Cultural depictions of Henry I of England

Last updated January 03, 2022

King Henry I of England has been portrayed in various cultural media.

Theatre

Henry I of England, a play by Beth Flintoff, was first performed in November 2016 at St James's Church, Reading.^[1]^[2]^[3] The drama follows the story of the three sons of William the Conqueror and ends with the early reign of Henry I. The narrative continues in Flintoff's second play Matilda the Empress which depicts the king's later life and The Anarchy period after his death when his daughter Matilda and her cousin Stephen were rivals for the succession.^[4]^[5]

Fictional portrayals

Henry I has been depicted in historical novels and short stories. They include:^[6]

Pado, the Priest (1899) by Sabine Baring-Gould revolves around Henry's conflict with the Welsh.^[7]
A Saxon Maid (1901) by Eliza Frances Pollard. Reportedly "a good short story of the Norman devastations", taking place in the reigns of William II and Henry I. The latter being a prominent character.^[6]
"Old Men at Pevensey" by Rudyard Kipling, a short story included in the collection Puck of Pook's Hill (1906). Features both Henry I and Robert Curthose.^[6]
"The Tree of Justice" by Rudyard Kipling, a short story included in the collection Rewards and Fairies (1910). Features both Henry I and Rahere.^[6]
The King’s Minstrel (1925) by Ivy May Bolton. The title character is Rahere, depicted as "part jester, part priest, and more wizard than either". The King of the title is Henry I who is "prominently introduced".^[6]
Henry appears in two novels by George Shipway, The Paladin (1972) and The Wolf Time (1973). In these books, Henry is depicted as organizing the death of King William II.^[8]
Henry appears briefly in the short story "A Light on the Road to Woodstock" (1988) by Ellis Peters, one of her Brother Cadfael stories. "A Light on the Road to Woodstock" is collected in A Rare Benedictine: The Advent of Brother Cadfael .^[9]
The Pillars of the Earth , a 1989 novel by Ken Follett, set during the Anarchy period. In the miniseries based on the book King Henry was portrayed by Clive Wood.

Related Research Articles

Brother Cadfael is the main fictional character in a series of historical murder mysteries written between 1977 and 1994 by the linguist-scholar Edith Pargeter under the name "Ellis Peters". The character of Cadfael himself is a Welsh Benedictine monk living at the Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, in Shrewsbury, western England, in the first half of the 12th century. The stories are set between about 1135 and about 1145, during "The Anarchy", the destructive contest for the crown of England between King Stephen and Empress Maud.

<i>White Ship</i> Twelfth-century ship that sank, killing the heir to the English throne

The White Ship was a vessel transporting many nobles, including the heir to the English throne, that sank in the Channel during a trip from France to England near the Normandy coast off Barfleur, on 25 November 1120. Only one of approximately 300 people aboard survived, a butcher from Rouen. Those who drowned included William Adelin, the only legitimate son and heir of Henry I of England, his half-sister Matilda of Perche, his half-brother Richard of Lincoln, the earl of Chester Richard d'Avranches, and Geoffrey Ridel. William Adelin's death led to a succession crisis and a period of civil war in England from 1135 to 1153 known as the Anarchy.

Robert FitzRoy, 1st Earl of Gloucester was an illegitimate son of King Henry I of England. He was the half-brother of the Empress Matilda, and her chief military supporter during the civil war known as The Anarchy, in which she vied with Stephen of Blois for the throne of England.

Geoffrey de Mandeville II, 1st Earl of Essex was a prominent figure during the reign of King Stephen of England. His biographer, the 19th-century historian J. H. Round, called him "the most perfect and typical presentment of the feudal and anarchic spirit that stamps the reign of Stephen." That characterisation has been disputed since the later 20th century.

The Battle of Lincoln, or the First Battle of Lincoln, occurred on 2 February 1141 in Lincoln, England between King Stephen of England and forces loyal to Empress Matilda. Stephen was captured during the battle, imprisoned, and effectively deposed while Matilda ruled for a short time.

King Stephen of England was a grandson of William the Conqueror, and has been depicted in various cultural works. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne jure uxoris. His reign was marked by civil war with his cousin and rival the Empress Matilda, in a period called the Anarchy which has been dramatized by Beth Flintoff in her play Matilda the Empress, first performed in November 2017 at St James's Church, Reading. Stephen was succeeded by Matilda's son, Henry II, the first of the Angevin kings.

One Corpse Too Many is a medieval mystery novel set in the summer of 1138 by Ellis Peters. It is the second novel in the Cadfael Chronicles, first published in 1979.

Dead Man's Ransom is a medieval mystery novel by Ellis Peters, first of four novels set in the disruptive year of 1141. It is the ninth in the Cadfael Chronicles, and was first published in 1984.

An Excellent Mystery is a mystery novel by Ellis Peters, the third of four set in the year 1141, when so much occurred in the period known as the Anarchy. It is the 11th in the Cadfael Chronicles, published in 1985.

Brother Cadfael's Penance is a medieval mystery novel set in the autumn of 1145 by Ellis Peters. It is the last novel in the Cadfael Chronicles, first published in 1994.

The Virgin in the Ice is a medieval mystery novel by Ellis Peters, set in late 1139. It is the sixth novel in The Cadfael Chronicles, first published in 1982.

