The future William II was born in the late 1050s, the third son of William the Conqueror. The younger William nicknamed Rufus because of his ruddy cheeks at first had not great expectations of succeeding to the throne. The situation changed when Robert, the Conqueror's eldest son, repeatedly rebelled against his father, and Richard, the king's second son, died tragically at the age of just 14. When the Conqueror was dying in 1087, he designated William as heir to the English throne.

Emma Mason's biography tells the story of William Rufus, King of England from 1087-1100, and reveals for the first time the truth behind his death in the thirteenth year of his troubled reign, settling one of medieval England's most enduring mysteries.