Edward A. Freeman's The Reign of William Rufus picks up right after 1066. It’s the story of William the Conqueror’s second son, a man nicknamed 'Rufus' for his red face and fiery temper, who unexpectedly becomes King of England. The book follows his turbulent two-decade rule, which was less about glorious conquest and more about constant crisis management. He’s immediately challenged by a baronial rebellion led by his own uncle, Odo. He fights endlessly with the powerful Archbishop Anselm over who really controls the church. And he’s in a lifelong, tense rivalry with his older brother, Robert Curthose, who rules Normandy. The narrative builds toward the king’s shocking and still-debated death while hunting in the New Forest.

Why You Should Read It

Freeman makes you feel the sheer difficulty of ruling in that era. Rufus isn't a hero or a clear-cut villain; he's a complicated, often unlikeable man doing a brutally hard job. You see the political chess game he has to play every single day. The conflicts with the church aren't dry theological debates—they're raw power struggles about money and authority. What really stuck with me was the portrayal of family as the ultimate source of both power and peril. Your brothers and uncles are your biggest threats.

Final Verdict

This is for the reader who loves deep-dive historical biographies and complex, unvarnished characters. It’s perfect if you’ve read about William the Conqueror and want to know the messy aftermath, or if you enjoy political dramas where the stakes are life and death. Be warned, it’s a dense, old-school history book (it was written in the 1880s), so it asks for your attention. But if you give it, you get a masterclass in narrative history about one of England's most fascinating and troublesome kings.