Editing William the Conqueror (section)

== Troubles in England and on the Continent ==

=== Danish raids and rebellion ===
{{Further|Ely Rebellion}}
Although Sweyn had promised to leave England, he returned in early 1070, raiding along the Humber and East Anglia toward the [[Isle of Ely]], where he joined up with [[Hereward the Wake]], a local [[thegn]]. Hereward's forces captured and looted [[Peterborough Abbey]]. William was able to secure the departure of Sweyn and his fleet in 1070,<ref name=Douglas221>Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 221–222</ref> allowing him to return to the continent to deal with troubles in Maine, where the town of [[Le Mans]] had revolted in 1069. Another concern was the death of Count [[Baldwin VI of Flanders]] in July 1070, which led to a succession crisis as his widow, [[Richilde, Countess of Hainaut|Richilde]], was ruling for their two young sons, [[Arnulf III, Count of Flanders|Arnulf]] and [[Baldwin II, Count of Hainaut|Baldwin]]. Her rule was contested by [[Robert I, Count of Flanders|Robert]], Baldwin's brother. Richilde proposed marriage to William fitzOsbern, who was in Normandy, and fitzOsbern accepted. But after he was killed in February 1071 at the [[Battle of Cassel (1071)|Battle of Cassel]], Robert became count. He was opposed to King William's power on the continent, thus the Battle of Cassel upset the balance of power in northern France and cost William an important supporter.<ref name=Douglas223>Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 223–225</ref>

In 1071 William defeated the last rebellion of the north. Earl Edwin was betrayed by his own men and killed, while William built a causeway to subdue the Isle of Ely, where Hereward the Wake and Morcar were hiding. Hereward escaped, but Morcar was captured, deprived of his earldom, and imprisoned. In 1072 William invaded Scotland, defeating Malcolm, who had recently invaded the north of England. William and Malcolm agreed to peace by signing the [[Treaty of Abernethy]], and Malcolm probably gave up his son [[Duncan II of Scotland|Duncan]] as a hostage for the peace. Perhaps another stipulation of the treaty was the expulsion of Edgar the Ætheling from Malcolm's court.<ref name=Bates107>Bates ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 107–109</ref> William then turned his attention to the continent, returning to Normandy in early 1073 to deal with the invasion of Maine by [[Fulk le Rechin]], the [[Count of Anjou]]. With a swift campaign, William seized Le Mans from Fulk's forces, completing the campaign by 30 March 1073. This made William's power more secure in northern France, but the new count of Flanders accepted Edgar the Ætheling into his court. Robert also married his half-sister [[Bertha of Holland|Bertha]] to King [[Philip I of France]], who was opposed to Norman power.<ref name=Douglas228>Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 228–229</ref>

William returned to England to release his army from service in 1073 but quickly returned to Normandy, where he spent all of 1074.<ref name=Bates111>Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 111</ref> He left England in the hands of his supporters, including [[Richard fitzGilbert]] and William de Warenne,<ref name=Bates112 /> as well as Lanfranc.<ref name=Douglas231 /> William's ability to leave England for an entire year was a sign that he felt that his control of the kingdom was secure.<ref name=Bates112>Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 112</ref> While William was in Normandy, Edgar the Ætheling returned to Scotland from Flanders. The French king, seeking a focus for those opposed to William's power, proposed that Edgar be given the castle of [[Montreuil-sur-Mer]] on the Channel, which would have given Edgar a strategic advantage against William.<ref name=Douglas230 /> However, Edgar was forced to submit to William shortly thereafter, and he returned to William's court.<ref name=Bates111 />{{efn|Edgar remained at William's court until 1086 when he went to the [[Norman conquest of southern Italy|Norman principality in southern Italy]].<ref name=Bates111 />}} Philip, although thwarted in this attempt, turned his attentions to Brittany, leading to a revolt in 1075.<ref name=Douglas230>Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 230–231</ref>

=== Revolt of the Earls ===
{{Main|Revolt of the Earls}}
[[File:Castle Mound - Norwich - geograph.org.uk - 780624.jpg|thumb|left|[[Norwich Castle]]. The [[keep]] dates to after the Revolt of the Earls, but the castle mound is earlier.<ref name=Castles161>Pettifer ''English Castles'' pp. 161–162</ref>]]

