2nd August: William II

On this date in 1100 the second Norman king of England, William II, aged 44, was killed by an archer in the New Forest. 10 facts about him:

1. William II was the third son of William the Conqueror. His exact date of birth isn't known, but was probably between the years 1056 and 1060.
2. He was known as William Rufus. Rufus is Latin for Red. He was described as having a ruddy complexion by William of Malmesbury in the 12^th century, with Yellow hair. It's possible his hair was red when he was a child, another possible source of the nickname. William of Malmesbury goes on to say that William II had “different coloured eyes, varying with certain glittering specks; of astonishing strength, though not very tall, and his belly rather projecting.”
3. He had three brothers and possibly as many as six sisters. The eldest son, Richard, was killed while hunting in the New Forest. The second son, Robert, inherited Normandy, so William ended up inheriting the English throne. He also had a younger brother, Henry. Contemporary accounts suggest the brothers didn't always get along and played pranks on each other. On one occasion William and Henry were said to have emptied a chamber pot on their elder brother Robert's head from an upper gallery, which resulted in a brawl which had to be broken up by their father.
4. In 1088, his uncle Odo of Bayeux attempted to oust William in favour of his elder brother Robert, but Robert didn't show up to make a claim on the throne, so he got nowhere. William, in turn, waged war against his brother in Normandy, and defeated him. Robert went off to join the crusades and mortgaged Normandy to William. William paid for it with taxpayer's money, which made him unpopular with his subjects.
5. He also made enemies of the church – he'd leave bishoprics vacant so he could keep the money and had bitter arguments with Anselm, who was Archbishop of Canterbury at the time. When Anselm went to Rome to seek the Pope's advice, William seized all his land.
6. He had skirmishes with the king of Scotland, Malcolm III, who he eventually defeated and killed at the Battle of Alnwick.
7. The fact William never married, despite the fact there would have been pressure on him to do so and produce an heir, and there would have been no shortage of marriage proposals, and the fact he never took a mistress, either, has led to speculation that he may have been gay. The other explanation would be that he'd taken a vow of celibacy, but he was known for his disdain of the church and arguments with religious leaders, making that explanation less likely. What's more, William of Malmesbury described William II's court as being full of effeminate young men.
8. William died as a result of being shot through the lung by an arrow while hunting in the New Forest, probably close to the town of Brockenhurst on what is now part of the Beaulieu estate. Accounts say he was shot by one of his own men, but the circumstances are unclear. One contemporary account said it was an accident and the fatal arrow had bounced off a tree. William's men abandoned the body for a peasant to find. Historians think it entirely possible he was assassinated, possibly by his own brother, Henry, who was part of the hunting party, and since William had never married or had children, was next in line for the throne. Since Henry rode straight to Winchester to seize the treasury, as an usurping king would do, rather than stick around to mourn his brother, suspicion naturally fell on him.
9. The spot where William II fell is marked with a stone called the Rufus Stone.
10. He is buried in Winchester Cathedral. His Skull is missing.

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