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William the Conqueror (c. 1028 – 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was Duke of Normandy (as William II) from 1035 onward.
- William II of England
William II (Anglo-Norman: Williame; c. 1057 – 2 August 1100)...
- Robert The Magnificent
Robert I of Normandy (22 June 1000 – July 1035), also known...
- Herleva
The three sons of Herleva of Falaise: William, Duke of...
- Edward The Confessor
Edward the Confessor (c. 1003 – 5 January 1066) was an...
- Henry I of England
Henry I ( c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry...
- Adeliza
Adeliza or Adelida (died before 1113) was a daughter of...
- Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings was fought on 14 October 1066 between...
- Talk
We would like to show you a description here but the site...
- William II of England
- Early Life and Minority
- Duke of Normandy
- Norman Invasion of England
- King of England
- Family
William was the son of Robert I, Duke of Normandy by his concubine Herleva. He was born in Falaise, Normandy in 1027 or 1028. William became the Duke of Normandy when his father died in 1035. In 1034 or 1035 Duke Robert wanted to go on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He made his noblemenswear to make his young son William their duke if he was killed. Bu...
Val-es-Dunes
The private wars continued into 1046. William's rule depended on the loyalty of his viscounts. By the fall of 1046 many of the families in lower Normandy began plotting to replace William as duke. Guy of Burgundy, William's cousin, was sent to William's court in hopes he would do well there. William gave Guy castles at Brionne and Vernon. But Guy wasn't happy with this and decided he should rule Normandy himself. He became the leader of what was by now an open revolt. Two of William's viscoun...
Rise to power
The battle of Val-es-Dunes was the start of William's rise to power. As the king had stepped in it was more his victory than William's. But William's nobles now began to see him as a leader. He could now think about taking a wife. Shortly before 1049 William decided to marry Matilda of Flanders. She was the daughter of Baldwin V of Flanders and Adela of France, who was the daughter of King Robert II of France. Before it could take place Pope Leo IX refused to allow the marriage. He did not gi...
Normandy and England
In 1002 Ethelred King of England married Emma, sister of Duke Richard II of Normandy. The alliance formed by this marriage had far reaching effects. When Canute came to the throne of England in 1016, he took Emma of Normandy as his wife. Her two sons by her former marriage fled to Normandy for their own safety. Edward, the older son, stayed in Normandy for many years at the court of the dukes. The last duke who protected him there was his cousin William. Edward became King of England in 1042....
Prelude
William began his plans for invasion almost as soon as he received news of the events in England. He called a meeting of his greatest men. William made plans to gather a large army from all over France. His influence and wealth meant he could mount a large campaign. His first task was to build a fleet of ships to carry his army across the English Channel. Then he started gathering an army. His friendship with Brittany, France, and Flanders meant he did not have to rely only on his own army. H...
Battle of Hastings
King Harold's army took up a position on an east–west ridge north of Hastings. The ridge itself was called Senlay Hill. They found the Norman army marching up the valley in front of them. While Harold had more soldiers, they were tired from the 60-mile (96km) forced march from London. William formed his lines at the base of the hill facing the shield wall[c] of the English. He sent his archers halfway up the slope to attack the English. He sent his mounted knights to the left and right to fin...
Aftermath
The battle was won but the English still had smaller armies which had not joined King Harold at Hastings. They had lost their king but were still trying to reorganize. William rested his army for five days before moving towards London. His line of march took him through several towns he either captured or destroyed. When William reached London the English resisted for a short time but in the end surrendered. On Christmas day in 1066 William was crowned King of England. His victory at Hastings...
Early reign
William chose to be crowned at Christmas. This was partly because he thought the English would be less likely to riot at this high feast day. It was also a good choice because he believed it was God's will he be king.[d] Now the king, William spent a few months in England. He then returned to Normandy leaving England in the hands of two capable men. These were his half-brother Odo, the Bishop of Bayeux and William FitzOsbern. Odo was made the Earl of Kent while FitzOsbern became the earl of H...
Harrying of the north
William's northern army was wiped out and York was in ruins. At the same time smaller rebellions were breaking out in Wales and southwest England. William knew he was in trouble. He began by calling in all his commanders and troops to combine his forces. The king knew that with a smaller army he had to deal with one group of rebels at a time. He sent William FitzOsbern and Brian of Brittany to deal with Exeter. William himself fought an army moving in from the east. In both cases the Norman a...
Ruling England and Normandy
William never again had to lay waste to a county as he did to Yorkshire. He had dealt with the main threats to his rule but some had only been solved in part. The Danish fleet came back in 1070 this time led by King Swen. They joined a small group of rebels on the Isle of Ely led by Hereward the Wake.Again William bribed the Danes to leave and then dealt with the rebels. Hereward was never heard from again. William now had to rule both England and Normandy. He found he had to be present to ke...
William and his wife Matilda of Flanders had at least nine children. 1. Robert (c.1050–1134), Duke of Normandy succeeded his father. 2. Richard (c.1052–c.1075. 3. William (c.1055–1100). Succeeded his father as King of England. 4. Henry(1068–1135). Succeeded his brother William as King of England. 5. Agatha; promised in marriage to Alfonso VI of Leó...
- 25 December 1066
- Harold II
- 25 December 1066 - 9 September 1087
- William II
William I of England. among others... William of Normandy (French: Guillaume de Normandie) (1028 – September 9, 1087), also known as William the Conqueror (Guillaume le Conquérant) and William the Bastard (Guillaume le Bâtard), was the Duke of Normandy from 1035 to 1087, and King of England from 1066 to 1087.
Jan 30, 2019 · William the Conqueror (c. 1027-1087), also known as William, Duke of Normandy, led the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 when he defeated and killed his rival Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. Crowned King William I of England on Christmas Day 1066, he secured his new realm after five years of hard battles against rebels and invaders.
- Mark Cartwright
Jun 8, 2018 · William I (1027/8–87), king of England (1066–87) and duke of Normandy (1035–87), known as ‘the Conqueror’, was born at Falaise in Normandy.
Jan 4, 2024 · William I (c. 1028 – 9 September 1087 ), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman monarch of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087. He was a descendant of Rollo and was Duke of Normandy from 1035 onward.
