Ferrers Family |
||
|
Walkelin de Ferrers. 1010-1089 Robert de Ferrers. 1062-1139. Earl of Derby. Robert de Ferrers. 1100-1160. Earl of Derby. William de Ferrers. 1140-1157. Earl of Derby. William de Ferrers. 1162- 22Sept1247. Earl of Derby. William de Ferrers 1200-24 Mar1254. Earl of Derby. John Ferrers - William I 'The Conqueror' King Of England, Duke of Normandy was the first Norman king of England. He inherited Normandy at the age of eight. During his youth, there were many disorders. At the age of 20, he put down a great rebellion at the battle of Val-es-dunes, which he won with the aid of his lord, King Henry of France. From that time on, William ruled Normandy with an iron hand. In 1051, William visited England. King Edward the Confessor granted him the succession to the English throne as his nearset adult heir. In 1064, Harold, Edward's brother-in-law, was shipwrecked on the Norman coast and was taken prisoner. He promised to support William's claim to the throne in return for his freedom. But when Edward died in 1066, Harold obtained the succession on the basis of a deathbed grant by Edward and election by the nobles and prelates of England. William immediately invaded England. His expedition had the pope's blessings, because William was expected to depose the Anglo-Saxon archbishop of Canterbury and introduce ecclesiastical reforms. Before William could sail, the king of Norway invaded northern England. King Harold hurried north and defeated the Norwegian invaders at Stamford Bridge. William landed before Harold could return to defend the coast. The Normans destroyed the Anglo-Saxon army and killed Harold at the Battle of Hastings. On Christmas Day, 1066, William was crowned king William then suppressed local rebellions. He took lands from those who resisted him, and gave them to his followers to hold in return for their military service to him. To emphasize the legitimacy of his crown, William confirmed the laws of Edward the Confessor and retained all the powers of the Anglo-Saxon monarchy. He levied Danegeld, the only national tax on landed property in all of Europe at that time. At Salisbury in 1086, he made all the landholders, even the vassals of his barons, swear allegiance directly to him as king. William was devout, firm in purpose, and unchanging in gaining his ends. His greatest monument is Domesday Book, an exhaustive survey of the land, the principal landholders, the farm population, and the material and financial resources of his realm Henry I 'Beauclerc' King Of England succeeded his brother, William II, in 1100. Henry helped unite the Saxons and Normans in England. To gain the favor of his Saxon subjects, he married Matilda, daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland and his Saxon wife Margaret. During his reign, Henry worked to restrain the growing power of the barons. He promoted the Norman system of centralized rule and gave the royal courts greater authority. His wars against rebellious nobles in France helped start a feeling of English nationalism
|
||
|
|