Editing Henry I of England (section)

=== Succession crisis, 1120–1124 ===
[[File:WhiteShipSinking.jpg|thumb|left|Early 14th-century depiction of the sinking of the ''[[White Ship]]'' at [[Barfleur]] on 25 November 1120]]

Henry's succession plans were thrown into chaos by the sinking of the ''[[White Ship]]'' off the French coast on 25 November 1120.<ref>{{harvnb|Hollister|2003|pp=276–279}}</ref> Henry had left the port of [[Barfleur]] for England in the early evening, leaving William Adelin and many of the younger members of the court to follow on that night in a separate vessel, the ''White Ship''.<ref>{{harvnb|Hollister|2003|pp=276–277}}</ref> Both the crew and passengers were drunk and, just outside the harbour, the ship hit a submerged rock.<ref name=Hollister203PP277>{{harvnb|Hollister|2003|pp=277–278}}</ref>{{refn|The submerged rock was probably the [[Quillebœuf Rock]].<ref>{{harvnb|Green|2009|p=66}}</ref>|group=nb}} The ship sank, killing as many as 300 people, with only one survivor, a butcher from Rouen.<ref name=Hollister203PP277/> Henry's court was initially too scared to report William's death to the King. When he was finally told, he collapsed with grief.<ref>{{harvnb|Hollister|2003|p=278}}; {{harvnb|Green|2009|p=167}}</ref>

The disaster left Henry with no legitimate son, his nephews now the closest possible male heirs.<ref>{{harvnb|Hollister|2003|p=280}}; {{harvnb|Green|2009|p=168}}</ref> Henry announced he would take a new wife, [[Adeliza of Louvain]], opening up the prospect of a new royal son, and the two were married at [[Windsor Castle]] in January 1121.<ref>{{harvnb|Hollister|2003|p=280}}</ref>{{refn|The speed with which Henry's second marriage took place may indicate that he had been planning to remarry anyway, even before the ''White Ship'' disaster.<ref>{{harvnb|Green|2009|p=169}}</ref>|group=nb}} Henry appears to have chosen her because she was attractive and came from a prestigious noble line. Adeliza seems to have been fond of Henry and joined him in his travels, probably to maximise the chances of her conceiving a child.<ref>{{harvnb|Hollister|2003|p=281}}; {{harvnb|Thompson|2003|p=137}}; {{harvnb|Green|2009|p=169}}</ref> The ''White Ship'' disaster initiated fresh conflict in Wales, where the drowning of Richard, Earl of Chester, encouraged a rebellion led by [[Maredudd ap Bleddyn]].<ref name=Hollister2003P282>{{harvnb|Hollister|2003|p=282}}</ref> Henry intervened in North Wales that summer with an army and, although he was hit by a Welsh arrow, the campaign reaffirmed royal power across the region.<ref name=Hollister2003P282/>

Henry's alliance with Anjou – which had been based on his son William marrying Fulk's daughter Matilda – began to disintegrate.<ref name=Hollister2003P290>{{harvnb|Hollister|2003|p=290}}</ref> Fulk returned from the Levant and demanded that Henry return Matilda and her dowry, a range of estates and fortifications in Maine.<ref name=Hollister2003P290/> Matilda left for Anjou, but Henry argued that the dowry had in fact originally belonged to him before it came into the possession of Fulk, and so declined to hand the estates back to Anjou.<ref>{{harvnb|Hollister|2003|p=291}}.</ref> Fulk married his daughter [[Sibylla of Anjou|Sibylla]] to William Clito, and granted them Maine.<ref name=Hollister2003P292>{{harvnb|Hollister|2003|p=292}}</ref> Once again, conflict broke out, as Amaury de Montfort allied himself with Fulk and led a revolt along the Norman-Anjou border in 1123.<ref name=Hollister2003P292/> Amaury was joined by several other Norman barons, headed by [[Waleran de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Worcester|Waleran de Beaumont]], one of the sons of Henry's old ally, Robert of Meulan.<ref>{{harvnb|Hollister|2003|pp=292–293}}; {{harvnb|Green|2009|p=179}}</ref>{{refn|It is uncertain what led Waleran de Beaumont to rebel against Henry. Waleran may have genuinely believed that William Clito had a rightful claim to the Duchy, and have thought that he was unlikely to benefit under Henry's rule.<ref>{{harvnb|Green|2009|pp=179–180}}; {{harvnb|Crouch|1986|p=15}}</ref>|group=nb}}

Henry dispatched his illegitimate son [[Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester|Robert of Gloucester]] and [[Ranulf le Meschin]] to Normandy and then intervened himself in late 1123.<ref>{{harvnb|Hollister|2003|pp=293–294}}</ref> He began the process of besieging the rebel castles, before wintering in the Duchy.<ref>{{harvnb|Hollister|2003|pp=297–298}}; {{harvnb|Green|2009|p=184}}</ref> In the spring of 1124, campaigning began again. In the [[Battle of Bourgthéroulde]], fought near [[Rouen]], Borleng, castellan of [[Bernay, Eure]], led the King's army and received intelligence that the rebels were departing from the rebel base in [[Beaumont-le-Roger]] allowing him to ambush them as they traversed through the [[Pont de Brotonne|Brotonne]] forest. Waleran charged the royal forces, but his knights were cut down by Odo's archers and the rebels were quickly overwhelmed.<ref name=Hollister2003P300>{{harvnb|Hollister|2003|p=300}}</ref> Waleran was captured, but Amaury escaped.<ref name=Hollister2003P300/> Henry mopped up the remainder of the rebellion, blinding some of the rebel leaders&nbsp;– considered, at the time, a more merciful punishment than execution&nbsp;– and recovering the last rebel castles.<ref>{{harvnb|Hollister|2003|pp=302–303}}; {{harvnb|Green|2009|pp=186–187}}</ref> He paid Pope Callixtus a large amount of money, in exchange for the Papacy annulling the marriage of William Clito and Sibylla on the grounds of [[consanguinity]].<ref>{{harvnb|Hollister|2003|p=306}}</ref>{{refn|Medieval Church law at the time forbade marriage within seven degrees. In practice most of the upper classes were related in this way, but the law could be invoked on occasion to annul marriages.<ref>{{harvnb|Ward|2006|p=20}}</ref>|group=nb}}