William Adelin
Encyclopedia
William surnamed Adelin (alternately rendered as Adelinus, Adelingus, A(u)delin or Ætheling), was the son of Henry I of England
by his wife Matilda of Scotland, and was thus heir-apparent to the throne. His early death without issue caused a succession crisis.
William was born in Winchester
. His father, Henry I of England, was the youngest son of William the Conqueror
, King of England and Duke of Normandy, and Matilda of Flanders
. Robert Curthose, the eldest son of the Conqueror, had inherited Normandy, while William Rufus
, one of Robert's younger brothers, had inherited England. In 1100, William was killed in a hunting accident, and Henry took the throne. By 1105, he had also dispossessed Robert of Normandy.
William's mother was Matilda (also called Edith), the daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland
by Saint Margaret of Scotland
. Henry had arranged the marriage to conciliate his Anglo-Saxon subjects: Saint Margaret had been a granddaughter of the Anglo-Saxon King Edmund Ironside
, and a great-niece of Edward the Confessor
; as such, the marriage represented a union between the new Norman rulers of England and the old Anglo-Saxon dynasty.
Henry's hopes for his succession rested upon William, who was, according to Henry of Huntingdon
, "a prince so pampered" that he seemed "destined to be food for the fire."
as Duke of Normandy
. As a King in his own right, Henry was loath to comply, and in 1115 he offered to have William do this in his stead. This offer was eventually accepted in 1120, after an intervening period of war, and William did homage to Louis VI of France
in the middle of 1120. For this reason William is sometimes counted as Duke of Normandy (as either William III or William IV – William Clito
is also sometimes designated 'Duke of Normandy'). William received, as the heir to the throne, the homage and fealty of the barons of Normandy in 1115 and of the barons of England in March 1116.
William's mother Queen Edith usually served as Henry's regent in England while he was away in Normandy. After her death in 1118 William was old enough to serve in her stead. He was closely advised in this role by the King's administrators, such as Roger of Salisbury
. During the last year or so of his life he was sometimes referred to as rex designatus (king designate).
During his long reign Henry I of England
would face several eruptions of hostilities due to the alliances of rival regions with some of his neighbours. In order to secure the loyalty of Anjou
, a long-time rival of Normandy
, Henry betrothed William to Matilda of Anjou, eldest daughter of Count Fulk V of Anjou
in February 1113 near Alençon. The marriage finally took place June 1119 in Lisieux.
tragedy of 25 November 1120. The Prince and his companions had been crossing the English Channel from Barfleur in the White Ship, the swiftest and most modern ship in the royal fleet. William and his party had remained drinking on the shore until after dark, confident that in a fast ship and on the still sea the delay would have no real effect. Consequently, it was the middle of the night when the drunken helmsman rammed the ship into a rock in the bay. The crew and passengers were unable to lever the ship off the rock, or prevent the ship from filling with water; however, William and several of his friends managed to launch a life-dinghy. At the last minute, William dashed back to rescue his illegitimate half-sister, the Countess of Perche; when they and several others threw themselves into the small dinghy, it, "overcharged by the multitude that leapt into her, capsized and sank and buried all indiscriminately in the deep."
Henry of Huntingdon
, speaking of the disaster, wrote that William, "instead of wearing embroidered robes...floated naked in the waves, and instead of ascending a lofty throne...found his grave at the bottom of the sea."
William's wife was on another ship at the time of the wreck, and survived him to become a nun and eventually, Abbess of Fontevrault
.
His death ruined his father's hopes and policies. Although he made a hasty second marriage (Matilda of Scotland had died in 1118) to Adeliza of Louvain
, he did not produce any more legitimate children. With no clear male heir (the obvious choice, William Clito, the son of Henry's older brother, was not favoured by the King; Henry had an abundance of other nephews and illegitimate children, of whom his favoured nephew Stephen of Blois
and illegitimate son Robert of Gloucester
particularly stood out, but for various reasons none were chosen), Henry designated his daughter, Matilda, dowager Holy Roman Empress, as his heiress, marrying her to William's brother-in-law Geoffrey V of Anjou, and forcing his Barons to swear to uphold her rights; but on his death, the Barons reneged on their oaths on the grounds of coercion, and chose Henry's nephew, Stephen of Blois
, prompting a period of English history known as The Anarchy
.
