King Henry I of England - Historical Medieval Monarch

join me on a journey as we explore the tumultuous life of one of England's unlikeliest of Kings Henry the first of England we shall travel through the Mists of time to explore Henry's early life his remote chances of gaining accession to the throne his eventual seizure of that crown and the political machinations and battles he had with Barons and Nobles fights he had with members of his own family and also his confrontation with the church we shall look at how he conquered Normandy thus holding all of the lands that his father the Conqueror had once held how he strengthened his grip on the running and administration of England we shall see how a tragedy at Sea left his eventual succession plans in tatters that ultimately led to 15 years of Civil War I will detail how he finally died and I will take you to his final resting place at reading Abbey in Berkshire so without more Ado Let Us Journey Through the life of Henry the first king of England England's King Henry the first also known as Henry Beau Clark meaning good scholar governed from 1100 until his death in 1135. he was his parents fourth son and maybe the youngest of nine children his parents were Matilda of Flanders and William Duke of Normandy after his father's accession to the throne of England in 1066 only two further children were born the other child was Adela the Elder of the two who would later become the Countess of Boi she would become a close friend and would eventually survive him Henry was born in the last months of 1068 whereas Adela was born in 1067. since they were born to the current king and queen each may be considered to have been born in the purple ought to be of Greater status than their siblings Robert Richard and William were Henry's three older brothers they were all born in all around the earth 1050 1055 and 1060 respectively Henry was not really required as a spare in terms of accession to the throne at the time of his birth it would have looked incredibly unlikely for him to inherit his father's throne William the conqueror's Second Son Richard died in all around 1070 or soon after as a result of a hunting accident in the New Forest apparently he collided with an overhanging tree he was laid to rest in Winchester Cathedral Henry may have been destined for a career in the church as the fourth son after Richard's death that career path was now over instead of a life in the church he would now be trained for combat however the idea that he would one day rule England was still incredibly remote he most likely received his education from the church perhaps under Bishop Osmond the king's Chancellor Henry may have had a limited education but it is likely that he could read Latin and had some exposure to the liberal arts Henry received military instruction from a teacher by the name of Robert a Carl the first real recorded account of Henry was at Abingdon Abbey for Holy Week in Easter in 1084. he was then a young man aged 15. then again at Whitson 1086 at Westminster Henry was knighted by his father this was the point at which he was formally recognized as an adult the Pinnacle of his father's Reign was undoubtedly the Doomsday project the youngest of his sons Henry was the one who saw it best and understood it the most Henry was more familiar with England's government and culture than either of his brothers he was acquainted with many of the influential figures today known as doomsday Commissioners who were then ad hoc groups of royal envoys these men were the ones that his colleagues gravitated toward and he was fully aware of their methods and processes the last teachings of 1086 would be a loyalty and responsibility standing by his father's side Henry would learn valuable lessons from them Henry's father would die in little over a year in a hospice located in Ruan the Conqueror lay through August and into early September 1087. It is believed that Henry was at his side when he died the conquerors Estates were carved up in the following ways William Rufus the second of the brothers would succeed as king of England his father's Conquest despite the fact that this was the position of higher nobility and greater wealth Robert the eldest son would succeed as duke of Normandy Henry was granted money instead of land a sizable sum five thousand pounds perhaps as restitution for his mother's dower Estates to which he felt he was entitled put it on which makes up nearly one third of Normandy was sold by his brother Robert to Henry for the sum of three thousand pounds avaranche koutos and Juan San Michel were the key areas in actuality this meant that Henry had been granted control of the Region's castles as well as the Dual income and duties in Western Normandy it appears that this is where Robert of Gloucester and William de Tracy his two eldest illegitimate children were born Henry returned to England after the death of his father he then requested his mother's lands which would have served as both his home base and a reliable source of income William listened to him sympathetically but rejected his request all the same then with the help of Robert of Belen the eldest son of one of his father's most Dependable balance Henry left England for Normandy however as soon as they arrived they were detained