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____ William I "the Lion"
Birth: 1143 Scotland
Death: 4 Dec 1214 Stirling, Stirlingshire, Scotland
Burial: 10 Dec 1214 Abbey of Arbroath, Arbroath, Angus, Scotland
Notes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_the_Lion
William the Lion (Mediaeval Gaelic: Uilliam mac Eanric (i.e. William, son of Henry);
Modern Gaelic: Uilleam mac Eanraig), sometimes styled William I, also known by the
nickname Garbh, "the Rough",[1] (c. 1143 – 4 December 1214) reigned as King of the
Scots from 1165 to 1214. He had the second-longest reign in Scottish history before
the Act of Union with England in 1707. James VI (reigned 1567–1625) would have the
longest.
Life[edit]
He became king following his brother Malcolm IV's death on 9 December 1165 and
was crowned on 24 December 1165.
In contrast to his deeply religious, frail brother, William was powerfully built,
redheaded, and headstrong. He was an effective monarch whose reign was marred by
his ill-fated attempts to regain control of Northumbria from the Normans.
Traditionally, William is credited with founding Arbroath Abbey, the site of the later
Declaration of Arbroath.
He was not known as "The Lion" during his own lifetime, and the title did not relate to
his tenacious character or his military prowess. It was attached to him because of his
flag or standard, a red lion rampant with a forked tail (queue fourchée) on a yellow
background. This (with the substitution of a 'double tressure fleury counter-fleury'
border instead of an orle) went on to become the Royal Banner of Scotland, still used
today but quartered with those of England and of Ireland. It became attached to him
because the chronicler John of Fordun called him the "Lion of Justice".
William was grandson of David I of Scotland. He also inherited the title of Earl of
Northumbria in 1152 from his father, Henry of Scotland. However he had to give up
this title to King Henry II of England in 1157. This caused trouble after William became
king, since he spent a lot of effort trying to regain Northumbria.
William was a key player in the Revolt of 1173–1174 against Henry II. In 1174, at the
Battle of Alnwick, during a raid in support of the revolt, William recklessly charged the
English troops himself, shouting, "Now we shall see which of us are good knights!" He
was unhorsed and captured by Henry's troops led by Ranulf de Glanvill and taken in
chains to Newcastle, then Northampton, and then transferred to Falaise in Normandy.
Henry then sent an army to Scotland and occupied it. As ransom and to regain his
kingdom, William had to acknowledge Henry as his feudal superior and agree to pay
for the cost of the English army's occupation of Scotland by taxing the Scots. The
church of Scotland was also subjected to that of England. This he did by signing the
Treaty of Falaise. He was then allowed to return to Scotland. In 1175 he swore fealty
to Henry II at York Castle.
The humiliation of the Treaty of Falaise triggered a revolt in Galloway which lasted
until 1186, and prompted construction of a castle at Dumfries. In 1179, meanwhile,
William and his brother David personally led a force northwards into Easter Ross,
establishing two further castles, north of the Beauly and Cromarty Firths;[2] one on the
Black Isle at Ederdour; and the other at Dunkeath, near the mouth of the Cromarty
Firth opposite Cromarty.[3] The aim to discourage the Norse Earls of Orkney from
expanding beyond Caithness.
A further rising in 1181 involved Donald Meic Uilleim, descendant of King Duncan II.
Donald briefly took over Ross; not until his death (1187) was William able to reclaim
Donald's stronghold of Inverness. Further royal expeditions were required in 1197 and
1202 to fully neutralise the Orcadian threat.
The Treaty of Falaise remained in force for the next fifteen years. Then the English
king Richard the Lionheart, needing money to take part in the Third Crusade, agreed
to terminate it in return for 10,000 silver marks, on 5 December 1189.
William attempted to purchase Northumbria from Richard in 1194, as he had a strong
claim over it. However, his offer of 15,000 marks was rejected due to wanting the
castles within the lands, which Richard was not willing to give.[4]
Despite the Scots regaining their independence, Anglo-Scottish relations remained
tense during the first decade of the 13th century. In August 1209 King John decided
to flex the English muscles by marching a large army to Norham (near Berwick), in
order to exploit the flagging leadership of the ageing Scottish monarch. As well as
promising a large sum of money, the ailing William agreed to his elder daughters
marrying English nobles and, when the treaty was renewed in 1212, John apparently
gained the hand of William's only surviving legitimate son, and heir, Alexander, for his
eldest daughter, Joan.