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
by his wife Matilda of Scotland, and was thus heir-apparent to the throne. His early death without issue caused a succession crisis.
William was born in Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
. His father, Henry I of England, was the youngest son of William the Conqueror
William I of England
William I , also known as William the Conqueror , was the first Norman King of England from Christmas 1066 until his death. He was also Duke of Normandy from 3 July 1035 until his death, under the name William II...
, King of England and Duke of Normandy, and Matilda of Flanders
Matilda of Flanders
Matilda of Flanders was the wife of William the Conqueror and, as such, Queen consort of the Kingdom of England. She bore William nine/ten children, including two kings, William II and Henry I.-Marriage:...
. Robert Curthose, the eldest son of the Conqueror, had inherited Normandy, while William Rufus
William II of England
William II , the third son of William I of England, was King of England from 1087 until 1100, with powers over Normandy, and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales...
, one of Robert's younger brothers, had inherited England. In 1100, William was killed in a hunting accident, and Henry took the throne. By 1105, he had also dispossessed Robert of Normandy.
William's mother was Matilda (also called Edith), the daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland
Malcolm III of Scotland
Máel Coluim mac Donnchada , was King of Scots...
by Saint Margaret of Scotland
Saint Margaret of Scotland
Saint Margaret of Scotland , also known as Margaret of Wessex and Queen Margaret of Scotland, was an English princess of the House of Wessex. Born in exile in Hungary, she was the sister of Edgar Ætheling, the short-ruling and uncrowned Anglo-Saxon King of England...
. Henry had arranged the marriage to conciliate his Anglo-Saxon subjects: Saint Margaret had been a granddaughter of the Anglo-Saxon King Edmund Ironside
Edmund Ironside
Edmund Ironside or Edmund II was king of England from 23 April to 30 November 1016. His cognomen "Ironside" is not recorded until 1057, but may have been contemporary. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, it was given to him "because of his valour" in resisting the Danish invasion led by Cnut...
, and a great-niece of Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor
Edward the Confessor also known as St. Edward the Confessor , son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy, was one of the last Anglo-Saxon kings of England and is usually regarded as the last king of the House of Wessex, ruling from 1042 to 1066....
; as such, the marriage represented a union between the new Norman rulers of England and the old Anglo-Saxon dynasty.
Henry's hopes for his succession rested upon William, who was, according to Henry of Huntingdon
Henry of Huntingdon
Henry of Huntingdon , the son of a canon in the diocese of Lincoln, was a 12th century English historian, the author of a history of England, Historia anglorum, "the most important Anglo-Norman historian to emerge from the secular clergy". He served as archdeacon of Huntingdon...
, "a prince so pampered" that he seemed "destined to be food for the fire."
Duke of Normandy
During his lifetime, William was invested as Duke of Normandy, a title he held more in name than practice. The investiture had been made by Henry I when he was pressed by the King of France to do homageCommendation ceremony
A commendation ceremony is a formal ceremony that evolved during the Early Medieval period to create a bond between a lord and his fighting man, called his vassal . The first recorded ceremony of commendatio was in 7th century France, but the relationship of vassalage was older, and predated even...
as Duke of Normandy
Duke 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...
. As a King in his own right, Henry was loath to comply, and in 1115 he offered to have William do this in his stead. This offer was eventually accepted in 1120, after an intervening period of war, and William did homage to Louis VI of France
Louis VI of France
Louis VI , called the Fat , was King of France from 1108 until his death . Chronicles called him "roi de Saint-Denis".-Reign:...
in the middle of 1120. For this reason William is sometimes counted as Duke of Normandy (as either William III or William IV – William Clito
William Clito
William Clito was the son of Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, by his marriage with Sibylla of Conversano...
is also sometimes designated 'Duke of Normandy'). William received, as the heir to the throne, the homage and fealty of the barons of Normandy in 1115 and of the barons of England in March 1116.
William's mother Queen Edith usually served as Henry's regent in England while he was away in Normandy. After her death in 1118 William was old enough to serve in her stead. He was closely advised in this role by the King's administrators, such as Roger of Salisbury
Roger of Salisbury
Roger was a Norman medieval Bishop of Salisbury and the seventh Lord Chancellor and Lord Keeper of England.-Life:...
