A description of Henry I by William of Malmsbury. I think he's an interesting king and although he doesn't receive the same attention of his grandson Henry II, I think he was his equal at least.
He was of middle stature, exceeding the diminutive, but
exceeded by the very tall; his hair was black, and set back on the forehead;
his eyes mildly bright; his chest brawny;
his body fleshy. He was facetious in
proper season, nor did multiplicity of business cause him to be less pleasant
when he mixed in society… He preferred
contending by council rather than by the sword: if he could, he conquered
without bloodshed; if it was unavoidable, with as little as possible. Throughout his life he was wholly free from impure
desires, for as we have learned from those who are well informed, he partook of
female blandishments, not for the gratification of incontinency but for the
sake of the issue; nor condescended to casual intercourse, unless where it
might produce that effect: in this respect he was the master of his natural
inclinations, not the passive slave of lust.
He was plain in his diet, rather than surfeiting himself by a variety of
delicacies. He never drank but to allay thirst,
execrating the least departure from temperance, both in himself and those about
him. His sleep was heavy, and
interrupted by frequent snoring. His
eloquence was rather unpremeditated than laboured; not rapid, but deliberate.
He was active in providing what would
be beneficial to his empire; firm in defending it; abstinent from war, as far
as he could with honour; but when he had determined no longer to forbear, he
became a most severe requitor of injuries, dissipating every opposing danger by
the energy of his courage; constant in enmity, or in affection towards all,
giving too much indulgence to the tide of anger in the one, gratifying his
royal magnanimity on the other; for he depressed his enemies even to ruin, and
exalted his friends and attendants to an enviable condition.
Inflexible in the administration of
justice, he ruled the people with moderation, the nobility with condescension. Seeking after robbers and counterfeiters with
the greatest diligence, and punishing them when discovered; neither was he by
any means negligent in matters of lesser importance. When he heard that the tradesmen refused
broken money, though of good silver, he commanded all of it to be broken or cut
in pieces. The measures of his own arm
was applied to correct the false ell of alltraders, and he made that the
standard throughout England. He made a
regulation for the followers of his court, at whichever of his possessions he
might be resident, stating what they should accept without payment from the
country folk, and how much, and at what price, they should purchase, punishing
the transgressors by a heavy pecuniary fine, or loss of life. In the beginning
of his reign, that he might awe the delinquents by the terror of example, he
was more inclined to punish by deprivation of limb, afterwards by fines. Thus in consequence of the rectitude of his
conduct, as is natural to man, he was feared by the nobility and beloved by the
common people.
Today's photo: The Imperial crown of the Holy Roman empire dating to the late 10th and early 11th centuries.
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