• General Notes

  William "The Conqueror" left Normandy to his oldest son Robert II and England to the second oldest son William II (Rufus). Henry, the third son, was left nothing, but great wealth. He formed a powerful alliance with the de Clare family. In 1100, they were on a hunting expedition with King William II Rufus, when he was killed. Some believe it was no accident, but the result of Henry's plotting. He left William's body in the woods and immediately rode to Winchester to secure the treasury. Henry became King of England and conquered Normandy from his elder brother Robert Curthose. Henry is remembered for strengthening royal justice by integrating the Norman and Anglo-Saxon legal systems. In 1120, his only legitimate son and heir was killed in the wreck of the White Ship, throwing the succession into crisis. Henry forced his barons to support his daughter Matilda as heir.
  
  Henry was called "Beauclerc," meaning "Good Scholar," because he could write.
  
  THE WRECK OF THE WHITE SHIP, 25 NOV 1120
  King Henry I's only legitimate son and heir, the warrior prince William the Aetheling, was returning to England after defeating King Louis VI of France at the Battle of Bremule. The rising star of the Royal Court, the young Prince was accompanied on The White Ship by 140 knights, 18 noblewomen and many of the heirs to the great estates of England and Normandy. The mood was jubilant and the Prince supplied wine by the barrel for the occasion with passengers and crew partying into the night. Racing through the waves to catch up with the rest of the fleet which departed much
  earlier, the White Ship hit a rock and opened a gaping hole on the port side. The Prince was rushed into a dinghy, but on hearing the desperate cries of his sister as the ship sunk beneath the waves, he ordered the little boat to turn around, but the situation was hopeless. Many fought desperately to save the Royal dinghy, but in the end all were lost to the sea. Only a Rouen butcher named Berold survived to tell the tale. When King Henry heard of the news, it is said he never smiled again. To secure his family's succession, he ordered the barons to swear an oath to uphold the rights of his remaining legitimate heir, Matilda (or Maud). But the time was not ripe for a woman to rule, disputes broke out after Henry's death, and his nephew Stephen of Blois seized power throwing the country into Civil War.
  
  Robert the Bruce of Scotland and the Plantagenet Kings of England are descendants of Henry and Good Queen Maud.
  

Details of  HENRY I "BEAUCLERC",  KING OF 's family with Isabel (Elizabeth) de Beaumont