Saint Peter's Fair is a medieval mystery novel by Ellis Peters, set in July – September 1139. It is the fourth novel in The Cadfael Chronicles, first published in 1981. The story occurs during The Anarchy, in the English town of Shrewsbury.

The Devil's Novice is a medieval mystery novel by Ellis Peters, set in fall 1140. It is the eighth novel in the Cadfael Chronicles, first published in 1983.

The Pilgrim of Hate is a medieval mystery novel by Ellis Peters, set in spring 1141. It is the tenth in the Cadfael Chronicles, and was first published in 1984.

The Confession of Brother Haluin is a medieval mystery novel set in the winter of 1142–1143 by Ellis Peters. It is the fifteenth novel in the Cadfael Chronicles, and was first published in 1988.

The Cadfael Chronicles is a series of historical murder mysteries written by the linguist-scholar Edith Pargeter (1913–1995) under the name "Ellis Peters".

The Raven in the Foregate is a medieval mystery novel by Ellis Peters, fourth of the novels set in 1141, a year of great political tumult in the Anarchy. It is 12th of The Cadfael Chronicles, and first published in 1986.

Cultural depictions of the Anarchy, a long-running civil war in England between 1135 and 1153, has furnished the background of some major fictional portrayals. These include:

William FitzAlan (1105–1160) was a nobleman of Breton ancestry. He was a major landowner, a Marcher lord with large holdings in Shropshire, where he was the Lord of Oswestry, as well as in Norfolk and Sussex. He took the side of Empress Matilda during the Anarchy and underwent considerable hardship in the Angevin cause before regaining his lands and former status. William's younger brother, Walter fitz Alan, became ancestor of the royal House of Stuart.

The 12th-century ruler Empress Matilda has been depicted in various cultural media.

References

↑ "Henry I of England" . Retrieved 2017-11-14.
↑ "Review of Henry I of England" . Retrieved 2018-12-03.
↑ "Henry I leads the charge to crown Reading as a cultural hotspot" . Retrieved 2018-12-03.
↑ "Matilda The Empress" . Retrieved 2017-11-14.
↑ "Review of Matilda the Empress" . Retrieved 2018-12-03.
1 2 3 4 5 Nield (1925), p. 28-29
↑ McGarry, Daniel D., White, Sarah Harriman, Historical Fiction Guide: Annotated Chronological, Geographical, and Topical List of Five Thousand Selected Historical Novels. Scarecrow Press, New York, 1963 (pg. 59).
↑ Tate, Peter. The New Forest, 900 years after. London : Macdonald and Jane's, 1979. ISBN 9780354043625 (pg.124 )
↑ Lewis, Margaret. Edith Pargeter : Ellis Peters. Bridgend Seren 2003. ISBN 9781854113290 (pg. 91)

Sources

Nield, Jonathan (1925), A Guide to the Best Historical Novels and Tales, G. P. Putnam's sons, ISBN 0833725092

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[1] "Henry I of England" . Retrieved 2017-11-14.

[2] "Review of Henry I of England" . Retrieved 2018-12-03.

[3] "Henry I leads the charge to crown Reading as a cultural hotspot" . Retrieved 2018-12-03.

[4] "Matilda The Empress" . Retrieved 2017-11-14.

[5] "Review of Matilda the Empress" . Retrieved 2018-12-03.

[Nield-6] 1 2 3 4 5 Nield (1925), p. 28-29

[7] McGarry, Daniel D., White, Sarah Harriman, Historical Fiction Guide: Annotated Chronological, Geographical, and Topical List of Five Thousand Selected Historical Novels. Scarecrow Press, New York, 1963 (pg. 59).

[8] Tate, Peter. The New Forest, 900 years after. London : Macdonald and Jane's, 1979. ISBN 9780354043625 (pg.124 )

[9] Lewis, Margaret. Edith Pargeter : Ellis Peters. Bridgend Seren 2003. ISBN 9781854113290 (pg. 91)

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v t e Cultural depictions of English and British monarchs
Kingdom of the English 886–1066	Alfred the Great Edward the Elder Æthelflæd Ælfweard Athelstan the Glorious ¹ Edmund the Magnificent ¹ Eadred ¹ Eadwig the Fair ¹ Edgar the Peaceable ¹ Edward the Martyr Æthelred the Unready Sweyn Forkbeard Edmund Ironside Cnut ¹ Harold Harefoot Harthacnut Edward the Confessor Harold Godwinson Edgar the Ætheling
Kingdom of England 1066–1649	William I William II Henry I Stephen Matilda Henry II ² Henry the Young King Richard I John ² Henry III ² Edward I ² Edward II ² Edward III ² Richard II ² Henry IV ² Henry V ² Henry VI ² Edward IV ² Edward V ² Richard III ² Henry VII ² Henry VIII ² Edward VI ² Jane ² Mary I ²with Philip ² Elizabeth I ² James I ³ Charles I ³
Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland 1653–1659	Oliver Cromwell ⁴ Richard Cromwell ⁴
Kingdom of England 1660–1707	Charles II ³ James II ³ William III and Mary II ³ Anne ³
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British monarchs after the Acts of Union 1707	Anne George I George II George III George IV William IV Victoria Edward VII George V Edward VIII George VI Elizabeth II
¹Overlord of Britain. ²Also ruler of Ireland. ³Also ruler of Scotland and Ireland. ⁴ Lord Protector. ⁵Also ruler of England and Ireland. Debatable or disputed rulers are in italics.