Angevins (dynasties)
{an'-juh-vinz}
The two Angevin dynasties in medieval Europe originated from the Frenchcountship of ANJOU. In 1131, Fulk V, count of Anjou, became king of theLatin Kingdom of Jerusalem, which his descendants ruled until 1186.Fulk's eldest son, Geoffrey Plantagenet, married (1128) MATILDA, queen ofEngland, and their son HENRY II became (1154) the first Angevin, orPlantagenet, king of England. This house ruled England until Richard IIwas overthrown (1399) by Henry IV of Lancaster.
A second Angevin dynasty came into being after King Louis IX of Francegave (1246) Anjou to his brother, who became (1266) CHARLES I of Naples.The latter's son, CHARLES II of Naples, had seven children. They, withtheir descendants, created a tangled dynastic situation for Naples,involving the royal houses of both France and Aragon. One grandsonbecame (1308) king of Hungary as CHARLES I, but the Angevin line ineastern Europe ended on the death (1382) of his son, LOUIS I, king ofHungary and Poland.
Also seen as Ermentrude Du Maine.
Henry I (of England) (1068-1135), third Norman king of England(1100-1135), fourth son of William the Conqueror. Henry was born inSelby. Because his father, who died in 1087, left him no land, Henry madeseveral unsuccessful attempts to gain territories on the Continent. Onthe death of his brother William II in 1100, Henry took advantage of theabsence of another brother-Robert, who had a prior claim to the throne-toseize the royal treasury and have himself crowned king at Westminster.Henry subsequently secured his position with the nobles and with thechurch by issuing a charter of liberties that acknowledged the feudalrights of the nobles and the rights of the church. In 1101 Robert, whowas duke of Normandy, invaded England, but Henry persuaded him towithdraw by promising him a pension and military aid on the Continent. In1102 Henry put down a revolt of nobles, who subsequently took refuge inNormandy, where they were aided by Robert. By defeating Robert atTinchebray, France, in 1106, Henry won Normandy. During the rest of hisreign, however, he constantly had to put down uprisings that threatenedhis rule in Normandy. The conflict between Henry and Anselm, archbishopof Canterbury, over the question of lay investiture (the appointment ofchurch officials by the king), was settled in 1107 by a compromise thatleft the king with substantial control in the matter.
Because he had no surviving male heir, Henry was forced to designate hisdaughter Matilda as his heiress. After his death on December 1, 1135, atLyons-la-Fôret, Normandy, however, Henry's nephew, Stephen of Blois,usurped the throne, plunging the country into a protracted civil war thatended only with the accession of Matilda's son, Henry II, in 1154.
William I (of England), called The Conqueror (1027-87), first Norman kingof England (1066-87), who has been called one of the first modern kingsand is generally regarded as one of the outstanding figures in westernEuropean history.
Born in Falaise, France, William was the illegitimate son of Robert I,duke of Normandy, and Arletta, a tanner's daughter, and is thereforesometimes called William the Bastard. Upon the death of his father, theNorman nobles, honoring their promise to Robert, accepted William as hissuccessor. Rebellion against the young duke broke out almost immediately,however, and his position did not become secure until 1047 when, with theaid of Henry I, king of France, he won a decisive victory over a rebelforce near Caen.
During a visit in 1051 to his childless cousin, Edward the Confessor,king of England, William is said to have obtained Edward's agreement thathe should succeed to the English throne. In 1053, defying a papal ban,William married Matilda of Flanders, daughter of Baldwin V, count ofFlanders and a descendant of King Alfred the Great, thereby strengtheninghis claim to the crown of England. Henry I, fearing the strong bondbetween Normandy and Flanders resulting from the marriage, attempted in1054 and again in 1058 to crush the powerful duke, but on both occasionsWilliam defeated the French king's forces.Conquest of England
About 1064, the powerful English noble, Harold, earl of Wessex, wasshipwrecked on the Norman coast and taken prisoner by William. He securedhis release by swearing to support William's claim to the English throne.When King Edward died, however, the witenagemot (royal council) electedHarold king. Determined to make good his claim, William secured thesanction of Pope Alexander II for a Norman invasion of England. The dukeand his army landed at Pevensey on September 28, 1066. On October 14, theNormans defeated the English forces at the celebrated Battle of Hastings,in which Harold was slain. William then proceeded to London, crushing theresistance he encountered on the way. On Christmas Day he was crownedking of England in Westminster Abbey.