and imprisoned by Duke Roberts his brother believing that they were fifth columnists sent by William Rufus after six months Henry was freed after the Norman magnets argued for him however the nagging concerns that William Rufus intended to challenge his brother's authority over Normandy were well founded Rufus had the upper hand in part because of his brother's tenuous control over the duchy but primarily because of the force of Financial Resources he could mobilize it was fitting that the first Flashpoint took place in Ruan the capital of Normandy which was a major northern European city Henry in response to his brother Robert's plea for assistance put down an uprising in Ruan this was in William's favor and was headed by Conan one of the town's most prominent inhabitants Henry took the initiative in finding Conan and punishing him Conan was thrown to his death after being dragged to the top of the castle this would be on Henry's resume as proof of his toughness and decisiveness but he received no thanks from Robert the fact that Henry might now be referred to as the ruler of Western Normandy was an embarrassment to the Duke and the test of William rufus's own Ambitions in 1091 William Rufus arrived in Rua to strike a deal with his brother Robert Rufus was given upper Normandy the region to the east of the same the brothers also agreed to establish common cause in order to reclaim their father's lands particularly maina disputed with the rulers of Arjun one was also to be the heir of the other if Robert died without having a legitimate son William would receive Normandy and if William were to die Robert would get England nowhere mentioned was their younger sibling Henry Henry was compelled to flee to the Monson Michelle Castle his final stronghold in Normandy he was forcibly removed from it during a Siege the brothers had undertaken after being granted safe passage from the castle Henry left for Brittany to pay off his mercenary soldiers Henry's career reached his lowest point during these few months from Summer 1091 to Spring 1092 where no one would have given odds on his succession to the English throne the treaty between the brothers did not however endure longer than a year since Robert claimed William had broken its conditions now since the brothers were in Conflict William saw an opportunity to gain Henry's backing in the duchy with rufus's assistance he took control of Don Frank in 1092 which would later serve as a stronghold for his Dominion in 1096 Robert curtos left for the Crusade along with many other powerful noblemen of the time this allowed William Rufus to gain control of all of the territory that his father had once ruled William did not hesitate to take advantage he even funded Robert's Crusade however events took a rapid turn for the worse for William Rufus on the 2nd of August 1100 William set out on a hunting trip into the New Forest together with Henry and other distinguished noblemen they continued deeper into the forest the group then dispersed Walter Tyrrell was the only person left with the King a stag was the next Target for the Monarch who only succeeded in wounding it William had to cover his eyes as he watched it run because of the Sun Tyrrell fired at a different stag and at this very moment he fired his fatal Arrow into the chest of the king without knowing it and without being able to stop it the king then fell upon his wound thus speeding up his demise [Music] Tyrrell quickly Departed the scene after realizing demonic was dead prompting the obvious questions nobody from the other party which included Henry pursued him some people accused Terrell While others felt sorry for him the hunting party's attention quickly switched from their late King to his replacement the body of the Monarch was left behind in the forest they didn't even bother taking it with them later some locals took Williams remained and transported him to Winchester Cathedral given how despised William was by the public he was buried there three days later in secrecy with little pomp foreign the incident the alleged assassin Walter Tyrell fled to France which many have come to interpret as an admission of guilt Bert at the time hunting was not a very safe or well-managed activity tragic hunting accidents happened often the simple fact that Tyrell had killed the king of England even if unintentionally may have been the only factor in his flight fratricide was also regarded as a particularly horrible crime all of this was undoubtedly advantageous for Henry his next steps were very Swift Henry assumed control of the royal treasury in Winchester the following day Rufus was then buried in the new Minster with proper but brief ceremony three days after William rufus's death on August 5th 1100 the Entourage of the king elect rode swiftly toward London and Henry was proclaimed King of England in Westminster Abbey [Music] Henry created a document known as the coronation Charter for his Ascension each of the shires received the documents he issued both his election and his position were declared as fact Henry promised the church Independence and pledged not to accept funds from specific churches if the position of Archbishop was unfilled he pledged to remove all the unjust Financial exceptions that William had inflicted on the country