Part 13

The same year also, before the Assumption of St. Mary, King William marched with an army out of Normandy into France, and made war upon his own Lord King Philip, and slew a great number of his people, and burned the town of Mante, and all the holy monasteries in it, and two holy men who served God as anchorites were burned there. This done King William returned into Normandy. Rueful deeds he did, and ruefully he suffered. Wherefore ruefully? He fell sick and became grievously ill. What can I say? The sharpness of death, that spareth neither rich nor poor, seized upon him. He died in Normandy the day after the Nativity of St. Mary, and he was buried in Caen, at St. Stephen’s monastery, which he had built and had richly endowed. O how false, how unstable is the good of this world, He, who had been a powerful King and Lord of many territories, He, then, of all his lands, possessed not more than seven feet of ground; and He, who was erewhile adorned with gold and with gems, lay then covered with mould. He left three sons: Robert the eldest was Earl of Normandy after him; the second, named William wore the crown of England after his father’s death; and his third son was Henry, to whom he bequeathed immense treasures.

If any would know what manner of man King William was, the glory that he obtained, and of how many lands he was Lord; then will we describe him as we have known him, we, who have looked upon him, and who once lived in his court. This King William, of whom we are speaking, was a very wise and a great man, and more honoured and more powerful than any of his predecessors. He was mild to those good men who loved God, but severe beyond measure towards those who withstood his will. He founded a noble monastery on the spot where God permitted him to conquer England, and he established monks in it, and he made it very rich. In his days the great monastery at Canterbury was built, and many others also throughout England; moreover this land was filled with monks who lived after the rule of St. Benedict; and such was the state of religion in his days that all that would, might observe that which was prescribed by their respective orders. King William was also held in much reverence; he wore his crown three times every year when he was in England: at Easter he wore it at Winchester, at Pentecost at Westminster, and at Christmas at Gloucester. And at these times, all the men of England were with him, Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots, and Earls, Thanes, and Knights. So also, was he a very stern and a wrathful man, so that none durst do any thing against his will, and he kept in prison those Earls who acted against his pleasure. He removed Bishops from their sees, and Abbots from their offices, and he imprisoned Thanes, and at length he spared not his own brother Odo. This Odo was a very powerful Bishop in Normandy, his see was that of Baieux, and he was foremost to serve the King. He had an Earldom in England, and when William was in Normandy he was the first man in this country, and him did he cast into prison. Amongst other things the good order that William established is not to be forgotten; it was such that any man, who was himself aught, might travel over the kingdom with a bosom-full of gold unmolested; and no man durst kill another, however great the injury he might have received from him. He reigned over England, and being sharp-sighted to his own interest, he surveyed the kingdom so thoroughly that there was not a single hide of land throughout the whole, of which he knew not the possession, and how much it was worth, and this he afterwards entered in his register. The land of the Britons (Wales) was under his sway, and he built castles therein; moreover he had full dominion over the Isle of Mann (Anglesey): Scotland also was subject to him from his great strength; the land of Normandy was his by inheritance, and he possessed the Earldom of Maine; and had he lived two years longer he would have subdued Ireland by his prowess, and that without a battle. Truly there was much trouble in these times, and very great distress; he caused castles to be built, and oppressed the poor. The King was also of great sternness, and he took from his subjects many marks of gold, and many hundred pounds of silver, and this, either with or without right, and with little need. He was given to avarice and greedily loved gain. He made large forests for the deer, and enacted laws therewith, so that whoever killed a hart or a hind should be blinded. As he forbade killing the deer, so also the boars; and he loved the tall stags as if he were their father. He also appointed concerning the hares, that they should go free. The rich complained and the poor murmured, but he was so sturdy that he recked nought of them; they must will all that the King willed, if they would live; or would keep their lands; or would hold their possessions; or would be maintained in their rights. Alas! that any man should so exalt himself, and carry himself in his pride over all! May Almighty God shew mercy to his soul, and grant him the forgiveness of his sins! We have written concerning him these things, both good and bad, that virtuous men might follow after the good, and wholly avoid the evil, and might go in the way that leadeth to the kingdom of heaven.

