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Born around 1028, William was the illegitimate son of Duke Robert I of Normandy,
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William's relations with the Church were not easy; he took over Archbishop Lanfranc's revenues after the latter's death in 1089, kept other bishoprics vacant to make use of their revenues, and had numerous arguments with Lanfranc's popular successor,
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William II was followed on the throne by his youngest brother, Henry. He was crowned three days after his brother's death, against the possibility that his eldest brother Robert might claim the English throne on his imminent return from the Crusade.
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On the death of Henry I in 1135, his favourite nephew, Stephen of Blois, son of his sister Adela, hurried to London, where he secured election and coronation within the month. This contravened the oath he and his fellow barons had sworn in 1127 to Henry's daughter, the Empress Matilda. His election was confirmed by the Pope in 1136.
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Henry II ruled over an empire which stretched from the Scottish border to the Pyrenees.
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Henry's eldest surviving son, Richard I (reigned 1189-99), fulfilled his main ambition by going on crusade in 1190, leaving the ruling of England to others.
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Henry III, King John's son, was only nine when he became king. By 1227, when he assumed power from his regent, order had been restored, based on his acceptance of Magna Carta.