On this day in 1389 Isabeau of Bavaria, Queen of France, gave birth to a baby girl in Paris. Princess Isabella was the third child and second daughter of the Queen and her husband King Charles VI. Sadly she did not have the best childhood, or the longest life.

Childhood

Isabella's parent's marriage had originally seemed like it was divinely blessed. Charles reportedly fell in love with his bride at first sight, and showered her with gifts and a lavish coronation. Their first child was a boy named Charles, who died aged eight, followed by Jeanne and then Isabella.

But things slowly took the shine off the royal life. Charles developed a mental illness, which first appeared in 1392 when Isabella was three years old. For the rest of his life Charles would swing between lucidity and insanity, a situation that led to various political players attempting to gain control of the country. One of those players was Isabeau, who quickly developed a reputation in the medieval chronicles for neglecting her children.

Charles' periods of sanity meant that Isabeau continued to fall pregnant, in total Isabella was followed by nine siblings. The Royal nursery was reportedly far from what it should have been, records stated that the children were left to run around in old, dirty clothes, and that if it wasn't for the servants they would have starved, as Isabeau never bothered to arrange supplies. Modern historians have pointed out that the actual records from the court show payments made for toys and clothes for the children, suggesting that even if Isabeau didn't spend much time with them, she certainly didn't neglect them.

Charles' illness also meant that France was vulnerable to attack from outside as well. France and England had been at war for years, but it was a fight that was proving to be increasingly unpopular in England, and in the end Charles and King Richard II negotiated a truce, with Isabella playing a key part. Richard was a widower, his wife Anne of Bohemia died in 1394, and he had no children. The peace with France was sealed with a marriage to Isabella, who was a mere seven years old when the wedding took place in October 1396.

England

After the wedding Isabella was taken over the English Channel and deposited safely in the care of two English duchesses and provided with a governess from France. Richard reportedly visited her frequently, when he would take her for walks in the garden. Despite the wealth that she brought with her, she was far from popular with English public or Richard's court, who felt that he should have married a woman old enough to bear children.

Despite the unconventional home set-up, Isabella appears to have had genuine affection for her "husband". After Richard was deposed by his cousin Henry, the new king decided that the French truce could continue. He had a son, also called Henry, who was closer in age to Isabella, and by marrying his heir she would still eventually be Queen of England. Isabella on the other hand appears to have refused, and went in to official mourning for her husband. After a certain amount of negotiation (Henry was probably stalling in the hope that Isabella would change her mind), she was allowed to return to France with the jewels and other goods that her family had given her for her wedding.

In June 1406 at the age of fifteen Isabella married for a second time, to her cousin the Duke of Orleans. Four years later she gave birth to her only child, a daughter named Joan, and passed away a few hours later. In her time as Queen of England she had little opportunity to make her mark, and her early death meant that she left little impression on French politics. Her younger sister Catherine went on to take her throne, marrying Henry V in attempt to bind France and England together once more. 

On this day in 1216, a hasty coronation was held at Gloucester Cathedral. The country was at war, and a nine year old boy was the new King of England. It wasn't a great start for the new Henry III.

Civil War

King John had been an unpopular king for years, which eventually led to the signing of Magna Carta. This revolutionary document failed to maintain peace for long. As soon as he could, John repudiated the document, and the First Barons War became official. England descended in to chaos, with John and a few loyal supporters on one side, and a large number of the nobility and popular of England on the other side. The rebels were also supported by King Philip II of France, whose conquering of English possessions in France had started the problems. Seeing an opportunity to gain a new jewel in the French crown, he sent his son Prince Louis with his own army to assist the rebels, and hopefully claim the English throne.

Magna Carta had been signed in 1215. A year later, John was very ill, and fighting a lost cause. He had began a major offensive in September 1216, but rapidly lost his strength after contracting dysentery. He eventually reached Newark Castle in Nottinghamshire, where he died on 18th October. The story goes that he ate himself to death by gorging on peaches, but given that he was already seriously ill it's probable that it simply caught up with him.

