1 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:04,440 Speaker 1: Welcome to Noble Blood, a production of I Heart Radio 2 00:00:04,640 --> 00:00:11,200 Speaker 1: and Grim and Mild from Aaron Mankey listener discretion advised. Hey, 3 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:13,760 Speaker 1: this is Danish Wartz, the host of Noble Blood. A 4 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:17,200 Speaker 1: few quick announcements before I start. So you probably know 5 00:00:17,360 --> 00:00:19,960 Speaker 1: that I wrote a book called Anatomy, a love story 6 00:00:20,160 --> 00:00:22,799 Speaker 1: you know, available now wherever books are sold. But there's 7 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:26,880 Speaker 1: also a sequel coming, Immortality, a love Story. The sequel 8 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:30,280 Speaker 1: to Anatomy is available for preorder. There's a link to 9 00:00:30,360 --> 00:00:33,280 Speaker 1: that in the episode description, and there's also links to 10 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:37,080 Speaker 1: our Patreon and our show merch. On our Patreon, I 11 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:41,600 Speaker 1: upload episode scripts and monthly bonus episodes, and you also 12 00:00:41,680 --> 00:00:44,199 Speaker 1: get a sticker once every season as part of our 13 00:00:44,200 --> 00:00:47,519 Speaker 1: Sticker Club for patrons only and merch. We have amazing 14 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:51,000 Speaker 1: new merch coming this fall, pins brand new t shirts. 15 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:53,200 Speaker 1: Check it all out at d F tb a dot 16 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:56,600 Speaker 1: com slash Noble Blood. But it's all in the descriptions 17 00:00:56,640 --> 00:00:59,760 Speaker 1: just click there. But as always, the best support is 18 00:00:59,800 --> 00:01:02,520 Speaker 1: just sule listening to the show. So thank you so much. 19 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 1: The city of Barfloor sits at the top of the 20 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:19,560 Speaker 1: peninsula that juts out from France towards England. Today a 21 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:23,360 Speaker 1: quaint village with fewer than six hundred people, It was 22 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: in the twelve century a bustling port, one of the 23 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 1: most popular points from which to sail in and out 24 00:01:31,080 --> 00:01:35,480 Speaker 1: of Normandy. It boasts a natural harbor which shelters boats 25 00:01:35,520 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 1: from the wind and waves of the English Channel, and 26 00:01:38,240 --> 00:01:43,200 Speaker 1: it was in that harbor that Thomas Fitzstephen approached Henry, 27 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:46,520 Speaker 1: King of England and Duke of Normandy with an offer. 28 00:01:47,080 --> 00:01:50,880 Speaker 1: It was November eleven, twenty and King Henry was preparing 29 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 1: to return to England, having finally secured his title as 30 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 1: Duke of Normandy by defeating his brother Robert Kutos. Now 31 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:03,240 Speaker 1: Henry and his entourage, along with his finest soldiers, several 32 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:06,760 Speaker 1: of his beloved children, and the who's who of Norman nobility, 33 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 1: were all sailing back to England to celebrate the victory 34 00:02:10,760 --> 00:02:14,200 Speaker 1: and award prizes to those who had supported the cause. 35 00:02:14,800 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 1: After decades of fighting. A palpable sense of relief and 36 00:02:18,639 --> 00:02:22,000 Speaker 1: giddiness could be felt finally, for what felt like the 37 00:02:22,080 --> 00:02:26,400 Speaker 1: first time since Henry's father, William, known as William the Conqueror, 38 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:30,639 Speaker 1: had died in ten eight seven, Peace had come to Normandy. 39 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:35,160 Speaker 1: Glittering noblemen and noble women flooded barfloor as they awaited 40 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:38,720 Speaker 1: the right conditions to sail back to England. The nobleman 41 00:02:38,840 --> 00:02:44,760 Speaker 1: odd local observers with their luxurious clothes and appetite for revelry. 42 00:02:44,800 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 1: Amidst the crowds was a man named Thomas fitz Stephen. 43 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:51,960 Speaker 1: But he wasn't there to party, at least not yet. 44 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:55,119 Speaker 1: He had something else in mind, and for his plan 45 00:02:55,240 --> 00:02:59,240 Speaker 1: to succeed, he needed an audience with the King. Finally 46 00:02:59,280 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 1: attaining one, fitz Stephen made his case. He was a captain, 47 00:03:03,040 --> 00:03:05,720 Speaker 1: he said, in possession of a ship, and he hoped 48 00:03:05,760 --> 00:03:08,600 Speaker 1: to have the honor of sailing the Royal party back 49 00:03:08,639 --> 00:03:12,200 Speaker 1: to England. He wasn't just any captain, he continued, but 50 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 1: the son of Stephen fitzerd, the man who had captained 51 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:19,680 Speaker 1: William the Conqueror's flagship on his invasion of England in 52 00:03:19,760 --> 00:03:23,560 Speaker 1: ten sixty six. And his boat wasn't just any boat, 53 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:27,959 Speaker 1: but a boat befitting royalty. It was built finally from 54 00:03:27,960 --> 00:03:31,680 Speaker 1: the lightest timber, so light to be nearly white, and 55 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:36,240 Speaker 1: so named Blanche nef Or the White Ship. In addition 56 00:03:36,280 --> 00:03:40,160 Speaker 1: to sales, the White Ship had fifty oarsmen, meaning that 57 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:43,680 Speaker 1: no matter the wind condition, it would travel swiftly across 58 00:03:43,760 --> 00:03:47,200 Speaker 1: the channel. King Henry was impressed by fitz Stephen, and 59 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:51,839 Speaker 1: even more impressed by the sleek, shining white ship. Though 60 00:03:51,840 --> 00:03:54,680 Speaker 1: he had already made arrangements for his own ship, he 61 00:03:54,800 --> 00:03:58,520 Speaker 1: told fitz Stephen he would give him another honor. The 62 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:03,040 Speaker 1: white ship, the King said, could carry William Athling, his son, 63 00:04:03,520 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 1: the heir to the throne. Additionally, the King entrusted Fitzstephen 64 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 1: with transporting the treasure that he had collected in Normandy. 65 00:04:12,200 --> 00:04:15,120 Speaker 1: By that evening, the party set to board the white 66 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:18,919 Speaker 1: ship had swelled to nearly three hundred, among them the 67 00:04:19,000 --> 00:04:23,320 Speaker 1: most glamorous young nobles and gallant soldiers of the court. 68 00:04:23,640 --> 00:04:26,839 Speaker 1: The mood was festive, the wine was flowing, and the 69 00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:30,320 Speaker 1: future looked bright. They were heading home to a kingdom 70 00:04:30,400 --> 00:04:33,520 Speaker 1: more powerful and more peaceful than it had been in 71 00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:37,080 Speaker 1: nearly forty years. But they would not find their journey 72 00:04:37,240 --> 00:04:41,920 Speaker 1: smooth sailing. No pun intended, and what happened next as 73 00:04:41,920 --> 00:04:44,640 Speaker 1: the white ship set out into the darkness of the 74 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:49,160 Speaker 1: English Channel, would change the course of English history forever. 