William II, king of England was shot hunting in the New Forest
William II was King of England from 26th September 1087 until his death in 1100.
The third son of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders, he is commonly referred to as William Rufus.
Rufus being Latin for “the Red”, perhaps because of his ruddy appearance or, more likely, due to having red hair as a child that grew out in later life.
The history of Norman England is more focused on William the Conqueror, or his youngest Son Henry I.
Yet, the life and tribulations of his successor and favoured son, William II, has remained relatively overlooked.
William Rufus, never married and never produced any heirs, legitimate or illegitimate.
Some suggest he was homosexual, his friend Ranulf Flambard, was often implicated as being William’s most obvious and regular sexual partner.
Other than the fact they spent a lot of time together, and that William surrounded himself with ‘attractive’ men, there are no historical facts to suggest that either of them were homosexual.
William II had a fractured relationship with the Church, but where William lacked respect and support from the Church, he most certainly had it from his army.
He was a consummate tactician and military leader, who understood the importance of having loyalty from his army.
William also effectively brought to heel a Scottish kingdom that was constantly hostile towards him.
Malcolm III King of Scotland, invaded William’s kingdom on numerous occasions, however, he was soundly defeated by William’s forces.
In 1091, King Malcolm was forced to offer homage to William and to acknowledge him as overlord.
In 1093 an army sent by William, successfully defeated Malcolm at the Battle of Alnwick.
This resulted in the death of Malcolm and his son Edward, and threw Scotland into a succession dispute.
On 2nd August 1100, while on a hunting expedition in the New Forest with his brother Henry and numerous others, an arrow pierced William’s chest and entered his lungs.
William, aged 44, died not long after.
It has been argued that his death was an assassination plot by his brother Henry – who not long after his older brother’s death, raced to be crowned king before anyone could contest him.
William II was clearly a divisive ruler, he successfully extended Norman control over England, Scotland and, slightly less successfully, along the Welsh border.
He effectively restored peace in Normandy and ensured there was a reasonable orderly rule in England.
All in all, William has been portrayed as a brutal and malicious ruler, who gave into his vices more frequently than not.
Yet, for these supposed pitfalls, he was clearly an effective ruler whose image may well have been distorted by the enemies he made at the time.
William’s death in an illustration from the Grandes Chroniques de France ~ 13th century