Henry was only a boy, too young to be accompanying his father around the country. Instead he had been left in relatively safely with his mother, Isabella of Angouleme. His father's will had named William Marshal as his guardian, showing that while John might have been an idiot in some decisions, he knew who his friends were. Marshal had a reputation as one of the greatest knights in England, he was strong, intelligent, chivalrous, and while he may have disagreed with John in the past, he was utterly loyal to his king. Henry was in good hands.

Coronation

London was held by the rebellious barons and Prince Louis, so the traditional place of coronation, Westminster Abbey, couldn't be used. A coronation bestowed legitimate royal power on the King, so in order to strengthen Henry's claims against Louis, the ceremony needed to be held as quickly as possible. It was also hampered by the missing Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton, who had been banned from England by the Pope, until peace could be declared.

Henry was hastily taken to Gloucester, where he was crowned by an assortment of bishops, arranged by the papal legate to England. It's believed that King John had lost the crown jewels when crossing The Wash, as a result the reports of the time state that Henry had to be crowned using one of his mother' gold circlets. It wasn't the best start to a reign, but at least it gave England a new focal point. No one liked King John, but they disliked French influence even more. It soon became clear that there couldn't be an outright winner.

Future Reign

Henry would also go on to have his problems with his nobles. Louis was eventually defeated by William Marshall, and agreed to leave England once a large sum of money was offered to him. In the future, Louis' son and Henry would both marry daughters of the Count of Provence, and the French court would support Henry in his own fights against the Barons. After this inauspicious start, a second coronation was held for Henry in 1220, with permission granted by the Pope, with a newly created crown and a recently returned Archbishop of Canterbury.

Although this was the first "emergency" coronation held for an English king who was still a minor, it wasn't the last. Henry's great-grandson, Edward III, would also one day have to endure a rushed ceremony thanks to political problems.

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On this day in 1537 Henry VIII's third wife, Jane Seymour, died at Hampton Court Palace. Twelve days earlier she had done what her predecessor, Anne Boleyn, had failed to do - give birth to a living baby boy. Sadly though the birth would end up killing her.

Childhood

Jane's exact date of birth isn't known, but she is believed to have been born some time in 1508, mostly likely at her family's home of Wulfhall in Wiltshire. She was one of nine children, of whom six survived, including three of her brothers. Very little is known about her childhood however, her father was Sir John Seymour, but he wasn't a great political player like Anne Boleyn's uncle, the Duke of Norfolk. Unlike Catherine and Anne, she didn't have a reputation for being well-educated or quick witted, which suggests that she may have been taught little more than reading and writing.

But even with little education, Jane could still attend court. Since her father was a courtier it was natural that a place would also be found for her. She was duly assigned to the household of Catherine of Aragon, and on her downfall, to that of Anne Boleyn. During this time she came to the attention of King Henry himself, who by this point was becoming convinced that his second marriage wasn't going to give him the necessary son, just like the first. Jane wasn't considered to be particularly beautiful, and with her lack of education she wasn't going to be the centre of attention like Anne had been. In fact, that was just what Henry appears to have wanted, a quiet and mild wife.

Marriage

Jane and Henry were betrothed on 20th May 1536, the day after Anne Boleyn's execution. They were privately married ten days later at the Palace of Whitehall, but Jane wasn't crowned. Historians believe that Henry decided to wait until Jane was pregnant before she was officially given the crown, coronations were large, public and expensive events and he would hardly go to the trouble for a woman that may prove to disappoint him.

Unlike Catherine in her early days, and Anne during the height of her success, Jane appears to have had little to no power or influence over the King. Several times she appealed for mercy, first for Princess Mary and then later on behalf of an Abbey and for the lives of men involved in a northern rebellion. Henry consistently refused her requests, and at one point reportedly told her to keep Anne in mind, which can't be seen as anything less than a threat. On the other hand Jane was allowed to order her women as she liked, and apparantly banned her ladies from sporting the French fashions which had been so popular under Anne.

Death

By the spring of 1537 Jane was pregnant. The summer progress - a tour of various counties by the King and Queen so they could get away from sickness in London - was cancelled. After so many miscarriages with the previous Queens, nothing was left to chance with this pregnancy, there would be no travelling if it could be avoided. Jane went in to "confinement" at Hampton Court on 16th September. She went in to labour in the second week of October. It would prove to be a long ordeal, reports from the time suggest it took three days for things to progress, and prayers and hymns were sung for her health. On 12th October, a live baby boy was finally born, and was promptly named Edward. After his christening, three days later, he was returned to Jane's room where she and Henry were waiting to receive the court.

