Page "History of England" Paragraph 42

Henry I, the fourth son of William I the Conqueror, succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100.

Henry was also known as " Henry Beauclerc " ( because of his education — as his older brother William was the heir apparent and thus given the practical training to be king, Henry received the alternate, formal education ), worked hard to reform and stabilise the country and smooth the differences between the Anglo-Saxon and Anglo-Norman societies.

The loss of his son, William Adelin, in the wreck of the White Ship in November 1120, undermined his reforms.

This problem regarding succession cast a long shadow over English history.