1087: When William The Conqueror died - The 1088 Norman Rebellion

For more Pieces of the Past:    • A Piece Of The Past  

After the Battle of Hastings, William the Conqueror controlled England through a combination of force and personality. When he died, there was a massive power struggle.

Rochester Castle, 1088. William the Conqueror is dead. His psychotic half-brother Odo of Bayeux (the mace-swinging bishop from the Bayeux Tapestry) has just broken into a castle that no longer belongs to him… and now he’s trapped inside it.

This is the forgotten opening spark of the “Norman War of the Brothers” – 13 years of rebellions, invasions, sieges, and at least one extremely suspicious hunting “accident”.

In this episode:
When William the Conqueror died, did his Battle of Hastings legacy die with him?
Why Odo of Bayeux went from second-most powerful man in England to prisoner… and then straight back to rebel leader
How William Rufus, still a rookie king, outwitted some of the most dangerous men in Christendom
The bizarre moment the Rochester garrison saw through Odo’s forced surrender… and dragged him back inside
The stinking, disease-ridden siege that finally broke the rebellion

Enjoyed this video? Please make sure to like and subscribe. It genuinely helps. Also, share the link with a few hundred-thousand of your closest friends, too…

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V I D E O S    T O    W A T C H    N E X T :

The Norman War of The Brothers continued with the 1091 Scottish Invasion and 1093 First Battle of Alnwick… you can watch all about that here:

1093: When Scotland's King & Heir Died On The Same Day - The First Battle of Alnwick    • 1093: When Scotland's King & Heir Died On ...  

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1536: Henry VIII, the Dissolution of the Monasteries and York St Mary’s    • 1536: Henry VIII, the Dissolution of the M...  

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↓ TIMESTAMPS ↓
00:00 Intro – Standing at Rochester Castle
01:19 William the Conqueror’s insane deathbed will
03:20 Who was Odo of Bayeux, really?
04:15 Conspiracy
05:40 The Plot so Far
08:15 William Rufus’ masterclass in crisis management
10:36 Rochester Castle – the most important fortress you’ve (maybe) never heard of
12:10 The King Makes His Move
18:05 Extra geeky bits (William’s exploding corpse, anyone?)

Like, subscribe, and hit the bell if you want more overlooked chapters of British history told the way they deserve – with blood, betrayal, and a bit of dark humour.

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Secret Bonus Facts for the Most Awesome Viewers Who Got Lost in the Description:

1. Robert de Mowbray, the Earl of Northumbria, would side with the rebels in this uprising and be a leading cause of the next one, in 1095
2. But, in between those two events, he was the hero who saved England from a Scottish invasion at the First Battle of Alnwick, in 1093 (See this video:    • 1093: When Scotland's King & Heir Died On ...   ).
3. William was incredibly lenient with his opponents. For instance, William de St-Calais, the Bishop of Durham, abandoned the king's army during the campaign. He was later tried, deposed, and exiled to Normandy. However, as soon as 1091, he returned to England and was reinstated.
4. Tom Scott's video on how Rochester lost its city status    • This town forgot to be a city  

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“The candle flickers but the darkness cannot put it out."

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A Piece of the Past
Presenter: Philip Hampsheir
Inquiries: [email protected]

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Title music courtesy of Alex Cornish

https://alexcornishmusic.com/
   / @bellevuerecords  
My enormous thanks to Alex. He is a musical genius.

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Additional Music & Picture Credits:

Dramatic Strings - Boris Skalsky
Big Epic Drums - Psystein
Taiko Drum (Main) - Giuseppe Rizzo
Cinematic Dramatic Piano And Strings Dark Beauty - MEDIA MUSIC GROUP
String Arpeggios - Boris Skalsky
O Lux Aeterna - Medieval Choral Music In Latin - Music by Paul Winter via Pixabay
Gregorian Hodag - Humans Win

All other artwork is public domain or own work and © Me.

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You’ve gone too far. There’s nothing interesting this low down… but since you’re here: In early 1091, either January or February, King William launched an invasion of Normandy with a large fleet, establishing his base at Eu. In that family, it was invade or be invaded. The War of the Brothers was relentless.