75 00:04:50,720 --> 00:05:04,359 Speaker 1: I'm Dana Schwartz, and this is noble blood to contextualize 76 00:05:04,360 --> 00:05:06,440 Speaker 1: the story of the White Ship, will have to go 77 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:10,240 Speaker 1: back more than half a century to December of ten 78 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:14,400 Speaker 1: sixty eight or ten sixty nine, when a baby boy 79 00:05:14,480 --> 00:05:17,880 Speaker 1: was born to William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders. 80 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:20,840 Speaker 1: They named the boy Henry, and he was to be 81 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:25,279 Speaker 1: their last child. William the Conqueror came from the ruling 82 00:05:25,360 --> 00:05:29,160 Speaker 1: family of Normandy, a coastal region in present day France, 83 00:05:29,279 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 1: and he had won the throne of England in ten 84 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:35,520 Speaker 1: sixty six by defeating the Anglo Saxons at the Battle 85 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:40,360 Speaker 1: of Hastings. His impact on English history is nearly unparalleled, 86 00:05:40,560 --> 00:05:43,440 Speaker 1: and physical traces of the Conqueror can still be seen 87 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:46,720 Speaker 1: in London today. For one thing, he built the White Tower, 88 00:05:47,000 --> 00:05:50,719 Speaker 1: the central component of the Tower of London. Henry was 89 00:05:50,800 --> 00:05:53,680 Speaker 1: the only child of William and Matilda to be born 90 00:05:53,800 --> 00:05:56,840 Speaker 1: after his child was crowned, but that didn't confer him 91 00:05:56,880 --> 00:06:00,880 Speaker 1: any special status. As the youngest son, no one expected 92 00:06:00,920 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 1: him to become king. Many expected him to go into 93 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:07,760 Speaker 1: the church, and he was educated accordingly, reaching a level 94 00:06:07,839 --> 00:06:11,920 Speaker 1: of literacy and learning unusual even among noble families of 95 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:18,280 Speaker 1: the time. Henry had three older brothers, Robert Richard and William, 96 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:21,600 Speaker 1: all of whom were more than a decade older than him. 97 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:24,719 Speaker 1: Robert was the eldest and was known throughout his life 98 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:27,839 Speaker 1: as Curtos, a nickname given to him by his father 99 00:06:28,040 --> 00:06:31,440 Speaker 1: on account of his short legs. In a typical example 100 00:06:31,560 --> 00:06:36,800 Speaker 1: of kindly medieval parenting, Richard, the second brother, died in 101 00:06:36,839 --> 00:06:40,479 Speaker 1: a hunting accident as a teenager. The third son, William, 102 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:44,040 Speaker 1: was called Rufus, from the Latin word for red, because 103 00:06:44,040 --> 00:06:47,680 Speaker 1: of his red hair and ruddy complexion. Robert Cutos was 104 00:06:47,760 --> 00:06:52,200 Speaker 1: brash and arrogant and frequently clashed with his father, constantly 105 00:06:52,240 --> 00:06:57,120 Speaker 1: demanding more power and money. William the Conqueror favored Rufus instead, 106 00:06:57,279 --> 00:07:00,440 Speaker 1: and as the rule of primo janitor passing the crown 107 00:07:00,440 --> 00:07:03,760 Speaker 1: onto the eldest son was not yet custom in England, 108 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:06,880 Speaker 1: he began to groom Rufus, his third son, for the 109 00:07:07,000 --> 00:07:11,120 Speaker 1: role of king. To pacify Kurtos, his oldest son, William 110 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:15,560 Speaker 1: named him co Regent of Normandy alongside his mother. In 111 00:07:15,560 --> 00:07:19,400 Speaker 1: this way, William could keep control of his two territories, 112 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:24,400 Speaker 1: England and Normandy, within the family while keeping Robert Kurtis 113 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:27,960 Speaker 1: out of his way. In England, but Curtis was not satisfied, 114 00:07:28,080 --> 00:07:31,440 Speaker 1: wanting to rule formally and on his own. In the 115 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:35,440 Speaker 1: late ten seventies, Kurtis began a series of revolts against 116 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:39,400 Speaker 1: William of Normandy, which continued until the Queen negotiated a 117 00:07:39,480 --> 00:07:43,160 Speaker 1: piece between father and son in ten eighty. The piece 118 00:07:43,200 --> 00:07:46,960 Speaker 1: held until her death in ten eighty three, at which 119 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:51,040 Speaker 1: point the fighting resumed. Curtis and William were still at 120 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:55,400 Speaker 1: war when William died in September ten eight seven, as 121 00:07:55,440 --> 00:07:58,800 Speaker 1: a result of a wound he suffered while fighting the French. 122 00:07:59,400 --> 00:08:01,360 Speaker 1: I want to know here that you'll hear a lot 123 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:04,800 Speaker 1: about the Normans and the French in this episode, which 124 00:08:04,840 --> 00:08:09,280 Speaker 1: may seem confusing since Normandy is in France. I'll explain. 125 00:08:09,720 --> 00:08:13,280 Speaker 1: Normandy at the time was a Duchy of France, meaning 126 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:16,360 Speaker 1: that its rulers were vassals to the King of France. 127 00:08:16,840 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 1: But after William the Conqueror became King of England in 128 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:24,240 Speaker 1: ten sixty six, he became the French King's equal as 129 00:08:24,280 --> 00:08:26,720 Speaker 1: a king in his own right, while he was still 130 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:30,160 Speaker 1: a subject of the French king as Duke of Normandy. 131 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:33,960 Speaker 1: The growing power of the Norman's scared the French king, 132 00:08:34,080 --> 00:08:36,720 Speaker 1: who began a series of wars in an effort to 133 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:40,320 Speaker 1: weaken the duchy and take its territory. So that's how 134 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:43,880 Speaker 1: William ended up fighting the French in Normandy. In early 135 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:47,679 Speaker 1: September ten eighty seven, while attacking the city of mont 136 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 1: William's horse abruptly stopped and the pommel of his saddle 137 00:08:51,679 --> 00:08:54,600 Speaker 1: hit him hard in the stomach, causing it would soon 138 00:08:54,720 --> 00:08:59,360 Speaker 1: become clear a fatal internal injury. As William lay dying 139 00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:02,280 Speaker 1: in the Pride area of Saint Gervais, he debated how 140 00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:04,760 Speaker 1: to divide the lands that he had spent his whole 141 00:09:04,760 --> 00:09:08,800 Speaker 1: life fighting for. At several points he considered disinheriting the 142 00:09:08,920 --> 00:09:13,160 Speaker 1: troublesome Curtis altogether, but his Norman lords persuaded him to 143 00:09:13,360 --> 00:09:16,560 Speaker 1: keep the eldest, Robert Curtos, as duke so as to 144 00:09:16,640 --> 00:09:20,040 Speaker 1: maintain order in the duchy. William gave in, but he 145 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:23,560 Speaker 1: stood firm on his plans to give Rufus, now his 146 