Claim of William Clito
1108–1129 series of wars
Claim of William Clito refers to the conflicts between Louis VI of France and Henry I of England over William Clito's claims to the Duchy of Normandy, the County of Flanders, and potentially to the throne of England. Although Henry did not recognise Clito's claims, Clito attracted support from Henry's dissidents, leading to recurring conflicts in Normandy, Flanders, and the Île-de-France from AD 1108 until his death in 1128.
In 1106, Henry I of England conquered the Duchy of Normandy from his brother Robert Curthose, leaving Robert's son, William Clito, with a claim to the duchy. After ascending the throne, Louis VI began to assert his royal prerogative more forcefully. With regional allies, Louis and Henry first clashed between 1108 and 1113, culminating in Louis's reconciliation with Henry. In 1110, Clito, the son of Robert, escaped capture as Henry attempted to arrest him. A larger conflict broke out between 1116 and 1120 when Louis invaded Normandy alongside Baldwin of Flanders (d. 1119) and Fulk of Anjou, supporting Clito's claim to the duchy over that of Henry's son, William Adelin. Fulk made peace with Henry and wed his daughter Matilda of Anjou to Henry's son, Adelin. Louis and Clito were defeated at the Battle of Brémule in 1119 and the French king made peace with Henry in 1120, with Adelin swearing fealty for Normandy.
Clito's claim to both Normandy and Flanders renewed viability when Adelin, the only legitimate son and heir of Henry, died in the White Ship disaster in November 1120, causing another phase of conflict.
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This entry incorporates text from “Claim of William Clito” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.