At first it seemed that Jane had got through her ordeal safely, she was certainly well enough to receive the court in her room. But she soon took a turn for the worst. Despite more prayers in St Paul's Cathedral, and the best attempts of her doctors, she died on 24th October 1537. Her cause of death was most likely puerperal fever, a serious infection that was common in a time when no one understood the concept of hygiene, such as midwives washing their hands.

She was buried at Windsor Castle in St George's Chapel, and Henry would eventually be buried beside her. Jane's death sealed her in Henry's memory as his perfect wife. She had given her life so that he could have the heir he wanted.

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Last Christmas I bought "The Final Season: The Footballers Who Fought and Died in the Great War" by Nigel McCrery, as a gift for my Dad. With the official start of the First World War Centenary, a lot of books about this period in history were released in time for the festive season. My Dad loves football and has always found history interesting, so this seemed like the perfect combination of interests. I also checked the index and found that his football team, Queens Park Rangers, got a small mention.

He always gets a lot of books at Christmas and for his birthday a few months later, so this was put in the "to be read" pile. As a result I forgot about it, until I spotted him reading it a few weeks ago. Once he was finished I decided to borrow it, and I'm very glad that I did.

Football and The First World War

This book starts out a foreword from Gary Lineker, which I actually enjoyed reading more than I thought I would (my thoughts were "bloody football pundit gets everywhere"). It then starts off right at the beginning of the war, and gives some context with explanations about the way they leagues worked at the time. Professional and amateur players, the role of the FA, the capped wages, are all dealt with concisely, so you get a good background without getting bogged down. It then moves on to the role that football played in the first months of the war, and the pressure that was put on players to sign up for the armed forces.

After this the book proceeds pretty chronologically, tackling the main battles and theatres of war that we all know. But rather than look at the military side, the author instead puts the focus on the football players who were fighting at these different times and places. He gives you a quick background of their lives, moves on to their playing careers, and then raises their military history. Many of the men he discusses were killed, with one or two surviving but not able to play again.

A Good Read?

This book is not a good read. It is an excellent read. I struggled to put it down, I read it on the bus, in my lunch break and before I went to bed.

I must admit, I'm struggling to put my finger on why I enjoyed it so much. It's very well written, if you don't know a great deal about football at the time then the opening chapter soon clears up a lot of misconceptions you may have. It also doesn't get bogged down in long explanations about military operations or War Office decisions. A few points are explained, but always quickly, and the focus is soon back on the men.

I suspect though that the reason why I enjoyed this book so much, is because of the wide range of teams and areas that are mentioned. This is not a book that is focused on Chelsea, or Manchester United. It doesn't point solely at London as the centre of the footballing world. I bought it for my Dad because QPR got a small mention, but so many other teams are included too. Half of them probably don't exist anymore, or if they do they're merged with other local teams. The Welsh and Scots get a fair amount of attention, and goalkeepers and midfielders are discussed alongside record-creating strikers. For one last time these men are brought to life, before they are consigned to their memorials.

At the end of the day this is a terribly sad book to read. Quite a lot of these men, heroes in their time for their antics on the pitch, have no known grave. The author explains which memorial they are recorded on, and highlights any family they had left. There are two who were awarded the Victoria Cross for their acts of bravery, several more were awarded the Military Medal. Some have been commemorated in recent years with statues and memorial plaques at their former clubs. 

If you want a book for a football fan this Christmas, I cannot recommend this one highly enough. Even if they have only a passing interest in history, they will find this a good read. It doesn't preach about the rights and wrongs of the war, or go in to dull detail. It simply highlights the lives of men who ran out on to green pitches to cheering crowds, and who ended their lives far from home, deep in mud and surrounded by the sounds of guns, just like many other men who fought with them.

On 29th September 1240, Eleanor of Provence gave birth to her second child and first daughter at Windsor Castle. The baby girl was named Margaret, probably after her mother's sister, Queen Margaret of France. She was preceded by Edward, the heir to the English throne, and followed by Beatrice, Edmund and Katherine.