. During the last year or so of his life he was sometimes referred to as rex designatus (king designate).
During his long reign Henry I of England
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
would face several eruptions of hostilities due to the alliances of rival regions with some of his neighbours. In order to secure the loyalty of Anjou
Anjou
Anjou is a former county , duchy and province centred on the city of Angers in the lower Loire Valley of western France. It corresponds largely to the present-day département of Maine-et-Loire...
, a long-time rival of Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, Henry betrothed William to Matilda of Anjou, eldest daughter of Count Fulk V of Anjou
Fulk of Jerusalem
Fulk , also known as Fulk the Younger, was Count of Anjou from 1109 to 1129, and King of Jerusalem from 1131 to his death...
in February 1113 near Alençon. The marriage finally took place June 1119 in Lisieux.
Death
William died in the White ShipWhite Ship
The White Ship was a vessel that sank in the English Channel near the Normandy coast off Barfleur, on 25 November 1120. Only one of those aboard survived. Those who drowned included William Adelin, the only surviving legitimate son and heir of King Henry I of England...
tragedy of 25 November 1120. The Prince and his companions had been crossing the English Channel from Barfleur in the White Ship, the swiftest and most modern ship in the royal fleet. William and his party had remained drinking on the shore until after dark, confident that in a fast ship and on the still sea the delay would have no real effect. Consequently, it was the middle of the night when the drunken helmsman rammed the ship into a rock in the bay. The crew and passengers were unable to lever the ship off the rock, or prevent the ship from filling with water; however, William and several of his friends managed to launch a life-dinghy. At the last minute, William dashed back to rescue his illegitimate half-sister, the Countess of Perche; when they and several others threw themselves into the small dinghy, it, "overcharged by the multitude that leapt into her, capsized and sank and buried all indiscriminately in the deep."
Henry of Huntingdon
Henry of Huntingdon
Henry of Huntingdon , the son of a canon in the diocese of Lincoln, was a 12th century English historian, the author of a history of England, Historia anglorum, "the most important Anglo-Norman historian to emerge from the secular clergy". He served as archdeacon of Huntingdon...
, speaking of the disaster, wrote that William, "instead of wearing embroidered robes...floated naked in the waves, and instead of ascending a lofty throne...found his grave at the bottom of the sea."
William's wife was on another ship at the time of the wreck, and survived him to become a nun and eventually, Abbess of Fontevrault
Fontevraud Abbey
Fontevraud Abbey or Fontevrault Abbey is a religious building hosting a cultural centre since 1975, the Centre Culturel de l'Ouest, in the village of Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, near Chinon, in Anjou, France. It was founded by the itinerant reforming preacher Robert of Arbrissel, who had just created a...
.
His death ruined his father's hopes and policies. Although he made a hasty second marriage (Matilda of Scotland had died in 1118) to Adeliza of Louvain
Adeliza of Louvain
Adeliza of Louvain, sometimes known in England as Adelicia of Louvain, also called Adela and Aleidis; was queen consort of the Kingdom of England from 1121 to 1135, the second wife of Henry I...
, he did not produce any more legitimate children. With no clear male heir (the obvious choice, William Clito, the son of Henry's older brother, was not favoured by the King; Henry had an abundance of other nephews and illegitimate children, of whom his favoured nephew Stephen of Blois
Stephen of England
Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
and illegitimate son Robert of Gloucester
Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester
Robert Fitzroy, 1st Earl of Gloucester was an illegitimate son of King Henry I of England. He was called "Rufus" and occasionally "de Caen", he is also known as Robert "the Consul"...
particularly stood out, but for various reasons none were chosen), Henry designated his daughter, Matilda, dowager Holy Roman Empress, as his heiress, marrying her to William's brother-in-law Geoffrey V of Anjou, and forcing his Barons to swear to uphold her rights; but on his death, the Barons reneged on their oaths on the grounds of coercion, and chose Henry's nephew, Stephen of Blois
Stephen of England
Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
, prompting a period of English history known as The Anarchy
The Anarchy
The Anarchy or The Nineteen-Year Winter was a period of English history during the reign of King Stephen, which was characterised by civil war and unsettled government...
.