We may write of many events which happened during this year. In Denmark, the Danes who were formerly accounted the most loyal of people, turned to the greatest possible perfidy and treachery, for they chose King Cnut, and submitted to him, and swore oaths of allegiance and afterwards they shamefully murdered him in a church.[BI] It also came to pass in Spain, that the heathen men went forth, and made war upon the Christians, and brought great part of the country into subjection to themselves. But the Christian King, whose name was Anphos (Alfonso), sent to all countries and begged assistance. And allies flocked to him from every Christian land, and they went forth, and slew or drove away all the heathens, and they won their land again by the help of God. The same year also many great men died in this land: Stigand Bishop of Chichester, and the Abbot of Saint Augustine’s, and the Abbots of Bath and of Pershore, and the Lord of them all William King of England, concerning whom we have spoken above.

After his death, his son William, of the same name with his father, took to himself the government, and was consecrated as King in Westminster by Archbishop Lanfranc three days before Michaelmas: and all the men of England acknowledged him, and swore oaths of allegiance to him. This done, the King went to Winchester and examined the treasury, and the hoards which his father had amassed; gold and silver, vessels of plate, palls, gems, and many other valuables that are hard to be numbered:--The King did as his father before he died commanded him; he distributed treasures amongst all the monasteries of England, for the sake of his father’s soul: to some he gave ten marks of gold, and to others six, and sixty pennies to every country church, and a hundred pounds of money was sent into every county to be divided among the poor for his soul’s sake. And before he died he had also desired that all who had been imprisoned during his reign should be released. And the King was at London during Christmas.

1088.

This year the land was much disturbed, and filled with treason, for the principal Frenchmen here would have betrayed their Lord the King, and have had his brother Robert instead, who was Earl of Normandy. Bishop Odo was the chief man in the conspiracy, together with Bishop Gosfrith, and William Bishop of Durham.--The King esteemed the Bishop so highly, that the affairs of all England were directed after his counsel, and according to his pleasure, but the Bishop purposed to do by him as Judas Iscariot did by our Lord. And Earl Roger was concerned in this conspiracy, and many others with him, all Frenchmen. This plot was concerted during Lent; and as soon as Easter came, they marched forth, and plundered, and burned, and laid waste the lands of the crown; and they ruined the estates of those who remained firm in their allegiance. And each of the head conspirators went to his own castle, and manned and victualled it, as best he might. Bishop Gosfrith and Robert the Peace-breaker went to Bristol, and having plundered the town, they brought the spoils into the castle; and afterwards they sallied forth and plundered Bath, and all the surrounding country, and they laid waste all the lordship of Berkeley. And the chief men of Hereford and all that county, and the men of Shropshire, with many from Wales, entered Worcestershire, and went on plundering and burning, till they approached the county town, and they were resolved to burn this also, and to plunder the cathedral, and to seize the King’s castle for themselves. The worthy Bishop Wulfstan seeing this, was much distressed in mind, because the castle was committed to his keeping. Nevertheless his retainers, few as they were, marched out, and through the mercy of God, and the good desert of the Bishop, they slew or took captive 500 men, and put all the rest to flight.--The Bishop of Durham did as much harm as he could in all the northern parts: one of the conspirators named Roger, threw himself into Norwich castle, and spread devastation throughout that country: Hugo also was in no respect less formidable to Leicestershire and Northampton. Bishop Odo, with whom these commotions originated, departed to his Earldom of Kent, which he ravaged, and he wholly laid waste the lands of the King and the Archbishop, and brought all the plunder into his castle at Rochester. When the King had heard all this, and with what treason they were acting towards him, he was greatly disturbed in mind; and he sent for the English, and laid his necessities before them, and entreated their assistance. He promised them better laws than had ever been in this land, and forbade all unjust taxes, and guaranteed to his subjects their woods and hunting. But these concessions were soon done away. Howbeit the English came to the aid of their Lord the King, and they then marched towards Rochester desiring to seize Bishop Odo, for they thought that if they had him who was the head of the conspiracy in their power, they might with greater ease subdue the others.--Then they came to Tunbridge castle, in which were the Knights of Bishop Odo and many others, resolved to hold out against William. But the English came on, and stormed the castle, and the garrison capitulated. They then proceeded towards Rochester believing that the Bishop was there; but the King was told that he was departed to his castle at Pevensey, and the King and his troops went after him, and he besieged that castle full six weeks with a very large army. In the mean time Robert Earl of Normandy, the King’s brother, gathered together a great multitude, and thought that he should win England with the aid of the disaffected of this country. And he sent some of his troops to this land, intending to follow them himself. But the English who guarded the sea attacked these men, and slew and drowned more than any one can number. At length provisions became scarce in the castle, on which the insurgents prayed for a truce and surrendered the place to the King, and the Bishop took an oath that he would depart from England, and never return unless the King sent for him, and that he would also give up Rochester castle. After this the Bishop proceeded thither that he might deliver up that fortress, and the King sent his men with him, but then the soldiers who were in the castle arose, and seized the Bishop, and the King’s men, whom they put into confinement. There were very good knights in this castle: Eustace the younger, the three sons of Earl Roger, and all the best born of this land, and of Normandy. When the King knew this, he set forth with all the troops then with him, and he sent over all England and commanded that every man of mark, French or English, from town and from country, should come and join him. Many were those who flocked to him and he marched to Rochester and besieged the castle till the garrison capitulated. Bishop Odo and those who were with him departed over sea, and thus the Bishop lost the station he held in this land. The King afterwards sent an army to Durham, and besieged the castle, and the Bishop capitulated, and surrendered it, and he gave up his Bishoprick and went to Normandy. Many Frenchmen also left their lands, and went over sea, and the King gave their estates to those who had held fast to him.