foreign to be a good Lord to his subjects when the county court read the charter aloud all present would have noticed what was not being promised right away would there be any general tax remission no but he would exempt fighting men from the land taxes that were imposed this served as a reminder that there would be military action required in the future [Music] two early letters sent by Henry the first to the Archbishop of Canterbury Ansel and the second a little while later to the pope both buried in Archbishop Anselm's correspondence provide us with our first indication of Henry's character as a monarch he informs anselves that he has been crowned regretfully without the Archbishop being present and justifies the haste by claiming that enemies were threatening to rise up against me he keeps and sound the order to travel from whistle in the county of beloin across the channel in order to avoid the duchy of Normandy this alone highlights where he believed his enemies lay namely Duke Roberts his brother his letter to the pope Pascal II stated that he is looking forward to them doing business however only on his own terms the pope and Anselm both needed money Henry clearly demonstrates the knowledge of his power that he had over them the king's officials traveled to meet the Archbishop and present him with money when he arrived at Dover money was carried by the king's emissaries to the Pope in exchange for this money the pope was required to acknowledge Henry as king in September of 1100 Robert of Normandy returned from his Crusade both he and Ansel now had to face the strong determination of the new king Duke Robert of Normandy landed at Portsmouth on the 20th of July 1101. Henry marshaled his forces to meet him he moved through the ranks of his soldiers encouraging them and giving them instructions in military tactics everything was being set up for battle but nothing happened intermediaries passed between the two camps and after hard bargaining the two brothers came to an agreement which was ratified at Winchester on the 2nd of August 1101. it was exactly a year since William Rufus had died foreign as usual concessions were made but Henry emerged as the clear winner because Robert gave up his claim to the English throne for the duration of Henry's life and the lives of any hairs he may have in exchange Henry gave Robert what England abundantly provided money Robert's take was for three thousand marks of silver per year Roberts acknowledge Henry's position as king of England there was no denying Duke Roberts failure he then went back to Normandy despite the fact Henry began imposing harsh punishments on the Nobles who had opposed him during The Invasion the Alton amnesty did not apply to William de Warren Earl of Sully who was expelled from England after being charged with new offenses the most powerful of the Barons Robert of belema and his brothers were the target of Henry's next attack in 1102 when he accused him of 45 offenses Robert of belema Broke Free and sided against the King Henry pushed down into the Southwest to attack Bridge North while besieging Robert belema's castles at Arundel tick Hill and Shrewsbury with his support system in England destroyed Robert of belema accepted Henry's offer of Exile and departed for Normandy foreign [Music] of Malcolm III of Scotland Matilda and Henry were wed in Westminster Abbey on November the 11th 1100 even though Henry was now close to 31 nobleman frequently wed later than expected in the 11th century despite the fact that their Union was driven by politics It is believed that they did develop a close emotional bond being a descendant of Alfred the Great Matilda was a member of the West Saxon royal family [Music] her original name had been Edith an Anglo-Saxon name when Henry married Matilda his Reign gained more legitimacy and for the ambitious Matilda it opened up opportunities for success and influence in England Matilda had received her education in a series of convents the possibility that she had taken the vows to legally become a nun was a barrier to the marriage's success since she didn't want to become a nun she asked and sell for permission to Wed Henry the Archbishop then convened a council at Lambeth Palace to decide the case even though there were some conflicting opinions the council came to the conclusion that even though Matilda had resided in a Convent she had not actually converted to a nun and was therefore free to marry Anselm later affirmed this decision allowing the marriage to go through apparently Henry had insisted on the meeting taking place and the church affirming allowance of the Union as Henry did not want succession problems arising from his Union later on foreign [Music] proved to be a successful Queen for Henry serving occasionally as a regent in England dressing and presiding over councils and generously promoting the Arts they had a daughter Matilda who was born in 1102 soon after their son William Adeline was born in 1103 after their children were born Matilda favored staying in Westminster while Henry traveled around England and Normandy apparently Matilda enjoyed being part of the system of Royal Administration [Music] Henry doted on his two children it is interesting to note that this is probably the first time in history that we have a concept