00:09:23,679 --> 00:09:29,760 Speaker 1: second son, the throne of England. Henry, the youngest son, 147 00:09:30,120 --> 00:09:33,080 Speaker 1: was at his father's side as he grew weaker, he 148 00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:37,880 Speaker 1: inquired cautiously about what he might hope to inherit. William 149 00:09:37,960 --> 00:09:42,080 Speaker 1: bestowed upon his youngest son five thousand pounds of silver, 150 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:46,720 Speaker 1: but no lands or titles. When William finally died on 151 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:51,040 Speaker 1: September nine, it began a period of uncertainty for the 152 00:09:51,120 --> 00:09:54,960 Speaker 1: Anglo Norman realm. Though the throne of England did go 153 00:09:55,080 --> 00:09:58,480 Speaker 1: to Rufus as William wished, it would not be a 154 00:09:58,559 --> 00:10:03,400 Speaker 1: smooth transition. Curtis, as ever, wanted more, and the two 155 00:10:03,440 --> 00:10:08,079 Speaker 1: brothers quickly went to war. The youngest son, Henry, meanwhile, 156 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:11,599 Speaker 1: used part of his inheritance to buy land in Normandy 157 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:15,240 Speaker 1: from Robert Kurtos, who was perpetually in debt, and then 158 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:18,600 Speaker 1: he sailed to England to petition Rufus for lands that 159 00:10:18,679 --> 00:10:22,800 Speaker 1: he believed his mother had left him. Rufus rejected Henry's claims, 160 00:10:23,000 --> 00:10:25,840 Speaker 1: so the young prince sailed back to Normandy, at which 161 00:10:25,880 --> 00:10:29,160 Speaker 1: point Robert Curtos accused him of being a spy sent 162 00:10:29,240 --> 00:10:32,720 Speaker 1: by Rufus and had him imprisoned for six months until 163 00:10:32,800 --> 00:10:36,280 Speaker 1: Henry could pay bail. Henry then tried to return to England, 164 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:39,480 Speaker 1: but Rufus rebuffed him, thinking he was perhaps a spy 165 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:43,800 Speaker 1: for Kurtos. Forced to choose between the lesser of two brothers, 166 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:49,000 Speaker 1: Henry reluctantly aligned himself with Kurtos. In ten ninety one, 167 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:52,840 Speaker 1: after four years of fighting, Rufus and Kurtos signed a 168 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:56,040 Speaker 1: peace treaty, promising not to fight one another and to 169 00:10:56,160 --> 00:11:00,280 Speaker 1: be one another's successor should they die without a legitimate son, 170 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:05,240 Speaker 1: thus keeping England and Normandy under the family rule. Henry 171 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:08,880 Speaker 1: was left out of this treaty completely except for one provision. 172 00:11:09,040 --> 00:11:11,920 Speaker 1: Curtis would take the lands Henry had bought from him 173 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:15,920 Speaker 1: in ten Henry fought this decision, holding up in the 174 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:19,720 Speaker 1: monastery at Mont St. Michel until Kurtis and Rufus's troops 175 00:11:19,920 --> 00:11:25,199 Speaker 1: starved him out. In March. Curtis banished Henry from Normandy, 176 00:11:25,320 --> 00:11:28,680 Speaker 1: and his whereabouts for the next year are unknown, though 177 00:11:28,760 --> 00:11:32,640 Speaker 1: he is said to have been spotted in Paris. In 178 00:11:32,720 --> 00:11:36,760 Speaker 1: ten two, Henry returned to Normandy to free the people 179 00:11:36,880 --> 00:11:40,080 Speaker 1: of the County of Domfront from their tyrannical lord, Roger 180 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:43,439 Speaker 1: sat Bilim, and he bided his time as the animosity 181 00:11:43,520 --> 00:11:49,000 Speaker 1: between his brothers rekindled. By ten their truce was over 182 00:11:49,320 --> 00:11:53,440 Speaker 1: and Rufus reached out to Henry for aid. Henry began 183 00:11:53,520 --> 00:11:56,000 Speaker 1: fighting on the side of his middle brother Rufus, the 184 00:11:56,080 --> 00:11:59,600 Speaker 1: King of England, against Curtis and Normandy, a war which 185 00:11:59,679 --> 00:12:03,679 Speaker 1: event concluded when Kurtos answered the Pope's call for the 186 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:08,000 Speaker 1: first Crusade in ten nineties six. In part because Kurtos 187 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:11,079 Speaker 1: had grown unpopular with his own people, who thought him 188 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:17,960 Speaker 1: a poor leader, Rufus agreed to quote unquote rent the 189 00:12:18,040 --> 00:12:22,080 Speaker 1: Duchy of Normandy from Kurtos while he traveled to Jerusalem. 190 00:12:22,120 --> 00:12:25,160 Speaker 1: With Kurtos out of the way, Henry went to England 191 00:12:25,160 --> 00:12:30,359 Speaker 1: to establish himself in Rufus's court. It was, by all accounts, 192 00:12:30,400 --> 00:12:35,880 Speaker 1: a debaucherous, decadent court, enriched by the ownerous taxes Rufus 193 00:12:35,880 --> 00:12:39,559 Speaker 1: collected from the Church and his subjects. A brief side 194 00:12:39,600 --> 00:12:41,880 Speaker 1: note to say, if you're confused, because you had never 195 00:12:41,920 --> 00:12:45,240 Speaker 1: heard of a King Rufus of England, he ruled as 196 00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:48,760 Speaker 1: King William the Second, but because he was commonly referred 197 00:12:48,760 --> 00:12:52,640 Speaker 1: to as Rufus, and because there's another William in this story, 198 00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:55,960 Speaker 1: we're going to continue to refer to him as Rufus 199 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:59,960 Speaker 1: for clarity. This never ending wealth made the inner circle 200 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:02,480 Speaker 1: of the court of England a wonderful place to be, 201 00:13:02,679 --> 00:13:06,920 Speaker 1: but outside of it, the country was growing increasingly resentful 202 00:13:07,080 --> 00:13:10,880 Speaker 1: of their spendthrift monarch and his coterie of hangers on 203 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:14,880 Speaker 1: who stripped the people bear for their own enrichment. Henry, 204 00:13:15,080 --> 00:13:20,320 Speaker 1: fresh from battle in Normandy, saw this dissatisfaction and perhaps 205 00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:27,480 Speaker 1: subconsciously decided to wait for an opportunity. The opportunity came 206 00:13:27,720 --> 00:13:32,320 Speaker 1: sooner than he thought. In August of ten, Rufus was 207 00:13:32,360 --> 00:13:36,560 Speaker 1: out hunting, a favorite pastime, when a freak accident occurred. 208 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:41,559 Speaker 1: How exactly an arrow struck the king is unknown. Many 209 00:13:41,679 --> 00:13:47,200 Speaker 1: theorized that it ricocheted, but suddenly Rufus, still mounted, looked 210 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:50,040 Speaker 1: down to see the shaft of an arrow buried in 211 00:13:50,160 --> 00:13:54,120 Speaker 1: his chest. He broke the shaft off, then, in shock, 212 00:13:54,720 --> 00:13:59,040 Speaker 1: fell to the ground, landing chest down, which pushed the 213 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:03,320 Speaker 1: arrow in deeper, killing him. Henry had been out with 214 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:06,360 Speaker 1: the hunting party that day and realized that he needed 215 00:14:06,400 --> 00:14:10,200 Speaker 1: to act quickly. Rufus's body was being taken to Winchester, 216 00:14:10,440 --> 00:14:13,760 Speaker 1: the city that housed the English Treasury, and Henry knew 217 00:14:13,800 --> 00:14:16,280 Speaker 1: that he had to beat his brother's body there. To 218 00:14:16,360 --> 00:14:19,440 Speaker 1: control the treasury was to control the throne, and so 219 00:14:19,640 --> 00:14:24,040 Speaker 1: Henry rode hard for