1089.

This year the venerable father and patron of monks Archbishop Lanfranc departed this life, but we trust that he hath entered into the kingdom of heaven. There was also a great earthquake throughout England on the 3d of the ides of August. And it was a very late year both as to the corn, and fruits of all kind, so that many men reaped their corn about Martinmas, and even later.

1090.

Things being in the state we have described, as regarding the King, his brother, and his people, William considered how he might take the surest vengeance on his wretched brother Robert, and win Normandy from him. To this end, he gained the castle and port of St. Valeri by stratagem or bribery, and also Albemarle Castle, and he placed his knights in them, and they did much harm, ravaging and burning the country. After this he got possession of more castles in that land, and in these also he stationed his knights. When Robert Earl of Normandy found that his sworn liege-men revolted and gave up their castles to his great injury, he sent to his Lord Philip King of France, who came into Normandy with a large army; and the King and the Earl with an innumerable force besieged a castle defended by the King of England’s soldiers: but King William of England sent to Philip King of France, and he, for love of William or for his great bribes, deserted his vassal Earl Robert and his land, and returned to France, leaving things as they were. During all these transactions, England was greatly oppressed by unlawful taxes, and many other grievances.

1091.

This year King William held his court at Westminster at Christmas, and the following Candlemas he departed from England to Normandy, bent on his brother’s ruin: but whilst he was in that country, peace was made between them, on condition that the Earl should give up Fescamp, the Earldom of Eu, and Cherbourg, to William, and withal that the King’s men should be unmolested in those castles of which they had possessed themselves in the Earl’s despite. And the King, on his side, promised to reduce to their obedience the many castles conquered by their father, which had since revolted from the Earl, and also to establish him in the possession of all their father’s territories abroad, excepting those places which the Earl had then given up to the King. Moreover all who had lost their lands in England on account of the Earl were to regain them by this treaty, and the Earl also was to receive certain estates in England then specified. It was also agreed that if the Earl died leaving no legitimate son, the King should be heir of all Normandy, and in like manner if the King died, that the Earl should be heir of all England. Twelve of the chief men on the part of the King and twelve on that of the Earl guaranteed this treaty by oath; yet it was observed but a short time. During this peace Edgar Ætheling was dispossessed of those lands which the Earl had granted him, and he departed and went from Normandy into Scotland, to the King his brother in law, and his sister. Whilst King William was out of England, Malcolm King of Scotland invaded this country, and ravaged great part of it, till the good men to whom the keeping of the land was entrusted, sent their troops against him and drove him back.--When King William heard this in Normandy, he hastened to return, and he came to England and his brother Earl Robert with him. And they called out a fleet and army, but almost all the ships were lost, a few days before Michaelmas, ere they reached Scotland. And the King and his brother proceeded with the army: and when King Malcolm heard that they sought to attack him he marched with his array out of Scotland into Lothian in England, and remained there. And when King William approached, Earl Robert and Edgar Ætheling mediated a peace between the Kings, on condition that King Malcolm should repair to our King, and become his vassal, in all the like subjection as to his father before him; and this he confirmed by oath. And King William promised him all the lands and possessions that he held under his father. By this peace Edgar Ætheling was reconciled to the King. And the Kings separated in great friendship, but this lasted during a short time only.