of the Royal Family in 1114 when Matilda was coming up to her 12th birthday she was married to the German Emperor Henry V Henry sent a dowry of 10 000 marks in cash a heavy tax to Garner this amount was needed which caused some consternation among the public [Music] [Music] Anselm refused to pay tribute to Henry after his return to England because he felt obligated by papal doctrines the conflict between church and state was replicated across many European countries at the time and not unique to England Henry believed that senior Layman and clergy should openly affirm their homage to him and this was non-negotiable each side took their case to the Pope in 1103 Anselm visited the pope himself but Henry forbade him from coming back unless he made a more General vow to recognize his authority over the church Stakes were then raised by both parties in exchange for the king's compliance the Archbishop of canterbury's lands and income were taken face-to-face negotiations took place at legally in July 1105 to settle these disputes and an agreement was reached to seek a more comprehensive resolution in Rome the apparent terms were agreed upon in March 1106 the king retained their homage but would not invest Bishops and abbots throughout 1103 Henry's network of allies in Normandy grew more robust two of his illegitimate daughters were betrothed thus ensuring that the Norman boundaries would be protected Henry made an effort to influence other members of the Norman nobility by offering important Norman Lord's additional English Holdings and lands his brother Duke Robert persisted in fighting Robert of beleme but the Duke's situation grew worse and by 1104 he had no choice but to publicly Unite with beleme in order to simply survive the king crossed the channel to domfro where he met with top Barons from Normandy who were eager to join forces with him arguing that the Duke had violated the conditions of their Pact he approached the Duke and charged him with supporting his adversaries before departing for England [Music] chaos continue to spread throughout Normandy in 1105 Henry dispatched Robert fitzhaman and a group of knights into the dodgy Henry invaded under the pretense of bringing peace and Order back after fitzharmon was captured King Philip of France was convinced to remain neutral because Henry had the support of the majority of the neighboring counts along the borders of Normandy Henry took Western Normandy and moved toward Bayo where fitzhaman was imprisoned Henry besieged the city and set it Ablaze after it resisted his demands for its surrender Henry was able to march on fillets which he conquered with many fatalities then the town of Khan switched sides and surrendered out of fear that it would suffer the same fate his campaign came to a standstill and the King instead started talking peace with Robert fighting continued until Henry returned to England for Christmas after unproductive negotiations in an effort to start a decisive battle Henry invaded once more in July 1106. after achieving some early tactical victories he went Southwest and headed for the castle of tinchebrae when the castle was under siege Duke Robert and Roberto bellemi Advanced from filets to relieve it the Battle of tinchibre occurred most likely on September the 28th following failed attempts at diplomacy the Infantry and dismounted Knights of both sides then entered the combat which lasted for about an hour the majority of the Dual forces were routed by Henry's reserves after they launched an attack on the enemy's flanks under the leadership of Elias the first count of Maine and Anna the fourth Duke of Brittany Duke Robert was captured but Bellamy got away Duke Robert issued a surrender order after Henry had eliminated all of the remaining opposition in Normandy when Henry arrived at Roan he reinforced normandy's laws and customs and received homage from the city's most important Lords and people those who were taken as minor prisoners at tinchabray were freed but the Duke and the number of other prominent nobility were kept in prison indefinitely William klito there's Duke's son who was only three years old was given into the custody of a Norman Lord as William clito's mother Sybil of conversano died in early 1103 Robert of belleme put up the Dual Estates he had taken and rejoined the Royal Court once Henry and him reached an understanding the duchy could not be legally taken away from Henry's brother and at first Henry avoided using the title Duke at all to emphasize that he was just serving as The Dutch's protector in his capacity as king of England foreign Henry imprisoned Duke Robert first in devises this was for 20 years and then in Cardiff for the remainder of his life Robert curtos died in 1134 at around the age of 83. he was buried in Gloucester Cathedral it is not known precisely where however his Effigy can be seen in the cathedral [Music] Henry's relationship with King David the first of Scotland was usually good in part due to Henry's marriage to Matilda David's sister despite the fact that the borders between England and Scotland were still uncertain throughout his Reign anglo-norman influence spread North through Cumbria while Norman martial Lords Advanced through the South Wales lowlands Henry exploited his influence in Wales to