The death of William II (William Rufus): William has been shot with an arrow on a hunt in a forest. Etching by T. Wallis after W. M. Craig.

William II, byname William Rufus (c. 1056-1100, near Lyndhurst, Hampshire), son of William the Conqueror and king of England from 1087 to 1100. He prevented the dissolution of political ties between England and Normandy, but his strong-armed rules earned him a reputation as a brutal, corrupt tyrant. He was shot in the back with an arrow and killed while hunting in the New Forest in Hampshire. The incident was probably an assassination, and Rufus' alleged slayer, Walter Tirel, may have been acting under orders from the king's younger brother, Henry. Henry promptly ascended the English throne as King Henry I

Walter Tirel is shown leaving the injured King behind

[Place of publication not identified] : C. Brightly & T. Kinnersley, June 1806.

1 print : etching, with engraving ; image 13.2 x 12 cm

History of England. Death of William Rufus. W.M. Craig delt. T. Wallis sculpt.

Wellcome Collection 42862i