Winchester, arriving breathless before the rest 220 00:14:24,080 --> 00:14:27,280 Speaker 1: of the party and announcing both the King's death and 221 00:14:27,440 --> 00:14:30,840 Speaker 1: his intention of taking the crown to the shocked nobles 222 00:14:30,960 --> 00:14:36,160 Speaker 1: of Winchester Castle. The lords assembled there after, debating amongst themselves, 223 00:14:36,520 --> 00:14:40,040 Speaker 1: decided to give Henry the crown, believing that a quick 224 00:14:40,080 --> 00:14:44,200 Speaker 1: transition of power would be a peaceful one. But becoming 225 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:47,520 Speaker 1: king is not as easy as saying you are king, 226 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:51,200 Speaker 1: and though Henry would soon be crowned at Westminster Abbey, 227 00:14:51,440 --> 00:14:57,960 Speaker 1: his fight for the throne was only beginning. As Rufus's 228 00:14:58,040 --> 00:15:01,480 Speaker 1: body was interred in Winchester, and as Henry, now with 229 00:15:01,560 --> 00:15:05,360 Speaker 1: the support of the nobles, was traveling to Westminster, Robert 230 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:09,520 Speaker 1: Curtos was returning home from the crusade. On the way home, 231 00:15:09,640 --> 00:15:13,840 Speaker 1: he had married Sibylla of Conversano, a beautiful Norman Italian 232 00:15:13,880 --> 00:15:17,720 Speaker 1: noble woman, who brought with her a substantial dowry. For 233 00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:21,800 Speaker 1: once Curtos had money. What's more, he came home wreathed 234 00:15:21,880 --> 00:15:25,120 Speaker 1: in glory. He had done well for himself in the East, 235 00:15:25,440 --> 00:15:29,720 Speaker 1: establishing a reputation as a fearsome fighter and a brave leader. 236 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:33,000 Speaker 1: By the time he got back to Normandy only weeks 237 00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:37,080 Speaker 1: after Henry's coronation, he was no longer the embattled Duke 238 00:15:37,200 --> 00:15:42,720 Speaker 1: of t The Curtos of ten was a wealthy war hero. 239 00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:47,160 Speaker 1: Only one thing soured his triumphant return, the news that 240 00:15:47,320 --> 00:15:51,640 Speaker 1: his younger brother had, in his absence, taken the throne 241 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:56,400 Speaker 1: of England. Curtos quickly made clear his intention to fight 242 00:15:56,640 --> 00:15:59,840 Speaker 1: for the throne, and just as quickly, the lord to 243 00:16:00,040 --> 00:16:04,400 Speaker 1: had supported Henry began to peel away, swearing allegiance to 244 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:10,200 Speaker 1: Kurtos instead. Fortunately, Henry maintained the support of Anselim, Archbishop 245 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:16,600 Speaker 1: of Canterbury, a highly influential figure whose endorsement was crucial. Nevertheless, 246 00:16:16,760 --> 00:16:20,480 Speaker 1: by eleven oh one, an invasion of England by Curtis 247 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:24,240 Speaker 1: and the Normans seemed imminent, and in July he landed 248 00:16:24,240 --> 00:16:27,440 Speaker 1: with an army in poor Chester. But before any fighting 249 00:16:27,480 --> 00:16:31,600 Speaker 1: took place, noblemen on both sides of the conflict intervened. 250 00:16:31,880 --> 00:16:36,360 Speaker 1: They realized that war would be costly, bloody and devastating, 251 00:16:36,640 --> 00:16:40,240 Speaker 1: and they encouraged their leaders to look towards peace instead. 252 00:16:40,680 --> 00:16:45,280 Speaker 1: On August second, Henry and Kurtos signed the Treaty of Alton. 253 00:16:45,600 --> 00:16:48,720 Speaker 1: Kurtos renowned his claim to the throne of England in 254 00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:52,920 Speaker 1: exchange for full control of Normandy and a payout. Henry 255 00:16:52,960 --> 00:16:56,800 Speaker 1: renounced most of his land in Normandy. Both men, as 256 00:16:56,880 --> 00:17:00,240 Speaker 1: Kurtis and Rufus had done before them, swore to be 257 00:17:00,400 --> 00:17:05,080 Speaker 1: each other's heirs if they died without legitimate issue. Legitimate 258 00:17:05,119 --> 00:17:09,159 Speaker 1: issue was a matter of concern for Henry. Passing on 259 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:12,800 Speaker 1: the crown was necessary to secure his legacy as king, 260 00:17:13,119 --> 00:17:16,200 Speaker 1: and at the time of his coronation he wasn't even married. 261 00:17:16,560 --> 00:17:21,120 Speaker 1: He was, however, a father with at least twelve illegitimate children. 262 00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:24,480 Speaker 1: By this point in the past, the issue of legitimacy 263 00:17:24,560 --> 00:17:28,680 Speaker 1: had been less important. William the Conqueror himself had been 264 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:31,600 Speaker 1: born out of wedlock, But as the Church became more 265 00:17:31,720 --> 00:17:35,000 Speaker 1: central to English life, so too did the concept of 266 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:38,240 Speaker 1: the sanctity of marriage. Though Henry was close to his 267 00:17:38,320 --> 00:17:42,280 Speaker 1: illegitimate children, including them in public life and securing them 268 00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:47,160 Speaker 1: advantageous marriages, he now needed a wife and a legitimate air. 269 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:52,119 Speaker 1: He moved quickly, selecting a daughter of the Scottish King Malcolm. 270 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:55,080 Speaker 1: She had been born Edith, but as queen would be 271 00:17:55,119 --> 00:17:59,119 Speaker 1: known as Matilda, a very popular royal name at the time. 272 00:17:59,400 --> 00:18:02,960 Speaker 1: The couple married in late eleven hundred at Westminster Abbey 273 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:06,679 Speaker 1: and had their first child, a daughter, also named Matilda, 274 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:10,840 Speaker 1: in eleven o two. Before you get too confused, yes, 275 00:18:11,119 --> 00:18:15,840 Speaker 1: William the Conqueror was also married to a Matilda. The 276 00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:19,840 Speaker 1: same year of Henry's marriage, Curtos and Sabella welcomed a 277 00:18:19,920 --> 00:18:23,520 Speaker 1: son who they named William. He would be most commonly 278 00:18:23,600 --> 00:18:27,720 Speaker 1: known as William Clito, Clito being the Norman term for 279 00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:31,119 Speaker 1: the son who would inherit his father's titles. At the 280 00:18:31,160 --> 00:18:34,159 Speaker 1: time of his birth, William Cleto stood to inherit both 281 00:18:34,280 --> 00:18:37,560 Speaker 1: England and Normandy under the terms of the Treaty of Alton, 282 00:18:37,800 --> 00:18:40,879 Speaker 1: but his claim only lasted a year. In the summer 283 00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:44,879 Speaker 1: or fall of eleven oh three, Queen Matilda gave birth 284 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:48,760 Speaker 1: to a son who she and Henry also named William, 285 00:18:49,000 --> 00:18:52,560 Speaker 1: and just to keep things even more confusing, this William 286 00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:56,119 Speaker 1: was known as William ath Ling eight ling, meaning the 287 00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:59,400 Speaker 1: same thing in Old English that Cleito does in Norman. 