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1066 and all that...
I started this story sometime last year back on the old TMD, here I reproduce what I’ve done in it’s entirety for those who missed it or those who want to reacquaint themselves with it. For those who don’t want to read a huge post, I’ll post a résumé straight afterwards.
The year of our Lord, 1066 Harold and his troops were weary, footsore and had lost many men in the fight at Stamford Bridge against the Norwegian king. He knew, in his heart, that his men could not win two battles in such a short space of time. He knew in his heart, that he had gone too far by accepting the throne on the death of Edward the Confessor. He knew he could have refused the Witan calling for him to be king. But that was in the past – now he had to face the troops of the invading Duke of Normandy. William was confident on arrival. So confident, that he cut holes in his ships to prevent an escape. He was damned well going to get the throne that was his by right or he was going to die trying. The two troops bedded down on the night of 13th October 1066. During the night, Harold took some of his best men and sought out William. They entered into detailed discussions and negotiations, Harold and his men remaining in the Norman camp for about an hour before leaving. Could they have negotiated a settlement that would mean that there would be no Battle of Hastings? Surely, this could not be happening. All would be revealed in the morning. Just what on earth had the two leaders been discussing late last night? All was revealed when at 11am, both armies emerged, unarmed and headed by 14 men. The unthinkable had happened, a military revolution had just been unravelled and an astonishing precedent had been set – the two armies would play the battle as a game of football. They had decided that should the match end in a draw the game would be replayed tomorrow. And so on and so forth, until the winner was declared. To the winner the crown, the losing team would be at the mercy of the winning side. With just a morning to formulate a squad, both leaders had to work hard to get their teams ready for the game. The squads were revealed as follows. Anglo-Saxons Star players Aelfwig, Abbot of Winchester: A strong, competitive defensive midfielder, who has plenty of experience. Godric, Sheriff of Fyfield: Centre forward, the Anglo-Saxons will be relying on him as their main goal threat. Goalkeepers Gyrth Godwin, Earl of Essex: Brother of the king, but like Odo, he earns his place on merit. Number one man between the sticks. Esegar, Sheriff of Middlesex: Capable understudy to Gyrth. Defenders The Earl of Mercia: Has decided against revealing his real name, but can play either in defence or in midfield. Leofric, Abbot of Peterborough: The talented cleric is a left back, and is tipped for greatness. Harkon and Breme: Best mates off of the pitch, and were surprise inclusions in Harold’s squad – undoubtedly both wouldn’t have made the squad but for losses at Stamford Bridge. Midfielders Leofwine Goodwin, Earl of Kent: Another brother of the King, he is a defensive midfielder of some note. Thurkhill of Berkshire: Another defensive midfielder but although younger than a lot of the squad, he has enough talent to make the grade. Aelfric of Huntingdonshire: Another one who wouldn’t have made the squad but for Stamford Bridge. Offers an attacking midfield option. Forwards King Harold II: Oh yes, the current incumbent on the throne, having taken the throne on the death of Edward the Confessor earlier in the year. Plays upfront. The Normans Star players: Duke William of Normandy: Centre forward: Obviously pretty useful else he wouldn’t have got this far. Leader from the front. Bishop Odo of Bayeux: Half-brother of the Duke, but he doesn’t rely on that to get him into the team. A defensive midfielder of some note. Hugh de Grandsmesnil: Attacking midfielder, prefers the left side of midfield but can play in the middle. Goalkeepers Geoffrey de Coutances: First-choice goalkeeper. Sometimes inconsistent, but on his day looks very useful. Ralf de Tosny: Youthful backup for big Geoff in goal. Defenders Roger de Beaumont: The rock at the back. Strong in the tackle, in the air and with sound distribution. Richard FitzGilbert: Claims he is a defender, but has been spotted advancing up the left wing with some venom. Eustace, Count of Boulogne: Solid right back, but rumoured to be unhappy under William’s regime. Hugh de Montfort: Centre back, looks to have formed a formidable partnership with de Beaumont in the middle. Aimeri, Vicomte de Thouars: Right back, but so versatile William has hinted he may play in the midfield. Midfielders William FitzOsbern: Attacking midfielder, who appears to be a squad player, but may get his chance as the reign goes on. Robert de Vitot: Jury still out on Robert, another attacking midfielder. William, Count of Evreux: Holding midfielder, although at the moment looks second best to Hugh de Grandsmesnil. William de Warenne: Another holding midfielder. Earl Brian: Englishman who was scouted by William on the night before the battle. Strikers Robert, Count of Mortain: Quick, and has remarkable composure in front of goal. Walter Gifford: Another Englishman whom William scouted and took under his wing upon landing at Hastings. A little temperamental, but talented nonetheless. Robert de Comines: Horribly inconsistent, and prone to falling over a lot. Strong, but few other real attributes to speak of. Yes, that is it for the squads. Harold has been unable to find enough fit men after Stamford Bridge to make a full squad, so he will scour the countryside on the morning of the battle to make up the numbers. October 14th 1066, Senlac Hill, Hastings Anglo Saxons v The Normans Before the game, Harold picked up 3 new players: Mordan, Aldred and Edwy. The teams: Anglo-Saxons GK Esegar, Sheriff of Middlesex LB Leofric of Peterborough (c) CB Earl of Mercia CB Mordan RB Breme LM Aelfric CM Aelfwig of Winchester CM Thurkhill RM Aldred CF Harold II CF Godric of Fyfield The Normans GK Geoffrey de Coutances LB Richard FitzGilbert CB Roger de Beaumont CB Hugh de Montfort (c) RB Aimer de Thouars DM Odo of Bayeux LM Hugh de Grandsmesnil CM William of Evreux RM Robert de Vitot CF William of Normandy CF Robert de Comines The match kicked off at a frenetic pace, both teams eager to get an early grip on the game. That honour went to the Normans, who had much the best of the early exchanges and Duke William has the first shot of the game from distance and with Esegar in the Saxon goal beaten, he is unlucky to see the shot crash back off the post. Thurkhill clears the danger. Two minutes later, they aren’t so fortunate. Robert de Comines sends a defence-splitting pass through for Hugh de Grandsmesnil, who shoots early, low and into the bottom corner. The Normans have the lead and we’ve only played 4 minutes. The Normans remain in control, and on 11 minutes Comines, who seems to be involved in everything the Normans do heads wide from William of Evreux’s cross. The same two combine 10 minutes later but with the same result from a corner after Duke William has a shot tipped round the post by Esegar. Aelfric then shows his frustration with the Norman domination by going in late on Evreux, earning himself a yellow card. Duke William has a header saved, and from the corner, Hugh de Grandsmesnil heads over. This is a period of concerted pressure from the Normans, and after a lob from Duke William is saved, he makes no mistake when put through by Comines. This is the last meaningful action of the first half, and the two teams go in at half time with the Normans leading 2-0. Ominously, the Saxons have yet to register a shot on target. Harold makes a change at half time, bringing on his brother Leofwine for the ineffectual Aldred. His team held out for 6 minutes, before Duke William heads home an Evreux cross. De Grandsmesnil then hits a post, it is looking like a rout, and the throne appears to be all William’s. Soon after this, Duke William makes a late tackle and is booked. The Saxons begin to come back into the game and after Harkon is introduced to the fray along with Eustace of Boulogne, and Robert of Mortain for the Normans, Harkon forces a good save from big Geoffrey de Coutances. From the resulting corner, Mordan heads against the post and Aelfric is on hand to tuck away the rebound. With 20 minutes to go, it was back to 3-1 and the Anglo-Saxons felt they could win back the throne for Harold. Seconds later Robert of Mortain misses a sitter from 6 yards. Could this yet be Harold’s day? Earl Brian is sent on for Odo, who has had a very quiet game. In the 79th minute, Robert of Mortain has a shot from distance, which is well saved by Esegar, but the ball runs loose to Duke William, and he makes no mistake, scoring the rebound. It looks all up for Harold and his men now. But wait, with 6 minutes to go, a penalty, yes, it’s a penalty for the ‘home’ team. De Beaumont missed the ball, and as Harkon chased it he was clearly brought down by de Coutances. Aelfric steps up, and scores from the spot. It is 4-2. Unbelievable! Just one minute later, however, Mortain picks the ball up and scores from long range. It is a fantastic strike and looks like the final nail in the Saxon coffin. The Saxons refuse to lie down though and Breme sends a long ball over the top for Harkon to chase. He beats de Montfort to the ball, and slots it past de Coutances. A quite astonishing 3 minutes. However, it would appear it’s all up for the Saxons. Duke William manages another shot before the end but it goes wide. The final whistle goes, and Duke William has overcome his Saxon rival, and he will be King. Anglo Saxons 3-5 The Normans (Aelfric 72, 84 (pen), Harkon 86; Duke William 40, 51, 79, de Grandsmesnil 4, de Mortain 85) Anglo-Saxons: Esegar 7, Breme 7, Leofric of Peterborough 5, Mordan 6, Earl of Mercia 6, Thurkhill 6, Aldred 6, Aelfwig 7, Harold II 6, Godric 5, Aelfric 6. Subs: Harkon 6, Leofwine 6, Edwy 5 The Normans: ‘Geoff’ 6, Aimeri 7, FitzGilbert 7, de Beaumont 7, de Montfort 7, Odo 6, Evreux 8, Vitot 7, Duke William 9, de Comines 8, de Grandsmesnil 8. Subs : Eustace of Boulogne 8, Earl Brian 8, de Mortain 8. So, to the victors the crown of England and the decision about what to do with to losers. William stepped forward to make his victory speech, in his broken English. “I am very much pleased with my chaps. We come here with mission, ze mission was changed but we adapted and came out in a fight. I like to fink that I have the regime to rule for many years. I predict we can go ze whole season, pardon moi, reign unbeaten.” And what would he do with the defeated king, Harold Godwin? William decided against executing Harold and his army, instead deciding on imprisonment. Harold would live out his days in the Tower of London, dying in 1075. The rest of his squad were given a final chance – if any of them dared to oppose the King again, it would be curtains. Many of them disappeared abroad, never to be seen or heard of again. William had effectively won the throne without bloodshed and his statement of intent struck fear in the hearts of any Englishman under the misguided impression that the Anglo-Saxon regime hadn’t come to an end. Yet William faced challenges within a year… The year of our Lord, 1067 Having established himself on the throne and dispatched his nobles to rule over the localities, William appeared to have consolidated his position atop the throne of England. However, in the Spring of 1067, he received the news that Eustace, Count of Boulogne and two other Earls had traitorously joined some rebels in their discontent with the new regime. These rebels had risen up simultaneously in the South West and in Wales, and were led by Eustace, the Earl of Devon and the Earl of Dorset. The challenge had to be met, and the pitch was laid in Chester. The opposition The Welsh and Southern Rebels, a team led by 3 noblemen and 3 thanes of repute, Edric the Wild, Bleddyn and Rhiwallon. The rest are making up the numbers. The squad: GK: Gerryn DEF: William, Earl of Devon, Llewellyn, Chreda, Liofa, Gunwallyn, Eustace, Count of Boulogne, Hershallyn, Rhiwallon MID: Edric the Wild, Robert, Earl of Devon, Loudaffa, Beohrtric STR: Bleddyn, Afallon The Normans The loss of Eustace hardly affected their build up, as he had only been a substitute at Hastings. There was no change to the team. Welsh and Southern Rebels: GK: Gerryn SW: Liofa LB: William, Earl of Devon CB: Llewellyn CB: Chreda RB: Gunwallyn LM: Edric the Wild CM: Eustace, Count of Boulogne RM: Robert, Earl of Dorset AM: Loudaffa CF: Bleddyn Subs: Hershallyn, Rhiwallon, Beohrtric, Afallon The Normans GK Geoffrey de Coutances LB Richard FitzGilbert CB Roger de Beaumont CB Hugh de Montfort (c) RB Aimeri de Thouars DM Odo of Bayeux LM Hugh de Grandsmesnil CM William of Evreux RM Robert de Vitot CF King William of England CF Robert de Comines So, the match kicked off and, as is the case with these games, it was a frenetic pace. Eustace was roundly booed whenever he was near the ball and was singled out for rough treatment by the Normans. It was the Normans who had the first shot, after 4 minutes when William of Evreux’s shot was deflected over. From the corner, the keeper Gerryn dropped the ball but Robert de Comines was unable to take advantage. 