all unrighteousness arose.' When an abbot or a bishop died, the king and his minister did not choose one to fill his place, but drew all the rents for themselves and took all the money that belonged to the office.

After Lanfranc's death nearly four years passed and no new archbishop was named, till all men murmured. Even the rough barons at William's court asked him to fill the see. But he would not, till falling very sick he feared to die, and the thought of his many sins came to frighten him.

2. It chanced that at that time there was a holy man in the land, abbot of that same monastery of Bec from which Lanfranc had come, Anselm by name.

Anselm.

He had been a friend of Lanfranc's, and was, like him, an Italian and a learned man. He had long been spoken of as the man who should be archbishop. So in his sickness the frightened king sent for him and told him that it was his will that he should fill the see of Canterbury. But Anselm had no wish for this honour. He was a simple monk, he said, and wished to live in peace he had never mixed with the business of the world. The bystanders had to use force before they could make him take the cross in his hands, and it was against his will that he was made archbishop.

Anselm and

3. When the king got better of his sickness he forgot his vows to lead a new life, and behaved worse than before. But in Anselm he found a man bold enough William. to rebuke his crimes. When all the land trembled before the tyrant, the archbishop spoke out for the cause of liberty and good government. That the two should live in peace side by side was impossible. The King grew to hate Anselm and quarrelled with him, because he rebuked him for his vices, and because he would not give him the money he wanted. Moreover, there were at that time two Popes in Christendom, each

claiming to be the rightful one. Anselm had said that he would obey Urban II. as Pope, but William forbade him to look upon either as Pope till he allowed it.

William II.'s oppression.

4. At last William grew so bitter against him that Anselm had to leave the country and go to Rome, where he stayed till the Red King's death. For twelve long years of misery William ruled over the land. The barons imitated his vices, and on all sides the people were oppressed. Ranulf Flambard found out ever new ways of burdening the country with taxes. Law was almost silent, and only money weighed with the Judges.

William loved hunting as much as his father had done, and his forest laws were very cruel. One day whilst hunting in the New Forest he was shot by an arrow and killed on the spot. Whether this was done by chance or on purpose was never known, and perhaps no man cared to ask, from joy that the tyrant was dead. 5. Henry, William's younger brother, was hunting with him when he was killed. Robert was still away on the Crusade, and Henry had himself chosen king by the few barons who were round William at his death.

IIOO.

Henry I.

chosen king.

Henry I.'s charter.

which he

6. But Henry knew well that the barons really wished Robert to be king, and so hastened to make himself sure of the people. At his crowning he swore to give the land peace, justice, and equity. Afterwards he gave the people a charter in promised to free the Church from all unjust burdens, and the land from all evil customs; he gave back to the people their old laws, and promised to reform all the abuses which had crept in during the Red King's reign.

We must remember this charter, because it states very clearly for the first time the rights of the people.

It puts bounds to the power of the king by saying that the freedom of the people cannot lawfully be interfered with. It gave the people good hope that their troubles were at an end.

1100.

7. Henry had been born in England, and the English people joyfully welcomed him as in truth an English king. Still greater was their joy when he Henry's marriage, took for his wife an English maiden, Edith, daughter of Malcolm, King of Scotland, and Margaret, the sister of Edgar the Atheling. She took the name of Maude on her marriage, and her virtues made her very dear to the English people, who spoke of her as the 'good Queen Maude.'

8. One of Henry's first acts was to send for Anselm to come back. The archbishop came full of hope that Henry I. and now he might do something to reform the Anselm. Church and the monasteries. Henry was willing to reform the Church, but he meant to keep the old customs that had been in force in his father's reign. He wanted the bishops and abbots to do him homage and be his men, as the laymen were; he meant himself to fill up the vacant posts in the Church and give the bishops and abbots the ring and the staff, the signs of their office. But Anselm had quite other views. He said that the election of the abbots and bishops belonged to the monks and chapters, that the clergy owed the king no homage, and that no layman could give the ring and the staff. On this point neither would give way, and so they quarrelled. Henry had the strong will of his father, and would give up none of his powers. Anselm felt that he was fighting for the liberty of the Church. He had seen how she had suffered from being quite in the king's power in the last reign.

It was the same quarrel that was then troubling all' Europe, and is called the dispute about investitures.

The point was whether it was the lay power or the Church which had the right to invest or clothe a man in the dignities of a spiritual office.

We need not follow out the quarrel between Anselm and Henry, which lasted for many years. For three years Anselm was banished from England, because he would not give way to the king. At last they came to an agreement by each side giving way a little. The important thing about the quarrel is that the Church was able to make so hard a fight against such a strong king as Henry, and in the end really made him give up something. This showed him that he could not always do just as he willed, and it taught the people, too, that they were not so much at the king's mercy as it seemed.

Anselm did not live quite three years after his return from exile, but during that time Henry listened to him when he spoke of the sorrows of the poor, and something was done to help them. Anselm was known all over Christendom for his learning and his piety. Men mourned much for his death, and the Church made him one of her saints.

CHAPTER II.

HOW THE NORMAN KINGS GOVERNED THE LAND.

Struggle with Duke

1. HENRY I. was hardly crowned when Robert reached Normandy on his return from the Crusade. He listened to the barons, who urged him to try and take the English crown from his brother. The barons saw that Henry's rule would be strict, while they knew that Robert, though a brave soldier, was weak and foolish. If they had Robert for their king they hoped to be able to have things more their

Robert.

own way. In the whole quarrel the barons looked only for their own gain and cared little for Robert, but the English held firmly by Henry. The fighting was mostly in Normandy, where at last Henry won the great battle of Tenchebrai (1106), and took Robert prisoner. Henry I. now ruled over both Normandy and England, and kept Robert in prison till his death.

Henry I. and the barons.

2. Still he was not left undisturbed, for the King of France feared his power, and the barons were always discontented. Robert's son claimed Normandy, and the King of France fought for him; but he died young, and Henry had no other rival to fear. The wars in France really strengthened his power at home. He was able to seize the lands of those barons who rose against him, and in this way the descendants of most of the great men who had taken part in the Conquest lost their lands in England. Henry did not, as a rule, seize their lands in Normandy also. He was afraid that if he did so he would drive them to seek help from the King of France.

Henry I. people.

and the

3. These struggles with the barons brought much good to the English people. Henry had to trust to their help, and, that he might be sure of it, he had to give them the good government which they wanted, and give them back the old laws and customs which they had had under Edward the Confessor. It is in this reign that we find the beginnings of English liberties. It was not that Henry loved his people; his aims were quite selfish. He wanted them to help him, and he was wise enough to take the right means to get them to do so. He began his reign by arresting Ranulf Flambard, William the Red's wicked minister, and this seemed to the people to promise good government. He made friends with the Church by filling up all the sees which William had left empty, and, except