iMercadier
Banned
The Heir of Anjou: King William's Reign
Prologue
Prologue
Prince William was born to Prince Henry Curtmantle and Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine on the seventeenth day of August, in the year of Our Lord one thousand one hundred and fifty-three, at Rouen. He was christened and confirmed in a lavish ceremony that same day, the Archbishop of Rouen presiding. His godfathers were chosen as: King Louis VII and Thomas Becket, Archdeacon of Canterbury. His godmother was more controversial, being the notorious Empress Matilda.
During his early years the Young Prince was placed into his mother’s household, and there remained for some years. He was nurtured and much loved as the firstborn son and heir of both his parents, and would go on to become the favorite child of both.
Stephen of Blois, the sworn enemy of the House of Anjou, died on October 25th, 1154. Prince Henry and Duchess Eleanor quickly crossed the channel, where they were jointly crowned King and Queen of England at Westminster Abbey, the Archbishop of Canterbury residing.
Convening a Grand Council at Wallingford in 1155, on the advice of his mother, King Henry II ordered his subjects to swear allegiance to his firstborn son and heir, Prince William. Thus the Barons of England swore oaths of allegiance to the Young Prince, in preparation for his eventual accession to the Crown.
Remaining at Wallingford Castle until 1158, the Young Prince was moved out of his mother’s household on his fifth birthday. From there he was placed in the car of his formidable grandmother, Empress Matilda. A chronicler later remarked, “King William was truly shaped in his youth by that old tyrant, Empress Matilda. His cold demeanor, his ominous presence, his domineering actions… all can be traced in their origins to his grandmother, who waged that bloody war against the Great Usurper.”
The Young Prince’s elder uncle died that same year, and he was thereafter betrothed to Princess Margaret of France. Her dowry comprised the Norman Vexin, and the suzerainty of the Archbishop of Tours. These concessions cemented Angevin power in northern France, as the only disputed Anglo-French regions remaining were in the Duchy of Aquitaine.
When the Counts of Blois and Champagne were married to King Louis VII’s daughters, King Henry II was roused to sudden action. As his allies had deserted him, he took drastic actions to secure his hold over his French fiefs. The Young Prince, with the consent of Queen Eleanor, was quickly created Duke of Aquitaine and Count of Poitiers.
Prince William was taken from the household of his grandmother, and quickly rushed down to Aquitaine in the company of his mother. First he was invested as Count of Poitiers by the Bishop in the aforementioned city, and then moved to Limoges. There he was invested as Duke of Aquitaine by the Archbishop of Bourges, being given the lance and banner emblems of the Duchy, as also the ring of Saint Valerie.
From Limoges he travelled north to Rouen, where he was married to Princess Margaret of France by the Archbishop. Then King Henry, in the name of his minor son, occupied the Norman Vexin. The young couple were next placed into the household of Empress Matilda, where they would remain for a while.
Some years later Prince William was escorted across the Channel by Lord Chancellor Thomas Becket, who was shortly thereafter consecrated Archbishop of Canterbury. A Grand Council having previously been summoned to Canterbury, all the Barons of England swore oaths of simple homage to the Young Prince, saving their allegiance to his father.
Prince William and Princess Margaret were then transferred into Archbishop Becket’s household, to receive a religious education suited to their high stations. It would later be revealed to be a decision that changed the course of history itself.
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