Great Seal ofKing Henry I of England (reigned 1100 – 35).Henry I was theyoungest son of William the

Great Seal ofKing Henry I of England (reigned 1100 – 35).Henry I was theyoungest son of William the Conqueror.  His older brothers werebequeathed Normandy and England, and Henry was given £5,000, withthe remark that he only needed to be patient to acquire the lands ofhis brothers.William II, whohad succeeded their father to the English throne, died in 1100 at theend of a much-hated reign.  Robert Curthose, the eldest, was away onthe First Crusade, but Henry was at home, and seized the opportunity. He rode to Winchester, seized the royal treasury, and persuaded somemembers of the Witenaġemot to confirm him as king.  He then hurriedto London and was crowned on August 5th, three days afterWilliam II had died – the fastest coronation in English history.Henry I’s rulewas a great improvement over his brother’s.  He issued a coronationcharter to remedy the abuses of William II (a century later, thischarter would become one of the foundations of Magna Carta).  Thecurrency had become debased, so he restored it; he regularizedmeasurements; and filled the bishoprics that William II had keptempty so he could seize the revenues.  He also restored Anselm, whohad been in exile, as Archbishop of Canterbury.Henry was anexcellent administrator and a harsh ruler.  He brought in “new men”to counteract the influence of the barons, and introduced theexchequer, which was named after the chequered cloth that was laidacross a large table to calculate revenues on.In 1103, RobertCurthose returned from the Crusade, and many of Henry’s baronsdeserted to follow him.  Henry made a deal with his older brother,and spent the next seven years suppressing the rebellious nobles.  In1106, he defeated Robert at the Battle of Tinchebrai in Normandy, andkept him imprisoned until his death.Henry had a son(William) and a daughter (Matilda).  William died in a shipwreck,leaving only Matilda to inherit the throne.  England had never had aqueen before, but Henry was determined that she would succeed him. He twice made all the barons vow to support her after his death.  Hedied in 1135, from “a surfeit of lampreys”, but probably from aheart attack. -- source link

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