288 00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:03,600 Speaker 1: For several years there was peace between brothers, but as 289 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:07,679 Speaker 1: time passed and the shine of Curtis's crusading days began 290 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:10,800 Speaker 1: to dim, the Norman's found that their duke was still 291 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:14,200 Speaker 1: the poor ruler he had been before he left. Kurtos 292 00:19:14,200 --> 00:19:19,080 Speaker 1: spent extravagantly neglected his responsibilities and did a little to 293 00:19:19,200 --> 00:19:23,120 Speaker 1: engender the love or loyalty of his people. Soon enough, 294 00:19:23,440 --> 00:19:27,240 Speaker 1: certain Norman nobles were reaching out to King Henry in England, 295 00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:30,919 Speaker 1: asking if he would consider a quick invasion just to 296 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:35,040 Speaker 1: straighten things out. He didn't need much persuading, and in 297 00:19:35,080 --> 00:19:39,240 Speaker 1: eleven oh five he stormed Normandy along with an English 298 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:44,200 Speaker 1: and Norman coalition. For the third time, Curtis found himself 299 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:46,679 Speaker 1: at war with a family member over the right to 300 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:51,760 Speaker 1: rule Normandy. This time, however, the battle did not last long. 301 00:19:54,680 --> 00:19:59,600 Speaker 1: In September eleven oh six, Henry captured Kurtis outside Tinchabra 302 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:03,200 Speaker 1: and imprisoned his brother, though he set his young nephew, 303 00:20:03,280 --> 00:20:07,800 Speaker 1: William Clito free. With Henry, now Duke of Normandy, England 304 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:11,680 Speaker 1: and Normandy shared the same ruler for the first time 305 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:15,879 Speaker 1: since William the Conqueror's death thirty years earlier. Now that 306 00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:19,240 Speaker 1: Henry had settled the Norman question, he was working on 307 00:20:19,400 --> 00:20:22,879 Speaker 1: cementing his legacy as king. He built a network of 308 00:20:22,920 --> 00:20:27,720 Speaker 1: spies that stretched across Europe. He reformed the English tax system, 309 00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:31,960 Speaker 1: strengthened the judiciary, and arranged for his daughter Matilda to 310 00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:36,639 Speaker 1: marry Henry the Holy Roman Emperor. He also spent considerable time, 311 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:40,640 Speaker 1: ensuring that William eight Ling was raised to rule from 312 00:20:40,680 --> 00:20:43,800 Speaker 1: a young age. The crown Prince accompanied his father on 313 00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:49,159 Speaker 1: official occasions, attended military training, and received a thorough education. 314 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:54,440 Speaker 1: In February thirteen, William ah Ling was betrothed to Matilda 315 00:20:54,520 --> 00:20:58,679 Speaker 1: of Anjou, Yes another Matilda, this one the daughter of 316 00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:03,480 Speaker 1: the powerful count the fifth of Anjou. It was unsurprisingly 317 00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:08,200 Speaker 1: a strategic marriage. Matilda's parents controlled the counties of Anjou 318 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:12,480 Speaker 1: and Maine, which bordered Normandy. These lands were especially important 319 00:21:12,480 --> 00:21:17,040 Speaker 1: to Henry because despite his victory over his brother Robert Curtos, 320 00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:21,679 Speaker 1: his Norman holdings still faced a powerful enemy, Louis the sixth, 321 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:26,360 Speaker 1: the king of France. Between eleven eleven and eleven thirteen, 322 00:21:26,600 --> 00:21:30,680 Speaker 1: Normandy was at war with France and her allies Flanders, 323 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:34,280 Speaker 1: Anjou and Maine. This group rallied under the banner of 324 00:21:34,359 --> 00:21:38,119 Speaker 1: William Clito, Kurtos's son, who was now asserting his claim 325 00:21:38,200 --> 00:21:41,800 Speaker 1: to the dukedom. With the engagement of William Hethling to 326 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:46,080 Speaker 1: Matilda of Anjou, Anjou and Maine switched sides, and now 327 00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:50,520 Speaker 1: Louis was forced to make peace with Henry. The piece 328 00:21:50,720 --> 00:21:54,600 Speaker 1: lasted several years, a period in which William Hethling's role 329 00:21:54,760 --> 00:21:59,159 Speaker 1: as heir became even more formalized. In eleven fifteen, the 330 00:21:59,280 --> 00:22:02,760 Speaker 1: Norman low Words swore allegiance to the young prince, and 331 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:05,760 Speaker 1: a year later the English barons did the same. The 332 00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:09,480 Speaker 1: only party who refused to recognize William Athling as heir 333 00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:13,480 Speaker 1: was King Louis, who continued to support William Clito's claim, 334 00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:16,600 Speaker 1: a position which led the two kings back to war 335 00:22:16,880 --> 00:22:21,400 Speaker 1: in late spring eleven sixteen. As Henry battled in Normandy 336 00:22:21,480 --> 00:22:25,720 Speaker 1: throughout eleven seventeen and eleven eighteen, his son William Athling 337 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:29,399 Speaker 1: stayed in England, serving as regent after the death of 338 00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:32,760 Speaker 1: his mother, Queen Matilda in the spring of eleven eighteen. 339 00:22:33,119 --> 00:22:37,000 Speaker 1: The next year, William Athling traveled to Normandy to complete 340 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:42,480 Speaker 1: two important rights of passage, marriage and military service. In 341 00:22:42,640 --> 00:22:47,000 Speaker 1: June eleven nineteen, William Athling and Matilda of Anjou were 342 00:22:47,040 --> 00:22:51,119 Speaker 1: married in order to strengthen the Norman angevin ties. The 343 00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:55,119 Speaker 1: groom at this point was sixteen, the bride only nine 344 00:22:55,320 --> 00:23:00,040 Speaker 1: or ten. Two months later, William Athling fought alongside his 345 00:23:00,119 --> 00:23:03,399 Speaker 1: father and half brothers at the Battle of Breneux, a 346 00:23:03,520 --> 00:23:07,399 Speaker 1: decisive victory for the Normans, which struck the final blow 347 00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:11,720 Speaker 1: to William Cleito's claim on the Norman duchy. However, William 348 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:15,800 Speaker 1: Cleito's ally, King Louis, had one more trick up his sleeve. 349 00:23:16,280 --> 00:23:20,520 Speaker 1: He appealed to the Pope, saying that Henry had committed 350 00:23:20,600 --> 00:23:25,520 Speaker 1: numerous crimes by invading Normandy. Henry and William Athling traveled 351 00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:29,040 Speaker 1: to appear in person to Pope Couctus the Second, who 352 00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:33,000 Speaker 1: came down on their side, declaring that Henry was the 353 00:23:33,160 --> 00:23:37,440 Speaker 1: rightful ruler of Normandy and William Athling was the recognized heir. 354 00:23:37,800 --> 00:23:41,560 Speaker 1: After twenty years as King of England, Henry had finally 355 00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:46,000 Speaker 1: achieved complete dominance in England and Normandy. He had built 356 00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:50,520 Speaker 1: impressive systems of governance in both realms, established a reputation 357 00:23:50,680 --> 00:23:53,639 Speaker 1: as a skilled fighter and quick thinker, and married his 358 00:23:53,720 --> 00:23:57,440 Speaker 1: children into many of the most important noble houses of Europe. 