10 minutes in, King William received a glorious pass from Odo, but he shot wide, disappointingly. 4 minutes later, a corner found Robert de Comines and he made up for his earlier miss with a clinical header. 1-0 to the Normans. The game then got very scrappy for a while, and both Loudaffa and the Earl of Dorset picked up yellow cards. Then King William shot wide after beating 3 players, and then the unthinkable happened. The rebels equalised. Llewellyn threaded a fine ball through and Loudaffa’s early shot caught Geoff by surprise, and it crept into the bottom corner. An unbelievable development – how would the Normans respond? They responded straightaway with the Count of Evreux shooting wide from the Kings pass. After half an hour, the rebels made a change, bringing Hershallyn on to replace Gunwallon. Robert de Comines then had two good one on one chances saved, and Hugh de Grandsmesnil put a header over. The last action of the half came when de Comines flighted a long pass into the path of King William, whose shot, whilst well struck, was saved by Gerryn, albeit at the second attempt. The two sides trooped off, and it was the rebels who had more of a spring in their step. The Normans made a change at half-time, bringing off Robert de Vitot and replacing him with Earl Brian in the centre of midfield. Straightaway, the Normans were back on the pace, the Count of Evreux had a rasping shot from outside the area tipped over. 3 minutes later, his corner was headed over by Hugh de Montfort, on a rare foray upfield. The rebels had an even rarer attack, and Edric the Wild tried his luck from distance, but it sailed over the bar. Earl Brian was having a much better game than Vitot had been, and he shot wide from de Comines’ flick on. The play was all with the Normans, but they couldn’t quite get that elusive second goal. They had a scare in the 69th minute, when the Earl of Dorset squared the ball for Horshalyn. His shot was low, and it looked as if it had got past Geoff, but he clung on to keep the scores level. The rebels then made a triple substitution, bringing on Rhiwallon, Beohrtric, and Afallon to replace Chreda, Llewellyn and the Earl of Dorset. Immediately, de Comines put yet another shot wide before he finally got the crucial second goal for the Normans. He had played a pass to Earl Brian who shot from close range, but Gerryn saved it. Unfortunately for Gerryn he couldn’t hold the ball and it ran straight to de Comines who made no mistake from 8 yards. Then de Comines fed King William but his effort was saved. Then Earl Brian headed over from a corner. There were now 10 minutes to go. Surely the Normans had done enough? Surely the Rebels had nothing left to give… The Norman defence held firm, and despite the pressure the Rebels forced on them, they wouldn’t give way and held on. King William, Odo and de Comines had further shots saved but the final score remained 2-1. A huge relief for the Normans, as despite the win and the dominance, there had been a worrying period of the game where the Rebels threatened to take control. Welsh and Southern Rebels 1-2 The Normans Loudaffa 29; de Comines 14, 75 William refused to comment after the game, he was clearly upset at the way 3 of his trusted nobles had betrayed him and his performance left a little to be desired. It was left to his half-brother Odo to give a post-match analysis. Quote:
Gerryn 9 – William, Earl of Devon 6, Llewellyn 7, Chreda 6, Liofa 6, Gunwallyn 6 – Edric the Wild 6, Eustace, Count of Boulogne 6, Robert, Earl of Dorset 6 – Loudaffa 6, Bleddyn 7 Subs: Hershallyn (on 30 for Gunwallyn) 6, Rhiwallon (on 70 for Chreda) 6, Beorhtric (on 70 for Llewellyn) 5 and Afallon (on 70 for Llewellyn) 6 The Normans Geoff 6 – Richard FitzGilbert 7, Hugh de Montfort 7, Roger de Beaumont 8, Aimeri de Thouars 7 – Odo of Bayeux 8 – Hugh de Grandsmesnil 8, Robert de Vitot 6, William Count of Evreux 8 – King William 8, Robert de Comines 9 Sub: Earl Brian (on 45 for de Vitot) 7 ================================================== ============================================= The year of our Lord, 1068 In 1068, William I decided he needed to impose himself on the oft troublesome northern counties of his new country. He decided to install Robert de Comines as his new Earl of Northumberland. He had neglected to ask the locals, however, and they were furious. Morcar was the previous incumbent, and he along with Edgar Atheling, grandson of Edmund II (died 1016) and a former heir to the throne knew that a match had to be held to settle this. When William arrived in Northumberland, he was met by Morcar, Edgar and King Sweyn of Denmark who had come to reinforce the rebel squad. This was going to be a fight on their terms, and they forced the king to agree to two matches, one in 1068 and one in 1069, with the aggregate score deciding the outcome. Northumberland rebels GK: Reuben – Danish import CB: Edwin – brother of Morcar; formerly the Earl of Mercia CB: Edgar Atheling (c) – grandson of Edmund II, born in Hungary CB: Morcar – previous Earl of Northumberland LM: Chreda – recruited from the Welsh and Southern rebels LCM: Leofric the Black – hard tackling supporter of Morcar RCM: Earl Waltheof – Danish/English earl RM: Dunragyn – thane of Edgar AM: Eadwiy the Red – Scottish midfielder AM: Earl Gospatrick – ally of Sweyn/Waltheof CF: King Sweyn of Denmark Subs: Siward of Bury, Hereward the Wake, Edwiy, Baldry The Normans GK Geoffrey de Coutances LB Richard FitzGilbert CB Hugh de Montfort CB Roger de Beaumont RB Aimeri de Thouars DM Earl Brian (c) LM Hugh de Grandsmesnil CM William FitzOsbern RM William de Warenne CF Robert de Comines CF Robert de Mortain Subs : Ralf de Tosny, Odo of Bayeux, King William, Robert de Vitot William had taken the decision to let Earl Brian lead the troops for this game, knowing he had to be ready to take charge for the second leg. The game was a rough one, both sides were taking no prisoners, but it took only 8 minutes for the Normans to get ahead. Robert de Mortain threaded a bobbling ball through for Robert de Comines and rather than try to control it he lobbed the keeper from 20 yards. It was a great start for the Normans, but both sides knew there was a long way yet to go. 8 minutes later Hugh de Grandsmesnil was the first player to get a booking for a scything tackle on King Sweyn. Just before the half hour mark, the Normans threatened again from a corner, when Reuben pushed de Comines’s header behind and de Mortain could only shoot wide from the next corner. Nearing the end of the first half, Chreda was booked for lunging at William de Warenne. The half time whistle went and it was 1-0 to the Normans. ====== Five minutes of the second half had gone when the Normans looked odds on to score after a sweeping move, but de Mortain headed over the bar when it looked easier to score. After this, King William brought himself onto the field of play, replacing Robert de Mortain. His introduction sparked the Normans into life, and de Comines left Edgar Atheling for dead before hitting the post with a crashing drive, which Earl Gospatrick managed to clear before the King could get to the rebound. 5 minutes afterwards, Leofric the Black is yellow carded for fouling Earl Brian and from the resultant free kick, Roger de Beaumont heads over. Soon after, the rebels enjoy a spell of pressure. Dunragyn plays the ball through for King Sweyn, he chases, shoots, but Geoffrey de Coutances is able to parry the ball away for a corner. Sweyn heads towards the goal from the corner, but again big Geoff gets his fingertips to the ball and tips it over the bar. From this corner, Earl Waltheof misdirects his header wide. The Normans then retake control, and the King heads over from close range. The next ten minutes are notable only for the substitutions made by both teams. The Normans bring on Robert de Vitot for William de Warenne, only for Odo of Bayeux to replace de Vitot himself after he cannot seem to do anything right. The rebels bring on Siward of Bury and Baldry for Dunragyn and Earl Waltheof. It is the Normans who benefit most from the changes. With 8 minutes to go, the King sends de Comines racing away with only the keeper to beat. Reuben saves well, but the rebound bounces out and Odo who has only been on the pitch for 5 minutes scores with virtually his first touch. He nearly had a brace, as two minutes after the goal, he headed over from Richard FitzGilbert’s cross. The King has one more solo effort saved, before Odo himself gets booked for a late challenge on Morcar, and the final whistle goes. At what is effectively half time, the Normans lead 2-0, and with goals after 8 minutes, and with 8 minutes to go. Northumberland Rebels 0-2 The Normans de Comines 8, Odo of Bayeux 82 Rebels:Reuben 5, Edwin 7, Edgar Atheling (c) 7, Morcar 6, Chreda 6, Leofric the Black 6, Earl Waltheof 6 (sub 70), Dunragyn 6 (sub 70), Eadwiy the Red 6, Earl Gospatrick 6, King Sweyn 7 Subs:Siward of Bury (on 70 for Earl Waltheof) 5, Baldry (on 70 for Dunragyn) 6 The Normans:de Coutances 6, FitzGilbert 7, de Montfort 7, de Beaumont 7, Aimeri de Thouars 8, Earl Brian 8, de Grandsmesnil 8, FitzOsbern 7, de Warenne 7 (sub 67), de Comines 9, de Mortain 7 (sub 50) Subs : Odo of Bayeux (on 77 for de Vitot) 9, King William (on 50 for de Mortain) 7, de Vitot (on 67 for de Warenne, off 77) 4 Again the Normans had shown how superior they were but lacked clinical finishing in front of goal. William commented on this afterwards. Quote:
The day of the second leg of the game with the Northumberland rebels dawned. How much had the rebels been able to strengthen and improve their team over the winter? Did William have anything up his sleeve? William had welcomed a new face into the squad, another attacker, John le Romane. Northumberland rebels GK Reuben LCB Edwin CB Edgar Atheling (c) RCB Morcar LM Chreda LCM Siward of Bury – impressed as sub last time and gets a start RCM Earl Waltheof RM Leofric AML Eadwiy the Red AMR Earl Gospatrick CF King Sweyn Subs: Hereward the Wake, Baldry, Edwig, Whatta The Normans GK Geoffrey de Coutances LB Richard FitzGilbert CB Roger de Beaumont CB Hugh de Montfort RB Aimeri de Thouars LDM Odo of Bayeux RDM William of Evreux LM Hugh de Grandsmesnil RM William FitzOsbern CF Robert de Comines CF King William subs:William de Warenne, Ralf de Tosny, John le Romane, Robert de Vitot, Earl Brian, Robert de Mortain The Normans were utilising two defensive midfielders, in a bid to keep things tight and the new formation had been designed to keep things narrow and concentrated in the middle of the park. Both teams settled quickly, and the first ten minutes passed quickly, neither side making an impression. Then the Normans found a way through. Robert de Comines passed to William on the edge of the box, he shot but it hit the post and Hugh de Grandsmesnil was on hand to tuck away the rebound. The Normans were playing some lovely football now and the new formation was tearing the rebels to pieces, they didn’t know how to respond. With a quarter of the game gone, King William tried his luck from distance. His shot was so well struck that Reuben couldn’t hold it, and de Grandsmesnil was on hand again to tuck away the rebound for the easiest of goals. It was now 2-0, and 4-0 on aggregate. The rebels had a mountain to climb, but they kept going, and soon afterwards, Eadwiy the Red had two headers, one well saved and one just over the bar. However, after half an hour the game was all but won. De Comines headed down for the King to chase, and he coolly rounded the keeper to make it 3-0 [5-0]. The rebels refused to lie down, Richard FitzGilbert had to be alert to block a shot from King Sweyn, and Edgar Atheling headed over from close range. The rebels hold out until five minutes before half time, but in the five minutes between then and the break, the Normans score twice more. First, de Comines flicks it on and King William lashes home a first time shot for 4-0 [6-0.] Then, seconds before the interval, William FitzOsbern swings in a corner which is met by a bullet header which nearly bursts the net from William of Evreux. At half time in the second leg, it is 5-0 to the Normans, and they lead 7-0 on aggregate. What happens next is just plain ugly….. Minutes after the restart, de Comines and Morcar are in a 50-50 situation and Morcar, obviously aware that the game, and probably his life is up, goes in with both feet on the man who replaced him as Earl of Northumberland. De Comines writhes in agony, as Morcar is dismissed from the field of play. Morcar ran to the hills to escape death. He would, however, return to play another day. De Comines, however, would never play again. John le Romane is sent on in his place up front, and Ralf de Tosny is brought on to replace Geoff in goal. The game, thankfully, calms down after this. Chreda is again booked for a cynical foul on William of Evreux (Chreda was later executed as this was the third time he had opposed the king.) Nearing the last quarter of the game, the rebels threaten through Earl Gospatrick, but he heads wide. The Normans bring on William de Warenne, and Robert de Mortain, and take off Odo of Bayeux and King William. With six minutes to go, the Normans score again, de Mortain smashing home Hugh de Montfort’s delightful long pass. That’s how it finished, 6-0 to the Normans on the day, and 8-0 on aggregate. It is a crushing victory and many of the rebels flee. Northumberland Rebels 0-6 The Normans de Grandmesnil 12, 23, King William 31, 42, William of Evreux 44, Robert de Mortain 84 The rebels: Reuben 4, Edwin 6, Edgar Atheling 5, Morcar (S/O 46) 6, Chreda 6, Siward of Bury (sub 84) 5, Earl Waltheof 5, Leofric 6, Eadwiy the Red 5, Earl Gospatrick 5, King Sweyn 5 Sub: Hereward the Wake (on 84 for Siward) 5 The Normans: Geoff (sub 46) 5, FitzGilbert 8, de Beaumont 8, de Montfort 7, Aimeri 7, Odo of Bayeux (sub 78) 8, William of Evreux 10, de Grandsmesnil 8, FitzOsbern 8, de Comines (inj 46) 8, King William (sub 78) 9 Subs: de Warenne (on 78 for Odo of Bayeux) 7, de Tosny (on 46 for Geoff) 5, de Mortain (on 78 for King William) 8, le Romane (on 46 for de Comines) 7 William was full of praise for his troops after the game, but was saddened by the fate that had befallen his trusted friend, Robert de Comines: Quote:
