William Rufus

First published in 1983, this is a new edition of a highly detailed but very readable biography of William II. Rufus was part of an extremely colourful family and, although he was often an underdog in childhood, his strength of personality ensured that he and not his elder brothers succeeded his father. Beginning with William's relatively humble origins in Normandy, the book charts his rise to power, his peacekeeping and administrative abilities, his relationships with his family and his mysterious death and legacy. Rufus' court with its bright new fashions, long hair and revelries, which was disliked by contemporary moralists and clerics, is very effectively portrayed as a contrast to the more sober and military world of the Bayeaux Tapestry.