The English did not accept foreign rule without a struggle. William metthe opposition, which was particularly violent in the north and west,with strong measures; he was responsible for the devastation of greatareas of the country, particularly in Yorkshire, where Danish forces hadarrived to aid the Saxon rebels. By 1070 the Norman conquest of Englandwas complete.
William invaded Scotland in 1072 and forced the Scottish king Malcolm IIIMacDuncan to pay him homage. During the succeeding years the Conquerorcrushed insurrections among his Norman followers, including that incitedin 1075 by Ralph de Guader, 1st earl of Norfolk, and Roger Fitzwilliam,earl of Hereford, and a series of uprisings in Normandy led by his eldestson Robert, who later became Robert II, duke of Normandy.His Achievements
One feature of William's reign as king was his reorganization of theEnglish feudal and administrative systems. He dissolved the greatearldoms, which had enjoyed virtual independence under his Anglo-Saxonpredecessors, and distributed the lands confiscated from the English tohis trusted Norman followers. He introduced the Continental system offeudalism; by the Oath of Salisbury of 1086 all landlords sworeallegiance to William, thus establishing the precedent that a vassal'sloyalty to the king overrode his fealty to his immediate lord. The feudallords were compelled to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the local courts,which William retained along with many other Anglo-Saxon institutions.The ecclesiastical and secular courts were separated, and the power ofthe papacy in English affairs was greatly curtailed. Another outstandingaccomplishment was the economic survey undertaken and incorporated in theDomesday Book in 1086.
In 1087, during a campaign against King Philip I of France, Williamburned the town of Mantes (now Mantes-la-Jolie). William's horse fell inthe vicinity of Mantes, fatally injuring him. He died in Rouen onSeptember 7 and was buried at Caen in Saint Stephen's, one of the abbeyshe and Matilda had founded at the time of their marriage as penance fortheir defiance of the pope. William was succeeded by his third-born son,William II.Further Reading
Douglas, David C. William the Conqueror: The Norman Impact upon England.California, 1964. Study of William and the Norman Conquest.
Stenton, Frank M. William the Conqueror and the Rule of the Normans.Putnam, 1908. Barnes & Noble, 1967. Biography and excellent work onconstitutional and ecclesiastical problems of the times.William I (born 1027, ruled 1066-87), called William the Conqueror, wasan illegitimate son of Robert I, duke of Normandy. His mother was atanner's daughter. William succeeded his father when he was only 7 yearsold. At 24 he had made himself the mightiest feudal lord in all France byvarious conquests, but his ambition was not satisfied. He laid plans tobecome king of England also.
William married Matilda, daughter of Baldwin V, count of Flanders, in1053. She was descended from the old Anglo-Saxon line of kings. Amongtheir children were four sons: Robert, future duke of Normandy; Richard,who died as a youth; William Rufus, who succeeded his father as king ofEngland; and Henry, who succeeded William Rufus. One daughter, Adela,became the mother of England's King Stephen.Excerpted from Compton’s Interactive Encyclopedia
Copyright © 1994, 1995 Compton’s NewMedia, Inc.Normandy, region and former province of France, bordering on the EnglishChannel. In area it corresponds approximately to the modern departmentsof Seine-Maritime, Eure, Orne, Calvados, and Manche; its former capitalwas Rouen. Normandy is an agricultural region known for its dairyindustry.
Under Roman domination the region formed part of Gallia Lugdunensis(Celtic Gaul). With the Frankish invasions it was made a constituent partof the kingdom of Neustria. It came to be known as Normandy about 911,when Charles III, king of France, turned it over to Rollo, the leader ofa menacing band of Viking raiders. In 1066 a descendant of Rollo, WilliamII, duke of Normandy, led an invasion of England and established himselfthere as William I, king of England. Normandy remained an Englishpossession until conquered in 1204 by Philip II Augustus, king of France.During the Hundred Years' War, the region was held at various times byboth French and English forces; it was finally recovered by the French in1450. The Channel Islands, which were once a part of Normandy, remainedin the possession of England.
Normandy was the location of the Allied invasion of German-occupiedFrance during World War II."Normandy," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 96 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1995Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. (c) Funk & WagnallsCorporation. All rights reserved.
Malcolm III, King of Scotland (Malcolm Canmore)
Malcolm III, b. c.1031, d. Nov. 13, 1093, founded the house ofCanmore, which ruled Scotland for more than 200 years, and consolidatedthe power of the Scottish monarchy. He was the son of Duncan I, who in1040 was killed by MACBETH. Malcolm lived in exile until 1057, when hedefeated and killed Macbeth near Lumphanan in Aberdeenshire. Hesucceeded to the throne in 1058 after the death of Lulach, Macbeth'sstepson.
