William II, Count of Eu,

feudal baron A feudal baron is a vassal holding a heritable fief called a ''barony'', comprising a specific portion of land, granted by an overlord in return for allegiance and service. Following the end of European feudalism, feudal baronies have largely be ...

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

(died about 1096) was a first generation Anglo-Norman nobleman,

Count of Eu This is a list of the counts of Eu, Seine-Maritime, Eu, a French county in the Middle Ages (Eu, Seine-Maritime, Eu is in the department of Seine-Maritime, in the extreme north of Normandy), disputed between Kingdom of France, France and Kingdom ...

Origins

According to most authorities he was the son and heir of

Robert, Count of Eu Robert, Count of Eu and Lord of Hastings (died between 1089 and 1093) was a Norman nobleman, son of William I, Count of Eu, and his wife Lesceline. He was a member of the House of Normandy and held the titles Count of Eu and Lord of Hastings. Ro ...

, (died before 1093), by his wife Beatrix de Falaise.

Career

William of Eu

held Held may refer to: Places * Held Glacier People Arts and media * Adolph Held (1885–1969), U.S. newspaper editor, banker, labor activist *Al Held (1928–2005), U.S. abstract expressionist painter. *Alexander Held (born 1958), German television ...

about seventy-seven manors in the west of England and was one of the rebels against King

William II of England William II (; – 2 August 1100) was List of English monarchs, King of England from 26 September 1087 until his death in 1100, with powers over Duchy of Normandy, Normandy and influence in Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland. He was less successfu ...

in 1088. Although he made his peace with that King, together with William of Aldrie (his wife's nephew),

Roger de Lacy Roger de Lacy (died after 1106) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, a Marcher Lord on the Welsh border. Roger was a castle builder, especially at Ludlow Castle. Lands and titles From his father, Walter de Lacy, he inherited Castle Frome, Here ...

and

Robert de Mowbray Robert de Mowbray (died 1125), a Norman, was Earl of Northumbria from 1086 until 1095. Robert joined the 1088 rebellion against King William II on behalf of Robert Curthose, but was pardoned and later led the army that killed Malcolm III of Sc ...

, he conspired to murder William II and to replace him on the throne with

Stephen of Aumale Stephen (Étienne) of Aumale (–1127) was Count of Aumale from before 1089 to 1127, and Lord of Holderness. Life Stephen I was the only son of Odo, Count of Champagne, and Adelaide of Normandy, Countess of Aumale, daughter of Robert I, Duk ...

, the King's cousin. In 1095 the rebels impounded four Norwegian trading ships and refused the King's demand to return the merchandise. King William conducted a lightning campaign, outflanking the rebels at

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...

and capturing a rebel stronghold at Morpeth in

Northumberland Northumberland ( ) is a ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North East England, on the Anglo-Scottish border, border with Scotland. It is bordered by the North Sea to the east, Tyne and Wear and County Durham to the south, Cumb ...

. He besieged the rebels at

Bamburgh Castle Bamburgh Castle, on the northeast coast of England, by the village of Bamburgh in Northumberland, is a Grade I listed building. The site was originally the location of a Celtic Britons, Celtic Brittonic fort known as ''Din Guarie'' and may have ...

and built a castle facing the surviving one. During January 1096 in

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

, William was formally accused of treason, challenged to

trial by combat Trial by combat (also wager of battle, trial by battle or judicial duel) was a method of Germanic law to settle accusations in the absence of witnesses or a confession in which two parties in dispute fought in single combat; the winner of the ...

, and defeated by Geoffrey Baynard, former

High Sheriff of Yorkshire The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere o ...

, acting as the King's champion. William was sentenced to be blinded and castrated, a mutilation from which he never recovered. William died sometime later and was buried at Hastings. William's son Henry inherited the countship of Eu and also became Lord of Hastings.

Marriage and children

William married twice: *Firstly to Beatrice de Builly, daughter of Roger I de Builly (d. circa 1098/1100), feudal baron of Tickhill in Yorkshire and sister and heiress of Roger II de Builli. By this first wife he had one son: **

Henry I, Count of Eu Henry I, Count of Eu and Lord of Hastings (c. 1075 – 12 July 1140) was the son of William II, Count of Eu and his wife Beatrice of Builly. His father died in 1096, having revolted against King William II of England. As the eldest son, Henry su ...

(d. 1140). *Secondly to Helisende d'Avranches, daughter of

Richard le Goz, Viscount of Avranches Richard le Goz (died 1082 or after) was a Norman nobleman and supporter of William the Conqueror in the Norman conquest of England. Life Richard was the son of Thorstein le Goz, Viscount of Hiesmes, and grandson of Ansfred 'the Dane', Viscoun ...

, and sister of

Hugh d'Avranches, Earl of Chester Hugh d'Avranches ( 1047 – 27 July 1101), nicknamed ''le Gros'' (the Large) or ''Lupus'' (the Wolf), was from 1071 the second Norman Earl of Chester and one of the great magnates of early Norman England. Early life and career Hugh d'Avra ...

(d. 1101).

Notes

References

Sources

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:William 02, Count of Eu 11th-century births 1090s deaths 11th-century Normans 11th-century English nobility English rebels Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain Anglo-Normans

William of Eu William II, Count of Eu, feudal baron of Hastings (died about 1096) was a first generation Anglo-Norman nobleman, Count of Eu. Origins According to most authorities he was the son and heir of Robert, Count of Eu, (died before 1093), by his wife ...

Devon Domesday Book tenants-in-chief Norman warriors Trials by combat William II of England