In 1075, during William's absence, [[Ralph de Gael]], the [[Earl of Norfolk]], and [[Roger de Breteuil]], the [[Earl of Hereford]], conspired to overthrow William in the "Revolt of the Earls".<ref name=Douglas231/> Ralph was at least part Breton and had spent most of his life prior to 1066 in Brittany, where he still had lands.<ref name=Ralph>Williams "Ralph, earl" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''</ref> Roger was a Norman, son of William fitzOsbern, but had inherited less authority than his father held.<ref name=Roger>Lewis "Breteuil, Roger de, earl of Hereford" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''</ref> Ralph's authority seems also to have been less than his predecessors in the earldom, and this was likely the cause of his involvement in the revolt.<ref name=Ralph/>

The exact reason for the rebellion is unclear. It was launched at the wedding of Ralph to a relative of Roger, held at [[Exning]] in Suffolk. Waltheof, the earl of Northumbria, although one of William's favourites, was involved, and some Breton lords were ready to rebel in support of Ralph and Roger. Ralph also requested Danish aid. William remained in Normandy while his men in England subdued the revolt. Roger was unable to leave his stronghold in Herefordshire because of efforts by [[Wulfstan (died 1095)|Wulfstan]], the [[Bishop of Worcester]], and [[Æthelwig]], the [[Abbot of Evesham]]. Ralph was bottled up in [[Norwich Castle]] by the combined efforts of Odo of Bayeux, [[Geoffrey de Montbray]], Richard fitzGilbert, and William de Warenne. Ralph eventually left Norwich in the control of his wife and left England, ending up in Brittany. Norwich was besieged and surrendered, with the garrison allowed to go to Brittany. Meanwhile, the Danish king's brother, [[Canute IV of Denmark|Cnut]], had finally arrived in England with a fleet of 200 ships, but Norwich had already surrendered. The Danes raided along the coast before returning home.<ref name=Douglas231 /> William returned to England later in 1075 to deal with the Danish threat, leaving his wife Matilda in charge of Normandy. He celebrated Christmas at Winchester and dealt with the aftermath of the rebellion.<ref name=Bates181>Bates ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 181–182</ref> Roger and Waltheof were kept in prison, where Waltheof was executed in May 1076. Before this, William had returned to the continent, where Ralph had continued the rebellion from Brittany.<ref name=Douglas231>Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 231–233</ref>

=== Troubles at home and abroad ===

Earl Ralph had secured control of the castle at [[Dol-de-Bretagne|Dol]], and in September 1076 William advanced into Brittany and laid siege to the castle. King Philip of France later relieved the siege and defeated William at the [[Battle of Dol (1076)|Battle of Dol]] in 1076, forcing him to retreat to Normandy. Although this was William's first defeat in battle, it did little to change things. An Angevin attack on Maine was defeated in late 1076 or 1077, with Count Fulk le Rechin wounded in the unsuccessful attack. More serious was the retirement of [[Simon de Crépy]], the [[Count of Amiens]], to a monastery. Before he became a monk, Simon handed his county of the [[Vexin]] over to King Philip. The Vexin was a buffer state between Normandy and the lands of the French king, and Simon had been a supporter of William.{{efn|Although Simon was a supporter of William, the Vexin was actually under the overlordship of King Philip, which is why Philip secured control of the county when Simon became a monk.<ref name=Bates183/>}} William was able to make peace with Philip in 1077 and secured a truce with Count Fulk in late 1077 or early 1078.<ref name=Bates183>Bates ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 183–184</ref>

