Great Britain -- History -- Anglo-Saxon period, 449-1066 -- Sources
This year, at Christmas, King Henry held his Court at Westminster, at
Easter at Winchester, and at Pentecost again at Westminster. This year
the first day of Pentecost was on the nones of June, and on the Tuesday
after, at mid-day, there appeared four circles of a white colour round
the sun, one under the other as if they had been painted. All who saw
it wondered, because they never remembered such before.--An alliance
was afterwards formed between Robert Earl of Normandy and Robert of
Belesme, whom King Henry had deprived of his estates, and driven
out of England, and from this, the King of England and the Earl of
Normandy became at variance. And the King sent his people over sea into
Normandy, and the head men of that country received them, and admitted
them into their castles in treachery to their Lord the Earl, and they
greatly annoyed the Earl by plundering and burning his territories.
This year also, William Earl of Moreton (Mortaigne) departed to
Normandy, and being there, he took arms against the King, on which the
King confiscated all his possessions and estates in this country. It is
not easy to describe the misery of this land, which it suffered at this
time through the various and manifold oppressions and taxes that never
ceased or slackened: moreover wherever the King went his train fell
to plundering his wretched people, and withal there was much burning
and manslaughter. By all this was the anger of God provoked, and this
unhappy nation harrassed.
1105.
This year, at Christmas, King Henry held his Court at Windsor, and
the following Lent he went over sea to Normandy against his brother
Earl Robert. And whilst he remained there he won Caen and Baieux from
his brother, and almost all the castles and chief men of that land
became subject to him; and in the autumn he came again to this country.
And all that he had conquered in Normandy remained to him afterwards
in peace and subjection, excepting those places which lay in the
neighbourhood of William Earl of Mortaigne, and which he harrassed
continually as much as harrass he might, in revenge for the loss of his
estates in England. Then before Christmas Robert de Belesme came hither
to the King. This was a year of great distress from the failure of the
fruits, and from the manifold taxes which never ceased, either before
the King went abroad, while he was there, or again after his return.
1106.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account