the church. |
| 1090 | William leads an invasion of Normandy in an attempt to subdue his brother, Robert. |
| 1091 | William defeats an invasion of England led by Malcolm III of Scotland. |
| 1092 | Carlisle is captured from Scotland and Cumberland is annexed. |
| 1093 | Malcolm III and the Scots invade England again, but they are defeated and Malcolm is killed at the Battle of Alnwick. |
| 1095 | William suppresses revolt in Northumbria. |
| 1095 | First Crusade begins following a call by Pope Urban II to help free the Holy Land which has been captured by Muslims. |
| 1098 | William suppresses a Welsh rebellion against the Norman border lords. |
| 1099 | The Crusaders take Jerusalem. The first Crusade ends. |
| 1100 | William is killed by an arrow while out hunting in the New Forest. Supposedly an accident, it has been suggested that he was shot deliberately on the instructions of his brother Henry |