The year of our Lord, 1070 Having put down the Northumberland rebels with such brutal force, William felt confident that his regime was capable enough of beating any challenge. He was less confident, however, that there wouldn’t be further challenges to the throne. After all, he’d still only been king for four years and had just about began to get a grip of his new country. There were bound to be ‘teething’ problems, so to speak. He’d lost the services of one of his favoured strikers, Robert de Comines, but gained the services of John le Romane, who would now need to take the place of de Comines. As he looked back on the results so far, Quote:
First name down on his list was Morcar, the former Earl of Northumberland. The man behind the Northumberland rising, and the man who put de Comines out of action. Secondly, he noted Hereward the Wake. There were murmurings he was up to no good, and needless to say he was pinpointed by William as a possible insurgent. King Sweyn of Sweden had escaped from the last defeat, and William felt sure that he would be back. His namesake, Sweyn Forkbeard had, after all, successfully overthrown Ethelred II in 1013 and famously established his own rule on England. Could that happen again? Surely William was too strong? Nevertheless, William’s wasn’t wide of the mark with regard to the other suspects… Sure enough, in the summer of 1070, trouble began to brew in the South East. From his stronghold in Ely, Hereward the Wake was building up a force with which he could challenge the king. And sure enough, Morcar and Sweyn were also involved. William heard about this and immediately called his team together and they marched to Ely to play the rebels. The rebels lined up as: GK Mordon Mordra LB Coklo CB Alladeward CB Leofric the Black (another ex-Northumberland rebel) RB Morcar of Northumberland (needs no introduction) LM Benett CM Hereward the Wake (c) CM King Sweyn of Sweden RM Diaf CF Siward of Bury (also en ex-Northumberlander) CF Gustavus Leopphus They lined up in 4-4-2 formation, whereas the Normans kept their successful 4-2-2-1-1 lineup. They would be missing Hugh de Montfort through injury, so Earl Brian was thrown in as an emergency centre back for the game: GK Geoffrey de Coutances LB Richard FitzGilbert CB Roger de Beaumont CB Earl Brian RB Aimeri de Thouars LDM Odo of Bayeux RDM William of Evreux LM Hugh de Grandsmesnil RM William FitzOsbern CF King William (c) CF Robert de Vitot Within two minutes of the start, the Normans had threatened the rebels’ goal, William of Evreux chipping over from a good cross from the king. The play was even but the next chance fell to the Normans, again a free kick swung in from the king, this time it was FitzOsbern whose shot was deflected over. From the corner, king William headed over the bar. Approaching the mid-point of the half, the Normans have a flurry of chances, and Mordon Mordra’s goal comes under heavy pressure. The king is put through by Robert de Vitot, and his shot is well saved by Mordra. The resulting corner is headed wide by Hugh de Grandsmesnil. A quick free kick enables de Vitot a shooting chance, but Mordra brilliantly saves and snaffles up the rebound before a Norman attacker can reach the ball. Coklo then gets injured and is replaced by Cherca. The rebel goal had led a charmed life in the first twenty minutes, and probably deserved the twenty or so minutes of respite it got afterwards. However, the next meaningful attack saw the Normans deservedly take the lead. FitzOsbern swung in a corner which Vitot connected with bringing a save out of Mordra. Unfortunately he had merely taken the sting out of the shot, and as it rolled towards the goal, Earl Brian was on hand to make sure. Odo was needlessly booked right before half time for a foul challenge on fellow Frenchman Diaf, and there was time for one more chance for the Normans, but Mordra was equal to a de Grandsmesnil header and the corner was cleared. Half time, 1-0 to the Normans but a thoroughly dominant performance. At half-time, it became apparent that there had been some foul-play in the offing. The rebels had no intention of playing this game as a one-off. Inspired by the Northumberland team, they had decided to play the game as two legs, but they only made the decision at half-time, as they thought if they could win today, they’d take the win but only if they were losing would they pull the two-leg trick out of the bag. This was a daring move and the king was not impressed when he was told this during the interval. The king reached a compromise with the rebels, that if he won by 4 clear goals, then there would be no second match. They agreed, and William vowed never to let such a situation arise again – the rebels had caught him on the hop and from this point onwards, the format of games would be decided before the start. It is a cagey start to the second half, and the first meaningful action sees the king drag a shot wide from de Vitot’s cross. Robert de Vitot is having a storming game, and a minute later, he tries an audacious chip which bounces off of the bar and behind for a goal kick. That old-timer Leofric rashly fouls de Grandsmesnil, escapes without a booking and sees William of Evreux hoist the free kick high and wide. 7 minutes later, things don’t go so well for the rebels. De Vitot wins a header, turns Morcar, plays it through for King William, who makes no mistake, lobbing the goalkeeper for 2-0. Leofric is then substituted for Edwin, before de Grandsmesnil is booked. The rebels seem unable to offer anything against the rampant Normans until the 68th minute, when they finally register a chance. In keeping with the pattern of the game, Leopphus shoots wide, saving Geoffrey de Coutances the trouble of making a save. With 15 minutes to go, the Normans ring the changes, John le Romane coming on for the king, and William de Warenne taking the place of William FitzOsbern. Le Romane immediately combines with de Vitot, who shoots over. A minute later, le Romane again turns the defence inside out, slips it through for de Vitot, who flashes a shot past the helpless Mordra. It’s a great goal, but unfortunately he’d just strayed offside and it doesn’t count. It’s virtually the last action of the game, William of Evreux heads over near the end and the game ends in a 2-0 win for the Normans. The Normans 2-0 Hereward’s Rebels Earl Brian 37, King William 62 The Normans: de Coutances 5 – FitzGilbert 8, de Beaumont 7, Earl Brian 8, Aimeri 7 – Odo 8, Evreux 7 – de Grandsmesnil 9, FitzOsbern (off 75) 8 – King William (off 75) 8, de Vitot 9 Subs: de Warenne (on 75 for FitzOsbern) 6, le Romane (on 75 for King William) 7 Hereward’s Rebels: Mordra 8 – Coklo (inj 18) 6, Alladeward 7, Leofric (off 62) 6, Morcar 7 – Benett 5, Hereward 6, King Sweyn 6, Diaf 6 – Siward 5, Leopphus 5 Subs: Cherca (on 18 for Coklo) 5, Edwin (on 62 for Leofric) 6 William had this to say after the game: Quote:
The year of our Lord, 1071 And so it was, that in 1071, both teams again lined up in Ely, for the second part of their battle. Hereward’s rebels would need to win by 3 clear goals to win outright or to win by 2 clear goals to force a re-match. William made two changes to the tea that had previously beaten the rebels, with Ralf de Tosny and Robert de Mortain coming in. The rebels drop Coklo to the subs bench, replacing him with Edwin. GK Ralf de Tosny LB Richard FitzGilbert CB Earl Brian CB Roger de Beaumont RB Aimeri de Thouars LDM Odo of Bayeux RDM William of Evreux LM Hugh de Grandsmesnil RM William FitzOsbern CF Robert de Mortain CF King William (c) And the rebels, led again by Hereward. GK Mordon Mordra RB Morcar CB Leofric the Black CB Alladeward LB Edwin LM Benett CM Hereward (c) CM King Sweyn RM Diaf CF Gustavus Leopphus CF Siward of Bury The game began and it was the rebels who threatened first, when de Tosny was forced into a sharp save from Gustavus Leopphus. It took a while for the Normans to get going, and when they did, they didn’t look back. Odo had the first chance, which was well saved, but soon after this Edwin fouled de Mortain in the box and there was no doubt that it was a penalty. King William stepped up and dispatched the ball into the top corner, leaving Mordra with no chance. 1-0 to the Normans and 3-0 on aggregate. Robert de Mortain was having a good half, justifying his inclusion and he headed against the bar from a corner. William of Evreux had a good chance to double the lead nearing half time, but Alledeward was able to get to the ball before him after Mordra had dropped it. At half time, it was 1-0 to the Normans, and at the break they brought on William de Warenne to replace Odo of Bayeux, who was having an off day. The second half was only five minutes old when the Normans extended their lead. William FitzOsbern picked up the ball on the right wing, beat his marker and drove in a cross. He misjudged it completely, slicing it towards goal, fooling Mordra and the ball came back off the post into the path of Hugh de Grandmesnil who tucked the ball away to make the score 2-0 [4-0 on aggregate.] If Odo was having an off day, then Edwin’s day was far worse, and he was replaced by Cherca for the rebels. The change in make up of their defence seemed to play into the Norman hands, as they piled on the pressure. The king went close with a sweet half-volley before de Mortain hit a post. Hereward’s rebels then threatened when Tosny was forced to tip over a shot from Leopphus, but it was merely a break from the inevitable. FitzOsbern played it to William whose vicious shot was deflected over. From the corner, de Mortain was on hand to pounce when de Beamont’s header crashed back off of the bar. 3-0 now to the Normans, game over with an hour gone. Now 5-0 down on aggregate, the rebels realised their game was up; conversely, the Normans markedly took their foot off of the gas, allowing the rebels some late, but ultimately wasted chances before the game ended with a convincing Norman victory. Hereward’s Rebels (0) 0-3 (5) The Normans King William pen 17, de Grandsmesnil 50, de Mortain 60 Hereward’s rebels: Mordon Mordra 8 – Morcar 7, Leofric 6, Alladeward 7, Edwin (sub 51) 5 – Benett 6, Hereward 6, Sweyn 7, Diaf 6 – Leopphus 6, Siward 6 SUB: Cherca (on 51 for Edwin) 6 The Normans: de Tosny 6 – FitzGilbert 8, Earl Brian 6, de Beaumont 8, Aimeri 7 – Odo (sub 45) 6, William of Evreux 8 – de Grandsmesnil 9, FitzOsbern 8 – de Mortain 7, King William 7 SUB: de Warenne (on 45 for Odo) 7 Richard FitzGilbert was pleased after this victory: Quote:
The year of our Lord, 1072 William and his team had now put down revolt after revolt, dishing out win after win but still, after 6 years of Norman rule there were revolts. And it was the same people coming back for another go. Edgar Atheling had decided that it was time to use Scottish pride and hatred of the English in his favour to try and overcome William. He joined forces with King Malcolm and they raised a team, marched into England and set up pitch in Durham. So the Normans were back in the North, this time in Durham, to oppose the Scots. They lined up: GK: Geoffrey de Coutances RB: Aimeri de Thouars CB : Earl Brian CB : Roger de Beaumont LB : Richard FitzGilbert (c) LDM : William de Warenne RDM: William of Evreux LM: Hugh de Grandsmesnil RM: William FitzOsbern CF: John le Romane CF: Walter Gifford SUBS: Ralf de Tosny, Odo of Bayeux, Robert de Vitot, King William, Robert de Mortain William rested some big names, namely himself and Odo for the start of this game. The Scots: GK: Steward LB: Prince Alexander CB: Prince Duncan CB: Prince Edgar RB: Prince David LCM: Edgar Atheling (c) CM: Donald Canmore RCM: (Former Archbishop) Stigand CF: Domangart CF: King Malcolm III of Scotland CF: James, Duke of Argyll Sub: Rupert, Duke of Cumberland The Normans took 10 minutes or so to get going, but when they did they forced a succession of corners, William de Warenne and Walter Gifford both being denied headed goals. King Malcolm’s first notable action of the game was a foul on William FitzOsbern, resulting in an early substitution for the Normans. Bishop Odo was sent on and whilst the Normans were recovering from this blow, James of Argyll had a decent chance for the Scots, but shot over. The Scots made a change themselves on the half hour mark, bringing off Prince Duncan and sending on Rupert of Cumberland. Rupert didn’t have a great start to the game as 5 minutes later he played a poor backpass which John le Romane really should have capitalised on but he allowed Steward to save his shot. No matter, because 2 minutes later after good build up play from Gifford, le Romane finished the job off from ten yards to give the Normans the lead. Seconds later, he broke clear of the defence, committed the goalkeeper, passed it square and [b]Odo of Bayeux[/i] had a simple tap in to make the score 2-0 to the Normans. To their credit the Scots fought back and immediately a free kick from Stigand was met by Domangart but he couldn’t get his header on target. Just before half time, however, came the killer blow. Gifford beat two Scottish princes, threaded the ball through to le Romane[/i] who hardly broke stride as he lashed the ball into the top corner to secure a 3 goal cushion at the break. The Scots came out fighting in the second half, and threatened immediately; Donald Canmore’s flick on was met by King Malcolm and Geoffrey de Coutancs had to be alert to tip the ball over. Ten minutes into the half and the Normans suffered another injury blow – this time it was William of Evreux after a foul from Rupert of Cumberland. Robert de Vitot came on to replace him as Odo now had to drop back into his more favoured defensive midfield role. Again, the shake up meant that the Normans took a while to settle back down and the Scots threatened. James of Argyll shot wide before de Coutances had to produce a wonderful save to deny Malcolm a goal. Prince David had a go at emulating his father but his header just went over the bar. For all Scotlands chances, they couldn’t get a goal, whereas whenever the Normans went on the attack it looked like they would score. Prince Edgar also headed over and then when he found himself in an advanced position one on one with the keeper, he panicked, and shot over the bar. It was one of those days for the Scots, one which saw this particular invasion end in a 3-0 defeat. The Normans 3-0 The Scots Le Romane 38, 44 Odo of Bayeux 39 The Normans: Geoff 9 – Aimeri 7, Earl Brian 8, de Beaumont 8, FitzGilbert 7 – de Warenne 7, Evreux 9 (inj 55) – de Grandsmesnil 7, FitzOsbern (inj 19) 5 – le Romane 9, Gifford 6 (sub 81) Subs: Odo of Bayeux 9 on 19 for FitzOsbern de Vitot 7, on 55 for Evreux de Mortain 5, on 81 for Gifford The Scots: Steward 8 – Prince Duncan 6, Edgar 6, David 7, Alexander (off 30) 6 – Edgar Atheling 7, Canmore 6, Stigand 6 – Domangart 6, King Malcolm 6, James of Argyll 5 Sub: Rupert of Cumberland (on 30 for Prince Alexander) 6 It had been a crushing defeat although at certain periods of the game the Normans were under serious pressure. So much so that William had no desire to face them again, so he decided to take Prince Duncan hostage and he declared Quote:
================================================== ============================================= The year of our Lord, 1073 William had now been in control of his new domain for 7 years and yet he was still able to keep command of his native Normandy. A combination of skilful delegation and well timed sojourns had seen peace and order relatively well established in both his kingdoms. But it couldn’t last, and in 1073, fresh from their destruction of the Scots William heard news that all was not well back in his homeland (as much as he liked to convince his new people he was English, he was after all a Norman and a Duke of Normandy first, King of England second.) A group of Norman subjects, disappointed that they were being governed by an absent ruler decided to challenge the rule of William and his ‘delegates’. Led by Mathieu, a noble man of Besançon, they formed a team which also included a Russian, Andrei Sergeivich. William picked his squad, it was the usual suspects, as well as his son Robert and they set sail for his native Normandy. The day after landing, soon after sunrise, the two teams met on the football pitch, set up in Maine. Maine rebels GK Alain SW Andrei Sergeivich LB Stéphane de Grenoble CB Rollo Warentse CB Jean de Roche RB Mathieu de Besançon (captain) LDM Roger de Fontainebleu CDM Stéphane Wredle RDM Thierry de Mostafe AM Simon de Wormull CF Robert Jacques Subs: Robert de Poitiers, Bertrand Turleux, Michael de Montferrand, Antoine de Bretagne, Duan d’Arby The Normans GK Geoffrey de Coutances LB Richard FitzGilbert CB Hugh de Montfort CB Roger de Beaumont RB Aimeri de Thouars LDM Odo of Bayeux RDM William of Evreux LM Hugh de Grandsmesnil RM Robert de Vitot CF Robert de Mortain CF King William I SUBS : Ralf de Tosny, William de Warenne, William FitzOsbern, John le Romane, Robert Curthose The rebels set out with a defensive setup, looking to pack the defence and midfield and attack on the counter. The Normans stuck to their narrow but effective 4-2-2-2 formation. Today, the formation seemed far too superior for the rebels, as inside five minutes King William’s goalbound shot was blocked by Sergeivich. Four minutes later Robert de Vitot laid it off to the king, who played a diagonal ball to Odo of Bayeux who made no mistake, shooting low across the goalkeeper to give the Normans the lead. Seconds later William of Evreux wasted a glorious chance to double the lead, putting his free header wide from a corner. The game settled down with the Normans camped in the rebel half of the field and with half an hour gone the rebels changed their formation, bringing Sergeivich off and sending on Antoine de Bretagne. This stemmed the flow for a while, but on the stroke of half time, King William tried his luck from 25 yards, and found his luck was in, the ball curling past Alain in the rebel goal to make the score 2-0 at half time. The rebels made two more changes at half time, bringing on Robert de Poitiers and Duan d’Arby for Roger de Fontainebleu and Thierry de Mostafe. They were now playing a 4-4-2 formation. It didn’t help though, as just after the break Hugh de Grandsmesnil lifted the ball through for Robert de Mortain to chase, control, and score. 3-0, and the game effectively over. It took over an hour for the rebels to register a shot on goal, such was the Norman dominance and when it did come, Duan d’Arby missed a sitter after de Beaumont had missed the ball in the penalty area. With 15 minutes to go, the King brought himself off and sent on his eldest son, Robert Curthose in his place. He had a chance to score straightaway as he pounced on a poor back pass from Mathieu de Besançon but he shot just wide. In the closing minutes, the rebels made a few chances, but Geoffrey de Coutances made his one and only save n the final minute from Stephane Wredle – up until then he had virtually been a spectator. Maine rebels 0-3 The Normans Odo of Bayeux 4 King William 45 Robert de Mortain 49 Maine rebels: Alain 5 – Sergeivich 6 (sub 30) – de Grenoble 6, Warentse 5, de Roche 6, de Besançon 6 – de Fontainebleu 6 (sub 45), Wredle 7, de Mostafe 7 (sub 45) – de Wormull 6 – Jacques 5 Subs : De Poitiers (on 45) 7 De Bretagne (on 30) 7 D’Arby (on 45_ 6 The Normans : Geoff 6 – FitzGilbert 8, de Montfort 7, de Beaumont 8, Aimeri 7 – Odo 8, Evreux 8 – de Grandsmesnil 9, de Vitot 9 – de Mortain 8, King William 8 (sub 76) Sub : Robert Curthose (on 76) 6 It had been a thoroughly comprehensive victory for the Normans, and one which no doubt relieved William and his nobles – they couldn’t afford to be having to deal with problems in both of their kingdoms. William spoke after the match: Quote:
The year of our Lord, 1080 The King had reigned for 14 years, and he was in the main part now accepted as King and few had any problems with the now well established Norman regime. But up in the North West, they refused to lie down. Only they could turn a disagreement with a cleric into a full blown revolt against the king…..A mob in Gateshead were unhappy with the appointment of the new Bishop of Durham, so they promptly killed him. William would not tolerate this so he marched north with his team to beat these rebels. Gateshead Rebels GK Jaredda LB Bryna CB Mordan CB Bowea RB Ketchin DM Rebri (c) DM Shindiga AML Thare AMR Harsley CF Tallabyn CF Kilcline Sub: Keene The Normans GK Ralf de Tosny LB Richard FitzGilbert CB Hugh de Montfort CB Roger de Beaufort RB Aimeri de Thouars LDM Earl Brian RDM William de Warenne LM Hugh de Grandsmesnil RM William FitzOsbern CF Robert de Mortain CF King William Subs: William of Evreux, Geoffrey de Coutances, Odo of Bayeux, John le Romane, Robert de Vitot William was furious that his rule should be threatened yet again by Northerners, so he rallied his team like never before and he had to, as given the relative youth of the Northerners, there was the chance of an upset here. For 20 minutes there was stalemate. A dogged, gritty battle between the midfields, kicking lumps out of each other and no-one able to find the finesse of a final ball or the vision for a shot at goal. Finally Robert de Mortain produced such a pass, into the path of Hugh de Grandsmesnil but his shot was well saved by Jaredda. The game settled back down and it was ten more minutes before the next chance, the king taking it upon himself to break the deadlock, beating 3 players, working an opening, but shooting wide. Then Rebri was caught in possession, the king was through. Surely now he’d score? But no, Jaredda held his nerve and saved again bravely. The Normans were growing in confidence, increasingly pinning the rebels back and William FitzOsbern went on a run, his shot saved by Jaredda. From the corner, de Grandsmesnil rose, headed goalwards, but again Jaredda made the save. Aimeri was next to test the goalkeeper, and he passed the test with a flying save. It was Jaredda’s half, and it was still 0-0. Were the Normans about to be upset? Could the rebels do it? At half time, William took a gamble. He removed himself from the field of play and sent on John le Romane. The rebels also made a change, sending on Keene to replace Harsley in the midfield. Le Romane’s added pace caused major problems for the rebel defence, and when FitzOsbern headed the ball onto him, he raced through, rounded Jaredda and scored to make it 1-0. Ten minutes later, Keene sent de Grandsmesnil tumbling in the box but the referee waved play on. The Normans couldn’t believe it but had to play on as now the rebels were threatening. They had a corner, it was swung, met by Thare………but over the bar. An escape for the Normans. Approaching ten minutes to go, still 1-0, the game still in the balance le Romane used his pace to get past Shindiga, and he played an exquisite pass through for de Grandsmesnil, who shot for goal………but that man Jaredda yet again foiled the Normans. With less than 5 minutes remaining, Earl Brian was taken off for the Normans and Bishop Odo was sent on. Could he be super sub yet agan? He didn’t need to, as soon as the substitution was completed, de Mortain picked up the ball, and threaded the ball through to le Romane. This time Jaredda was beaten and the game was put beyond the rebels with a left foot swerving shot into the bottom corner. The relief was palpable and enormous for the Normans. But they still had to defend for 5 minutes, but the rebels were unable to force anything and the game ended in a hard fought victory for the Normans. Gateshead rebels 0-2 The Normans le Romane, 52, 84 Gateshead rebels:Jaredda 9 – Bryna 7, Mordan 7, Bowea 6, Ketchin 6 – Rebri 6, Shindiga 7, Thare 6, Harsley (sub 45) 6 – Tallabyn 5, Kilcline 6 Sub: Keene (on 45) 6 The Normans: de Tosny 6 – FitzGilbert 7, de Montfort 7, de Beaumont 8, Aimeri 8 – Earl Brian (sub 84) 7, de Warenne 8 – de Grandsmesnil 8, FitzOsbern 8 – de Mortain 8, King William (sub 45) 6 Subs: Odo (on 84) 6 Le Romane (on 45) 9 It had been a brave performance from the rebels, but that mattered little to William. He had them all executed. Quote:
WILLIAM I Reigned 1066 – 1087 Played: 9 Won: 9 For: 29 Against: 4 Results: Anglo Saxons (A): Won 5-3 Welsh/Southerners (A): Won 2-1 Northern Rebels (A): Won 2-0 Northern Rebels (A): Won 6-0 [8-0 on aggregate] Hereward (A): Won 2-0 Hereward (A): Won 3-0 [5-0 on aggregate] Scots (H): Won 3-0 Maine (A): Won 3-0 Gateshead Rebels (A): Won 3-0 A wonderful record that may never be bettered, but we will see. His players: GK Geoffrey de Coutances: 7 apps, AvR 5.43 GK Ralf de Tosny : 2 apps, AvR 6 DF Hugh de Montfort : 6 appearances, AvR of 7 DF Roger de Beaumont: 9 appearances, AvR of 7.7 DF Aimeri de Thouars: 9 appearances, AvR of 7 DF Eustace of Boulogne: 1 appearance, rating 8 DF Richard FitzGilbert: 9 appearances, AvR of 7.4 DM Odo of Bayeux: 8 appearances, 3 goals, 1 MOM DM Earl Brian: 8 appearances, 1 goal DM William of Evreux: 7 appearances, 1 goal, 1 MOM DM William de Warenne: 6 appearances, AvR of 7 MF William FitzOsbern: 6 appearances, AvR of 7.3 MF Robert de Vitot: 6 appearances, AvR of 7 MF Hugh de Grandsmesnil: 9 appearances, 4 goals, 3 MOM, AvR of 8.3 SC King William: 8 appearances, 8 goals, 1 MOM SC Walter Gifford: 2 appearances, AvR of 6 SC John le Romane: 5 appearances, 4 goals SC Robert de Comines: 4 appearances, 3 goals, 2 MOM SC Robert de Mortain: 7 appearances, 4 goals William had secured the throne of England and there would be no further challenges to his rule. He felt so secure of his crown, that in 1087, he left his wife Matilda in charge as he took his team over to France to try and gain even more territory. He had challenged King Philip to a series of matches, but alas for him, whilst travelling he was thrown from his horse and was killed. This is how the chroniclers of the day looked back on his undefeated reign: Quote:
Yet he would have died knowing that his two kingdoms were secure and that the two rulers had been fairly decided. Because in the summer of 1085, he had called a council and decreed a 3 match series between his two sons, Robert Curthose and William Rufus. Both were hard, confident men, cast in the mould of their father and both, naturally wanted their hands on as much land as possible. This was a family feud with a difference. William had another son, of course, Henry Beauclerc but at 17 he decided not to challenge his elder brothers for outright rule, instead opting to side with William for the time being. The three matches were to be played at London, Winchester and Selby. William gave them two months to assemble a squad of 15 player each and in September, both sons presented their squads. Robert Curthose’s team: GK Geoffrey de Coutances: Just about all of the earls who supported William I have pledged their support to Robert. Geoffrey is just one of them. GK Robert Guiscard: Ralf de Tosny was too old, so Robert Guiscard, Robert’s father in law is recruited as his reserve keeper DF Robert Curthose DF Odo of Bayeux: Will probably play as key a role as he did for Robert’s father DF Stephen of Blois: Brother in law to both Robert and William, he went for Robert DF Richard FitzGilbert DF Pope Urban II: Pledged his support when his adversary Philip of France joined William’s squad. MF Robert de Grandsmesnil: Son of Hugh MF William FitzOsbern MF Ranulf Flambard: Advisor to the king, supporting his eldest son MF William de Warenne MF Robert de Vitot CF Robert de Mortain CF John le Romane William Rufus’ team : GK Archishop Lanfranc: GK Hugh de Vemandois: related to the king of France DF Henry Beauclerc: Brother to both Robert and William. Third in line to the throne. DF Malcolm III of Scotland: William calls on Scottish support which is quite a coup DF Richard de Clare: One of the nobles who is loyal to William DF Prince Alexander of Scotland: Second son of Malcolm DF Prince Phillipe: Son of King Philip of France DF Prince Duncan of Scotland: Eldest son of Malcolm, released from prison for the matches MF Robert de Mowbray: Friend of William, and loyal noble MF Roger de Clare: Father of Richard de Clare MF Philip of France: Would do anything to oppose his long time enemy Robert. CF William Rufus CF Bohemund I of Antioch: son in law of King Philip CF Walter Tirel: Close friend of the king Retrospectively, the year of our Lord, 1085 London was the setting for the first of three matches to decide the successor to William the Conquerer. William Rufus suffered a setback when he heard the news that Prince Phillipe of France had unfortunately fallen ill and would be unable to play any part in the series. Already a man down through poor recruitment he would have to take on 15 men with 13. Still, he remained confident of victory Quote:
Robert Curthose GK Geoffrey de Coutances RB Pope Urban II CB Odo of Bayeux CB Robert Curthose (c) LB Richard FitzGilbert DM Stephen of Blois LM Hugh de Grandsmesnil RM Ranulf Flambard AM Robert de Grandsmesnil CF Robert de Mortain CF John le Romane Subs : Robert Guiscard, William de Warenne, Richard FitzOsbern, Robert de Vitot Robert Curthose was using a 4-4-2 diamond with Robert de Grandsmesnil just behind the two up front and Stephen of Blois protecting the defence. The game plan was to get the ball out wide and send in crosses to the proven front two. William Rufus GK Archbishop Lanfranc RB Henry Beauclerc CB Prince Alexander CB Richard de Clare LB Prince Duncan DM King Philip I LM Robert de Mowbray CM Roger de Clare RM King Bohemund I CF Walter Tirel CF William Rufus (c) Subs: King Malcolm III, Hugh of Vermandois William had gone for a 4-1-3-2 with the midfielders breaking to support the front men, with the emphasis on counter attack. The match: The great King William bade the signal, and the match kicked off at frenetic pace. 4 mins: William Rufus did lose his man and shoot at goal but was foiled by de Coutances. Robert de Mowbray did swing in the corner which Prince Alexander did well to smash with his head. Alas, it went over the bar. 7 mins: Prince Duncan did smote the ball fully what seemed half a mile to Roger de Clare, who received it on his head but only found the hands of de Coutances again. 11 mins: Robert Curthose did marshal the ball to the elder of the two Grandsmesnil who ran down the wing like the Saxons were on his back. He passed to le Romane who shot from some yards, but missed the goal. 20 mins: His holiness the Pope did strike a marvellous ball to le Romane, whose shot was grabbed by Archbishop Lanfranc. A holy mess he made though as the ball shot out to the younger Grandsmesnil but the wood denied him before young de Clare smote the ball to safety. 24 mins: FitzGilbert played the ball to Hugh de Grandsmesnil. This time he looked for Robert de Mortain but he sent the ball into the grassy mound by shooting too high. 40 mins: Robert de Mowbray stormed the ball into Richard de Clare who kicked for goal. De Coutances could not save but young de Grandsmesnil was able to drive the ball out of the goal area. He found de Mortain who exchanged the ball with le Romane but the heir of Scotland, Duncan did slide and dispossess him well. 41 mins: Stephen of Blois, brother in law of the king, did receive the ball and offered de Mortain a chance, but yet again the Earl preferred to shoot high into the grassy mound than score. 47 mins: The king advanced onto the pitch and all players were granted a break and some liquid to prepare for the next half. 51 mins: Bohemund, King of faraway Antioch galloped down the wing and let the ball into the area where William Rufus was waiting. Meeting the ball with head de Coutances this saved and King Philip drove the ball away. 57 mins: Robert de Grandsmesnil uttered an obscenity and was given a yellow mark. 62 mins: Robert of Mortain did thrill the watchers with running with ball for much time. Then, when he came to shoot, he again found the grassy mound. 63 mins: Stephen of Blois did pick up the ball and play it to le Romane, who let it to Flambard, who immediately swore it back with the lightest of touch. Le Romane was onto it like a flash and he aimed for goal so quick that Lanfranc had no chance. John le Romane did give Robert Curthose a 1-0 lead. He raised his hands in the air, thanked the good Lord and moved off for the restart. Robert Curthose 1-0 William Rufus John le Romane 72 mins: Flambard pounced on the ball, playing it to de Mortain. The strike from Mortain did not this time approach the grassy mound but a surprised Lanfranc who could not gather and let the ball roll to Hugh de Grandmsesnil who was too slow in his effort and King Philip did steal the ball from him. 73 mins: King Malcolm III did enter the match, replacing Richard de Clare 78 mins: Out of nothing, le Romane strived for the ball and unleashed a strike. Lanfranc majestically leapt to divert the ball away. Hugh de Grandmesnil this time did hit the ball in and Flambard hoisted himself at the ball, heading at goal so well that Lanfranc was stung by the ball and could not hold but he was mercifully saved by Prince Henry who directed the ball away. 81 mins: Pope Urban hit a holy shot at goal yet the ball diverted to Robert of Mortain who hit low, but wide. 82 mins: The younger de Grandsmesnil was taken off and Robert de Vitot came on for Robert Curthose. 85 mins: Ranulf Flambard did advance on goal from what seemed an impossible angle yet did manage to make a shot, which Lanfranc stopped with ease. 94 mins: King William did make entrance to end the contest. FINAL SCORE: Robert Curthose 1-0 William Rufus Robert Curthose led off his team in great triumph and did hold a 1-0 lead in games with two contests to contest. Match ratings Robert Curthose: de Coutances 7 – Pope Urban 8, Odo 7, Curthose 7, FitzGilbert 7 – Stephen of Blois 7 – H de Grandmesnil 7, Flambard 7, R de Grandsmesnil 6 (de Vitot 6) - de Mortain 6, le Romane 8 William Rufus : Lanfranc 7 – Henry 6, Alexander 6, R de Clare jr 6 (Malcolm III 6), Duncan 6 – King Philip 7 – de Mowbray 6, R de Clare sr 6, King Bohemund 6 – Tirel 6, Rufus 6 In all truth, this was Robert’s game from start to finish. Whilst William had chances, they weren’t clear cut enough and in all honesty Robert carved out plenty of chances so one of them had to go in. When the goal came, it was well taken by the man in form. They now had a week to prepare for the second game… ================================================== ============================================= Winchester, 1085 Robert Curthose received some bad news the day before the second game that William de Warenne had injured himself in a hunting accident and would probably miss both remaining games. The teams for the second game: William Rufus GK Lanfranc LB Prince Duncan CB Richard de Clare CB Prince Alexander RB Prince Henry CM King Philip AML Robert de Mowbray AMC Roger de Clare AMR King Bohemund CF Walter Tirel CF William Rufus (c) Subs: King Malcolm, Hugh of Vermandois William felt he had to win this game so he pushed his midfield very high and looked to supply them with long balls from the back and put Robert’s defence under pressure. He named an unchanged team. Robert Curthose GK Geoffrey de Coutances LB Richard FitzGilbert CB Robert Curthose (c) CB Odo of Bayeux RB Pope Urban II DM Stephen of Blois LM Hugh de Grandsmesnil RM Ranulf Flambard AM Robert de Grandsmesnil CF Robert de Vitot CF John le Romane Subs : Robert de Mortain, Robert Guiscard, William FitzOsbern Robert kept his formation the same, but replaced de Mortain with de Vitot up front. The match: 1 min: Tirel on his own does shoot from range, parried away by Geoffrey de Coutances. 2 mins: Robert de Mowbray did strike the corner onto the head of Richard de Clare but Robert Curthose obstructed his effort. Again de Mowbray struck in the ball to Richard de Clare who headed at goal, de Coutances beating the ball away to Richard FitzGilbert who in turn lofted one forward to Robert de Vitot. De Vitot and John le Romane exchanged two passes each before de Vitot let fly with one…….the wood denied him a fine goal. 10 mins: De Mowbray struck the corner in but Stephen of Blois took command of the ball. 26 mins: King Bohemund did run down the wing but was stopped by his holiness the Pope. 27 mins: Tirel picked up the ball and launched it to de Mowbray who immediately returned it to William Rufus who shot and scored but the Gods were not looking favourably upon him as it was ruled out for offside. 45 mins: Bohemund worked well on the right to work an opening for Tirel. Then came the rasping shot from Tirel but de Coutances was able to save. Half time was called and we were very much impressioned by Rufus and his team and how improved they were from the last game. 46 mins: Robert Curthose has taken off Robert de Grandsmesnil and replaced him with William FitzOsbern. 49 mins: Robert de Mowbray did take a corner which led to much confusion in the box but the result was a firm hit from William Rufus but one which de Coutances again saved. 51 mins: Le Romane ran on his own and was pushed by Prince Duncan. 52 mins: FitzGilbert did send in the free-kick which was met by the head of Robert de Vitot who promptly did direct the ball into the back of the net, much to the disgust of Archbishop Lanfranc. William Rufus 0-1 Robert Curthose Robert de Vitot 54 mins: William Rufus took on and beat his brother Robert before sliding the ball in for Robert de Mowbray but de Mowbray did not well direct his header. 56 mins: Prince Alexander did take hold of the ball and play it forward for King Bohemund who speared a shot at goal but like de Mowbray before he had not well directed his strike. 62 mins: Prince Henry did command the ball left to Roger de Clare, who did send it up to de Mowbray. De Mowbray sent the ball onto Tirel in the area, and Tirel did make a right foot shot into the top corner of the net to make the game level. William Rufus 1-1 Robert Curthose Walter Tirel 75 mins: King Malcolm did make an entrance, taking the place of Richard de Clare. Thus the defence was now consisting of a king and three princes. 81 mins: Pope Urban did play in a corner to de Vitot but Prince Alexander was swiftly on hand to make the clearance. 83 mins: Pope Urban did play another corner this time onto the head of de Vitot but the ball sailed over the bar. 88 mins: Robert Curthose did change his formation. He did bring Odo off and Robert de Mortain on and push 5, maybe 6 men into advanced positions. 