Malcolm's second wife was Margaret (later canonized as MARGARET OFSCOTLAND) of the English royal house of Wessex, who fled to Scotlandafter the Norman conquest (1066) of England. She introduced a powerfulEnglish influence in Scotland.
Malcolm invaded England many times, after 1068 supporting the claim ofhis brother-in-law Edgar Atheling to the English throne. In 1072,however, he was forced to pay homage to William I, and in 1091, toWilliam II. He was finally defeated and killed by Norman forces atAlnwick. He was succeeded briefly by his brother Donald Bane and then byhis son Duncan II. Three other sons also succeeded to the throne--Edgar(r. 1097-1107), Alexander I (r. 1107-24), and DAVID I (r. 1124-53).
Charles H. Haws
Bibliography: Barrow, G. W., Kingship and Unity: Scotland 1000-1306(1981); Duncan, A. A. M., Scotland: the Making of the Kingdom (1975)The Anglicization of Scotland
The accession in 1057 of Malcolm Canmore, as Malcolm III MacDuncan,introduced a new era in Scotland, an era marked by fundamentaltransformations of the ancient Celtic culture and institutions. Long anexile among the English, Malcolm had acquired a profound interest intheir customs and affairs. The consequent trend toward Anglicization ofhis realm was sharply accelerated when, in 1067, he married Margaret, anEnglish princess later canonized as Saint Margaret, who had been forcedinto exile in Scotland by the Norman Conquest in 1066. Under theinfluence of Margaret, a devout communicant of the church of Rome, manyof the teachings of the Celtic church were brought into harmony with theRoman ritual. The hostility engendered among many of the Scottishchieftains by Margaret's activities flared into rebellion after Malcolm'sdeath. Margaret, her stepson Duncan (later Duncan II, king of Scotland),and their English retainers were then driven from the country. WithAnglo-Norman help, the rebellion, which had been led by Donald Bane, abrother of Malcolm III, was crushed. In 1097 Edgar, one of the six sonsof Malcolm and Margaret, ascended the Scottish throne."Scotland," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 96 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1995Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. (c) Funk & WagnallsCorporation. All rights reserved.
Margaret of Scotland, Saint
Saint Margaret, b. c.1045, d. Nov. 16, 1093, the queen consort of MALCOLMIII of Scotland, is credited with the introduction of English (Roman)usages into the Scottish church. The daughter of Edward the Exile, anEnglish prince, she fled to Scotland after the Norman Conquest andmarried (c.1070) Malcolm. Noted for her piety and charity, she wascanonized in 1250. Feast day: Nov. 16 (formerly June 10).The Anglicization of Scotland
The accession in 1057 of Malcolm Canmore, as Malcolm III MacDuncan,introduced a new era in Scotland, an era marked by fundamentaltransformations of the ancient Celtic culture and institutions. Long anexile among the English, Malcolm had acquired a profound interest intheir customs and affairs. The consequent trend toward Anglicization ofhis realm was sharply accelerated when, in 1067, he married Margaret, anEnglish princess later canonized as Saint Margaret, who had been forcedinto exile in Scotland by the Norman Conquest in 1066. Under theinfluence of Margaret, a devout communicant of the church of Rome, manyof the teachings of the Celtic church were brought into harmony with theRoman ritual. The hostility engendered among many of the Scottishchieftains by Margaret's activities flared into rebellion after Malcolm'sdeath. Margaret, her stepson Duncan (later Duncan II, king of Scotland),and their English retainers were then driven from the country. WithAnglo-Norman help, the rebellion, which had been led by Donald Bane, abrother of Malcolm III, was crushed. In 1097 Edgar, one of the six sonsof Malcolm and Margaret, ascended the Scottish throne."Scotland," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 96 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1995Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. (c) Funk & WagnallsCorporation. All rights reserved.
Alexander I (of Scotland) (circa 1078-1124), king of Scotland (1107-24).He was called Alexander the Fierce for his stern suppression of aninsurrection in northern Scotland. He worked for the independence of theScottish church and founded a number of bishoprics as well as the abbeysof Scone in Perth County and Inchcolm, on an island in the Firth of Forth.
"Alexander I (of Scotland)," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 96 Encyclopedia. (c)1993-1995 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. (c) Funk & WagnallsCorporation. All rights reserved.
