Sons of The Conqueror (Medieval Kings, #2) / Medieval Kings (ePub)

Mortally wounded storming the town of Mantes in August 1087, it was a further three weeks before King William "The Conqueror" died. During this time, knowing he was dying, he must have pondered on the succession of England and Normandy. In terms of Normandy, the succession was already granted by right and custom to his oldest son Robert Curthose. However, their relationship was poor with Robert being mostly in revolt against his father since 1078. Despite this, William could not withhold Normandy from him. Under more positive circumstances there is little doubt that Robert would also have been crowned King of England, but "The Conqueror" did not trust him to govern so he chose a younger son, William "Rufus" to be King of England.

This had a massive impact on the politics of both England and France. The "English" nobles (French!) with lands on both sides of the Channel, are content if their lord is both King of England and Duke of Normandy but now two brothers hold these roles, and they dislike each other enough to wage war. The dilemma for the nobles is who do they support at the risk of being dispossessed by the other brother. This sets the stage for chaos as Robert thinks he should be King and "Rufus," needs to possess Normandy to keep his kingdom united.

Add to the intrigue, the Conqueror's youngest son Henry. He was gifted his mother's lands in England when she died in 1083 but they have been withheld from him. Even worse, he is disposed and warred on by his brothers but eventually rises to be both King and Duke only to suffer a personal tragedy which drastically affects the future of the English monarchy, This is the timeline of their story.