359 00:23:57,760 --> 00:24:00,359 Speaker 1: Best of all, he had trained up William a Fling 360 00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:03,640 Speaker 1: to continue what he had begun. While Henry had had 361 00:24:03,640 --> 00:24:07,359 Speaker 1: to battle his brothers, leading to decades of strife for 362 00:24:07,520 --> 00:24:11,480 Speaker 1: the realm, William Athling's right to rule was now uncontested. 363 00:24:11,840 --> 00:24:15,960 Speaker 1: A long prosperous future seemed to stretch before the King 364 00:24:16,080 --> 00:24:19,080 Speaker 1: and his heir, before all of England and Normandy, and 365 00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:22,480 Speaker 1: it was this future that the court planned to celebrate 366 00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:26,399 Speaker 1: as they gathered in bar floor in November twenty on 367 00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:35,120 Speaker 1: ships bound for England. The party had to wait several 368 00:24:35,200 --> 00:24:38,560 Speaker 1: days for the right conditions to cross the channel. On 369 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:42,679 Speaker 1: the night of November, the wind finally began to blow 370 00:24:42,760 --> 00:24:47,359 Speaker 1: in the right direction. Henry's ship boarded first. Traveling alongside 371 00:24:47,359 --> 00:24:50,680 Speaker 1: the King were a group of knights and William Athling's wife, 372 00:24:50,760 --> 00:24:54,120 Speaker 1: Matilda of Anjou, who, at only nine or ten at 373 00:24:54,119 --> 00:24:57,439 Speaker 1: this point, seemed too young to travel with the Crown 374 00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:01,840 Speaker 1: Prince's rowdier crew. The King's ship pushed off in the 375 00:25:01,920 --> 00:25:05,800 Speaker 1: early evening, rowing past the rocks that littered the harbor's 376 00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:10,320 Speaker 1: edge and turned into the open ocean. William Aitling watched 377 00:25:10,359 --> 00:25:14,879 Speaker 1: his father disappear over the horizon, and then turned smiling 378 00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:18,399 Speaker 1: to his friends. It was time for the real party 379 00:25:18,520 --> 00:25:22,200 Speaker 1: to begin. The Crown Prince sent for a huge quantity 380 00:25:22,240 --> 00:25:25,280 Speaker 1: of wine, and he encouraged both his noble friends and 381 00:25:25,320 --> 00:25:29,120 Speaker 1: the ship's crew alike to partake. As the drinks flowed, 382 00:25:29,320 --> 00:25:33,399 Speaker 1: things quickly became chaotic. Crew members ran about the white 383 00:25:33,400 --> 00:25:37,080 Speaker 1: ship's deck, sitting in the seats normally reserved for nobility, 384 00:25:37,280 --> 00:25:39,960 Speaker 1: while the tipsy young men of the court began to 385 00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:43,800 Speaker 1: bet on just how fast this marvelous ship could go. 386 00:25:44,440 --> 00:25:47,719 Speaker 1: The party got so raucous that the group even neglected 387 00:25:47,760 --> 00:25:52,800 Speaker 1: traditional seafaring rituals. When several clergymen offered a blessing for 388 00:25:52,880 --> 00:25:58,000 Speaker 1: safe passage, the boisterous group laughed at off the disrespect, 389 00:25:58,200 --> 00:26:02,080 Speaker 1: rubbed some passengers the long way, and several departed the 390 00:26:02,119 --> 00:26:07,360 Speaker 1: ship feeling as the medieval chronicler or Derek Vitalis wrote 391 00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:11,280 Speaker 1: that the crossing could not go well with quote too 392 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:14,880 Speaker 1: great a crowd of wild and headstrong young men on 393 00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:19,280 Speaker 1: board end quote. Stephen of Bluas the king's nephew, also 394 00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:23,639 Speaker 1: disembarked before departure, but for a more prosaic reason. He 395 00:26:23,760 --> 00:26:27,959 Speaker 1: was suffering from a bad bout of diarrhea. Amidst the 396 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:32,800 Speaker 1: crowd disembarking the ship, one man headed the opposite direction, 397 00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:38,480 Speaker 1: boarding the white ship. He was uninvited. This was Barold, 398 00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:42,160 Speaker 1: a local butcher, and he had a mission. He had 399 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:45,240 Speaker 1: been supplying the royal party with meat, and they had 400 00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:48,520 Speaker 1: not yet paid his bill he was determined to collect, 401 00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:51,280 Speaker 1: even if it meant crossing the channel to do so. 402 00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:54,440 Speaker 1: Of all the comings and goings on the White Ship 403 00:26:54,560 --> 00:26:58,800 Speaker 1: that night, Barolt and Stephen's movements would be the most important, 404 00:26:59,040 --> 00:27:04,919 Speaker 1: but for very for reasons. Around midnight, momentum gathered to 405 00:27:05,080 --> 00:27:09,520 Speaker 1: finally depart. Thomas fitz Stephen, the owner and captain of 406 00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:12,239 Speaker 1: the White Ship, who had convinced King Henry to let 407 00:27:12,320 --> 00:27:15,000 Speaker 1: him join the fleet, gave the order to cast off. 408 00:27:15,359 --> 00:27:18,560 Speaker 1: Members of the crowd on the shore recounted that fitz 409 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:21,879 Speaker 1: Stephen had shouted that he planned to overtake the kingship. 410 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:25,480 Speaker 1: A wild roar went up from ship and shore alike, 411 00:27:25,760 --> 00:27:29,679 Speaker 1: and everyone urged the oarsmen to row faster, faster. The 412 00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:34,480 Speaker 1: streamlined boat skimmed swiftly across the harbor, dropping its sails 413 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:39,720 Speaker 1: to further increase the speed. Unfortunately, in his drunken haste, 414 00:27:39,920 --> 00:27:43,680 Speaker 1: egged on by the cheers of his passengers, fitz Stephen 415 00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:48,080 Speaker 1: chose speed over steering. By the time the White ship 416 00:27:48,280 --> 00:27:52,520 Speaker 1: reached the edge of the harbor, one nautical mile from shore, 417 00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:57,000 Speaker 1: it was practically flying, and then it hit a rock. 418 00:27:58,280 --> 00:28:00,560 Speaker 1: I want to note here that every thing we know 419 00:28:00,720 --> 00:28:03,840 Speaker 1: about what happened to those on board the white ship 420 00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:07,600 Speaker 1: comes from one source, a survivor who told his story 421 00:28:07,800 --> 00:28:12,600 Speaker 1: directly to contemporary chroniclers. Since we don't have other sources, 422 00:28:12,840 --> 00:28:15,840 Speaker 1: it's important to take the details of what happened out 423 00:28:15,880 --> 00:28:18,280 Speaker 1: at sea with a grain of salt, so to say, 424 00:28:18,480 --> 00:28:22,000 Speaker 1: though the broader narrative, the rowdy atmosphere on board the 425 00:28:22,000 --> 00:28:26,960 Speaker 1: ship crashing comes from multiple sources, and so that's more trustworthy. 426 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:29,720 Speaker 1: Back to the channel, where the white Ship had just 427 00:28:29,960 --> 00:28:32,879 Speaker 1: collided with a large rock jutting out from the water, 428 00:28:33,080 --> 00:28:37,480 Speaker 1: impaling itself on the stone. Water immediately rushed in through 429 00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:40,760 Speaker 1: a large hole on the port side. The crew quickly 430 00:28:40,800 --> 00:28:43,800 Speaker 1: moved to free the boat, but many were washed away 431 00:28:43,880 --> 00:28:47,000 Speaker 1: by the waves. The efforts of those who clung on 432 00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:51,200 Speaker 1: only resulted in a larger hole. More water flooded in, 433 00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:54,840 Speaker 1: and a strong wind pulled at the sails, causing the 434 00:28:54,840 --> 00:29:00,440 Speaker 1: ship to tip sideways. Screaming passengers slid into the freezing water. 