entice and threaten the native Welsh princes a growing number of significant Duke Dum castles along the Frontiers supported the rule of Normandy through numerous interconnected networks of dual religious and family relations the stability of the duchy was greatly aided by alliances and connections with the surrounding counties along the Norman border foreign [Music] was able to sustain and strengthen his reign in England and Normandy by cleverly manipulating its various Barons and Lords when required Henry served as a mediator between his allies in the different factions that existed throughout his kingdom rewarding his supporters as and when events dictated the king developed a reputation for firmness by punishing rival Barons if they plotted against his own interests to do this he needed a strong network of informers and spies Who provided him with inside information as and when he needed it by the standards of the day Henry was a fairly strict and ruthless Monarch but only when events merited he gradually tightened his grip on the Barons removing his adversaries and supporting his allies until the baronage was largely loyal and reliant on the king the Royal Justice System underwent significant growth thanks to Henry Henry built on the already existing Anglo-Saxon system of law local Administration and taxis but he enhanced it with more central government structures after 11 10 Roger of Salisbury started to build the Royal exchequer employing it to amass and evaluate funds from the king's sheriffs in the shires under Henry circuit courts were managed by traveling justices who traversed the nation and many more statutes were documented Henry benefited from the extension of Royal Justice by generating additional income from fines and fees foreign [Music] subjected English coiners who were found guilty of debasing the coinage to severe punishment this usually resulted in the loss of the right hand and castration this edict came directly from Henry sound money served as the foundation for all Financial transactions integrity the use of money was a royal Monopoly that was strictly regulated and vigorously protected at one point during the rain there were about 60 Shire towns and other commercial centers that produced coins to maintain the quality of the coinage and generate revenue for the Monarch the dyes from which the coins were struck were issued centrally in London and changed frequently every two years after 1106 he established Law and Order in Normandy using a council of Norman justices and an exchequer system akin to that in England Henry allowed Norman institutions to expand but more slowly than in England many of Henry's administrators were referred to as new men people of relatively humble birth Who Rose through the ranks to become managers of the legal system or the Royal finances [Music] in 1108 Henry gave his six-year-old a legitimate daughter Matilda as a bride to Henry V the upcoming Holy Roman Emperor in 1110 Matilda was made queen of Germany between 11 11 and 1113 rebellions under the leadership of King Louis and fault V respectively occurred in France and Arjun Henry made ties with Anjou and Brittany in an effort to diplomatically isolate Louis he married his young son William Adeline to Folk's daughter Matilda and also married his illegitimate daughter also named Matilda to Duke Conan III of Brittany in order to reach a peace agreement Louis backed down and met with Henry in March 11 13 near jizal Henry received the contested fortresses in exchange and this established Henry's rule over maina belema and Brittany who was worried about the succession tried to persuade Louis VI of France to recognize his son William Adeline as the rightful heir to the Duke of Normandy in return for homage to him instead Louis stated that he believed William Pluto to be The Duchess rightful hair this was supported by his ally Baldwin of Flanders you will remember that William klito is the son of Robert curtos Henry's brother who was currently imprisoned in England [Music] after Henry traveled to Normandy with an army to Aid Theobald of War who was being attacked by King Louis of France war broke out a larger fight ensued after Henry and Louis raided each other's border towns most likely in 1116. as French Flemish and orange armies started to plunder the Normandy Countryside Henry was forced to go on the defensive numerous Barons revolted against Henry early in 1118 Henry's wife Matilda died unexpectedly but the situation in Normandy was so urgent that Henry was unable to travel back to England for her funeral [Music] in response Henry intensified his alliance with Theobald and launched battles against the rebel Lords Henry tried to put down a rebellion in elen song but folk and the Algerian army defeated him after being forced to flee elenson Henry's situation rapidly deteriorated as his resources were overstretched and more Nobles turned against him Juliana Henry's illegitimate daughter and her husband Eustace of bretono threatened to join the baronial uprising at the beginning of 1119. in an effort to Defuse The Situation prisoners were traded but the deal fell through and both sides brutally mutilated their hostages Juliana tried to use a crossbow to assassinate her father but was unsuccessful Henry then attacked and captured the