General Notes

[wyche.FTW]
KING OF FRANCE FROM 1031-1060
COUNT OF PARIS
THIS IS HIS THIRD MARRIAGE
SOURCE--ANCESTRAL ROOTS OF CERTAIN AMERICAN COLONISTS WHO CAME TO AMERICAB
EFORE 1700, SEVENTH EDITION, COPYRIGHT 1995, PAGE 57, 97, 124,205Contempor
aries: Louis VI ("Louis the Fat", King of France, 1108-1137),Roger of Sali
sbury, Anselm (Archbishop of Canterbury), Pope Pascal II
Henry I, the most resilient of the Norman kings (his reign lastedthirty-fi
ve years), was nicknamed "Beauclerc" (fine scholar) for hisabove average e
ducation. During his reign, the differences betweenEnglish and Norman soci
ety began to slowly evaporate. Reforms in theroyal treasury system beca
me the foundation upon which later kings built.The stability Henry afford
ed the throne was offset by problems insuccession: his only surviving so
n, William, was lost in the wreck of theWhite Ship in November 1120.
The first years of Henry's reign were concerned with subduing Normandy.Wil
liam the Conqueror divided his kingdoms between Henry's olderbrothers, lea
ving England to William Rufus and Normandy to Robert. Henryinherited no la
nd but received 5000 in silver. He played each brotheroff of the other dur
ing their quarrels; both distrusted Henry andsubsequently signed a mutu
al accession treaty barring Henry from thecrown. Henry's hope arose when R
obert departed for the Holy Land on theFirst Crusade; should William di
e, Henry was the obvious heir. Henry wasin the woods hunting on the morni
ng of August 2, 1100 when William Rufuswas killed by an arrow. His quick m
ovement in securing the crown onAugust 5 led many to believe he was respon
sible for his brother's death.In his coronation charter, Henry denounced W
illiam's oppressive policiesand promising good government in an effo
rt to appease his barons. Robertreturned to Normandy a few weeks later b
ut escaped final defeat until theBattle of Tinchebrai in 1106; Robert w
as captured and lived the remainingtwenty-eight years of his life as Henry
's prisoner.
Henry was drawn into controversy with a rapidly expanding Church. Layinves
titure, the king's selling of clergy appointments, was heavilyopposed by G
regorian reformers in the Church but was a cornerstone ofNorman governmen
t. Henry recalled Anselm of Bec to the archbishopric ofCanterbury to ga
in baronial support, but the stubborn Anselm refused todo homage to Hen
ry for his lands. The situation remained unresolved untilPope Paschal II t
hreatened Henry with excommunication in 1105. He reacheda compromise wi
th the papacy: Henry rescinded the king's divine authorityin conferring sa
cred offices but appointees continued to do homage fortheir fiefs. In prac
tice, it changed little - the king maintained thedeciding voice in appoint
ing ecclesiastical offices - but it a marked apoint where kingship beca
me purely secular and subservient in the eyes ofthe Church.
By 1106, both the quarrels with the church and the conquest of Normandywe
re settled and Henry concentrated on expanding royal power. He mixedgenero
sity with violence in motivating allegiance to the crown andappointing loy
al and gifted men to administrative positions. By raisingmen out of obscur
ity for such appointments, Henry began to rely less onlanded barons as min
isters and created a loyal bureaucracy. He was deeplyinvolved in continent
al affairs and therefore spent almost half of histime in Normandy, prompti
ng him to create the position of justiciar - themost trusted of all the ki
ng's officials, the justiciar literally ruledin the king's stead. Rog
er of Salisbury, the first justiciar, wasinstrumental in organizing an eff
icient department for collection ofroyal revenues, the Exchequer. The Exch
equer held sessions twice a yearfor sheriffs and other revenue-collecti
ng officials; these officialsappeared before the justiciar, the chancello
r, and several clerks andrendered an account of their finances. The Excheq
uer was an ingeniousdevice for