William FitzEmpress facts for kids
Quick facts for kids William FitzEmpress |
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| Viscount of Dieppe | |
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| Born | 22 July 1136 Argentan, Normandy |
| Died | 30 January 1164 (aged 27) Rouen, Normandy |
| Burial | Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Rouen |
| House | Plantagenet/Angevin |
| Father | Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou |
| Mother | Empress Matilda |
William FitzEmpress, also known as William Longespee, was a son of Empress Matilda and Geoffrey Plantagenet. He was the youngest of their three sons. His older brothers were Henry II of England and Geoffrey, Count of Nantes. William was an important figure in his brother King Henry II's court.
Contents
William's Early Life
William FitzEmpress was born in 1136. He was the third and youngest son of Count Geoffrey V of Anjou and Empress Matilda. Matilda was the daughter of the late English King Henry I.
William was born during a time called The Anarchy. This was an 18-year civil war in England. The war was fought over who should be the next king. His mother, Matilda, and her cousin, Stephen of Blois, both wanted the crown.
William likely did not see much of his parents. His father fought in Normandy. His mother was busy campaigning in England. William's oldest brother, Henry, joined the fight when he was 14. This was in 1147, when William was 11. Henry later became the Duke of Normandy in 1150.
Family Changes and New King
In 1151, Count Geoffrey, William's father, died suddenly. He was only 38 years old. This left his wife and three teenage sons. Henry, William's eldest brother, became the new head of their family.
The war in England continued until 1153. Stephen, who was older now, made an agreement with Henry. Stephen would remain king for the rest of his life. But Henry would be his successor. Stephen died a year later, in 1154. William's brother then became King Henry II of England.
William's Career and Role
In 1156, when William was 20, he joined his brother Henry. They were at the siege of Chinon. A siege is when an army surrounds a castle or city to try and capture it. This siege happened because their brother Geoffrey had rebelled.
William also led a siege at the castle of Mountreuil-Bellay. He had military books read to him during this time. He used ideas from these books, and the siege ended quickly.
Plans for Ireland and Wealth
In 1155, King Henry thought about invading Ireland. He wanted to make William king of Ireland. But their mother, Empress Matilda, did not agree. She thought Ireland was not worth conquering. So, the plans were stopped.
Even without Ireland, Henry made William very rich. He gave William seven large estates in England. These were in Essex, Kent, Norfolk, and Suffolk. William also received land around Dieppe in Normandy. He was made the vicomte (a type of local ruler) of Dieppe.
A Marriage That Didn't Happen
In 1162, William was supposed to marry Isabel de Warenne. She was a very wealthy heiress in England. However, William and Isabel were related. They were considered too closely related by church law to marry without special permission.
This special permission is called a dispensation. Usually, these were easy to get. But Thomas Becket, who was the Archbishop of Canterbury, refused to support their request. Because of this, the marriage could not happen. Isabel later married William's half-brother, Hamelin of Anjou, in 1164.
William's Death
William died suddenly not long after the marriage plans failed. Some people said he died of a broken heart. He was buried in the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Rouen.
His brother, King Henry, blamed Thomas Becket for William's death. This event might have been the start of a big conflict between the King and Becket. Years later, when Becket was murdered in 1170, one of the attackers was Richard le Breton. He had been a knight who worked for William. When Breton struck the final blow, he shouted, "Take that, for the love of my lord William, the king's brother!"
