Henry I (The Yale English Monarchs Series)

Well documented

This book brings Henry I out from the shadows of history, and from the maligning comments of some previous authors, who had obviously not examined and analysed the contemporary sources to the same extent as has Professor Hollister; and who were maybe guided by the disapproving comments of Victorian biographers, unable to get over the fact that Henry had the highest number of acknowledged illegitimate children of all of England's rulers (Henry actually used this to great advantage, creating a large number of marriage alliances through his children, with whom he seems to have remained on good terms in almost all cases)Henry's reign was an important transition stage between the post-1066 lawlessness and rapacity exhibited by the Conqueror's supporters, and what eventually became, once again, England: an island population separated from Europe not just by water, but by different customs, laws and rulers' rights.As the youngest son of William I, it did not seem likely that Henry would ever rule much more than a portion of one of his brothers' realms; but the influential factors in the character both of those brothers, and of Henry himself, and how these interacted to bring Henry to the forefront, are all very well charted. The well-known death of William Rufus in a hunting accident is set well in context: the author makes it clear that this was not an unusual event for these times, and lists other notable persons who died the same way, and close in time. No contemporary chroniclers raised any suspicion that Henry was involved in any way, and Rufus' death was accepted as unexceptional.The author begins by describing his sources in a thorough-going list of their types (contemporary chronicles; charters; letters; biographies; and administrative records) The extent, reliability and partiality of these is all carefully examined. For the serious historian there are extensive footnotes, and a large list of sources and references; as well as an extensive bibliography. The events of Henry's reign and life are then brought to the reader in a largely thematic way, which is very successfully blended with a chronological telling of the story of his reign. It is much to be regretted that Professor Hollister died before completing the book, and did not write any subsequent biographies of England's rulers. The penultimate chapter, on the king and the Church, which is the first written by his nominated successor, is perhaps somewhat over-long and over-detailed, especially towards the end; but nonetheless the events set out within it are relevant and important to understanding Henry's character, and that of his immediate family.Henry was in good part constrained to take power for the sake of his own survival; in a manner similar to that which drove Richard III to depose his nephews. However, the outcome in this case was much more successful, and within a relatively short period of a few years England entered upon a thirty-year plus period of almost unbroken, and unprecedented, peace and prosperity under the guidance and protection of an ever-more-respected and lauded king. Henry also became ruler of Normandy, which was a much more turbulent province, but he solved his problems here with a mixture of skilled diplomacy and force, and brought eventual peace here also.The king set in motion far-reaching changes which influenced the lives of all of his subjects, both greater and lesser, and which shaped all subsequent reigns. Once the rather precarious first year or so of his kingship had been survived, one of his first acts was to forbid, under the pain of severe penalties, the heretofore normal custom of the members of the itinerant court taking whatever they pleased from the villages through which they passed. This 'system' had included outright theft, murder, kidnap and rape, with no redress or justice for those affected. Henry instituted a far-reaching administrative system: the exchequer was created early in his reign; regular salaries and responsibilities for officials were instituted; laws, largely based on Anglo-Saxon precedents, were regularised, promulgated and enforced, much to the benefit of all ranks of society; the Church, a major element of Medieval life, was freed from the oppression of William Rufus, Henry's elder brother, who had sold offices and confiscated revenues, to the extent that often the monks were left no choice but to starve or leave; and war, so destructive of ordinary people's normal lives, was undertaken only when necessary for defence, and never for aggrandisement.The prosperity he laid the groundwork for is underlined by the fact that Henry was able to live from his own revenues, and succeeded in collecting a greater annual income from feudal rights and taxation, than had been achieved for either of the previous two reigns, or would be for many decades into the future. He did this without exciting criticism or adverse comment, and was one of the very few rulers to die solvent, leaving a full treasury.Henry had a considerable number of problems to deal with during his reign: external aggression and internal rebellion (largely limited to Normandy) and the tragic death of his only legitimate male heir. He managed these with a seemingly unique blend of understanding of people, allied with diplomatic and military skill, and genuine concern for the welfare of others. Widely praised by contemporary chroniclers, and much admired in his lifetime, Henry can justifiably lay claim to being one of England's greatest kings for his achievements in bringing peace and prosperity, which is arguably the ultimate responsibility of any ruler. His death at the age of sixty-eight was much lamented, and precipitated an almost immediate change for the worse in the lives of all his subjects.Overall, this is a hugely informative book, describing a king who deserves much more recognition for his deeds. I cannot recommend this too much to anyone with an interest in history.