90 mins: William Rufus had the ball in centre field and did play it wide to Roger de Clare. Robert Curthose were now stretched at the back and Tirel did find himself with room to shoot……and he did fail to score. 95 mins: The match was ended. Robert Curthose therefore lead the series 1-0. William Rufus can count himself unlucky after this match, his team put in a much improved performance and created more chances than Robert Curthose but what this result means is that: A Robert Curthose win in the last match ensures a 2-0 win for Robert A draw results in a 1-0 series win for Robert William Rufus must therefore win and win by 2 clear goals to win the series and the throne outright. Should William win 1-0 then a period of play where the first team to score will win the series. Robert Curthose 1-1 William Rufus Match ratings: Robert Curthose: de Coutances 7 – R FitzGilbert 6, Curthose 6, Odo 6 (de Mortain 6), Urban 7 – Stephen of Blois 6, H de Grandsmesnil 7, Flambard 6, R de Grandsmesnil 6 (FitzOsbern 6) – de Vitot 7, le Romane 6 William Rufus : Lanfranc 6 – Prince Duncan 7, R de Clare jr 6 (Malcolm III 7), Prince Alexander 6, Henry Beauclerc 6 – Philip I 6 – De Mowbray 8, R de Clare sr 7, Bohemund I 7 – Tirel 8, Rufus 8 Selby, 1085 The birthplace of Prince Henry was the venue for the third match in the series. Remember, William had to win the game by 2 clear goals to win outright, Robert just needed a draw. William Rufus GK Lanfranc LB Prince Duncan CB Richard de Clare CB Prince Alexander RB Prince Henry CM King Philip AML Robert de Mowbray AMC Roger de Clare AMR King Bohemund CF Walter Tirel CF William Rufus William was relying on the same tactic as in the last match. Robert Curthose GK Geoffrey de Coutances LB Richard FitzGilbert CB Robert Curthose CB Bishop Odo RB Pope Urban DM Stephen of Blois LM Robert de Vitot RM Ranulf Flambard AM William FitzOsbern CF John le Romane CF Robert de Mortain Robert made a few changes, dropping the two de Grandsmesnils, recalling Robert de Mortain and bringing in William FitzOsbern. Robert de Vitot moves to the left wing. The match: 11 mins: Robert de Vitot did make good ground and pass to Robert de Mortain who shot, but wide of the goal. 17 mins: Pope Urban did take a free kick, onto the head of Bishop Odo and the ball flew into the goal to give Robert Curthose a vital goal. Robert Curthose 1-0 William Rufus Bishop Odo 26 mins: Richard FitzGilbert did flight in a free kick and it was met by the head of John le Romane. Lanfranc did completely miss the ball and let it through his grasp and it was 2-0. Robert Curthose 2-0 William Rufus John le Romane 36 mins: King Philip did trip de Vitot and was given a yellow mark. 37 mins: King Malcolm was brought on to shore up William’s defence in the attempt to prevent further mishaps. Roger de Clare was sacrificed. 45 mins: Half time and Robert Curthose did lead comfortably 2-0. William Rufus somehow needed 3 goals now to win the throne of England. 58 mins: Stephen of Blois did commit a foul on Bohemund and was given a yellow mark. 65 mins: FitzGilbert did take a corner to Ranulf Flambard who played the pass to de Mortain but King Philip was in the way and Lanfranc did gather the ball. 68 mins: De Mowbray played in a corner for Richard de Clare to head at goal but de Coutances was able to save well. 70 mins: De Mortain did break and play the ball to le Romane in a dangerous position, but Henry Beauclerc was able to make a fine tackle. 76 mins: De Mowbray took a free kick and it did crash against the wood and bounce away to safety. 79 mins: Pope Urban did collapse to the floor with an injury and was taken off. Hugh de Grandsmesnil did come on in his place. 93 mins: The game was over and it was Robert Curthose who would take the throne of England, winning the game and the series 2-0. So there it was, William’s forced use of an attacking tactic cost him dear as Robert capitalised on his weakened defence and scored two decisive goals. He was then able to move to a more defensive formation so that when William pushed 4 men forward it was effectively a stalemate, although had Robert de Mowbray’s free kick gone in and not hit the bar it would have made things interesting… Match ratings: Robert Curthose: de Coutances 7 – FitzGilbert 7, Curthose 6, Odo 7, Pope Urban 7 (H de Grandsmesnil 6) – Stephen of Blois 6, de Vitot 7, Flambard 7, FitzOsbern 7 – de Mortain 6, le Romane 8 William Rufus: Lanfranc 5 – Henry Beauclerc 6, Prince Alexander 6, R de Clare jr 6, Prince Duncan 6 – Philip I 6 – de Mowbray 6, R de Clare sr 6 (Malcolm III 6), Bohemund I 6 – Tirel 6, Rufus 6 Quote:
The year of our Lord, 1100 In the 13th year of the reign of Robert, King of England, a terrible tragedy befell the royal family as the unfortunate death of William Rufus, brother of the king, whilst on a hunting expedition with his brother Henry in Normandy, came to pass. The man who shot the fatal arrow was one Walter Tirel, also known as Walter de Poix. Prince Henry did thus become Duke Henry of Normandy and it came to pass that he was far more loved than his deceased brother ever was. Certain men were heard to murmur that the English born Henry should mount a challenge for the English throne… The year of our Lord, 1106 …And so it came to pass that the English people and a large number of English nobles could no longer put up with King Robert’s reckless spending and neglect of the church. Duke Henry couldn’t have chosen a better time to make his own bid for the English throne he had passed up 20 years ago. It must have rankled with him that he was born in England, the only of his father’s sons to have done so and his French brother was on the English throne. And with his two other brothers (Richard [1081] and William [1100]) dead, this was between him and Robert; there was no third party involved. England and Normandy would be under the same ruler, but it would take two matches to find out who it would be… TINCHEBRAI, September 1106 Match squads: King Robert: GK Gonthier d’Aunay GK Archbishop Anselm – replaces the deceased Lanfranc DF Stephen of Blois – nephew of both Robert and Henry. DF King Robert DF Richard de Clare DF Edgar Atheling – this time he’s on the kings side MF William Clito – son of Robert, and heir to the throne (for the moment, anyway.) MF Robert de Bellême MF Robert de Breteuil MF Robert of Stutteville MF The Emperor of Saxony CF William Crispin CF William of Mortain – son of the legendary Robert de Mortain (7 apps, 4 goals under King William.) CF Henry V of Germany, Holy Roman Emporer Duke Henry GK Ralf de Tosny – brought out of ‘retirement’ GK Rodolphe of Tinchebrai DF Ranulf of Bayeux – son of Odo DF William of Evreux DF/MF Alan, Count of Brittany DF Robert, Earl of Gloucester – illegitimate son of Henry DF Henry, Duke of Normandy MF Robert de Beaumont MF Robert de Grandsmesnil – son of Hugh, played for Robert against William 20 years ago MF William de Warenne junior – son of William de Warenne who played 6 times under King William MF King Edgar of Scotland CF Helias, Count of Maine CF Robert FitzHaimo CF Robert de Montfort – son of Hugh who also gained 6 appearances under the conquerer The first game was held at Bayeux, not far from where Robert landed in mid-September. He named his team (4-4-2 formation): GK Anselm RB Richard de Clare CB King Robert I (c) CB Edgar Atheling LB Stephen of Blois RM Robert de Bellême CM Prince William CM Emperor of Saxony LM Robert de Stutteville CF William de Mortain CF William Crispin Sub : Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor Henry also decided to use 4-4-2: GK Rodolphe of Tinchebrai RB William of Evreux CB Duke Henry CB Ranulf of Bayeux LB Alain IV, Count of Brittany RM Robert de Beaumont CM William de Warenne jr CM Robert de Grandsmesnil LM Helias, Count of Maine CF Robert de Montfort CF Robert FitzHaimo Subs: Ralf de Tosny (GK), Robert of Gloucester FIRST HALF 4 minutes: Free kick to Robert, swung in by de Stutteville which is well saved and then Prince William puts the rebound wide. 8 minutes: William de Mortain picks up the ball, takes on and beats three players, curls a shot at goal……..what a goal! 1-0 to Robert. 10 minutes: Robert de Montfort is shown the yellow card for a foul on Edgar Atheling. 15 minutes: Now an attack from Henry, Alain, Count of Brittany with the ball, he heads it on for de Montfort…….who shoots over. 19 minutes: Corner to Henry. Swung in by the Count of Maine, brilliant header by Robert de Beaumont……..1-1. Equaliser. 21 minutes: Here come Robert on the attack again, here is Robert de Belleme, he crosses for de Mortain…….well saved by Rodolphe. Straight away here comes another attack. Crispin, chips forward, shot from de Belleme…….again, the keeper makes the save. 22 mins: Oh, William of Evreux has stupidly handballed now. He gets the yellow card. 23 mins: Here is William Crispin, still Crispin, great control, now he brings it down, shoots………..another brilliant goal, and it’s 2-1 to Robert. You have to say the goal was coming, but it was brilliantly taken. Nothing Rodolphe could have down about it. 31 mins: William de Mortain tries a shot from long range, but he gets it all wrong. 34 mins: Robert FitzHaimo shoots from range……..he’s hit the bar! Anselm clears up the danger. Very unlucky. 39 mins: Now Duke Henry has the ball, he threads it through for de Montfort, who shoots on the turn…..but Anselm again gets down well to make the save. 40 mins: FitzHaimo, dribbling through the defence of King Robert, now he unleashes one……….tipped over the bar. 43 mins: Corner to Robert. Robert de Stutteville takes it, onto the head of Stephen of Blois…….headed over the bar. The youngster couldn’t quite control that. HALF TIME: Robert 2-1 Henry Robert has had much the better of the first half, but Henry’s team are by no means out of it as they made plenty of chances themselves. Neither keeper could have done anything about the goals. SECOND HALF: 48 mins: King Robert, he looks for Anselm in goal, oh no, he’s played a terrible backpass, Anselm is stranded, de Montfort must score…….he does, calmly lifting the ball over the helpless Archbishop. 2-2. What a start to the second half, just what Henry would have been looking for. 52 mins: William Crispin, he has options here…..oh, he chose to shoot from range and he got it all wrong. 56 mins: Corner to Henry. In it comes, header from William of Evreux…..over. 57 mins: Prince William is booked for fouling William de Warenne jr. 59 mins: Oh, the king is in trouble here again, de Montfort has tackled him and he’s in on goal……..brilliant save from Anselm. Oh but here’s de Montfort again, takes on Robert, beats him for pace, unleashes the shot……..into the top corner! Another brilliant goal, and Henry takes the lead 3-2. 60 mins: de Montfort heads down for de Beaumont……who shoots over. Henry on top at this stage. 62 mins: Now Robert’s team have regrouped, here’s Robert de Grandsmesnil, tries to curl one from range…….no problem for Rodolphe, an easy save. 64 mins: William de Warenne goes in to challenge the Emperor of Saxony, oh that’s a terrible tackle, I can’t believe he’s only got a yellow card for that. 68 mins: Stephen of Blois, under pressure from Helias, oh, he’s slipped, what a a chance for Helias………..brilliantly saved by Anselm again. 75 mins: Henry is making a change. His son Robert of Gloucester is coming on for William of Evreux. 76 mins: Corner to Robert. Header from de Belleme………over the bar. 80 mins: Crispin tees up the Emperor……but he shoots wide Now Robert is making his change. Henry V, HRE is coming on in place of Robert de Stutteville. 93 mins: Final whistle. Henry 3-2 Robert (de Beaumont 19, de Montfort 48, 59; de Mortain 8, Crispin 23) King Robert : Anselm 9 – de Clare 6, King Robert 7, Edgar 7, Stephen of Blois 7 – de Belleme 7, Prince William 7, Emp. Of Saxony 6, de Stutteville 6 (Henry V 6) – de Mortain 7, Crispin 7 Duke Henry: Rodolphe of Tinchebrai 7 – d’Evreux 6 (Rob. Of Gloucester 7), Duke Henry 7, de Bayeux 6, Alain, Ct. Of Brittany 6 – de Beaumont 7, de Warenne jr 7, de Grandsmesnil 7, Ct. Of Maine 7 – de Montfort 9, FitzHaimo 8 Duke Henry’s side had completed a remarkable comeback from 1-0, and 2-1 down where before half time they looked as if they were about to be steamrollered by a superior team. But they came out for the second half and played as if their lives depended on the result, which may of course be the case, and when Robert’s team made mistakes, de Montfort was there to punish them and give Henry a slightly unexpected victory. Henry had this to say after his victory: Quote:
