Suspicious Death of William II | Was William II Murdered? How Did William Rufus Die?

From History Calling

MURDER, ACCIDENT or WITCHCRAFT? Which should we blame for the suspicious death of William II of England in the New Forest in 1100? To answer that we’ll need to go back to the primary sources and ask, how did William Rufus die that day? William II was the son of William the Conqueror and became King of England in 1087. It’s how William II died though, which is one of the things he is best remembered for, because he was shot with an arrow whilst out hunting, expiring on the spot. Tradition has it that the arrow was fired by one of his servants, Walter Tirel, Count of Poix, who was supposedly aiming for a nearby stag. Is that true though and was it a tragic accident, or was the King murdered on the orders of his brother and successor, Henry I? Or, was it all part of some bizarre witchcraft ritual, as one author has dramatically claimed? Were there portents of doom in the hours and days leading up to the death, such as prophetic dreams and how did Tirel and Henry II act straight after the death which has aroused suspicions? What was done with William II’s body too, for it may surprise you to know that it was poorly treated, both in 1100 and later and the bones have been disturbed several times, including by Oliver Cromwell’s forces. In this medieval royal history documentary from History Calling we look at all aspects of the death of William II. We’ll examine the Anglo-Saxon chronicle and the writings of men like William of Malmesbury, Orderic Vitalis and Sugar, Abbot of St Denis to try to get to the bottom of the question, was William II murdered? Along the way I’ll also explain why William II was known as William Rufus and why William II was hated by so many people.