Flanders (historic region of the Low Countries)
{flan'-durz}
Flanders, a former county on the North Sea, was the heart of economic andpolitical development in the Low Countries during the Middle Ages. Atits most extensive, it included the present Belgian provinces of West andEast Flanders and parts of modern France and the Netherlands. In thepast foreigners often used the name for all of the Low Countries. Now itis used loosely to refer to the Belgian regions in which Flemish, orDutch, is spoken.
With its favorable location on the sea, Flanders became a wealthy tradingcenter with numerous industrial towns, of which BRUGES and GHENT were themost important. The principal industry, woolen textiles, was heavilydependent on wool imports from England.
Established as a county in the 9th century, most of Flanders was a fiefunder the French crown until the early 16th century, although the parteast of the Scheldt River, added in the 11th century, belonged to theHoly Roman Empire. For several centuries the counts of Flanders werepowerful and virtually independent rulers. They played a leading role inthe Crusades in the 12th century. By the 14th century, however, rivalryhad developed in the towns between the wealthy patricians and the guildmembers, especially the weavers.
With the outbreak of urban rebellions the counts and nobles turned forsupport to the French king, and the burghers, led by the ARTEVELDE familyof Ghent, repeatedly allied themselves with England during the HUNDREDYEARS' WAR. During this period of turmoil, democratic governments, thefirst in northern Europe, were introduced. By the end of the 14thcentury, however, Flanders had come under Burgundian rule and lost itsindependence.
Adelisa
During the reign (1005-34) of Malcolm II Mackenneth, the Northumbrianswere decisively defeated in the Battle of Carham (1018). With this eventand as a result of the inheritance of the crown of Strathclyde byMalcolm's grandson and successor, Duncan I, the Scottish domains,thereafter known as Scotland, embraced all the territory north of SolwayFirth and the Tweed River.
Duncan's reign, a period of disastrous wars and internal strife, wasended in 1040 with his assassination by Macbeth, mormaor (great steward)of Ross and Moray, who then became king of Scotland. Macbeth, accordingto history a successful king, held the throne until 1057, when he wasdefeated and killed by Duncan's son Malcolm Canmore."Scotland," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 96 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1995Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. (c) Funk & WagnallsCorporation. All rights reserved.
Also called Agatha of Hungary.
Edmund II, called Ironside (981?-1016), Saxon king of the English (1016),son of King Ethelred the Unready. When Ethelred died, Edmund was chosenking by the people of London, but Canute II, king of Denmark, who wasleading an invasion of England, secured the support of the council(witenagemot) at Southampton and of Edric (flourished 1001-17),Ethelred's son-in-law. Edmund met the Danes in battle, winning severalengagements and relieving Canute's siege of London. He was defeated atAssandun (now Ashington), however, through the treachery of Edric, whohad pretended to desert Canute. A truce was arranged between Canute andEdmund; Edmund was permitted to rule the south of England until his deathlater in the year, when it reverted to Canute.
"Edmund II," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 96 Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1995Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. (c) Funk & WagnallsCorporation. All rights reserved.
Stephen I (975?-1038), Hungarian monarch, first king of Hungary, andfounder of the rp dynasty. He was also known as Saint Stephen. A paganat birth, Stephen was converted to Christianity in his youth. He becameduke of Hungary in 997. Shortly thereafter a pagan revolt broke out inseveral Hungarian provinces; Stephen immediately attacked the insurgentsand defeated them at Veszprém. He was crowned king in 1001 or 1002; onthe occasion of his coronation Pope Sylvester II sent a crown from Romeand accorded him the title "Apostolic Majesty," which was borne byHungarian sovereigns until the overthrow of the Hungarian monarchy in1918. His reign was notable for the propagation of Christianity and thesuppression of paganism throughout Hungary. He was canonized in 1083 andbecame the patron saint of Hungary. His feast day is celebrated inHungary on August 20 (and elsewhere on August 16).
Stephen I, King of Hungary (Saint Stephen)
Stephen I, or Saint Stephen, b. c.975, d. Aug. 15, 1038, was the firstking of Hungary. Son of the supreme Magyar prince Geza, whom hesucceeded in 997, Stephen was raised as a Christian. He suppressed apagan revolt in 998 and in 1000 or 1001 was crowned king with theapproval of Pope Sylvester II. His crown became an important nationalsymbol for Hungarians. Stephen established church institutions andreplaced tribal land systems with individual proprietorship. He wassucceeded on his death by Peter, his nephew. Canonized in 1083, Stephenis Hungary's principal national hero. Feast day: Aug. 16 (formerlySept. 2; Aug. 20 in Hungary).
