Rebellion of 1088
Encyclopedia
The Rebellion of 1088 occurred after the death of William the Conqueror and concerned the division of lands in the Kingdom of England
and the Duchy of Normandy
between his two sons William Rufus and Robert Curthose. Hostilities lasted from 3 to 6 months starting around Easter of 1088.
and his second eldest William Rufus entitled King of England. This came to pass on William's death. However, for the princes and barons who owned lands in both Normandy and England, it presented a difficult situation of loyalty. The chronicler Orderic Vitalis
said of the Norman magnates:
They decided to band together to dispose of young King Rufus and unite Normandy and England under a single king, the young Duke Robert. The rebels were led by William the Conqueror's elder half-brothers Odo of Bayeux and Robert, Count of Mortain
, with Odo the stronger of the two and the leader behind the plot.
The rebels' ranks were made up of the most powerful barons in England: of the ten largest baronial landholders in the Domesday Book
, six were counted amongst the rebels. They were spread far and wide geographically from Kent
, controlled by Odo, to Northumberland
, controlled by Robert de Mowbray
, to Norfolk
with Roger Bigod
, and the great magnate Roger of Montgomery in Shrewsbury. The rebels' strategy was to assume that Robert would launch an invasion force from Normandy, and in the meantime, Odo and the rebel barons would start the fight in England.
Rufus's response was threefold. First, he divided his enemies by promising those who sided with him that they would receive as much money and land as they wanted. Second, he appealed to the English people as a whole, promising them "the best law that had ever been in this land". This had a positive effect in allowing regional garrisons the support they needed to fight the rebels. Finally, he attacked the rebels personally. In a six-week siege of Pevensey
castle he captured the rebel leader Odo.
In a stroke of luck for Rufus, the troops Robert was sending from Normandy were driven back by bad weather on the seas. Meanwhile, Rufus took Rochester Castle
, and with Robert's failure to arrive, the rebels were forced to surrender and the rebellion was over.
Those of William's barons who had remained loyal urged leniency on the rebel barons. Orderic Vitalis says, addressing the king:
Odo, previously the richest man in England, was stripped of his belongings and banished to Normandy, while his brother Robert of Mortain was allowed to stay in England and keep his estates. Roger of Montgomery had left the rebels and joined with the king after promises of land and money. Rufus pragmatically kept those aristocrats whom he needed and removed those who were a threat.
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
and the Duchy of Normandy
Duchy of Normandy
The Duchy of Normandy stems from various Danish, Norwegian, Hiberno-Norse, Orkney Viking and Anglo-Danish invasions of France in the 9th century...
between his two sons William Rufus and Robert Curthose. Hostilities lasted from 3 to 6 months starting around Easter of 1088.
Background
William on his deathbed in 1087 wished to carry his heavily authoritarian rule beyond the grave by deciding how his sons would inherit the lands of his native Normandy and recently conquered England. His eldest son Robert was made Duke of NormandyDuke of Normandy
The Duke of Normandy is the title of the reigning monarch of the British Crown Dependancies of the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey. The title traces its roots to the Duchy of Normandy . Whether the reigning sovereign is a male or female, they are always titled as the "Duke of...
and his second eldest William Rufus entitled King of England. This came to pass on William's death. However, for the princes and barons who owned lands in both Normandy and England, it presented a difficult situation of loyalty. The chronicler Orderic Vitalis
Orderic Vitalis
Orderic Vitalis was an English chronicler of Norman ancestry who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th and 12th century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England. The modern biographer of Henry I of England, C...
said of the Norman magnates:
- What are we to do? Now that our lord is dead, two young men have succeeded and precipitately divided the lordship of England and Normandy. How can we properly serve two lords who are so different and distant from each other? If we serve Robert, Duke of Normandy, worthily, we will offend his brother, William, and we will be stripped by him of our great revenues and large estates in England. On the other hand, if we obey King William fittingly, Duke Robert will deprive us of all our inherited lands in Normandy.
They decided to band together to dispose of young King Rufus and unite Normandy and England under a single king, the young Duke Robert. The rebels were led by William the Conqueror's elder half-brothers Odo of Bayeux and Robert, Count of Mortain
Robert, Count of Mortain
Robert, Count of Mortain, 1st Earl of Cornwall was a Norman nobleman and the half-brother of William I of England. Robert was the son of Herluin de Conteville and Herleva of Falaise and was full brother to Odo of Bayeux. The exact year of Robert's birth is unknown Robert, Count of Mortain, 1st...
, with Odo the stronger of the two and the leader behind the plot.
The rebels' ranks were made up of the most powerful barons in England: of the ten largest baronial landholders in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
, six were counted amongst the rebels. They were spread far and wide geographically from Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, controlled by Odo, to Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, controlled by Robert de Mowbray
Robert de Mowbray
Robert de Mowbray , a Norman, was Earl of Northumbria from 1086, until 1095, when he was deposed for rebelling against William Rufus, King of England. He was the son of Roger de Mowbray and nephew of Geoffrey de Montbray, bishop of Coutances...
, to Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
with Roger Bigod
Roger Bigod
Roger Bigod may refer to:*Roger Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk , Norman knight who came to England with William the Conqueror*Roger Bigod, 2nd Earl of Norfolk *Roger Bigod, 4th Earl of Norfolk , Marshal of England...
, and the great magnate Roger of Montgomery in Shrewsbury. The rebels' strategy was to assume that Robert would launch an invasion force from Normandy, and in the meantime, Odo and the rebel barons would start the fight in England.
Rebellion of 1088
With the coming of spring in 1088, the barons set out on a campaign to lay waste to the king's lands and supporters. They then activated their own castles, fortified and stocked them with provisions, and waited for a response from the king. If for some reason no response came, they knew they could easily live by plundering neighbouring territories, and thus reduce the kingdom to feudal anarchy, a situation the king would eventually have to address.Rufus's response was threefold. First, he divided his enemies by promising those who sided with him that they would receive as much money and land as they wanted. Second, he appealed to the English people as a whole, promising them "the best law that had ever been in this land". This had a positive effect in allowing regional garrisons the support they needed to fight the rebels. Finally, he attacked the rebels personally. In a six-week siege of Pevensey
Pevensey
Pevensey is a village and civil parish in the Wealden district of East Sussex, England. The main village is located 5 miles north-east of Eastbourne, one mile inland from Pevensey Bay. The settlement of Pevensey Bay forms part of the parish.-Geography:The village of Pevensey is located on...
castle he captured the rebel leader Odo.
In a stroke of luck for Rufus, the troops Robert was sending from Normandy were driven back by bad weather on the seas. Meanwhile, Rufus took Rochester Castle
Rochester Castle
Rochester Castle stands on the east bank of the River Medway in Rochester, Kent, England. The 12th-century keep or stone tower, which is the castle's most prominent feature, is one of the best preserved in England or France. Located along the River Medway and Watling Street, Rochester was a...
, and with Robert's failure to arrive, the rebels were forced to surrender and the rebellion was over.
Those of William's barons who had remained loyal urged leniency on the rebel barons. Orderic Vitalis says, addressing the king:
- ..if you remit your anger against these men [the rebels] and benevolently retain them with you, or at least allow them to depart in peace, you will enjoy the benefits of their friendship and service on many future occasions. It may be that the man who harms you, later obeys you as a friend.
Odo, previously the richest man in England, was stripped of his belongings and banished to Normandy, while his brother Robert of Mortain was allowed to stay in England and keep his estates. Roger of Montgomery had left the rebels and joined with the king after promises of land and money. Rufus pragmatically kept those aristocrats whom he needed and removed those who were a threat.