435 00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:04,520 Speaker 1: Most died quickly from the shock of suddenly entering the 436 00:29:04,680 --> 00:29:08,680 Speaker 1: thirty two degree fahrenheit water. Though still on shore heard 437 00:29:08,920 --> 00:29:12,160 Speaker 1: loud sounds from the water, but they assumed they were 438 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:15,360 Speaker 1: just cheers. From the party on board, The night was 439 00:29:15,440 --> 00:29:18,680 Speaker 1: too dark for them to see the massive tragedy that 440 00:29:18,760 --> 00:29:23,000 Speaker 1: was occurring just one nautical mile away. Within a half 441 00:29:23,040 --> 00:29:26,640 Speaker 1: an hour of the ship's tipping over, nearly everyone on 442 00:29:26,760 --> 00:29:30,920 Speaker 1: board was dead. Two men, though, had managed to cling 443 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:33,840 Speaker 1: onto a piece of the ship's mast, and they used 444 00:29:33,840 --> 00:29:37,280 Speaker 1: it to pull themselves out of the water. Think rose 445 00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:40,880 Speaker 1: on a door in Titanic. The first man was Jeffrey 446 00:29:40,920 --> 00:29:44,360 Speaker 1: la Gille, a night renowned for his courage. The second 447 00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:48,600 Speaker 1: was Barolt, the Butcher. From their vantage point on the mast, 448 00:29:48,840 --> 00:29:53,360 Speaker 1: they surveyed the scene before them, trying to absorb the horror, 449 00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:57,920 Speaker 1: but the worst was still yet to come. When the 450 00:29:57,960 --> 00:30:02,320 Speaker 1: ship had first been struck, William Athling's bodyguards had quickly 451 00:30:02,400 --> 00:30:06,080 Speaker 1: pulled the Crown Prince into the Soul lifeboat, rowing him 452 00:30:06,160 --> 00:30:09,600 Speaker 1: back towards the shore. But as they traveled quickly away 453 00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:13,040 Speaker 1: from the wreck, William heard someone calling for him. It 454 00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:16,560 Speaker 1: was his half sister, Matilda, not the Matilda who was 455 00:30:16,640 --> 00:30:19,880 Speaker 1: married to the Holy Roman Emperor, but an illegitimate sister 456 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:23,480 Speaker 1: who was married to the Count of Perth. Matilda begged 457 00:30:23,480 --> 00:30:27,240 Speaker 1: her brother not to abandon her. As Barold watched the 458 00:30:27,320 --> 00:30:31,400 Speaker 1: prince ordered his bodyguards to turn the lifeboat around and 459 00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:35,680 Speaker 1: rescue his sister, But as the boat moved towards Matilda, 460 00:30:35,920 --> 00:30:40,800 Speaker 1: other drowning passengers began to grasp at it, desperately pulling 461 00:30:40,840 --> 00:30:44,400 Speaker 1: it under the waves, swamping it in a tangle of 462 00:30:44,520 --> 00:30:48,840 Speaker 1: hands and arms and water. William Athling and his bodyguards 463 00:30:49,080 --> 00:30:53,320 Speaker 1: were brought down into the channel, doomed to drown along 464 00:30:53,360 --> 00:30:57,440 Speaker 1: with the rest. After this, the only other living soul 465 00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:02,160 Speaker 1: that Barrald and Jeffrey Lagille saw was Thomas fitz Stephen, 466 00:31:02,400 --> 00:31:05,480 Speaker 1: the ship's captain. He shouted to the two men on 467 00:31:05,520 --> 00:31:09,480 Speaker 1: the mast, asking if the Crown Prince had survived. Berralt 468 00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:14,440 Speaker 1: regretfully reported that the Prince was dead. Fitzstephen knew that 469 00:31:14,560 --> 00:31:17,960 Speaker 1: the death of William Athling would hang on his head, 470 00:31:18,160 --> 00:31:20,880 Speaker 1: and so looking up at the men, he called out, 471 00:31:21,160 --> 00:31:23,520 Speaker 1: it is vain for me to go on living, and 472 00:31:23,640 --> 00:31:27,960 Speaker 1: he allowed himself to slip beneath the waves. Now only 473 00:31:28,240 --> 00:31:31,960 Speaker 1: Jeffrey and Berald were left For once, the poorer man 474 00:31:32,120 --> 00:31:36,680 Speaker 1: had the advantage. While Jeffrey's clothes made of luxurious fabric 475 00:31:36,760 --> 00:31:40,840 Speaker 1: were little protection from the cold water, Berrald's rough cloak 476 00:31:41,160 --> 00:31:44,440 Speaker 1: made of wool and animal skin was keeping him warmer. 477 00:31:44,720 --> 00:31:48,560 Speaker 1: As the night wore on, Jeffrey grew colder and weaker, 478 00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:52,640 Speaker 1: until at last, murmuring a blessing to Berrald, he fell 479 00:31:52,760 --> 00:31:57,160 Speaker 1: from the mast and drowned. Thus Berrald, the butcher, who 480 00:31:57,200 --> 00:32:00,840 Speaker 1: had boarded the ship uninvited only to call his payment, 481 00:32:01,160 --> 00:32:04,640 Speaker 1: was the only survivor of the white ship. He clung 482 00:32:04,720 --> 00:32:08,160 Speaker 1: to the mast, floating closer to shore, until he was 483 00:32:08,200 --> 00:32:11,520 Speaker 1: pulled from the water by fishermen in the early morning. 484 00:32:11,800 --> 00:32:16,280 Speaker 1: Half frozen world explained what had happened. As years passed, 485 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:20,600 Speaker 1: he continued to tell his story, a miraculous eyewitness to 486 00:32:20,720 --> 00:32:25,400 Speaker 1: one of the English royal famili's worst tragedies. Though some 487 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:29,600 Speaker 1: bodies washed up on the shores around Normandy, most were 488 00:32:29,640 --> 00:32:33,240 Speaker 1: never found, including the body of William eight Ling. It 489 00:32:33,400 --> 00:32:37,960 Speaker 1: was a shocking end, as Henry of Huntingdon, a contemporary 490 00:32:38,040 --> 00:32:41,360 Speaker 1: chronicler put it quote, the head, which should have worn 491 00:32:41,440 --> 00:32:45,080 Speaker 1: a crown of gold, was suddenly dashed against the rocks. 492 00:32:45,400 --> 00:32:49,800 Speaker 1: Instead of wearing embroidered robes, he floated naked in the waves, 493 00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:54,000 Speaker 1: and instead of ascending a lofty throne, he found his 494 00:32:54,080 --> 00:32:56,959 Speaker 1: grave in the bellies of fishes at the bottom of 495 00:32:57,000 --> 00:33:01,640 Speaker 1: the sea end quote. The news took some time to 496 00:33:01,720 --> 00:33:05,080 Speaker 1: reach the English court. King Henry and his ship had 497 00:33:05,160 --> 00:33:08,560 Speaker 1: arrived safely at Southampton before they traveled to the Royal 498 00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:12,320 Speaker 1: Hunting Logic Clarendon. When his son's party did not arrive 499 00:33:12,440 --> 00:33:15,520 Speaker 1: soon after, people began to wonder if the ship had 500 00:33:15,520 --> 00:33:20,080 Speaker 1: gotten lost. Soon, they learned from across the channel it 501 00:33:20,160 --> 00:33:28,720 Speaker 1: was far worse. At first, the news was kept from 502 00:33:28,720 --> 00:33:32,280 Speaker 1: the King, his temper was legendary, and no one wanted 503 00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:36,360 Speaker 1: to be the messenger. This decision had a strange side effect. 