William of Eu, Count of Eu (died January 1096) was a first generation Anglo-Norman

Anglo-Norman

The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...

 aristocrat and rebel.

Along with William of Aldrie

William of Aldrie

William of Aldrie was a first generation Anglo-Norman and rebel. A cousin of, and steward to, William of Eu, he was executed January 1096.Along with his cousin, Aldrie conspired with Roger de Lacy and Robert de Mowbray to murder William II and install the king’s cousin Stephen of Aumale.In 1095...

, he conspired with Roger de Lacy

Roger de Lacy

Roger de Lacy, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, a Marcher Lord on the Welsh border.- Lineage :He was son of Walter de Lacy , a retainer of William fitzOsbern. Roger was a castle builder, particularly at Ludlow Castle....

 and 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 murder William II

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...

 and install the king's cousin Stephen of Aumale

Stephen of Aumale

Stephen of Aumale was Count of Aumale from 1082 to 1127.He was son of Eudes de Blois, Count of Troyes and Count of Meaux, and Adelaide of Normandy, countess of Aumale, and sister of William the Conqueror...

.

In 1095 the rebels impounded four Norwegian

Norway

Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 trading ships and refused the king's demand to return the merchandise.

King William conducted a lightning campaign, outflanking the rebels at Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne

Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...

 and capturing a rebel stronghold at Morpeth

Morpeth, Northumberland

Morpeth is the county town of Northumberland, England. It is situated on the River Wansbeck which flows east through the town. The town is from the A1, which bypasses it. Since 1981, it has been the administrative centre of the County of Northumberland. In the 2001 census the town had a population...

. He besieged the rebels at Bamburgh Castle

Bamburgh Castle

Bamburgh Castle is an imposing castle located on the coast at Bamburgh in Northumberland, England. It is a Grade I listed building.-History:...

 and built a castle facing the existing one.

In January 1096 in Salisbury

Salisbury

Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...

, William was formally accused and challenged to trial by battle

Trial by combat

Trial by combat was a method of Germanic law to settle accusations in the absence of witnesses or a confession, in which two parties in dispute fought in single combat; the winner of the fight was proclaimed to be right. In essence, it is a judicially sanctioned duel...

. He was defeated by Geoffrey Baynard, former High Sheriff of Yorkshire

High Sheriff of Yorkshire

The High Sheriff of Yorkshire was an ancient High Sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. A list of the sheriffs from the Norman conquest onwards can be found below...

. Tradition condemned the loser to blinding and castration. Count William died as a result of this mutilation.