Royal Soubriquets - Nicknames of English Kings Quiz

Answer: Rufus

William was born around 1056, the third son of William II, Duke of Normandy and Matilda of Flanders. Ten years after William's birth, his father succeeded in taking the throne of England at the Battle of Hastings, leading to William entering the line of succession. Upon the death of his father, William received the throne of England as William II, while his elder brother Robert became Duke of Normandy. William was regarded as a fine soldier, but a man of flamboyant temperament. Remaining unmarried throughout his life, he fathered no children, leading to speculation about his sexuality. Nevertheless, he maintained the order that his father had implemented, being seen as an ideal Anglo-Norman king for the age. He was killed in 1100 while out hunting in the New Forest by being shot in the chest with an arrow.

William's nickname comes from the Latin for "the red", and is derived either from his ruddy complexion, or from the red hair he had as a child.

Answer: Beauclerk

Henry was the youngest, and only English born, son of William I of England. Born in approximately 1068, as the youngest son he was landless and not expected to receive any great estates. However, in 1100, while out hunting with his elder brother William II, he took advantage of the king's death by seizing the throne of England for himself as King Henry I. Henry subsequently married Matilda of Scotland, the granddaughter of the Anglo-Saxon English king Edmund Ironside, leading to their two children bearing both Anglo-Saxon and Norman royal blood, which Henry hoped would lead to a unification of English society. Henry also succeeded in adding his ancestral estate of Normandy to his realm by removing his oldest brother Robert as Duke. Henry was regarded as an effective ruler for the time, both as a soldier and as an administrator, as under his rule the court system expanded, and the exchequer was founded as the institution responsible for the collection and auditing of taxes from the King's Sheriffs. Henry eventually died in 1135; his intention was that his throne would pass to his daughter, Matilda (his only legitimate son William Ætheling having died in 1120 in the "White Ship" disaster), but instead it went to his nephew Stephen of Blois.

Henry's nickname, "Beauclerk", comes from an Anglo-Norman word meaning "fine scholar", and stems from the belief that his education was significantly more extensive than that of his brothers, having some grounding in Latin and liberal arts, as well as the more traditional pursuits of the age.

Answer: Longshanks

Edward was born in June 1239, the eldest son of King Henry III of England and Queen Eleanor of Provence. While returning home from the Ninth Crusade, he learned that he had succeeded his father as king in 1272, eventually being crowned in 1274. Much of Edward's reign was taken up with wars, both to subdue the Welsh and Scots and secure himself as the Overlord of Britain, and to defend his possessions in France from attack by the French. As a result of his need to fund his wars, Edward brought about a revolution in the governance of England, expanding the membership of Parliament from 1295 onwards from just the clergy and aristocracy to include knights from the counties, citizens from the important cities and burgesses from the boroughs. This led to the development of Parliament into the form we know it today, and led to Edward being known as the "Founder of Parliament". Edward eventually died in 1307 on his way to do battle with the Scots once again.

Edward's nickname, "Longshanks" comes from his extraordinary height - 6ft 2in - which was significantly taller than the average for the time.

Answer: Lackland

John was the youngest son of King Henry II of England and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. His elder brothers Henry and Geoffrey predeceased their father, which led to his third brother, Richard, becoming king in 1189 on the death of Henry II, with his nephew Arthur as heir. However, Richard, on his deathbed, decided to name John as heir, with the result that John took the throne when Richard died in 1199. In war against France, John suffered significant defeats that saw him lose the vast territories built up by his father. Although he reformed the system of common law, John faced rebellion over his efforts to raise taxation, which led to the country's barons eventually forcing John to agree to what became known as "Magna Carta" (the Great Charter), a document that laid out the rights of the people that the King was not able to infringe on. John sealed Magna Carta in 1215 but, despite his efforts, was not able to revoke it (as he wished to do) before his death the following year.

John's nickname, "Lackland" comes from his status as the youngest son - while Henry II awarded lands to his elder brothers, he had none to bestow on John.

Answer: Curtmantle

Henry was the son of Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou, and Matilda of England, the daughter of King Henry I of England. Henry eventually succeeded his cousin King Stephen as king of England in 1154, and, before he reached the age of 40, had brought a number of territories under his control, forming what became known as the Angevin Empire. He also sought to reform England's relationship with the church, appointing his chancellor Thomas Becket as Archbishop of Canterbury. However, Becket's refusal to acquiesce to Henry's desired reforms eventually led, indirectly, to Becket's murder, following Henry, who was notorious for his temper, exclaimed in fury "will no one rid me of this turbulent priest!?". Henry had a number of sons to whom he bestowed significant lands - however, his sons thirst for land and power led to them undertaking several rebellions against Henry. Henry died while facing yet another rebellion, this time led by his son and heir Richard, in 1189.