--Earl Robert abode here with the King till Christmas drew near, and in this time he found little good faith as to the fulfilment of the treaty, and two days before the feast he took ship from Wight and sailed to Normandy, and Edgar Ætheling with him.

1092.

This year King William went northward to Carlisle with a large army, and he repaired the city, and built the castle. And he drove out Dolfin who had before governed that country, and having placed a garrison in the castle, he returned into the south, and sent a great number of Englishmen thither with their wives and cattle, that they might settle there and cultivate the land.

1093.

This year, in Lent, King William was very sick at Gloucester, insomuch that he was universally reported to be dead: and he made many good promises in his illness; that his future life he would lead in righteousness--that the churches of God he would guard and free--and never more sell them for money--and that he would have all just laws in his kingdom. And he gave the Archbishoprick of Canterbury, which he had hitherto kept in his own hands, to Anselm who was before this Abbot of Bec, and the Bishoprick of Lincoln to his Chancellor Robert; and he granted lands to many, monasteries, but afterwards, when recovered, he took them back, and he neglected all the good laws that he had promised us. After this the King of Scotland sent desiring that the stipulated conditions might be performed; and King William summoned him to Gloucester, and sent hostages to him in Scotland, and afterwards Edgar Ætheling and others met him and brought him with much honour to the Court. But when he came there he could neither obtain a conference with our King, nor the performance of the conditions formerly promised him, and therefore they departed in great enmity: and King Malcolm returned home to Scotland, and as soon as he came thither, he assembled his troops and invaded England, ravaging the country with more fury than behoved him: and Robert Earl of Northumberland with his men lay in wait for him, and slew him unawares. He was killed by Moræl of Bamborough, the Earl’s steward, and King Malcolm’s own Godfather: his son Edward, who had he lived would have been King after his father, was killed with him. When the good Queen Margaret heard that her most beloved Lord, and her son were thus cut off, she was grieved in spirit unto death, and she went with her priest into the church, and having gone through all befitting rites, she prayed of God that she might give up the ghost. And then, the Scots chose Dufenal the brother of Malcolm for their King, and drove out all the English who had been with King Malcolm. When Duncan the son of King Malcolm heard all this, for he was in King William’s Court, and had remained here from the time that his father gave him as an hostage to our King’s father, he came to the King, and did such homage as the King required; and thus with his consent he departed for Scotland, with the aid that he could muster, both English and French, and he deprived his kinsman Dufenal of the throne, and was received as King. But then some of the Scotch again gathered themselves together, and slew nearly all his men, and he himself escaped with few others. They were afterwards reconciled on this condition, that Duncan should never more bring English or Frenchmen into that country.

1094.