Despite continued dependence on English goodwill, William's reign showed much
achievement. He threw himself into government with energy and diligently followed the
lines laid down by his grandfather, David I. Anglo-French settlements and feudalization
were extended, new burghs founded, criminal law clarified, the responsibilities of
justices and sheriffs widened, and trade grew. Arbroath Abbey was founded (1178),
and the bishopric of Argyll established (c.1192) in the same year as papal confirmation
of the Scottish church by Pope Celestine III.
According to legend, "William is recorded in 1206 as curing a case of scrofula by his
touching and blessing a child with the ailment whilst at York.[5] William died in Stirling
in 1214 and lies buried in Arbroath Abbey. His son, Alexander II, succeeded him as
king, reigning from 1214 to 1249.
Marriage and issue[edit]
Due to the terms of the Treaty of Falaise, Henry II had the right to choose William's
bride. As a result, William married Ermengarde de Beaumont, a great-granddaughter of
King Henry I of England, at Woodstock Palace in 1186. Edinburgh Castle was her
dowry. The marriage was not very successful, and it was many years before she bore
him an heir. William and Ermengarde's children were:
1.Margaret (1193–1259), married Hubert de Burgh, 1st Earl of Kent.
2.Isabel (1195–1253), married Roger Bigod, 4th Earl of Norfolk.
3.Alexander II of Scotland (1198–1249).
4.Marjorie (1200 – 17 November 1244),[6] married Gilbert Marshal, 4th Earl of
Pembroke.
Out of wedlock, William I had numerous children, their descendants being among
those who would lay claim to the Scottish crown.
By an unnamed daughter of Adam de Hythus:
1.Margaret, married Eustace de Vesci, Lord of Alnwick.[7]
By Isabel d'Avenel:
1.Robert de London[8]
2.Henry de Galightly, father of Patrick Galightly one of the competitors to the crown in
1291[9]
3.Ada Fitzwilliam (c.1146-1200), married Patrick I, Earl of Dunbar (1152–1232)[9]
4.Aufrica, married William de Say, and whose grandson Roger de Mandeville was one
of the competitors to the crown in 1291[9]
5.Isabella Mac William married Robert III de Brus then Robert de Ros (died 1227),
Magna Carta Suretor[10]
Fictional portrayals[edit]
William I has been depicted in a historical fantasy novel. :
An Earthly Knight (2003) by Janet McNaughton. The novel is set in the year 1162.
William, younger brother and heir to Malcolm IV of Scotland, is betrothed to Lady
Jeanette "Jenny" Avenel. She is the second daughter of a Norman nobleman and the
marriage politically advances her family. But she is romantically interested in Tam Lin,
a man enchanted by the Fairy Queen.[11][12][13]
Parents
OF HUNTINGDON Henry (ABT 1114 - 12 Jun 1152)
DE WARENNE Ada (ABT 1120 - 1178)
Siblings
OF HUNTINGDON Aufrica (ABT 1140 - )
____ William I "the Lion" (1143 - 4 Dec 1214)
____ David (1144 - 17 Jun 1219)
OF HUNTINGDON Margaret (1145 - 1201)
DE HUNTINGDON Ada (ABT 1146 - AFT 11 Jan 1204)
____ Marjory (1152 - ABT 1213)
Marriage To DE HYTHUS ----- ()
m.
Notes
Parents
DE HYTHUS Adam ()
----- ----- ()
Children by DE HYTHUS -----
OF SCOTLAND Margaret (ABT 1178 - ABT 1226)
Marriage To D'AVENEL Isabel (ABT 1143 - )
m.
Notes
Parents
AVENEL Richard ()
----- ----- ()
Children by D'AVENEL Isabel ABT 1143 -
FITZ WILLIAM [OF SCOTLAND] Ada (ABT 1164 - 1200)
FITZ WILLIAM [OF SCOTLAND] Isabel (ABT 1170 - )
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