Henry's nickname, "Curtmantle", comes from his fashion for wearing a short cloak - the word is a portmanteau of "curt", meaning short, and "mantle", which is an outer garment, such as a cloak.

Answer: The Unready

Æthelred was born in approximately 966, the son of King Edgar and Queen Ælfthryth. He came to the throne at the age of 12 in 978 following the murder of his half-brother, King Edward (the Martyr). During Æthelred's reign, attacks by raiders from Denmark, which had ceased following the conquest of the Danish occupied area of England known as "Danelaw" by King Edgar, began again. Æthelred was incapable of asserting English dominance, and attacks became more frequent and menacing following the Battle of Maldon in 991, which eventually led to his overthrow in 1013 by King Sweyn of Denmark. Although briefly restored in 1014, Æthelred eventually died in 1016, having reigned for 37 years, the longest of any Anglo-Saxon monarch.

Æthelred's nickname does not come from the modern word "unready", but instead is derived from the Old English "unræd", meaning "poorly advised", a pun on his name, which means "well advised".

Answer: Ironside

Edmund II was born in 990, the third son of Æthelred II and Queen Ælfgifu of York. As a younger son, Edmund was not expected to inherit the throne, but the deaths of his two elder brothers left him first in line. Edmund was known as a formidable warrior, who remained in England following the overthrow of his father by Sweyn of Denmark in 1014. Following Sweyn's death, his son Cnut was accepted as King of England, but Cnut was himself removed when Æthelred retook his throne. Æthelred died in April 1016, at which point the country was split, with two Great Councils choosing different successors - Edmund from a council in London, and Cnut from a council in Southampton. Edmund proceeded to try and rally the country in a defence against the Danes. The forces led by Edmund and Cnut were evenly matched and led to stalemate, with the agreement that the two would divide the country. Edmund however died in November 1016, leaving Cnut to take the whole of England.

Edmund's nickname "Ironside" was given as a result of his bravery in resisting the Danish invasion.

Answer: Harefoot

Harold was born in approximately 1016, the son of King Cnut and Queen Ælfgifu of Northampton. Harold assumed the throne in 1035 following the death of his father, despite his half-brother Hathacnut being recognised as the rightful heir. Hathacnut's absence from England, being required to secure his Danish possessions from invasion, led to Harold being in a position to claim first of all regency, and then an insistence that he be crowned. Initially, England was divided between the two brothers but, in 1037, Harold was recognised as sole ruler. Harold eventually died at the age of 24 in 1040 to be succeeded by his brother Harthacnut.

Harold's nickname "Harefoot", initially recorded as "Harefoh" or "Harefah", is taken to mean that he was a fast and skillful hunter.

Answer: The Lionheart

Richard was the third son of King Henry II of England and Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine. Born in 1157 in Oxford, Richard spent most of his life away from England. Richard, along with his brothers, engaged in several rebellions against his father, despite Henry's attempts to keep the peace between his sons by dividing his vast empire between them. The deaths of his two older brothers led to Richard eventually succeeding his father as King Richard I in 1189. However, his primary interest was in undertaking the Third Crusade, upon which Richard embarked following his coronation. On his return from the Holy Land, he was captured by the Duke of Austria and held prisoner. Richard was turned over to the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VI, who demanded a ransom for his release. Richard was eventually freed in 1194. Following his return to England, he subsequently went to war with France. It was while engaged in this that, in 1199, he was shot with an arrow in Limousin. The wound became infected, and he died on 6 April. In the ten years of his reign, Richard had spent just six months in England.

Richard's nickname, "The Lionheart", came from his reputation as a skilled and brave soldier. Richard is one of the few English kings since the Norman conquest to be known by his nickname rather than his regnal number.

Answer: The Peaceful

Edgar was born in approximately 943-944, the second son of King Edmund I and Queen Ælfgifu of Shaftesbury. Edgar's elder brother, Eadwig, became king in 955. Eadwig was unpopular, and created rifts with both the leading nobles and the church, with a number of members of the nobility changing their allegiance to Edgar. Eadwig eventually died in 959, leading to Edgar becoming king. He immediately began to heal the divisions caused by his brother and bring about a significant period of peace and prosperity for the fledgling nation of England, which at the time measured its unified history in decades. Edgar was eventually crowned at Bath in 973, a ceremony which is seen as the first recognisable modern coronation in England, following which a number of other kings from around the island of Britain paid homage to Edgar, leading to his being rowed across the River Dee at Chester by six other monarchs, an act that intended to show Edgar as their overlord. Edgar died in 975 and was succeeded by his son Edward (who came to be known as "The Martyr").

Edgar's nickname comes from the era of peace and prosperity he presided over in England, rather than he himself being an overt man of peace.