Childhood

The Royal nursery appears to have been established at Windsor Castle, and despite the wandering nature of the English royal court, was probably the closest place that Margaret had to a home. Eleanor of Provence was unpopular during her tenure as Queen, but as a wife and mother she was thoroughly dedicated to her family (something that may have stemmed from her own childhood, her parents also kept their daughters close by in childhood).

At the age of eleven Margaret was married to King Alexander III of Scotland, who was a year younger than his new spouse. The bride's father, Henry III, managed to maintain peace with Scotland for most of his reign. King Alexander II of Scotland had been married to Henry's sister Joan. Their childless marriage had ended when Joan died, Alexander III was the King's son by his second wife, Marie de Coucy. At the time of his marriage, the boy had already been king for two years.

Life in Scotland

After the wedding, which was held at York Minster, the new royal couple returned to Scotland. But it didn't all go smoothly at first. Margaret had left behind a warm and loving family to move to a court full of people she didn't know, which led to a period of severe homesickness for the young Queen. After writing to her parents complaining that she was badly treated, Henry and Eleanor requested that she be allowed to return home for a visit. The Scottish council who were ruling the country on behalf of Alexander refused the request. In the end Henry and Eleanor gathered an army together and marched north, determined to see their daughter. Margaret was allowed to travel south to visit her parents, and then returned to Scotland.

She would be allowed to return home again in the future. In February 1261 she gave birth to her and Alexander's first child, a daughter named Margaret. The little girl was born at Windsor Castle, showing the affection that the Queen of Scotland retained for both her old home and the country of her birth. Two sons, named Alexander and David, were born in Scotland in 1264 and 1272 respectively.

Death

In February 1275, Margaret died at Cupar Castle in Scotland, she was only thirty four years old. Given that her last child was born in 1275, it's highly likely that she fell ill rather than died in childbirth. King Alexander remained a widower for ten years (although it's reported that that didn't stop him having a few mistresses in the intervening period) before marrying a second time to Yolande of Dreux. Margaret's children all died young; Princess Margaret married the King of Norway and died shortly after giving birth to a baby girl, Prince Alexander died childless shortly before he turned twenty, and Prince David died aged nine. In time this would create a succession crisis, and the Scottish interregnum.

On this day, 20th September 1486, Elizabeth of York, Queen of England, gave birth to a baby boy at Winchester. He was christened with the name Arthur, and his birth symbolised the hope of the new Tudor dynasty.

Childhood

Arthur's birth has caused some historical controversy as his parents were married on 18th January 1486. Over the centuries some have questioned whether Elizabeth of York and Henry VII were lovers before their wedding, citing Arthur's date of birth as proof. Others have argued that he was premature, citing it as a cause for his later illnesses and early death. Regardless, Arthur was given a splendid christening in Winchester cathedral, ordered by his paternal grandmother Margaret Beaufort, with tapestries, carpets, and the font placed on a raised stage so that the crowds could get a good view of their future king. The choice of name was a good propaganda move, as a new king of a new dynasty Henry VII needed to boost the popularity of his line. By naming his son Arthur he was telling the crown that under his family the country would return to the glorious days of Camelot, an extremely popular tale in the medieval period.

Arthur grew up in Farnham in Surrey, close enough to London for his parents to be able to visit him but far enough away that he was protected from the plague and other virulent illnesses which were rife in the city. As the heir to the throne he was assigned a household to care for him, two years after his birth a woman named Elizabeth Darcy was put in charge of his nursery, she had had a similar role for Arthur's maternal uncle Edward. In time Arthur would be sent to "rule" the principality of Wales, while his siblings (including his brother Henry) grew up at the palace of Eltham.

Marriage

The future of the Tudor dynasty, and it's place in European politics, seemed to be cemented when King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain proposed a match between Arthur and their youngest daughter Catherine. As the prospective bride and groom were both toddlers at the time it took a while for negotiations to come to a solid conclusion. They finally underwent a marriage "by proxy" in 1499, and in October 1501 Catherine arrived in England. Arthur met her for the first time at Dogmersfield in Hampshire, and would not meet again until their wedding day. Instead Arthur and his father watched Catherine's ceremonial London entry on 12th November from the top floor of a house, out of sight of the Spanish princess.

