Medieval kings had little time, even if they had the inclination or capacity, for routine administrative matters: kingship was about much more than totting up accounts. Henry I spent much of his public life in military campaigning or in governmental activity in a wider sense, moving about his dominions, presiding over councils, dispensing patronage, and receiving emissaries. Yet his court was in a very real sense the centre of government as well as of political life, and the knights of his household formed the nucleus of his army. The king personally presided over the hearing of important legal cases; he confirmed charters, issued new ones, or directed a course of action to be taken in individual disputes. Though the need for delegation was growing, it was still he who gave the orders. The king must have known his servants personally, and their high calibre was a direct reflection of his own ability to choose men who would serve him well. At every stage, therefore, administration could not help but be shaped by the king's personality, his style of kingship, and his objectives, and it is to these that we now turn.

As an individual Henry I was complex and in many respects highly unpleasant, but he also possessed in abundance many qualities which equipped him well for ruling England. In an age which still put a high premium on the military abilities of a king, Henry was at the head of his troops when it counted, and was present at two of the decisive victories won in Normandy, at Tinchebrai in 1106 and Brémule in 1119