Parents: Robert II, duke of the Normans
Date of Birth: 225 October 1102
Royal House: Normandy
Spouse: (1) Sibylla, daughter of Fulk V, count of Anjou, then (2) Joanna of Montferrat
Predecessor: Charles I
Reign: 1127 – 1128
Summary: A tragic member of the Norman dynasty of England, William Clito's fate was never in good hands. His father, Robert II Curthose, was the duke of Normandy and, by right of primogeniture, should have been king of England. But King William I decreed that his eldest son, Robert, would receive the hereditary patrimony of the family while a younger, William, would receive England. A long war ensued during which William II was succeeded by a still-younger brother, Henry I. Henry defeated Robert Curthose at the Battle of Tinchebrai in 1106 and William Clito enters the story at this point. William was placed in the custody of Duke Robert's illegitimate daughter and her husband, Helias, count of Arques. He remained there until 1110 when Henry I demanded the prince be returned to his personal custody. Helias protected the boy and fled, taking him first to Robert de Bellême, an enemy of King Henry I. Two years later, they fled again, this time to Count Baldwin VII of Flanders. By 1118, many Norman counts were upset with Henry's rule and rallied behind Count Baldwin to rebel. William Clito became their cause, since William had the senior claim to the English and Normandy thrones. When Baldwin was injured soon into the campaign, King Louis VI of France took up the cause. The French were decisively defeated by the English at the Battle of Brémule in 1119. The rebellion failed and the young prince returned to Paris. When William Ætheling, the only legitimate son of King Henry I, died in 1120, William became the senior Norman heir to the throne once again. By 1122, a large part of the Norman nobility accepted his claim to the throne. To strengthen his claim, he married the daughter of Count Fulk V of Anjou. Henry appealed to the pope and forced the marriage to be annulled in 1124 because the couple were too closely related. Another rebellion arose that same year and was defeated at the battle of Bourgtheroulde. King Louis VI continued to support the young man into 1127 when he granted him estates in French Vexin near the Norman border. William married the half-sister of the queen to secure their alliance. When Count Charles of Flanders died in 1127, Louis marched into the county and convinced the barons to elect William as their new count.
Royal House: Normandy
Spouse: (1) Sibylla, daughter of Fulk V, count of Anjou, then (2) Joanna of Montferrat
Predecessor: Charles I
Reign: 1127 – 1128
Summary: A tragic member of the Norman dynasty of England, William Clito's fate was never in good hands. His father, Robert II Curthose, was the duke of Normandy and, by right of primogeniture, should have been king of England. But King William I decreed that his eldest son, Robert, would receive the hereditary patrimony of the family while a younger, William, would receive England. A long war ensued during which William II was succeeded by a still-younger brother, Henry I. Henry defeated Robert Curthose at the Battle of Tinchebrai in 1106 and William Clito enters the story at this point. William was placed in the custody of Duke Robert's illegitimate daughter and her husband, Helias, count of Arques. He remained there until 1110 when Henry I demanded the prince be returned to his personal custody. Helias protected the boy and fled, taking him first to Robert de Bellême, an enemy of King Henry I. Two years later, they fled again, this time to Count Baldwin VII of Flanders. By 1118, many Norman counts were upset with Henry's rule and rallied behind Count Baldwin to rebel. William Clito became their cause, since William had the senior claim to the English and Normandy thrones. When Baldwin was injured soon into the campaign, King Louis VI of France took up the cause. The French were decisively defeated by the English at the Battle of Brémule in 1119. The rebellion failed and the young prince returned to Paris. When William Ætheling, the only legitimate son of King Henry I, died in 1120, William became the senior Norman heir to the throne once again. By 1122, a large part of the Norman nobility accepted his claim to the throne. To strengthen his claim, he married the daughter of Count Fulk V of Anjou. Henry appealed to the pope and forced the marriage to be annulled in 1124 because the couple were too closely related. Another rebellion arose that same year and was defeated at the battle of Bourgtheroulde. King Louis VI continued to support the young man into 1127 when he granted him estates in French Vexin near the Norman border. William married the half-sister of the queen to secure their alliance. When Count Charles of Flanders died in 1127, Louis marched into the county and convinced the barons to elect William as their new count.
It took him only two months to secure control over Flanders, but the rebels were supported by the English and a rival, Thierry of Alsace, claimed the county as well. When two baronies declared for Thierry in 1128, William found himself in charge of less than half the county, mostly the southern edge. At the battle of Axspoele, William was able to defeat Thierry and reclaim a lost barony, but it hardly mattered. With the help of his father-in-law, Duke Godfrey of Brabant, he beseiged the city of Aalst with the intention to recapture all of Ghent, but William was wounded in the arm in a fight with a foot soldier. Within a week the wound had grown gangrenous and William died a week after that, attended by his brother-in-law, Helias. William Clito was buried at the Abbey of St Bertin in St Omer. He left no children and his titles in Flanders was taken by Thierry. His father, Robert, remained alive for another six years, a prisoner of King Henry I locked away in Cardiff.
Date of Death: 28 July 1128
Successor: Thierry
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
Successor: Thierry
Other Monarchs Who Died Today:
- Theodosius II, emperor of Constantinople (450)
- Victor II, pope of Rome (1057)
- Leopold VI, duke of Austria (1230)
- Joseph, king of Spain and Naples
- Charles, king of Sardinia (1849)
