Murder

The Murder of King William II

On 2 August 1100, King William II of England, known as William Rufus, rode into the New Forest for a hunting expedition. He never rode out. That evening, his body was found with an arrow through the chest. No investigation was launched. No inquiries were made. And the man who fired the fatal shot, a nobleman named Walter Tirel, fled the scene and vanished.

A hunting accident, they said. But history is rarely that simple. The sudden death of the king raised questions that have echoed for over nine centuries. Was it truly an accident? Or was William Rufus assassinated in a plot to change the future of the English crown?

This is the story of one of England’s oldest royal mysteries, the death of a king in the shadows of the forest.

Who Was William II?

William II, often referred to as William Rufus because of his ruddy complexion or possibly his red hair, was the third of four sons of William the Conqueror. One of the sons, Richard, William’s second son, died in a hunting accident in 1075. When the elder William died in 1087, his lands were divided among his remaining sons. The eldest, Robert Curthose, received the Duchy of Normandy. The youngest, Henry, received a cash payout. William Rufus inherited the English crown.

William’s reign was marked by conflict. He spent much of it trying to hold his father’s conquest together, keeping rebellious barons in line, and defending his kingdom from both external and internal threats. He was known for his military skill, sharp tongue, and iron rule. But also for extravagance, arrogance, and a fondness for cruelty.

He made enemies, plenty of them.

He clashed with the Church repeatedly. His appointment of Ranulf Flambard as Bishop of Durham, despite the man’s reputation as a scheming administrator, angered the clergy. He fell out with Anselm, the Archbishop of Canterbury, and was excommunicated by the Pope. William also levied harsh taxes and seized land aggressively, enriching the crown at the expense of his subjects.

Even among his family, loyalty was not guaranteed. His younger brother Henry harboured ambitions of his own. And Robert, over in Normandy, had never accepted the division of their father’s empire.

It was a volatile time. And William Rufus sat at the centre of it.

The Final Hunt

On 2 August 1100, William and a small group of noblemen travelled into the New Forest in southern England for a day of hunting. This wasn’t an unusual activity, as hunting was a noble pastime and often a venue for courtly bonding or political posturing.

Among the party was Walter Tirel, a Norman nobleman and skilled archer who was married to the daughter of one of William’s closest allies.

At some point during the day, William was separated from the group. According to later accounts, he and Tirel were hunting together when an arrow was loosed, striking the king in the chest and piercing his lung. He died almost instantly.

The scene, according to legend, descended into confusion. Tirel panicked. Rather than seek help or report the accident, he fled the forest and made his way to Normandy. William’s body was left lying where he fell until a local charcoal-burner named Purkis stumbled across it and took it to Winchester Cathedral on a cart.

There was no royal funeral. No inquiry. No official explanation. And within days, William’s brother Henry had seized the treasury in Winchester and had himself crowned king.

The timing? Suspicious.

Accident or Assassination?

The official line was simple: a tragic hunting accident. But even in the 12th century, people raised eyebrows. The question that still haunts historians is whether William’s death was merely misfortune, or a carefully planned assassination.

Let’s look at the possibilities.

1. The Accident Theory

Supporters of this theory point out that hunting accidents were not uncommon in medieval England. With powerful longbows, poor visibility in dense woods, and fast-moving targets, a stray arrow could easily prove fatal. And Walter Tirel was reputed to be an excellent marksman, if he’d truly aimed at a deer, a misfire might explain the king’s death.

It’s also true that William’s rule had made him unpopular. His death might have been convenient for many, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it was murder.

Still, the circumstances raise questions.

2. The Assassination Theory

The alternative view suggests that William was killed on purpose, by people who stood to gain from his death.

The most obvious suspect? His brother Henry.

Henry was the youngest son of William the Conqueror. He had money but no land. With William dead and Robert away fighting in the First Crusade, Henry acted quickly. He seized the treasury, secured the crown, and was anointed King of England, all within days. If the death was a coincidence, it was an extraordinarily helpful one.

Then there’s Walter Tirel. Why did he flee? If it was an accident, why not stay and explain? His sudden disappearance and the lack of any effort to locate him or bring him to court only fuelled suspicions.

Some historians have even speculated that Tirel may have been used as a pawn in the game. Was he the archer? Or was he the fall guy?

And what of the forest itself? The New Forest had already seen tragedy within the royal family. William’s brother, Richard, had also died there in a hunting accident years earlier. His nephew, another Richard, would later die in similar circumstances.

Coincidence, or cursed ground?

Henry I: The Quickest Coronation in History

One of the most compelling pieces of evidence for foul play is how quickly Henry moved after his brother’s death.

He rode to Winchester the very next morning. He took control of the treasury before anyone else had a chance to react. Within just three days, he was crowned King Henry I at Westminster Abbey.

His older brother Robert, still on crusade, was the rightful heir under Norman custom. But by the time Robert returned, it was too late. The crown was already on Henry’s head.

It’s entirely possible Henry had no direct involvement. But the speed of his actions raises serious questions. If he didn’t orchestrate William’s death, he certainly took full advantage of it.

Legacy and Mystery

William II was buried in Winchester Cathedral, in the city where he had so often ruled with harsh efficiency. His tomb remains there today, an often-overlooked king, overshadowed by the conquest of his father and the ambition of his brother.

But his death left a lasting impression.

Chroniclers of the time, including William of Malmesbury, hinted at divine justice. They saw William’s death as punishment for his sins. His greed, his defiance of the Church, his mistreatment of subjects. Others believed it was political murder, plain and simple.

No definitive proof has ever emerged to solve the mystery.

Walter Tirel remained in Normandy and insisted for the rest of his life that he had not shot the arrow. Henry never addressed the rumours. And the records, where they exist, are vague or contradictory.

The truth may be lost forever in the mists of the New Forest.

The Enigmatic Death of a King

The death of King William II is one of England’s great historical puzzles. It has all the elements of a medieval thriller: ambition, betrayal, mystery, and silence. A king dies suddenly. The man who fired the fatal shot disappears. And within days, a new king takes the throne.

Was it an accident? Or was William Rufus murdered in a cold, calculated plan to shift power?

More than 900 years later, we still don’t know. But one thing is certain. What happened in the New Forest that day changed the course of English history forever.