Claim profile

William II of England

King of England from 1087 to 1100

  • Fame59.5
  • Momentum0.0
  • Wikipedia51.6K
Source-basedFalling
Lived 1060–1100, aged 40France
France flagFrance
  • Wikipedia
    71 languages
    Cross-language footprint
  • Era
    1060–1100
    Aged 40
Summary
Updated 2026-08-18

The third son who took England's crown had red hair, no wife, and died with an arrow in his back during a hunting trip — while his brother sprinted to seize the treasury before the body cooled.

Biography

About

William II became King of England on 26 September 1087, the third son of William the Conqueror inheriting a realm he would hold with powers over Normandy and influence in Scotland. Known as William Rufus for his red hair or ruddy face, he was a soldier of contradictions: bellicose and flamboyant, capable in battle but rough-edged, accused by critics of vice and sodomy yet never marrying or fathering children. He maintained order in England, restored peace to Normandy, pushed Anglo-Norman rule into Wales, brought Scotland under his lordship, and recovered Maine. On 2 August 1100, an arrow struc…

Voice

In their own words

Sourced, dated quotes from William II of England

William II of England
saidundated
By the Holy Face of Lucca.
— William's "customary oath", as reported by Eadmer and William of Malmesbury
William II of England
saidundated
God shall never see me a good man. I have suffered too much from him.
— Quoted in The Atlantic Monthly (September 1882), p. 407
William II of England
saidundated
He knows nothing about crimes, or else he weighs them in unjust balances.
— Quoted in The Atlantic Monthly (September 1882), p. 407
William II of England
saidundated
Go, bid the vassals saddle The steed at Mons I rode; By the holy cross at Lucca, 'Tis the best I e'er bestrode.
— George Walter Thornbury, "The Death of Rufus", Historical & Legendary Ballads & Songs (1876)
William II of England
saidundated
To the gate of the fair White City Comes the charcoal burner's wain; It brings no hart for abbot's board, It bears the royal slain.
— George Walter Thornbury, "The Death of Rufus", Historical & Legendary Ballads & Songs (1876)
via Wikiquote · CC BY-SA
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By the numbers

Score breakdown

The six component signals behind the Fame score, and their ranks across the leaderboards.

Fame
Falling
59.5
Composite of search demand, mentions, audience & graph footprint.
Score components
Historical25.0
Source confidence60.0
Completeness50.0
Global rank
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Country rank
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Receipts

Sources

  • Wikipedia
    wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
    High confidence
  • Wikidata
    wikidata · wikidata.org
    High confidence
  • Pantheon 2.0
    database · pantheon.world
    High confidence