(4-4-2): GK Rodolphe of Tinchebrai RB William of Evreux CB Duke Henry CB Ranulf of Bayeux LB Alain, Count of Brittany LM Edgar of Scotland CM Robert de Grandsmesnil CM William de Warenne jr RM Robert de Beaumont CF Robert de Montfort CF Robert FitzHaimo Subs : de Tosny (GK), Robert, Earl of Gloucester Helias, Count of Maine had gotten injured between the two games so Edgar of Scotland was brought in to replace him. Robert’s side (4-1-3-2): GK Gonthier d’Aunay RB Richard de Clare CB King Robert CB Edgar Atheling LB Stephen of Blois DM C Prince William AM L Robert de Stutteville CM Emperor of Saxony AM R Robert de Belleme CF William de Mortain CF William Crispin Subs Anselm (GK) Henry V, HRE Anselm was surprisingly dropped, and he changed his formation a little to counter Henry’s effective 4-4-2. FIRST HALF: 3 mins: Here’s the first threatening move, it comes from Robert. Crispin plays a simple pass to de Mortain, he goes for the chip………saved by Rodolphe. 5 mins: William de Mortain again, shoots, easily saved. But now up the other end, here goes FitzHaimo, put through by de Beaumont, one on one…..brilliant save from d’Aunay. 21 mins: Crispin heads down, here comes de Mortain with the shot…….disappointingly wide. 35 mins: Robert de Grandsmesnil is booked for handball. 40 mins: Corner to Robert. Swung in, header by de Belleme……well blocked by Ranulf of Bayeux. 41 mins: The Emperor of Saxony plays an exquisite pass through to de Mortain, but his shot is just over the bar. HALF TIME: 0-0 Robert has had much the better of the game, but he can’t yet find the goal that will take the game to sudden death. SECOND HALF: 57 mins: Corner to Henry. FitzHaimo with the header……over. 58 mins: Corner to Robert. De Mortain with a good header……well saved. 61 mins: William Crispin tries one from distance, easily saved. 68 mins: FitzHaimo shoots from all off 25 yards, unsurprisingly the ball sails over the bar. 70 mins: Now Robert is making a change. He has 20 minutes to get a goal. Henry V is coming on and off is going Edgar Atheling. Now what’s he doing with his formation, he’s changed to a 3-1-3-3, trying to push men up in attack. 76 mins: Emperor of Saxony now, plays it into the near post, de Mortain slides in…….saved by Rodolphe. 78 mins: Emperor of Saxony again, this time he heads it on to Crispin, delays, shoots, but the delay gave a defender enough time to deflect the shot behind. Now Henry is making a change, Ranulf of Bayeux is coming off to be replaced by Robert of Gloucester. 81 mins: Here is William Crispin, still Crispin, takes on another, now he shoots………..BRILLIANT GOAL! 1-0 to Robert and the scores are level on aggregate. The substitution worked perfectly. 87 mins: Here’s the Emperor again, he’s played another fine ball for Crispin, oh he’s throught, here’s a chance to win the game outright and save the throne of England…………what a save from Rodolphe. He had to get that absolutely right and he did. 91 mins: Final whistle. It has ended 1-0 to Robert, which means the aggregate score is 3-3 so we go into sudden death time. Up until 70 minutes, when Robert made that bold change, the game was a stalemate. After that is really came to life, and Robert could have won the game outright. SUDDEN DEATH: 96 mins: William de Mortain crosses the ball in for the Emperor………who can only head over. 97 mins: Robert de Stutteville with a corner, de Mortain with the header, well saved by Rodolphe. 102 mins: Duke Henry with a foul on Henry V. Now this is a chance for Robert. Direct free-kick, just outside the area. Robert de Stutteville steps up, tries to curl one…….but it’s well saved by Rodolphe yet again. It’s been all Robert in this sudden death period. 120 mins: Oh, here’s a chance for Henry, de Grandsmesnil with the header down, de Montfort is through…….he shoots, well saved by d’Aunay, but the rebound falls to FitzHaimo….who puts it over. What a waste of a golden opportunity. 122 mins: William de Warenne has the ball now, 30 yards out, he shoots from range, oh, the keepers beaten………but the ball comes back off of the post, where’s it going, the keepers stranded, Edgar of Scotland must score……….he does! He knocks the ball into an empty net and the King of Scotland secures the throne of England for the Duke of Normandy. Final whistle: Henry 1-1 Robert Henry wins 4-3 on aggregate (King Edgar 122; Crispin 81) Henry: Rodolphe 8 – Evreux 6, Duke Henry 8, Bayeux 6 (Rob. Of Gloucester 5), Alan Ct. Of Brittany 6 – King Edgar 7, de Grandsmesnil 7, de Warenne jr 6, de Beaumont 7 – de Montfort 7, FitzHaimo 6 Robert: d’Aunay 6 – de Clare 7, King Robert 6, Edgar Atheling 6 (Henry V, HRE 7), Stephen of Blois 6 – Prince William 7 – de Stutteville 7, Emperor of Saxony 7, de Belleme 6 – de Mortain 8, Crispin 7 Quote:
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WILLIAM Reigned 1066-1087 ROBERT Reigned 1087-1106 HENRY Reigning 1106 And as for Robert’s accomplishments as king: Played 2: Won: 0 Drawn: 1 Lost: 1 For: 3 Against 4 Vs Henry, Duke of Normandy, Bayeux: Lost 3-2 Vs Henry, Duke of Normandy, Tinchebrai: Drew 1-1 (after sudden death) ================================================== ============================================= The year of our Lord, 1107 In this year, the King of Scotland, Edgar, who had so spectacularly assured Henry the throne of England, did pass away. He was succeeded by his brother, Alexander. The year of our Lord, 1118 This year brought about much sadness as Matilda of Scotland, wife of King Henry died in May. The year of our Lord, 1119 Ever since the death of his father, William the Conqueror, when Henry was left with nothing in terms of land, Henry had dreamed of one day commanding all that his father had owned and more. The death of his brother William had given him his father’s precious duchy of Normandy, and by beating his brother Robert at Tinchebrai he had now the throne of England as well as the duchy. He frequently spoke of how he would like to Quote:
King Henry of England: GK Ralph, Archbishop of Canterbury GK Ottuel, brother of Richard, Earl of Chester DF King Henry DF Richard de Clare DF Robert, Earl of Gloucester DF Stephen, Count of Blois DF Richard, Earl of Chester MF Robert de Beaumont MF William de Warenne jr MF Prince David of Scotland (heir to the Scottish throne) MF Prince William of England (heir to the English throne, only legitimate son of Henry) MF Roger de Caen, Bishop of Salisbury MF Thierry of Alsace MF William Bigod MF Eustace of Boulogne (father in law of Stephen of Blois) CF Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor CF Malcolm, Earl of Ross (son of Alexander I, King of Scotland) CF King Alexander of Scotland (both brother in law and son in law of King Henry) CF Henry de Beaumont, Earl of Warwick The French king must have been either surprised by Henry’s imminent arrival, confident in picking a small squad, or unable to find enough good men (the traditional view was that he was surprised, but recent work has argued it was more complacency/confidence on his part.) His 14 man squad lined up as follows: GK Baldwin VII, Count of Flanders GK William, Earl of Ponthieu DF Edgar Atheling (surely his last stand??!!!) DF Arnulf of Montgomery (brother of Robert de Belleme, and thus long time opponent of Henry) DF Roger the Poitevin (brother of Robert de Belleme, and thus long time opponent of Henry) DF Philippe, the step brother of Louis MF William Clito (son of the imprisoned King Robert of England) MF Lothair, Emperor of Saxony MF Robert de Belleme (returns from exile to oppose Henry once again.) MF Charles, brother of Baldwin of Flanders MF Baldwin II of Jerusalem CF Louis VI, King of France CF Abbé Suger (the king’s most loyal servant.) CF Fulk V, Count of Anjou The pitch was then set, and Henry’s first engagement as King of England was set to begin. Both men had much to lose from the game. This was a match between effectively Normandy and France. The winner would basically control the two domains, but whatever the outcome, Henry would remain as King of England… Brémule, 1119: King Henry of England, Duke of Normandy v King Louis VI of France Henry was going to stick to 4-4-2, as he had back at Tinchebrai: GK Archbishop Ralph RB Richard de Clare CB King Henry (c) CB Stephen of Blois LB Robert of Gloucester RM Eustace of Boulogne CM William de Warenne CM Prince William of England LM Henry of Warwick CF King Alexander of Scotland CF Malcolm, Earl of Ross Subs: Richard, Earl of Chester, Ottuel, Robert de Beaumont, Roger of Salisbury, Prince David of Scotland. The French king named his side he was playing a sweeper 4-1-3-2 system: GK William of Ponthieu SW Edgar Atheling CB Arnulf of Montgomery CB Roger the Poitevin CB Phillipe DMC Charles of Flanders LM Emperor of Saxony AMC Baldwin II of Jerusalem RM Robert de Belleme CF Louis VI (c) CF Fulk V, Count of Anjou Subs: William Clito, Baldwin VII of Flanders, Abbé Suger 3 minutes: Prince William has committed a foul on Baldwin of Jerusalem, oh he’s been given a yellow card. 9 minutes: Malcolm of Ross with the ball, he passes it short for his father Alexander, who shoots, but he’s put it wide. 13 minutes: Prince William could be in trouble, he’s fouled Edgar Atheling, and what’s the decision, yes, he’s being booked again, and he’s off, after just 13 minutes. Henry is down to ten men, what a disastrous start for the King of England. 14 minutes: Another booking for the English/Norman side as this time Henry of Warwick goes in late on King Louis. 24 minutes: Edgar Atheling is booked for a foul on de Warenne. 31 minutes: At last, some notable action to talk about, here is Louis VI with a deft header on, what a chance for Baldwin of Jerusalem…..but he’s lofted it over the bar. 32 minutes: Here come the French again, the Count of Anjou heads it on, Louis VI is through on goal, and he rounds the keeper……and tucks the ball away. 1-0 to the French as the king gives them the lead. 43 minutes: Here is Louis again, he goes for one from long range……..oh, he’s hit the bar, and King Henry is able to clear the ball to safety. 46 minutes: Half time is called, and my word, Henry looks absolutely furious to be trailing at the break, but I wonder what he will say to his son after his sending off on just 13 minutes???? Update to here SECOND HALF: 47 minutes: It’s the French who have come out after half time the stronger, now here’s Louis again, slides it through for Anjou……….but he shoots wide; he really should have done better there. 52 minutes: Henry is making a change. Robert de Beaumont is coming on for the Earl of Ross. Interesting, he’s pushing a midfielder on for a striker to try and stop the French onslaught. 57 minutes: The Earl of Warwick now on the left, still going, now he slides it across, what a great chance for King Alexander………..oh, how did he miss? I can’t help thinking his father would have scored that one.* 62 minutes: Corner to France. Swung in by the Emperor of Saxony, Phillipe makes the header, it’s blocked, but the ball is loose in the area, Louis gets there first…..and pokes it home. 2-0 to the French. 63 minutes: The French are on the attack once again, here is a free kick, swung in, Baldwin of Jerusalem with the header……..just over the bar. 65 minutes: Eustace of Boulogne with this corner for the English, in it comes, onto the head of Stephen of Blois………….over. Henry is making another change as he desperately tries to get back into the game. Robert de Caen, Bishop of Salisbury is coming on to replace the King of Scotland – he must be regretting that miss now. Henry is now playing a 4-3-1-1 system with Henry of Warwick upfront. 66 minutes: But for the moment the French remain in the ascendancy, here is a corner, onto the head of Baldwin of Jerusalem……..fine save from the Archbishop of Canterbury there. 72 minutes: Louis VI has been booked for arguing with the referee. 80 minutes: The match is looking increasingly likely to go the French now, although Baldwin of Jerusalem has just fouled King Henry. He is booked. 87 minutes: The Count of Anjou plays the ball through to Baldwin of Jerusalem, he’s through, he shoots, well saved Ralph, but the rebound…………it’s there, Baldwin has made the game safe! 3-0 to the French now and there’s no coming back for Henry. Normandy is lost. 88 minutes: But they haven’t completely given up, cross comes in, de Warenne with the header………….tipped over by William of Ponthieu. 90 minutes: Nearly all over now, here’s Henry of Warwick, he tries one from long-range……oh he’s hit the post and it’s cleared. 92 minutes: And it’s all over. Here at Brémule, the French, led from the front by Louis VI who scored two goals have overcome the challenging English to take control of Normandy. *His father was Edgar of Scotland who scored the winning goal at Tinchebrai, which gave Henry the throne of England and condemned the king of England, Robert, to life imprisonment. Louis VI 3-0 Henry Louis VI 32, 62, Baldwin of Jerusalem 87 Louis VI: William of Ponthieu 6 – Edgar Atheling 8 – Arnulf 7, Roger 8, Philippe 8 – Charles of Flanders 8 – Emperor of Saxony 7, de Belleme 7 – Baldwin of Jerusalem 9 – Louis VI 9, Fulk of Anjou 8 Henry: Ralph 6 – Robert of Gloucester 6, Henry 7, Stephen of Blois 6, de Clare 7 – Henry of Warwick 7, de Warenne jr 6, Prince William 6, Eustace 6 – Earl of Ross 6, King Alexander 6 Subs: Robert de Beaumont (on 52 for Malcolm, Earl of Ross): 6 Roger, Bishop of Salisbury (on 65 for Alexander): 6 Henry was devastated after the loss, and once the treaty had been signed between the two kings sealing the fate of Normandy he hastily arranged a small number of men and set sail for home, leaving the others to follow as and when they felt it necessary. Of those who were left, Stephen of Blois had this to say: Quote:
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OK, for those of you who haven't read the start of 1066 and all that... here follows the briefiest of brief resumés so you sort of know where you are.
