Bishop Odo

• Odo was William's half brother - they had the same mother
• 1049 - William made Odo Bishop of Bayeux even though he had a poor reputation as greedy and immoral
• 1066 - Odo was a major supporter of William, contributing 100 ships and fighting at Hastings. He was rewarded with the earldom of Kent and other land too, he became the second largest landowner, after the king
• 1067 - Odo was co-regent during Williams first absence (William gave him lots of power)
• Odo and William FitzOsbern Built castles, ruled harshly and were feared. Odo was dreaded by the Englishmen everywhere and he was able to dispense justice like a second king - Odo and Earl William see, to have wrecked the King's attempt to gain Anglo-Saxon acceptance of his reign with their violent and oppressive actions
• 1076 - There were many complaints against Odo's illegal land seizures (including Church land) that Lanfranc took the complaint to William and he was made to hand them back - Odo went too far and abused his power too much, but probably only to upset Lanfranc, it isn't likely that Anglo Saxons got their land back, William was prepared to stop him
• 1079 - Odo was sent to Northumbria after attacks from Scotland and the murder of the Bishop of Durham. He laid waste to the region, pillaged the cathedral, robbed and extorted
• 1082 - Odo fell out with William and was imprisoned, possibly because he tried to take some knights out of the country to Rome (wanted to be made Pope) - William took this very seriously - the knights owed loyalty to him - the Pope told William off for imprisoning a Bishop, but William rejected the right of the Pope to criticise what he did in his kingdom
• 1087 - (5 years after Odo was imprisoned ) - he was released after William (on his deathbed) was finally convinced by Odo's brother to pardon him - William needed a lot of persuading (distrust)
• 1088 - Odo led many Barons in a revolt against William II - ambitious for power had been at the root of his relations with William I
• William will protect Odo when he is useful to him, them he will withdraw the protection when he feels Odo is a threat