William II, Count of Eu,
feudal baron of
Hastings
Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
(died about 1095) was a first generation
Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to:
*Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066
* Anglo-Norman language
**Anglo-Norman literature
* Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...
nobleman,
Count of Eu
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
and rebel.
Origins
According to most authorities he was the son and heir of
Robert, Count of Eu
Robert, Count of Eu and Lord of Hastings (d. between 1089-1093), son of William I, Count of Eu, and his wife Lesceline. Count of Eu and Lord of Hastings.
Robert commanded 60 ships in the fleet supporting the landing of William I of England and ...
, (died before 1093), by his wife Beatrix de Falaise.
Career
William of Eu
held
Held may refer to:
Places
* Held Glacier
People Arts and media
* Adolph Held (1885–1969), U.S. newspaper editor, banker, labor activist
*Al Held (1928–2005), U.S. abstract expressionist painter.
*Alexander Held (born 1958), German television ...
about seventy-seven
manors in the west of England and was one of the rebels against King
William II of England
William II ( xno, Williame; – 2 August 1100) was King of England from 26 September 1087 until his death in 1100, with powers over Normandy and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales. The third so ...
in 1088. Although he made his peace with that King, together with
William of Aldrie (his wife's nephew),
Roger de Lacy
Roger de Lacy (died after 1106) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, a Marcher Lord on the Welsh border. Roger was a castle builder, particularly at Ludlow Castle.
Lands and titles
From Walter de Lacy (died 1085) he inherited Castle Frome, Herefor ...
and
Robert de Mowbray, he conspired to murder William II and to replace him on the throne with
Stephen of Aumale, the King's cousin.
In 1095 the rebels impounded four
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
trading ships and refused the King's demand to return the merchandise. King William conducted a lightning campaign, outflanking the rebels at
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
and capturing a rebel stronghold at
Morpeth
Morpeth may refer to:
*Morpeth, New South Wales, Australia
** Electoral district of Morpeth, a former electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in New South Wales
* Morpeth, Ontario, Canada
* Morpeth, Northumberland, England, UK
** Morpeth (UK ...
in
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land ...
. He besieged the rebels at
Bamburgh Castle
Bamburgh Castle is a castle on the northeast coast of England, by the village of Bamburgh in Northumberland. It is a Grade I listed building.
The site was originally the location of a Celtic Brittonic fort known as ''Din Guarie'' and may have ...
and built a castle facing the surviving one. During January 1097 in
Salisbury
Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath.
Salisbury is in the southeast of ...
, William was formally accused of treason, challenged to
trial by battle
Trial by combat (also wager of battle, trial by battle or judicial duel) was a method of Germanic law to settle accusations in the absence of witnesses or a confession in which two parties in dispute fought in single combat; the winner of the ...
and was defeated by
Geoffrey Baynard, former
High Sheriff of Yorkshire
The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere o ...
. It was finally decided that William was to be blinded and castrated. William died sometime later and was buried at Hastings.William's son Henry inherited the countship of Eu and also became Lord of Hastings.
Marriage and children
William married twice:
*Firstly to Beatrice de Builli, daughter of
Roger I de Builly (d. circa 1098/1100),
feudal baron of Tickhill in Yorkshire and sister and heiress of Roger II de Builli. By this first wife he had one son:
**
Henry I, Count of Eu,
feudal baron of
Hastings
Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
(d. 1140).
*Secondly to Helisende d'Avranches, daughter of
Richard le Goz, Viscount of Avranches
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'strong ...
, and sister of
Hugh d'Avranches, Earl of Chester
Hugh d'Avranches ( 1047 – 27 July 1101), nicknamed ''le Gros'' (the Large) or ''Lupus'' (the Wolf), was from 1071 the second Norman Earl of Chester and one of the great magnates of early Norman England.
Early life and career
Hugh d'Avra ...
(d. 1101).
Notes
References
Sources
*
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:William 02, Count of Eu
11th-century births
1090s deaths
11th-century Normans
11th-century English nobility
English rebels
Year of birth unknown
Year of death uncertain
Anglo-Normans
William of Eu
Devon Domesday Book tenants-in-chief
Norman warriors
William II of England