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For the last few years of his reign,
William spent a lot of time in Normandy. There were wars going on and Normandy was being attacked by the French King, Philip. Unfortunately for William, his
eldest son, Robert, was fighting alongside the French King. William was injured in a battle in September 1087 and was taken to Rouen where he died.
Despite the fact that Robert was fighting against him, he left Normandy to Robert and William’s third son, also called William, was given custody
of England. The second son, Richard, had already died. Before he died William I sent a message with the younger William to the Archbishop of Canterbury saying
that the Archbishop should arrange young Will’s coronation as soon as possible. William I died on 9 September 1087 and William II was crowned King of England
on 28 September 1087 in Westminster Abbey.
William I had succeeded in many areas. He had conquered England, although many would say he was a harsh and cruel King and he did, at the start of
his reign, destroy the homes and lives of any peasants who got in his way. He brought England into closer contact with France as he was ruler of lands in
France too and this lasted for almost 500 years. He introduced a system of government and life, known as the feudal system, that would also last for many years
and, as far as possible in those times, he maintained peace and order.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in 1087 declared that William was ‘a
very stern and violent man, so no one dared do anything contrary to his will ... Amongst other things the good security he made in this country is not to be
forgotten.' The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle was a bit like the newspaper of its day. The original was written at the time of Alfred the Great (remember him) and a
copy of that sent out to monasteries around the country where, over the years, it was updated with the latest news. It would be a bit like you writing a diary
for this year and sending a copy to all your friends who add their bits in the following years.
So now we had Robert, King of Normandy, and William II, King of England. Robert, being the first son, thought it would sound much better if it was
Robert, King of Normandy and England and a few others agreed with him. A rebellion in England led by Bishop Odo and several barons was supposed to have troops
sent by Robert helping them but bad weather meant these troops never arrived and the rebellion was put down.
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