On 14th November 1501 Prince Arthur and Princess Catherine were married at St Paul's Cathedral. As with his christening, Arthur's marriage ceremony was held on a specially constructed stage so that all those who had been able to squeeze in to the church could see the heir to the throne. After the ceremony the Royal family travelled to Baynard's Castle for the wedding feast. In the evening the couple were put to bed, an event that would lead to serious controversy several decades later over the question of whether the marriage was consummated or not.

Death

Within weeks of the wedding Arthur was dispatched back to Ludlow, taking his new bride with him. They resided in Ludlow Castle, albeit in separate sets of rooms. Their marriage ended up being rather short-lived, on 2nd April 1502 Arthur died after a short illness. The illness that killed him is another cause of debate, with some believing that it was the dreaded "sweating sickness" that had cut through swathes of England in recent years. Others argue that it may have been a measles outbreak, and some believe that it may have been tuberculosis.

Arthur was buried at Worcester Cathedral, where his monument still stands. His throne and his wife both went to his younger brother, Henry VIII. 

This day in 1087 saw the death of England's first Norman king, William the Conqueror.

The Bastard

At his birth, no one could have predicted that William would one day become King, even becoming a Duke seemed unlikely. His mother was a woman named Herleva, the "mistress" (or "concubine", although both terms had different meanings than they do now) of Duke Robert of Normandy. The Duchy was almost constantly at war, Robert struggled to keep any kind of control, but he still found time to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He died on the return journey, leaving William (probably no more than nine years old) as his only heir.

Luckily for the boy he was supported by his great-uncle, until the man's death led to a power struggle. William grew up in a violent and dangerous world, his numerous guardians were killed, one of them was murdered in the same room the young man was sleeping in. As he grew older, William was able to take a more active role in his Duchy, with the support of King Henry of France.

Married Man

Sometime in the early 1050s William married Matilda of Flanders. They were banned from marrying by Pope Leo IX, but appear to have gone ahead anyway, and they may have been required to build the two monasteries at Caen that would eventually take up their attention.

By 1051, King Edward "the Confessor" of England was still childless and appears to have named William as his heir. William was not Anglo-Saxon, he and Edward were related through Edward's mother Emma of Normandy, who was the sister of William's grandfather. There were better claimants through Edward's paternal, Anglo-Saxon line, but being acknowledged as heir was enough for William to be a serious contender when Edward died in January 1066.

King of England

The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14th October 1066. By the end of the day William's rival, King Harold Godwinson, was dead. William was crowned King of England on 25th December 1066, and set about cementing his rule over Anglo-Saxon England.

William faced numerous revolts over the years in both England and Normandy. He and Matilda crossed the channel frequently to shore up support in both the kingdom and the duchy. Matilda and their eldest son, Robert, acted as regents in Normandy for William during his absences, but there were still points when William had to leave his kingdom to ensure that rebellions in Normandy were thoroughly silenced. Likewise, Matilda travelled to England with her husband for shows of strong family unity, and is believed to have given birth to her fourth son, Henry, while visiting England in 1068. Sadly William was predeceased by his wife, who died after an illness in November 1083. The last years of William's reign saw more troubles as his son Robert led rebellions with the help of King Philip of France.

William died in Normandy on 9th September 1087, leaving Normandy to Robert and England to his second son, William Rufus. He is buried in Caen, but it was England where he really left his mark. 

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On this day in 1056, the Empress Theodora passed away. After starting out life as a Princess, spending most of her adult life as a Nun, and then facing the jealousy of her sister, Theodora ended up ruling despite the best attempts at many others to keep her in a subservient position.

Born into the Purple

Theodora was the youngest sister of Zoe Porphyrogenita, a word that means "born into the purple". The two girls were the daughters of a reigning Byzantine Emperor, Constantine VIII, who was joint-ruler with his brother Basil II. The death of both men, neither of whom had a son, pushed both Theodora and her sister in to the limelight.

Theodora appears to have been a woman with her own mind. Her father had arranged for her to marry Romanos Argyros, who was expected to take the throne and rule through his wife. Theodora refused to go through with the marriage, and in the end Romanos married her older sister Zoe.