504 00:33:36,760 --> 00:33:39,680 Speaker 1: Many in court had also lost loved ones on the 505 00:33:39,720 --> 00:33:43,080 Speaker 1: white ship, but they could not publicly mourn lest the 506 00:33:43,160 --> 00:33:48,320 Speaker 1: King catch on. Finally, with the King's concern rising, those 507 00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:51,520 Speaker 1: closest to him knew that they had to break the news. 508 00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:55,760 Speaker 1: Theobald of blue Chat, a nephew of the king, was 509 00:33:55,880 --> 00:33:59,480 Speaker 1: chosen to deliver the blow, but too frightened of the king, 510 00:33:59,640 --> 00:34:02,320 Speaker 1: and who caught up in his own grief for his 511 00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:05,560 Speaker 1: sister had been on the ship, he passed the responsibility 512 00:34:05,640 --> 00:34:08,560 Speaker 1: on to a young boy. The boy broke into tears, 513 00:34:08,960 --> 00:34:12,160 Speaker 1: threw himself at the King's feet, and spilled the story 514 00:34:12,239 --> 00:34:15,479 Speaker 1: as quickly as he could. Instead of the anger many 515 00:34:15,520 --> 00:34:20,480 Speaker 1: had expected, Henry was overwhelmed with grief. He threw himself 516 00:34:20,520 --> 00:34:23,359 Speaker 1: to the ground, screaming and had to be held up. 517 00:34:23,560 --> 00:34:26,920 Speaker 1: He then fell into a state of denial, perhaps because, 518 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:30,800 Speaker 1: as the historian Charles Spencer notes, quote, it seemed both 519 00:34:30,840 --> 00:34:34,200 Speaker 1: absurd and cruel that these men, who had survived the 520 00:34:34,320 --> 00:34:38,040 Speaker 1: dangers of so many battlefields and sieges should end their 521 00:34:38,120 --> 00:34:42,040 Speaker 1: lives in something as commonplace as an accident at sea 522 00:34:42,239 --> 00:34:46,120 Speaker 1: and quote. But eventually the king could not deny the truth. 523 00:34:46,400 --> 00:34:49,399 Speaker 1: He took to his bed for days, unable to eat. 524 00:34:49,760 --> 00:34:53,239 Speaker 1: The whole Realm seemed to be in mourning. Besides the 525 00:34:53,239 --> 00:34:57,040 Speaker 1: crown Prince, the shipwreck had taken a large portion of 526 00:34:57,080 --> 00:35:01,040 Speaker 1: the ruling class of England and Normandy. Many feared the 527 00:35:01,120 --> 00:35:05,120 Speaker 1: power vacuum soon to come. King Henry knew that he 528 00:35:05,160 --> 00:35:08,640 Speaker 1: needed to act quickly now to secure an air Less 529 00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:12,200 Speaker 1: than two months after William eight Ling's death, the widowed 530 00:35:12,320 --> 00:35:16,080 Speaker 1: king remarried a woman named Adeliza of Louvan, but the 531 00:35:16,120 --> 00:35:19,160 Speaker 1: two had no children. He would need to look elsewhere 532 00:35:19,239 --> 00:35:23,880 Speaker 1: for an heir. Eventually, he settled on his daughter Matilda, 533 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:26,880 Speaker 1: who had been widowed by the Holy Roman Emperor and 534 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:30,640 Speaker 1: had remarried to Jeoffrey of Anjou, the younger brother of 535 00:35:30,719 --> 00:35:34,680 Speaker 1: William Athling's bride, Matilda. Jeoffrey liked to wear a sprig 536 00:35:34,719 --> 00:35:37,720 Speaker 1: of broom blossom in his hat, and from the Latin 537 00:35:37,800 --> 00:35:43,280 Speaker 1: name Planta Genista, he had been given a nickname Jeoffrey Plantagenet. 538 00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:47,560 Speaker 1: Henry made his lords swear an oath to support Matilda 539 00:35:47,719 --> 00:35:51,240 Speaker 1: as his heir, but after Henry's death in eleven thirty five, 540 00:35:51,719 --> 00:35:55,919 Speaker 1: the transition of power to Matilda was not smooth. Some 541 00:35:56,040 --> 00:35:59,400 Speaker 1: noblemen balked at the idea of being subservient to a woman, 542 00:35:59,480 --> 00:36:04,239 Speaker 1: while there's disliked Joffrey's connection to Anjou, which had historically 543 00:36:04,239 --> 00:36:09,759 Speaker 1: opposed Norman interests. Matilda's most formidable opponent was Stephen of 544 00:36:09,840 --> 00:36:13,799 Speaker 1: Blue Ah, who you may remember narrowly avoided death on 545 00:36:13,880 --> 00:36:17,640 Speaker 1: the White Ship because of his bad stomach. The war 546 00:36:17,800 --> 00:36:22,319 Speaker 1: between Matilda and Stephen officially began in eleven thirty eight, 547 00:36:22,560 --> 00:36:26,120 Speaker 1: and it would last until eleven fifty three. It was 548 00:36:26,280 --> 00:36:31,440 Speaker 1: an enormously violent, dangerous, and difficult time, As the Anglo 549 00:36:31,520 --> 00:36:36,640 Speaker 1: Saxon Chronicle records quote, there was nothing but disturbance and wickedness. 550 00:36:36,719 --> 00:36:41,520 Speaker 1: And robbery end quote. The country would eventually return to 551 00:36:41,680 --> 00:36:45,960 Speaker 1: a tenuous peace under the rule of the Plantagenet dynasty, 552 00:36:46,280 --> 00:36:49,320 Speaker 1: but the years of chaos during the Civil War between 553 00:36:49,320 --> 00:36:53,280 Speaker 1: Matilda and Stephen were hard to recover from. After all 554 00:36:53,320 --> 00:36:58,239 Speaker 1: of Henry's battles, schemes and accomplishments, his hopes for the 555 00:36:58,320 --> 00:37:02,839 Speaker 1: peaceful future of England had disappeared, lost under the waves 556 00:37:02,840 --> 00:37:13,800 Speaker 1: with the White Ship and his son, William Atheling. That's 557 00:37:13,840 --> 00:37:17,000 Speaker 1: the story of William Atheling and the White Ship. But 558 00:37:17,120 --> 00:37:20,680 Speaker 1: continue listening after a brief sponsor break to hear a 559 00:37:20,719 --> 00:37:25,239 Speaker 1: little bit more about one of the stories were ironic twists. 560 00:37:35,640 --> 00:37:40,360 Speaker 1: The White Ship disaster had myriad consequences, some more obvious 561 00:37:40,400 --> 00:37:44,880 Speaker 1: than others. One lesser known consequence has a strange irony 562 00:37:44,960 --> 00:37:48,640 Speaker 1: to it. Retrow, Count of Perch, was devastated by the 563 00:37:48,680 --> 00:37:52,480 Speaker 1: death of his wife Matilda in the shipwreck. This Matilda, 564 00:37:52,640 --> 00:37:55,880 Speaker 1: as you might remember, was the half sister of William Atheling, 565 00:37:55,960 --> 00:37:58,600 Speaker 1: who had begged her brother to save her, which led 566 00:37:58,640 --> 00:38:01,920 Speaker 1: to his death. To honor his wife Matilda's memory, were 567 00:38:01,960 --> 00:38:05,120 Speaker 1: Trow built a chapel in eleven twenty two, and then 568 00:38:05,200 --> 00:38:09,280 Speaker 1: an adjoining monastery several years later, the monastery was called 569 00:38:09,360 --> 00:38:13,359 Speaker 1: La trop Five hundred years later, in sixteen sixty four, 570 00:38:13,600 --> 00:38:16,680 Speaker 1: the abbot of La Troupe, who felt that the monastic 571 00:38:16,800 --> 00:38:20,640 Speaker 1: order had lost its way, introduced a series of reforms. 572 00:38:21,040 --> 00:38:24,839 Speaker 1: This new order became known as the Trappists after their 573 00:38:24,880 --> 00:38:28,720 Speaker 1: home abbey, and the movement eventually spread around the world. 574 00:38:29,120 --> 00:38:33,560 Speaker 1: Most Trappist monasteries produced goods to support themselves, ranging from 575 00:38:33,840 --> 00:38:37,560 Speaker 1: cheese to coffins, but to this day they are most 576 00:38:37,680 --> 00:38:42,040 Speaker 1: famous for their beer. Trappist beers are renowned for their 577 00:38:42,120 --> 00:38:46,080 Speaker 1: rich flavor and are highly sought after by beer enthusiasts. 578 00:38:46,320 --> 00:38:50,160 Speaker 1: So in a strange twist of fate, a historic disaster 579 00:38:50,360 --> 00:38:54,200 Speaker 1: caused by over consumption of alcohol led to the creation 580 00:38:54,400 --> 00:38:58,320 Speaker 1: of one of the most famous alcohol traditions in Europe. 581 00:39:14,440 --> 00:39:17,279 Speaker 1: Noble Blood is a production of I Heart Radio and 582 00:39:17,440 --> 00:39:21,000 Speaker 1: Grimm and Mild from Aaron Mankey. Noble Blood is hosted 583 00:39:21,040 --> 00:39:24,960 Speaker 1: by me Danish Wortz. Additional writing and researching done by 584 00:39:25,000 --> 00:39:30,000 Speaker 1: Hannah Johnston, Hannah's Wick, Mirra Hayward, Courtney Sunder and Laurie Goodman. 585 00:39:30,600 --> 00:39:34,359 Speaker 1: The show is produced by rema Il Kayali with supervising 586 00:39:34,400 --> 00:39:39,560 Speaker 1: producer Josh Thaine and executive producers Aaron Mankey, Alex Williams, 587 00:39:39,560 --> 00:39:43,000 Speaker 1: and Matt Frederick. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, 588 00:39:43,400 --> 00:39:46,920 Speaker 1: visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 589 00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:48,400 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.