William II Met His End while Hunting in the forest – Accident or Assassination?
On the 2nd August 2, 1100, the New Forest became the grounds of a controversial event. Nearly a thousand years later, historians are still arguing about the conclusion – was it an accident or was it a planned attack on the king? The incident of course is the demise of Rufus the Red, more properly known as King William II. He passed after a hunting ‘accident’. The King shot a stag and made his way toward it. A deflected arrow, supposedly fired by Sir Walter Tirel, struck the King in the chest. Also in the hunting party was Rufus’ younger brother, Henry. On learning of his brother’s end, Henry galloped off with indecent haste to Winchester to take possession of the royal treasury and from there on to London to become crowned King Henry I. It was the speed of this decision that has given rise to speculation that the accident was in fact premeditated regicide.
King William II was confident that he was one of the most powerful rulers in Europe. He prevented the dissolution of political ties between England and Normandy. Still, Rufus the Red’s strong-armed rule earned him a reputation as a brutal, corrupt tyrant. Like many other powerful people, he had his share of enemies. William also had difficult relations with the church. He kept bishoprics vacant to make use of their revenues and had numerous arguments with Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093. When Anselm left for Rome in 1097 to seek the advice of the pope, William seized his estates.