Warren Hollister's Henry I was published posthumously. The work was completed and edited by Amanda Clark Frost. The book is a great legacy for not only the life and career of the subject but for the author as well. Hollister tells the story a young prince, who as his father's youngest son was not going to be expected to be a king himself, but ended up as one of the most powerful rulers in Western Christendom.The story of Henry I begins a few years after his father's conquest of England. As the youngest son of the Conqueror, it is unlikely that he will ever rule anything since his three older brothers will come first. Even after the death of the second oldest and the almost disinheritance of the oldest*, young Henry was only left with a small sum of money and no land. However after the accidental death** of his closest brother, King William II, Henry lays claim to the crown of England. Up to this point, he had lived his life as either the King's son or the King's brother, now he was the King himself.Known as the King who created the Exchequer, Hollister describes King Henry I to be an administrative wonder. As king, Henry would issue multiple laws and actually took the time to have them widely published. More interested in governing his kingdom and duchy than waging war, Henry's reign would leave a legacy of peace. In one exciting adventure he did manage to wrest Normandy from his disinherited older brother Duke Robert. They fought in the battle of Tinchebray, a conflict that lasted only an hour compared to the battle of Hastings forty years earlier. (Interestingly, the battle of Tinchebray literally reversed the battle of Hastings for this time the King of England conquered the Duke of Normandy.)Hollister goes into great detail discussing the various aspects of the reign of King Henry I. One the most important problems that King Henry faced were his struggles against the Church over the King's rights vs. the Church's rights. His struggles with the Archbishop of Canterbury, Anslem, a feud which would echo another two generations later but with far less deadly results. In this case the King in the Archbishop were able to work out a compromise that both could live with. Their successors would not be so lucky.I do have some technical quibbles with the book. Hollister refers to King Henry's first wife as Queen Matilda II, in order to avoid confusion with Henry I's mother who was also Queen Matilda. The problem is it is wrong. Queens consort do not receive numbers, only queens regina do. For example the modern Queen of Great Britain is Queen Elizabeth II not Queen Elizabeth V.I would highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to know more about England in the 12th century or about the life of one of its better monarchs. Hollister was a very good writer and it is sad that he is no longer with us.*Robert was able to inherit Normandy but denied England.**And it does appear to have been accidental.

Henry is based. Took the throne soon after the death of his brother William. Beat his brother Robert’s claim to the throne. Proceeded to then take Normandy from his brother Robert. Kept those dominions in check. Brought relative peace and stability to the realm. Beat back anyone who opposed him. Made the English monarchy a significant player in European affairs. Was relatively forgiving of his enemies. Made pretty good with the church. Even made a bold move in making his daughter Maude heir after his first born son died in the infamous White Ship tragedy. Now of course that didn’t exactly work out perfectly as upon Henry’s death all hell broke loose, but the long term plan with Maude did eventually come to fruition.All in all I think Henry was a very good king. Maybe one of the best and perhaps underrated. Plus in a weird kind of way, Henry is why we have the hit show House of the Dragon today.Based.

A thoroughly detailed account of the life and times of Henry I. The author deserves his dues for writing about one of Britain's forgotten monarchs. The majority of the book was mainly about Henry the peacekeeper, and keeping his realms such as Normandy safe from his feuding brother Robert whom he defeated in battle, to his nephew William Clito. The latter part of the book I felt was boring as it was about politics and his relationship with the church, and securing his succession with Matilda, his only heir after his male heir William drowned in the White Ship. I only wished there had been a section on his illegitimate children, as the author only mentions his first Robert Earl of Gloucester, and fails to mention that he had 24 illegitimate children, and he acknowledged all of them. Overall a great read.