Even those with virtually no grounding in history ought to know what 1066 represents but this is a bit different. Yes, William, Duke of Normandy and Harold II, King of England opposed each other but they set a precedent by instead of going through the normal bloodshed of a fully fledged battle they played a game of football to decide the outcome. William and the Normans won by 5 goals to 3 to secure the throne of England and here's the results of all the games, bringing us up to date with where the story has got to: REIGN OF HAROLD II (1066) Hastings, 1066: Anglo Saxons (capt = Harold II) 3-5 The Normans (William, Duke of Normandy) REIGN OF WILLIAM I (1066-1087) Chester, 1067: The Normans (King William) 2-1 Welsh and Southern Rebels (Eustace of Boulogne) Northumberland, 1068: The Normans (Earl Brian) 2-0 Northumberland Rebels (Edgar Atheling) Northumberland, 1069: The Normans (King William) 6-0 Northumberland Rebels (Edgar Atheling) Ely, 1070: The Normans (King William) 2-0 Hereward's Rebels (Hereward the Wake) Ely, 1071: The Normans (King William) 3-0 Hereward's Rebels (Hereward the Wake) Durham, 1072: The Normans (Richard FitzGilbert) 3-0 The Scots (Edgar Atheling) Maine, 1073: Maine Rebels (Mathieu de Besançon) 0-3 The Normans (King William) Gateshead, 1080: The Normans (King William) 2-0 Gateshead Rebels (Rebri) SUCCESSION PLAY-OFF GAMES London, 1085: Robert Curthose 1-0 William Rufus Winchester, 1085: Robert Curthose 1-1 William Rufus Selby, 1085: Robert Curthose 2-0 William Rufus *Robert Curthose won the series 2-0 and thus acceded to the throne on the death of his father in 1087, William Rufus gaining the Dukedom of Normandy instead. REIGN OF ROBERT (1087-1106) Bayeux, 1106: King Robert 2-3 Duke Henry of Normandy Tinchebrai, 1106: King Robert 1-1 Duke Henry of Normandy Robert's younger brother had taken over Normandy on the death of William Rufus in 1100 and then challenged his brother for the throne of England. He won with a golden goal from the King of Scotland, imprisoned his brother and took over control of England and Normandy. REIGN OF HENRY (1106-1135) Brémule, 1119: King Henry 0-3 Louis, King of France In the only meaningful match of his reign, Henry lost his possessions in Normandy as his team collapsed to a stronger French side, not being helped by the early red card to the heir to the throne, William Adelin. The father-son relationship was always strained from that day on, but on Henry's death in 1135, William acceded without any major problems. But it couldn't last... |
Loved reading this on TD, KUTGW JP :y:
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It's bloody different. Still it's quite good.
KUTGW :y: |
The year of our Lord, 1134
In this year, Robert, formerly King Robert of England did die in his cell at Cardiff Castle. The year of our Lord, 1135 This year saw the unfortunate and untimely death of our much loved king and former Duke of Normandy, Henry Beauclerc. He was succeeded by his son William Adelin, even though relations between the two had been very poor for several years. Henry, and many of the barons blamed him for the loss of Normandy in 1119, yet agreed not to challenge his accession. However, it wasn’t long before murmurs of intrigues and conspiracies to oust the new King were heard in all parts of the kingdom. Depending on who you listened to, he was going to abdicate in favour of his sister Matilda, be poisoned by his half brother Robert, Earl of Gloucester or be overthrown by the Scots. It had probably not helped his cause that he had made no plans to try and win back the Normandy he had helped to lose. Before long, rival factions began to develop at court. Stephen of Blois, nephew of King Henry was seen by many to be a better option as king and he had several powerful magnates supporting him. William de Warenne (the third), three members of the massively powerful de Clare family were two examples. However, supporting William were the Scots, the Angevins and Robert and Rainald, the two most powerful illegitimate sons of Henry I. The year of our Lord, 1141 William ruled in this tense and hard environment for 6 long years before things all came to a head when Stephen and other nobles departed for Boulogne and the Continent in early 1141. They were surely going to return with a team and make an outright bid for the throne. Civil war was, as feared, about to become a reality. He returned in the autumn with this team of men: Goalkeepers Geoffrey de Mandeville – Earl of Essex, and close friend of Stephen Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester – brother of Stephen Defenders Stephen of Blois – played at Tinchebrai, now captains his own challenge for the English throne Eustace of Boulogne – eldest son of Stephen Hugh Bigod – close ally of Stephen, the man who assured him safe passage back to England William of Ypres – An illegitimate descendant of the Duke of Flanders Richard de Clare – 2nd Earl of Pembroke, also known as ‘Strongbow’ Midfielders Robert, Bishop of Bath – can also play as a forward Robert of Meulan, Earl of Leicester William, Count of Aumale William de Warenne – the third Earl of Surrey, like his father and grandfather, a defensive midfielder Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Hertford Strikers Baldwin de Clare, Sheriff of Devonshire Richard FitzUrse, an illegitimate grandson-in-law of King Henry I Count Waleran – hails from the de Beaumont family, a half brother of the Count of Meulan And this is the team that King William had raised in opposition: Goalkeepers Geoffrey of Anjou – powerful continental baron, wife of Matilda, sister of the king Ranulf of Chester – long-time ally of the King Defenders Robert, Earl of Gloucester – Henry I’s most famous illegitimate son he too played at Brémule, alongside William and Stephen Theobald of Bec, Archbishop of Canterbury William of Roumare, Earl of Lincoln Henry of Normandy – eldest son of Geoffrey of Anjou, nephew of the king and therefore a strong contender to become King should William remain childless William of Poitou – brother of Henry of Normandy Midfielders King William II – blamed by many for the loss of Normandy, now he is King of England and has to defend his throne King David I – King of Scotland, fought alongside William at Brémule Geoffrey of Anjou jr – third son of Geoffrey of Anjou and Matilda William of Cahagnes Cadwaladr – one of the two Welsh leaders on whose support William has turned to Forwards Henry, Earl of Northumberland and Huntingdon – son of King David of Scotland Maredudd – brother of Cadwaladr and Welsh leader Rainald, Earl of Cornwall – the second most famous illegitimate son of Henry I |
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And so it was that the two teams met up at Lincoln, and announced the following teams.
WILLIAM II GK: Ranulf of Chester RB: Theobald, Archishop of canterbury CB: William of Poitou CB: Robert, Earl of Gloucester LB: William de Roumare RM: King William II (c) CM: King David I of Scotland LM: Cadwaladr AMC: Geoffrey of Anjou jr FC: Maredudd FC: Henry of Huntingdon Subs: Geoffrey of Anjou (GK), Henry of Normandy, Rainald of Cornwall, William of Cahagnes STEPHEN GK: Geoffrey de Mandeville RB: William of Ypres CB: Stephen of Blois (c) CB: Richard de Clare LB: Hugh Bigod DMC: William de Warenne AML: Robert, Earl of Leicester AMC: Gilbert de Clare AMR: William of Aumale FC: Count Waleran FC: Richard FitzUrse Subs: Bishop Henry (GK), Eustace of Boulogne, Baldwin de Clare, Bishop Robert King William II vs Stephen of Blois, Lincoln, 1141 8 minutes: King William has done well to set up Henry of Huntingdon here who shoots low, but straight at Geoffrey de Mandeville. 19 minutes: The Kings forces are threatening again here, flick on from Geoffrey of Anjou, Henry of Huntingdon goes for the volley.......but he's put it wide. 20 minutes: Maredudd has set off on a run now, he's well tackled by Stephen of Blois, but the ball falls to Geoffrey of Anjou.............who shoots wide. Unlucky; it's all William at the moment. 25 minutes: Now Stephen's team is threatening for the first time, it's Richard FitzUrse in the box, tries a pot-shot at goal, well parried by Ranulf of Chester and Robert of Gloucester is on hand to clear the danger. 26 minutes: Now up the other end, Henry of Huntingdon, back to Geoffrey of Anjou out wide now, he swings in a cross, King David is there with the header...........great save from de Mandeville but he can't hold it, Henry of Huntingdon is left with a simple finish, and makes no mistake. The King of England has the lead. WILLIAM II 1-0 STEPHEN OF BLOIS Henry of Huntingdon 26 32 minutes: Robert of Leicester has the ball now, he plays a fine long ball over the King's midfield, Count Waleran is onto hit, he tries the early shot..........but it's gone over. 34 minutes: Now de Warenne with the ball, chips it forward for Waleran, but he heads softly towards goal. No problem for Ranulf there. HALF TIME: WILLIAM II 1-0 STEPHEN OF BLOIS |
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Absolute classic :humb: and :humb: again!
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Thanks for the comments everyone, and now for the second half of the Battle of Lincoln:
Stephen is looking to make a change here, Robert, Bishop of Bath is coming on to replace Gilbert de Clare in the midfield. 46 minutes: Straightaway a chance for Stephen, William of Aumale tries one from long range.........but it goes just over the bar. 49 minutes: Great work here by Henry of Huntingdon, King David and William de Roumare, now Henry has it in the box............shoots wide. 55 minutes: William of Aumale has the ball now, he slips it to Warenne, who sets off on a run. He's in space here, here comes William de Roumare to tackle, oh he's gone past him as if he wasn't there, now he looks to shoot from just outside the box..............fantastic goal from William de Warenne, he's levelled the match. WILLIAM II 1-1 STEPHEN OF BLOIS William de Warenne 55 60 minutes: Bishop Robert has looked lively since he came on, now he takes on William of Poitou, goes past him, sells de Roumare a dummy and glides past, he's still going, Archbishop Theobald pushes him wide but can't get the ball, Robert shoots from the angle.........AND IT'S IN! A stunning solo effort and the substitute has put Stephen in front. WILLIAM II 1-2 STEPHEN OF BLOIS Robert, Bishop of Bath 60 72 minutes: William's team finally getting back into the game, here's King David with a hopeful shot, but it's easily saved by Geoffrey de Mandeville. 76 minutes: William is understandaly making some changes now, on are coming Henry of Normandy and Rainald of Cornwall to replace William of Poitou and Maredudd. He needs something to happen if he is to retain his throne. 77 minutes: Free kick to Stephen. William of Aumale drifts it in, header from Robert of Leicester..........and it's there. Just what William didn't need, as soon as he made his substitutions, Stephen's team scores. WILLIAM II 1-3 STEPHEN OF BLOIS Robert, Earl of Leicester 77 84 minutes: William de Warenne wins the ball just outside the box, well tackled though by Henry of Normandy, now William of Aumale wins the loose ball, threads it through to Bishop Robert, what a chance to seal the game and the throne.........he does!!! Unmarked, he simply stroked the ball home. WILLIAM II 1-4 STEPHEN OF BLOIS Robert, Bishop of Bath 84 88 minutes: Here's the Bishop of Bath again, he sets up Aumale for a shooting chance, but he volleys wide. 93 minutes: The final whistle, and Stephen of Blois has successfully beaten William II and will take the throne of England. A deserved victory, especially since they came from a goal down. William of Aumale and Robert, Bishop of Bath were outstanding. WILLIAM II 1-4 STEPHEN OF BLOIS (Henry of Huntingdon 26 // de Warenne 55, Bishop Robert 60, 84, Robert of Leicester 77) WILLIAM II: Ranulf of Chester 6 - Theobald 6, de Roumare 8, Robert of Gloucester 7, William of Poitou 6 (sub 76) - King William 7, King David 6, Cadwaladr 6 - Geoffrey of Anjou jr 6 - Maredudd 6 (sub 76), Henry of Huntingdon 8 Subs: Henry of Normandy (on 76 for William of Poitou) 6 Rainald of Cornwall (on 76 for Maredudd) 6 STEPHEN OF BLOIS: de Mandeville 8 - William of Ypres 7, Hugh Bigod 8, Richard de Clare 7, Stephen of Blois 8 - de Warenne 7 - Robert of Leicester 8, William of Aumale 10, Gilbert de Clare 6 (sub 46) - Count Waleran 8, Richard FitzUrse 8 Sub: Robert, Bishop of Bath (on 46 for Gilbert de Clare) 9 Stephen and his victorious team marched to London where he was warmly received and crowned shortly after his arrival. William and his team had agreed not to challenge his rule in return for their freedom, which Stephen was more than happy to agree with. He was confident, that any such challenge would be dealt with in a similar manner to this one. His victory speech underlined how they felt about the outgoing king. Quote:
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Thus, the Kings of England now read like this:
HAROLD II 1066 WILLIAM I 1066-1087 ROBERT 1087-1106 HENRY 1106-1135 WILLIAM II 1135-1141 STEPHEN 1141- |
I did hope this thread might be about that excellent book, youknow, the one featuring two genuine dates....
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Good stuff, very original.
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:hail:
We're talking years ago this was started, 2004 or so. On the old board I believe. Good to read it again even if it did come to a shuddering halt three years ago. |
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