town of Breton and following this Henry took practically all of the couple's lands in Normandy away from them the fight dwindled Louis brought the issue of Normandy before the Council of Pope callixtus II in Rheem that October although Jeffrey the Archbishop of Rua defended Henry in the face of numerous French complaints over his acquisition and subsequent handling of Normandy the pro-french members of the council shouted down Henry's arguments calixtus however declined to back Louis and merely canceled the two kings to pursue peace Henry and Anne-Marie de Montford reached an understanding but Henry and William klito were unable to come to any amicable agreement Henry and Louis officially reached a settlement in June 11 20 that benefited the king of England Henry's son William Adeline paid homage to Louis in exchange for Louis confirming Williams claim to the duchy foreign [Music] on November 25th 1120 Henry and his court made their way back to England from Normandy at least 20 times in one direction or another the Monarch had crossed the English Channel the actual crossing of the sea was fairly straightforward Henry had achieved his goals after four years of diplomatic efforts and one day of military action and his son's eventual smooth succession was the motivation for everything he accomplished with his son by his side Henry could anticipate spending a triumphant Christmas course at Westminster [Music] however he would not see his son again after setting sail from bar Fleur that Winter's evening instead he would spend Christmas at his hunting lodge in Brampton close to Huntington with a small family and close relatives including Theobald count of War rather than in state at Westminster the task of informing the king of what had occurred had fallen to theobol he planned to bring a youngster into the king's presence and casually blurt out the news because he was reluctant or even terrified to tell Henry the news to his face the wide ship a member of the Convoy had sunk apparently most of the passages and crew had been drinking before embarkation which is not unusual the crew of The Wide ship had set out to race the king's vessel which had sailed before them and in so doing they had strayed from the navigation channel that at least was how Henry's core tried to make sense of the disaster they struck a rock the craft fell apart and all but a couple of the 200 and more souls on board perished William the King's son and Heir was one of them along with two other of the king's illegitimate children the loss of the white ship would become a defining moment of Henry's reign the King was inconsolable since the catastrophe left Henry without a hair his various nephews are now the closest male successors that are still alive luvan and Henry were wed at Windsor Castle in January 1121 after Henry said he would marry a new bride thus creating the possibility of a new hair she appears to have been Henry's Choice due to her good looks and Noble ancestry adelizer appears to have liked Henry and traveled with him perhaps to increase their chances of having a child this is an obvious consequence of a reigning monarch not having a spare for his hair the lack of children for Henry and adelisa led to salacious conjecture about a potential explanation and the dynasty survival appeared to be in jeopardy when his daughter Matilda's husband the Emperor Henry died suddenly in 1125 his succession plans changed the following year the king called his daughter back to England and appointed her as his legal Hair Apparent in the event that if he were to die without a male hair at a 11 26 meeting in Westminster the anglo-norman Barons took an oath to recognize Matilda and any legitimate hairs she might have in the future it was rare to put a woman forward in this fashion as a potential hair King Louis was vehemently opposed to her candidacy and continued to favor William klito the last significant adversary to Henry's rule William klito died suddenly in a July 11 28. the baronial resistance in Normandy was now without a leader with the signing of a new peace treaty with France Henry was finally able to free the last of the 1123 rebellions prisoners [Music] foreign [Music] his hunting lodge near Ruan Henry died he had acquired a severe digestive illness shortly after arriving there it has been generally claimed that this was caused by an abundance of lampreys and eels-like fish commonly found in rivers before dying on December the 1st 1135 Henry was ill for a week whilst on his deathbed had confirmed his desire to be buried in The Abbey at Reading he was taken back to England from Ruan shortly after his death in an effort to seize the English throne for himself after Henry's succession plans fell apart Stephen A boy sailed from his County of beloin to England on December the 22nd 1135 Stephen was crowned in Westminster Abbey on January the 5th 1136 Henry was given as state funeral and on the high altar of reading abbey church he was laid to rest among the pallbearers was the new king Henry's daughter the empress Matilda's first reaction was to take several Frontier castles in Normandy apparently atrocities were committed as the empress's claims were pursued she then invaded England and a civil war raged for 15 years as she pursued what she believed was her right