In the following years Theodora was implicated in multiple plots against the royal couple. Many historians believe that these were attempts by Zoe to marginalise her sister, and have her removed from any potential power. Although Theodora played no active role in politics, she would never be safe from her sister's jealousy. Eventually she was pushed in to a monastery and forced to become a nun, which should have stopped her from being allowed to rule in the future.

Coming To Power

Zoe went through several husbands over the following years, none of whom were particularly popular. After she was displaced by her adoptive nephew, the people of Constantinople rebelled, and both Zoe and Theodora were brought out of their respective places of captivity. Theodora in particular was furious at being pushed back in to power, but to the people she was the balance against her sister's terrible choice in men, both as husbands and heirs. She was crowned as co-Empress with Zoe, who tried to have her sister sent back to the monastery, only to be overruled by the Senate.

Theodora is believed to be the more capable of the two women, although how much of that is reflected from people's dislike of Zoe is hard to tell. Zoe wasn't inclined towards any actual ruling, but she disliked her sister taking control and getting things done. Yet another marriage meant that Theodora was required to leave the administration of the empire to her new brother-in-law, Constantine IX Monomachos.

She outlived both her sister and her brother-in-law, and subverted Constantine's attempts to bypass her in the line of succession. She was proclaimed sole "Emperor", and promptly set about assigning her own favourites as ministers. By ruling as an Emperor she offended plenty of people, who felt that a woman shouldn't be allowed to act as a supreme judge in courts, or appoint clerics. But her death led to over twenty years of fighting between numerous noble families, and after a while it must have seemed to her people that even the rule of a woman was better than the lack of stability caused by her death.

If you'd like to find out more about her sister, Empress Zoe, you can check out my e-book 30 Women in History Volume 2, which contains a mini-biography on her rival for power.

On this day in 1284, the Earl of Chester passed away. His name was Alphonso, he was ten years old, and he was the heir to the English throne.

Why Alphonso?

It may be an unusual name for an English prince, but not for a Spainish one. The new prince, who was born in 1273, was the son of King Edward I of England, and so the newborn could have been expected to take his father's name. There hadn't yet been a prince Edward in this new generation, two previous sons had been named John and Henry (John had died a few years before, Henry would die in October 1274). But the Queen of England was Eleanor of Castile, a Spainish princess by birth, and she decided to name the new boy after her brother, King Alphonso X of Castile.

Childhood

Very little is known about Alphonso's childhood, despite his status as the heir to the throne. Edward and Eleanor were a close couple, but history has often raised an eyebrow over the way their raised their children. While it was common for high-born children to be fostered out to other noble families for their education, the Royal couple seem to have been more distant than was usual. However, Alphonso was their ninth children (out of a potential sixteen in the end), only three survived to see their new brother, and as mentioned Henry died eleven months after Alphonso's birth. It might be that Edward and Eleanor, rocked by so many deaths, needed to keep an emotional distance.

Various of Alphonso's siblings had been raised by their grandmothers, his older sister Joan spent her formative years with Eleanor's mother in Ponthieu in France, and when young Henry was dying it was Edward's mother, Eleanor of Provence, who was looking after him, as he had spent so much time with her that she was a better comfort than his parents. With Edward first on crusade, and then fighting the Welsh, it was Eleanor who accompanied him, while the children were left behind in the care of trusted servants and family members.

Despite not seeing much of his parents, it's highly likely that Alphonso had all the usual privileges of his rank. Once Henry passed away he was the only son for ten years, five sisters followed him (two died young) and another boy died within hours or days of birth. As his father's heir, he would have been expected to be well educated. At the time English wasn't a common language at the court, instead he probably would have learned French and Latin, and possibly Castilian given his family connections. He would also have been taught how to ride a horse, although he may have been too young to begin proper military training in weapons.

Death

The fact that Alphonso survived longer than his two older brothers, and most of his sisters, must have given his parents hope that he would continue to thrive. Like his Royal siblings his marriage was political, Edward had him engaged to Margaret of Holland. One of the wedding gifts that was being prepared was the beautiful " Alphonso Psalter", now in the possession of the British Library. Sadly Alphonso fell ill and died at Windsor on 19th August 1284. He never met his bride, and the psalter project was abandoned for ten years, until his younger sister Elizabeth married Margaret's brother John.

