Henry was decisive and quick to act throughout his 35 year reign as is demonstrated by him seizing the English throne from his elder brother Robert who was absent Crusading. He ended up ruler of both England and Normandy with peace pacts with the King of France and the Duke of Flanders. His succession plans were cruelly dashed when, returning from celebrating his deal with the French King, his only two living legitimate sons were drowned off the coast of Normandy in the “White Ship”. England was plunged into civil war as the country was divided over his plans for his daughter Matilda to take the throne as the first ever Queen of England.

Henry, the youngest son of William the Conqueror had no right to the throne but his eldest brother Robert was still away on the First Crusade, so Henry who was in a different part of the New Forest the day Rufus was killed, saw his opportunity, rode swiftly to Winchester and demanded the keys of the treasury. (The town of Winchester just north east of the New Forest held the countries money, not London). In three days this already popular man was crowned King of England and took no time to establish himself as an intelligent, tough but just ruler. At this time he had no wife only a bevy of mistresses (he holds the record in England for the number of illegitimate children he sired-21) so he arranged to marry the Scottish Princess Matilda, daughter of Malcolm 3rd and his Saxon wife a descendant of Alfred the Great. This masterful stroke made him even more popular with Saxon England as the Royal line of Cedric was restored. He did much more.

• He filled the vacant positions in the Church which Rufus had not bothered to do. Notably he brought back Archbishop Anselm who had fled from Rufus.
• He made concessions to the Barons for example removing taxes from those who supplied him with Knights.
• To please the populous he restored the laws made by Edward the Confessor.
• English territorial boundaries remained stable.

Robert, finally of course turned up to claim the throne of England, elated from his very successful Crusade where he had been offered the Kingship of Jerusalem. The two armies faced each other at Alton Hampshire but will Henry’s diplomatic skills, instead of fighting, the brothers embraced and a treaty was signed giving him 3000 marks a year to relinquish his claim the English throne.

This friendship did not last and Henry was forced to fight his brother in Normandy. Henry captured Robert and claimed the Dukedom of Normandy.

What happened to Robert who could have been as powerful as his father, the Conqueror, and was offered but did not accept the Kingdom of Jerusalem? Henry kept him in captivity in various castles in England and Wales, (Cardiff Castle) where he died just before his younger brother Henry. 

Henry was determined to sire enough sons to ensure his succession unfortunately only 4 of is 29 children were legitimate.  His first wife Matilda had already died when his two sons were drowned off the coast of Normandy in the White Ship. He quickly took a new “nubile” wife, Alice of 18 years (he was 53 and she was French) but she failed to produce any children. Henry then had to persuade the Barons to accept his remaining legitimate offspring Alice renamed Matilda to reign on his death.