land, and from this, the king of England and the earl of Normandy became at variance. And the king sent his people over sea into Normandy, and the head men of that country received them, and admitted them into their castles in treachery to their lord the earl, and they greatly annoyed the earl by plundering and burning his territories. This year also, William earl of Moreton (Mortaigne) departed to Normandy, and being there, he took arms against the king, on which the king confiscated all his possessions and estates in this country. It is not easy to describe the misery of this land, which it suffered at this time through the various and manifold oppressions and taxes that never ceased or slackened: moreover wherever the king went his train fell to plundering his wretched people, and withal there was much burning and manslaughter. By all this was the anger of God provoked, and this unhappy nation harassed.
A. 1105. This year, at Christmas, king Henry held his court at Windsor, and the following Lent he went over sea to Normandy against his brother earl Robert. And whilst he remained there he won Caen and Bayeux from his brother, and almost all the castles and chief men of that land became subject to him; and in the autumn he came again to this country. And all that he had conquered in Normandy remained to him afterwards in peace and subjection, excepting those places which lay in the neighbourhood of William earl of Moreton,[1] and which he harassed continually as much as harass he might, in revenge for the loss of his estates in England. Then before Christmas Robert de Belesme came hither to the king. This was a year of great distress from the failure of the fruits, and from the manifold taxes which never ceased, either before the king went abroad, while he was there, or again after his return.
A. 1106. This year at Christmas, king Henry was at Westminster, and there he held his court, and during this festival Robert de Belesme departed from the king in enmity, and left this country for Normandy. After this, and before Lent, the king was at Northampton, and his brother earl Robert of Normandy came to him there; and because the
- ↑ "De Moritonio" is the Latin title; the town of Mortaigne in Normandy is the place from which it is taken.