One of the biggest questions raised in history is what kind of king Alphonso may have been. His death left the four month old Edward of Caernarfon as the new heir to the throne. As King Edward II, this little boy would prove to be an ineffective king, who was eventually overthrown by his own wife. On the one hand, Alphonso may have been a better king than his brother. But on the other hand, would Edward have been content to play second fiddle all his life, or would a civil war have erupted between two brothers, instead of husband and wife?

On this day, 2nd August 1100, King William II of England went hunting in the New Forest. He would not come home.

A Younger Son

When he was born in 1056, no one could have seriously considered him as a future King of England. For a start the famous Battle of Hastings was still ten years away. More than that though, he was far from his father's heir as he was preceded by his brothers Robert and Richard, five and two years older than him respectively.

William was raised in his father's duchy of Normandy. Over time he was joined by a younger brother Henry, and the boys had several sisters as well (although records aren't clear on the dates of birth of the girls, or even how many girls there were). It appears that even in his youth he didn't get along with his eldest brother Robert, as one story related in the chronicles tells us that he and Henry once emptied a chamberpot over Robert's head as a "joke". His nickname, "William Rufus", is believed to have come from a rather red-faced complexion.

The rift between the brothers continued in to adolescence when Robert rebelled against their father. William the Conqueror was reluctant to relinquish any power to his eldest son (as his great-grandson, Henry II, would also find problematic), and this led to a rebellion. William was firmly on the side of his father, and rode out at his side to help fight against Robert. The eldest son's rebellion finally ended when the boy's mother, Matilda of Flanders, intervened.

King of England

Having created a a healthy patrimony from the kingdom of England and the duchy of Normandy, you would think that William the Conqueror would want to keep these two regions together. However on his death he made Robert his heir to Normandy and his second son, now William (Richard had died in a hunting accident in 1075) his heir to England, while his youngest son Henry was left some money.

William Rufus quickly set about capitalising on the settlement by promptly waging war on Robert. The campaign would prove to be unsuccessful, neither of the men had quite the same amount of skill as their father, and in the end a stalemate led to the two childless brothers coming to terms and agreeing that each was the other's heir. If William died before he had a son, Robert would inherit England, and if Robert died then William would inherit Normandy. Several years later peace was suitably settled enough for Robert to feel safe enough to go on Crusade. Before he left he handed control of his duchy to William, to rule in his absence. He certainly trusted his brother more than he trusted his lords.

Given how much was at stake in terms of inheritance, it's surprising that William never married. There were plenty of eligible brides, even if he didn't want to marry an English woman from one of the noble families. His sisters had been married to various European nobles, such as his sister Adela who married Stephen of Blois, and there would have been some eligible sisters of these men, or even a Princess of France. The fact that he didn't marry, coupled with some reports from chronicles, has led people to suggest that he was gay. Certainly he didn't have any illegitimate children either, which would suggest that he either wasn't interested in women or was infertile. Either way, it would pave the way for his brother Henry to take advantage when opportunity presented itself.

Accident?

William was a keen hunter, like many men of his time, and England had numerous parks and lands where the king could indulge in the "chase". As he set out on a hunt through the New Forest, William was accompanied by various nobles, including young Henry.

Whether or not you think it was an accident, or an assassination, the bare facts are clear. William was hit by an arrow fired by one of the men in the party, and died almost instantly. Some chronicles stated that the man had been put up to it by Henry, who was determined to take his brother's throne, while others felt that it was an "Act of God" as William had frequently argued with the Church during his reign.

If it was an accident, then Henry showed remarkable presence of mind. He promptly raced to Winchester, where he took control of the Royal Treasury, and then equally as quickly raced up to London, where he was crowned King Henry I of England three days later. Technically Robert was William's heir, but Robert wasn't in England, and so Henry got away with it. Henry would prove to be more ruthless than his older brothers, after the Battle of Tinchebrai he captured Robert, and locked him up for the rest of his life, appropriating Normandy and reuniting it with England.

The story goes that William's body was left in the forest for several days. He hadn't been particularly popular, and it took a while for anyone to get round to retrieving his remains. He was eventually buried in Winchester Cathedral. 

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