Alan Rufus

Thanks to his loyal service and the role which he played during the Norman conquest of England, Rufus became wealthy landowner and one of the richest men in England.

Born in Brittany, the northern France, little is known about his early life. The nickname “Rufus”, meaning “the red” he gained probably because of his hair or complexion. As the nephew of the duke William, he participated in the famous battle of Hastings (1066) fought between William the Conqueror and the King Harold II for the English crown. After William became the King of England, Alan accompanied him in series of brutal war campaigns in 1069-1070 to pacify northern England.

For his loyal service he received extensive lands, including the Honor of Richmond in Yorkshire, known as one of the most important fiefs in England. In addition to providing the source of Rufus’s personal wealth and a base for his power, the Honour of Richmond served as a military buffer with northern Northumbria. In his possession were also significant holdings in Lincolnshire and eastern England, primarily in Cambridgeshire.

Although he was one of the wealthiest men in England, he continued to serve as one of the chief military leaders of the king William. In 1085 he commanded the Norman army in Maine, a province of Normandy.

Since he never married and was childless, he left all his fortune and land worth approximately £11,000, or more than 7 percent of England’s net national income at this time, to his brother Alan Niger. During his lifetime, Alan was known as generous supporter of religion and the poor.