Arthur I, King of Normandy

Arthur I or Arthur the Great (1419-1486) was King of Normandy from 1447 to 1486. He was the third son of Charles I, King of Normandy and Yolande of Burgundy. During his 33 year reign as King of Normandy he became a much loved and celebrated monarch. He was a friendly and honest man and also renowned for his piety. He was responsible for the founding of many institutions and organisations, including the University of De Molay in Rouen and the University of Valenguard. He also funded huge building projects on behalf of the Church of Normandy, with some of the finest cathedrals, churches and abbeys being built during his reign. The Arthurian period of Norman history is regarded as a Golden Age, with the realm prospering under Arthur the Great. He reorganised the Kingdom and bestowed new titles for his sons, with the official titles becoming Prince as opposed to the former Duke.

On 19 May 1446 he married Catherine of France, the second daughter of Charles VII of France as part of the Treaty of Orleans between Normandy and France. It is said that Arthur was lovingly devoted to Catherine, who mothered nine children. Upon her death in 1475, Arthur entered a period of deep mourning.

Early life
Arthur was born the third son of Charles I, King of Normandy and Yolande of Burgundy in Valenguard on 4 August 1419. He was born during the period of the Hundred Years War and in order to keep him safe, he was sent to Nonsuch Palace, in Nonsuch, Surrey under the care of his uncle, Hugh, Duke of Nonsuch and his wife, Catherine of Anjou. At Nonsuch Palace, he formed close bonds with his cousins, Louis, Francis and Thomas. Is status was elevated somewhat when he became second in line to the throne, after the death of his brother, Nicholas, Duke of Normandy.

As the third son of the King he was titled, Arthur, Duke of Surrey and was not expected to inherit the throne. Oliver de Falaise, Bishop of Epsom, wrote of Arthur's youth that he was a mischievous care free boy, but deeply loyal and caring of his friends and family. He was said to be hardworking and intelligent and took a keen interest his history and religion studies. Bishop de Falaise was chosen as Arthur's tutor and kept a diary of the young Kings early life. He wrote of Arthur's love of reading about the Crusades and the Holy Land.

By the age of 12, Arthur had proven himself to be a fine horsemen and began joining Royal hunts around Surrey. By the age of 17, he joined his father in France and was involved in a number of battles. In 1440, he was involved in the Battle of Amboise and commanded the left wing of an army, which was led by his uncle, Hugh, Duke of Nonsuch. Three days prior to this battle, his brother, Richard, Duke of Brittany, was killed whilst on route to Amboise by a French army, making Arthur heir to the Norman Kingdom. As a result, Arthur was heavily protected during the battle, which saw the Normans destroy the French army.

The following year, in 1441, Arthur was commanding his own army and proved himself to be a competent and skilled tactician in a number of battles. In 1445, his father Charles I, King of Normandy, signed the treaty of Orleans with Charles VII of France, ending the Norman involvement in the Hundred Years War. Part of the treaty was the marriage of Arthur to Catherine of France, which took place the following year.

King of Normandy
In October 1447, Charles I, King of Normandy, died and Arthur was crowned King of Normandy in Rouen. Arthur's first years as King saw him play a careful balancing act in retaining good relations with the King's of France and England who were still at war.

From 1452 to 1454, Arthur spent time touring his territory in the Holy Land, Egypt, Candia and Majorca. He was accompanied by 50 Norman Templar Knights who once in Jerusalem, he granted the Templars lands and titles on the outskirts of Jerusalem. These Templar's were asked by the King to build small forts to protect, Jerusalem, churches to honour the Lord and farmlands to become self sufficient. In return the King financed the works. He also set about the founding of standing armies in Jerusalem and Alexandria made up of locals who would become highly trained. He demanded that the Norman nobility in the Holy Land show respect and tolerance to all of the lands inhabitants, no matter what religion they followed.

In January 1454 he met with Sultan Sayf ad-Din Inal, ruler of the Egypt and Syria at the Citadel of Cairo, where they signed the Treaty of Cairo, a pact of alliance. Arthur had begun to grow concerned by the the threat of the Ottomans and looked to protect his assets in Northern Egypt.

Norman-Mamluk War (1463-1467)
Main article: Norman-Mamluk War

In 1463 relations between the Mamluk's and the Norman's broke down, when the new Sultan, Khushqadam, broke the Treaty of Cairo and attacked the Norman castle at Gaza, resulting in the Norman-Mamluk War which lasted from 1463 to 1467. King Arthur personally led his army winning a number of battles including the largest battle in terms of manpower, at the Battle of Jerusalem. The Mamluk's finally ended the war on 1467 with the Treaty of Ascalon,

Siege of Rhodes (1480)
In 1480, Arthur dispatched his son, William, Prince of Normandy, along with 500 Knights and 4,000 soldiers to reinforce the Knights Hospitaller stronghold of Rhodes. The city was eventually besieged in May 1480 by an Ottoman army. By the end of July the Ottoman forces launched a vigorous attack on the Jewish quarter and a frenzied struggle ensued. It is said that the Hospitaller Grand Master, Pierre d'Aubusson, who was wounded in five places, fought beside Prince William and led a brave defence, eventually forcing the Ottoman's to retreat. By August the Ottomans gave up in their attempt to capture Rhodes.

Ottoman–Mamluk War (1485–91)
In 1485, Arthur agreed to alliance with Sultan Qaitbay of the Mamluk's who were preparing for war against the Ottoman Empire. The Ortoman's had made there desire to take the Holy Land clear and Arthur dispatched his most trustworthy noble, James II de Lusignan, Duke of Cyprus, to the Holy Land along with two of his sons, Albert, Prince of Brittany and Edward, Prince of Surrey.

Just a year into the war, the ageing Arthur, fell ill and spent his remaining two months in Valenguard before his death.

Issue
Catherine of France (1428 – 13 July 1475) was the fourth child and second daughter of Charles VII of France and Marie of Anjou. She married Arthur, on 19 May 1446. They had nine children:


 * Lucy, Duchess of Normandy (1448
 * William, Prince of Normandy (1451-1492)
 * Albert, Prince of Brittany (1452-1491)
 * Loui, Prince of Sussex (1455-1494)
 * Eleanor (1458
 * Catherine (1459
 * Edward, Prince of Surrey (1460-1491)
 * Charles, Prince of Cornwall (1462
 * Elizabeth (1469