to the crown this period was commonly known as the Anarchy [Music] is what is left of reading Abbey somewhere around here lies the remains of a former King of England who was also the fourth son of William the Conqueror King Henry the first of England in 1121 Henry declared that red ink would receive a new Abbey The Abbey was duly built and in the Middle Ages reading was then home to one of Europe's largest monasteries a great Royal Abbey and a religious community built around a magnificent Church The Abbey would also contain housing for numerous monks who would attend Services there in building it no expense was spared the area where the Royal Abbey formally stood is known as The Abbey quarter foreign [Music] was completed King Henry the first died and was buried here in front of the high altar in 1136 other Royals and nobility sought out the Abbey as ideal places to be buried the abbey church was still being constructed when Thomas Beckett the Archbishop of Canterbury formally opened it on April the 19th 1164. Henry II the grandson of Henry the first and his Noble subjects were present for the ceremony the church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Evangelist during the inaugural ceremony foreign was Britain's fourth largest church for more than 400 years monks came here to live work and worship The Abbey served as the location for Royal burials weddings and Gatherings of the court and Parliament numerous thousands of pilgrims came to ask for a blessing or a healing it was a location with global significance [Music] thank you [Music] over 400 years of monastic existence at reading Abbey abruptly ended in 1539 The Abbey was shut down on King Henry VII's orders Henry VII stole the Abbey's Priceless belongings the monks fled the Abbot was put to death reading Abby's closure Was Not Unusual around this time in the 1530s hundreds of monasteries in England and Wales were closed or destroyed as Henry VII declared himself to be the head of the English church and transferred their wealth into his own coffers this event is known to historians as the dissolution [Music] [Applause] [Music] new uses for the Abbey emerged the Abbott's quarters were transformed into Royal quarters due to its popularity and convenience as a royal Lodge The Abbey was able to survive of all the monarchs Elizabeth the first traveled to reading the most only once did Edward VI and Mary the first visit the palace the entryway into this Royal Palace was the Abbey gate The Abbey was further destroyed during the English Civil War when parliamentary supporters besieged the building [Music] Henry the first was a clever and skillful King who brought about peace in England some stability in Normandy and significant administrative improvements on both sides of the English Channel Henry brought back the anglo-norman state his father had founded Royal justices started conducting routine tours of the English shires but despite the fact that his administrative strategies were quite effective they were frequently seen as harsh his rule represented a momentous transition from the informal private monarchy of the past to the bureaucratized state that lied ahead additionally it signaled a change from the extensive imperialism of earlier Norman leaders to internal progress and consolidation Henry was successful in his main fights but he favored bribery or diplomacy over the dangers of combat after conquering Normandy in 1106 he was content to maintain peace and stability protect his anglo-norman State against Insurrection and Invasion and form Partnerships with adjacent princes at least nine sons and 13 girls were born to Henry's numerous sexual partners due to his substantial hunger for sex many of whom he seems to have recognized and supported kings were expected to have Mistresses and it was common for unmarried anglo-norman noblemen to engage in sexual encounters with prostitutes and native women while many of these relationships began after Henry's marriage to Matilda several of them started before he married her Henry had many Mistresses over the years all with differing backgrounds and it seems that he conducted these Affairs openly there isn't much evidence to support the claim that he chose some of his Noble lovers for political reasons well anyway I do hope that you have enjoyed this Voyage Through Henry the First's life if so please give this video a like And subscribe if you would like to see more content like this also if you have anyone or event in mind you would like to see me put under the microscope of history please drop me a comment below so until next time bye for now [Music]

Channel: History’s Life Stories

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Keywords: king henry i of england, henry i of england, norman kings and queens of england, norman england documentary, norman kings of england, norman conquest of england, norman invasion of england, king henry i, medieval history, medieval england, norman england, henry beauclerc, henry norris, henry i death, england, medieval, henry vii, henry i white ship, battle of tinchebrai, battle of tinchebray, monarchy, battle of bremule, henry viii, white ship disaster, educational, History

Id: -yN7fjyC2e4

Length: 50min 0sec (3000 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 06 2022