Henry I Interesting Facts

1 His reign began in suspicious circumstances

Henry’s brother William II died in a hunting accident. Henry is thought to have been behind it. Walter Tirel fired an arrow that pierced William’s lung. He bled to death where he fell. Henry immediately rode to Westminster to claim the crown. His brother Robert, the intended heir, had no chance of getting there before him. As for William, his body was piled ignobly on a handcart and bled all the way to its burial.

2 Brotherly love – not!

Not only is Henry believed to be responsible for William’s death, he also made life a misery for his older brother Robert. After a long-standing feud, Henry had Robert blinded and incarcerated for nearly 30 years.

3 Was his death fish or foul?

Henry died in 1135 while visiting his daughter, her French husband and his two grandchildren. It is alleged that there was an argument over who should succeed Henry on his death. Later that evening, after eating plenty of his favourite food (an eel-like fish called lampreys) Henry died. Historians question whether Henry ate so much that he died, or whether the lampreys he ate were off, or whether he was in fact deliberately poisoned.

4 His will to live died with his son William

It is said that after his son William died at sea, he never smiled again.

5 Blind justice

Blinding was a common hazard for Henry’s relatives. In revenge for an action of their father’s, Henry had the children of his daughter Juliana held hostage. During this time he blinded them. His elder brother Robert suffered a similar fate.

6 What’s in a name?

Henry’s Scottish wife Edith must have thought names were important. She adopted the name Matilda when she became Henry’s wife. This was an attempt to ingratiate herself with the English noblemen at Court.

7 He didn’t sleep soundly

Henry I was known to be a very loud snorer. Luckily he found sleep difficult and was known to suffer from terrible nightmares. Some say these bad dreams were as a result of his guilt over his brother’s murder.

8 Fashion Leader

Long hair and beards were the order of the day when Henry began his reign. After a prominent member of the clergy commented that this made men look like goats, Henry promptly had his hair cut off. All the men at Court followed suit creating a new fashion.

9 Royal Zookeeper

Henry had a collection of animals at his estate in Oxfordshire. It couldn’t truly be called a zoo because it was a private collection. It housed lions, lynxes, leopards and a porcupine.