Uploaded May 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
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.
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
DEATH, MURDER AND CORPSES PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0HqKJP-pwWUcP1OtH1hRvN4
HISTORICAL MYSTERIES PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0HqKJP-pwWUcP1OtH1hRvN4
THE TERRIBLE TREATMET OF WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR’S CORPSE
youtu.be/smrI5qnOLEA
THE WHITE SHIP TRAGEDY
youtu.be/yCo0S_ceTnU
THE GRUESOME CORPSE OF HENRY I
youtu.be/TfTxbk8mdCo
HOW EMPRESS MATILDA LOST THE THRONE: THE REAL RHAENYRA TARGARYEN
youtu.be/etng7e53UFw
HENRY V: THE KING WHO WAS SHOT IN THE FACE
youtu.be/SzzkZ5hm5JA
HISTORIAN REACTS TO PRINCES IN THE TOWER THEORY
youtu.be/tQ5FaYFnS2E
WAS ANNE BOLEYN PREGNANT WHEN SHE DIED?
youtu.be/4ByDYXiijaE
IS THIS PORTRAIT ANNE OF CLEVES OR KATHERINE HOWARD?
youtu.be/G8vm7FtdtXE
LEARN MORE:
Emma Mason, King Rufus: the life & murder of William II of England (2012).
amzn.to/4i7gjqg
C. Warren Hollister, ‘The Strange Death of William Rufus’ in Speculum, vol. 48, No. 4 (1973), pp. 637-653.
Want to watch/hear/read more about history (and a whole host of other topics)? Then you might benefit from a free Audible or Prime video trial. They are available from the following links:
AUDIBLE
amzn.to/44MvlMi
AUDIBLE PLUS & AUDIBLE PREMIUM PLUS
amzn.to/42rh3PF
PRIME VIDEO
amzn.to/3LW7ykg
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
DJI Drone amzn.to/39hROZm
Go-Pro Hero 10 camera: amzn.to/3rTWScL
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/3vaVxjU
Memory Card: amzn.to/3KeLZZs
Microphone: amzn.to/3rYtjH8
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Open Street Map copyright information
openstreetmap.org/copyright
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
#WilliamII #WilliamRufus #historycalling
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.
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
DEATH, MURDER AND CORPSES PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0HqKJP-pwWUcP1OtH1hRvN4
HISTORICAL MYSTERIES PLAYLIST
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLSjVq5Qtb0HqKJP-pwWUcP1OtH1hRvN4
THE TERRIBLE TREATMET OF WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR’S CORPSE
youtu.be/smrI5qnOLEA
THE WHITE SHIP TRAGEDY
youtu.be/yCo0S_ceTnU
THE GRUESOME CORPSE OF HENRY I
youtu.be/TfTxbk8mdCo
HOW EMPRESS MATILDA LOST THE THRONE: THE REAL RHAENYRA TARGARYEN
youtu.be/etng7e53UFw
HENRY V: THE KING WHO WAS SHOT IN THE FACE
youtu.be/SzzkZ5hm5JA
HISTORIAN REACTS TO PRINCES IN THE TOWER THEORY
youtu.be/tQ5FaYFnS2E
WAS ANNE BOLEYN PREGNANT WHEN SHE DIED?
youtu.be/4ByDYXiijaE
IS THIS PORTRAIT ANNE OF CLEVES OR KATHERINE HOWARD?
youtu.be/G8vm7FtdtXE
LEARN MORE:
Emma Mason, King Rufus: the life & murder of William II of England (2012).
amzn.to/4i7gjqg
C. Warren Hollister, ‘The Strange Death of William Rufus’ in Speculum, vol. 48, No. 4 (1973), pp. 637-653.
Want to watch/hear/read more about history (and a whole host of other topics)? Then you might benefit from a free Audible or Prime video trial. They are available from the following links:
AUDIBLE
amzn.to/44MvlMi
AUDIBLE PLUS & AUDIBLE PREMIUM PLUS
amzn.to/42rh3PF
PRIME VIDEO
amzn.to/3LW7ykg
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
DJI Drone amzn.to/39hROZm
Go-Pro Hero 10 camera: amzn.to/3rTWScL
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/3vaVxjU
Memory Card: amzn.to/3KeLZZs
Microphone: amzn.to/3rYtjH8
NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.
Open Street Map copyright information
openstreetmap.org/copyright
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
#WilliamII #WilliamRufus #historycalling