In late 1077 or early 1078 trouble began between William and his eldest son, Robert. Although Orderic Vitalis describes it as starting with a quarrel between Robert and his younger brothers [[William II of England|William]] and [[Henry I of England|Henry]], including a story that the quarrel was started when William and Henry threw water at Robert, it is much more likely that Robert was feeling powerless. Orderic relates that he had previously demanded control of Maine and Normandy and had been rebuffed. The trouble in 1077 or 1078 resulted in Robert leaving Normandy accompanied by a band of young men, many of them the sons of William's supporters. Included among them were [[Robert of Belleme]], [[William de Breteuil]], and Roger, the son of Richard fitzGilbert. This band went to the castle at [[Remalard]], where they proceeded to raid into Normandy. The raiders were supported by many of William's continental enemies.<ref name=Bates185>Bates ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 185–186</ref> William immediately attacked the rebels and drove them from Remalard, but King Philip gave them the castle at [[Gerberoi]], where they were joined by new supporters. William then laid siege to Gerberoi in January 1079. After three weeks, the besieged forces [[sortie|sallied]] from the castle and took the besiegers by surprise. William was unhorsed by Robert and was only saved from death by an Englishman, [[Toki son of Wigod]], who was himself killed.<ref>Douglas and Greenaway, p. 158</ref> William's forces were forced to lift the siege, and the king returned to Rouen. By 12 April 1080, William and Robert had reached an accommodation, with William once more affirming that Robert would receive Normandy when he died.<ref name=Douglas238>Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 238–239</ref>

[[File:Williams dominions 1087.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Map showing William's lands in 1087 (light pink)]]

Word of William's defeat at Gerberoi stirred up difficulties in northern England. In August and September 1079 King Malcolm of Scots raided south of the [[River Tweed]], devastating the land between the River Tees and the Tweed in a raid that lasted almost a month. The lack of Norman response appears to have caused the Northumbrians to grow restive, and in the spring of 1080 they rebelled against the rule of [[Walcher]], the [[Bishop of Durham]] and Earl of Northumbria. Walcher was killed on 14 May 1080, and the king dispatched his half-brother Odo to deal with the rebellion.<ref name=Douglas240/> William departed Normandy in July 1080,<ref name=Bates188>Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 188</ref> and in the autumn his son Robert was sent on a campaign against the Scots. Robert raided into Lothian and forced Malcolm to agree to terms, building the 'new castle' at [[Newcastle upon Tyne]] while returning to England.<ref name=Douglas240>Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 240–241</ref> The king was at Gloucester for Christmas 1080 and at Winchester for Whitsun in 1081, ceremonially wearing his crown on both occasions. A papal embassy arrived in England during this period, asking that William do fealty for England to the papacy, a request that he rejected.<ref name=Bates188/> William also visited Wales in 1081, although the English and the Welsh sources differ on the purpose of the visit. The ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' states that it was a military campaign, but Welsh sources record it as a pilgrimage to [[St Davids]] in honour of [[Saint David]]. William's biographer David Bates argues that the former explanation is more likely: the balance of power had recently shifted in Wales and William would have wished to take advantage of this to extend Norman power. By the end of 1081, William was back on the continent, dealing with disturbances in Maine. Although he led an expedition into Maine, the result was instead a negotiated settlement arranged by a papal legate.<ref name=Bates189>Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 189</ref>

=== Last years ===

Sources for William's actions between 1082 and 1084 are meagre. According to the historian David Bates, this probably means that little of note happened, and that because William was on the continent, there was nothing for the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' to record.<ref name=Bates193>Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 193</ref> In 1082, William ordered the arrest of his half-brother Odo. The exact reasons are unclear, as no contemporary author recorded what caused the quarrel between the half-brothers. Orderic Vitalis later recorded that Odo had aspirations to become pope and that Odo had attempted to persuade some of William's vassals to join Odo in an invasion of southern Italy. This would have been considered tampering with the king's authority over his vassals, which William would not have tolerated. Although Odo remained in confinement for the rest of William's reign, his lands were not confiscated. In 1083, William's son Robert rebelled once more with support from the French king. A further blow was the death of Queen Matilda on 2 November 1083. William was always described as close to his wife, and her death would have added to his problems.<ref name=Douglas243>Douglas ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 243–244</ref>

Maine continued to be difficult, with a rebellion by [[Hubert de Beaumont-au-Maine]], probably in 1084. Hubert was besieged in his castle at [[Siege of Saint-Suzanne, 1083-1086|Sainte-Suzanne]] by William's forces for at least two years, but he eventually made peace with the king and was restored to favour. William's movements during 1084 and 1085 are unclear&nbsp;– he was in Normandy at Easter 1084 but may have been in England before then to collect the [[danegeld]] assessed that year for the defence of England against an invasion by King [[Cnut IV of Denmark]]. Although English and Norman forces remained on alert throughout 1085 and into 1086, the invasion threat was ended by Cnut's death in July 1086.<ref name=Bates196>Bates ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 196–198</ref>