Facts: - mother: herleva of falaise - predecessor: edgar -lrb- otherwise -rrb- '' harold ii robert i , duke the of normandy theling '' -lrb- uncrowned -rrb- '' '' - house: norman dynasty - styles: the normans king of the angles the duke of the - birth date: about 1028 - issue: robert of england adeliza constance adela , countess of blois agatha curthose of normandy -lrb- existence doubtful -rrb- richard william ii matilda cecilia henry i - caption: william battle of hastings , lifting his helm to show that as he is still alive depicted in the bayeux tapestry during the - succession: king of england duke of normandy - reign: 25 -- 9 & nbsp ; september 1087 3 & nbsp & ; july 1035 & nbsp ; -- 9 & nbsp nbsp ; september 1087 ; december 1066 & nbsp ; - spouse: matilda of flanders - death date: 9 september 1087 - father: robert i , duke of normandy - name: william the conqueror - birth place: falaise , normandy - death place: priory of saint gervase , rouen , normandy - type: monarchy - coronation: 25 & nbsp ; december 1066 - successor: william ii of england robert curthose - more: england - image size: 150 - image: bayeuxtapestrywilliamliftshishelm.jpg Based on these bullet points, write a short biography describing the life of william the conqueror .
Answer:
william i -lrb- old norman : '' williame i '' ; c. 1028 -- 9 september 1087 -rrb- , usually known as william the conqueror and sometimes william the bastard , was the first norman king of england , reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087 .the descendant of viking raiders , he had been duke of normandy since 1035 .after a long struggle to establish his power , by 1060 his hold on normandy was secure , and he launched the norman conquest of england in 1066 .the rest of his life was marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over england and his continental lands and by difficulties with his eldest son .william was the son of the unmarried robert i , duke of normandy , by robert 's mistress herleva .his illegitimate status and his youth caused some difficulties for him after he succeeded his father , as did the anarchy that plagued the first years of his rule .during his childhood and adolescence , members of the norman aristocracy battled each other , both for control of the child duke and for their own ends .in 1047 william was able to quash a rebellion and begin to establish his authority over the duchy , a process that was not complete until about 1060 .his marriage in the 1050s to matilda of flanders provided him with a powerful ally in the neighbouring county of flanders .by the time of his marriage , william was able to arrange the appointments of his supporters as bishops and abbots in the norman church .his consolidation of power allowed him to expand his horizons , and by 1062 william was able to secure control of the neighbouring county of maine .in the 1050s and early 1060s william became a contender for the throne of england , then held by the childless edward the confessor , his first cousin once removed .there were other potential claimants , including the powerful english earl harold godwinson , who was named the next king by edward on the latter 's deathbed in january 1066 .william argued that edward had previously promised the throne to him , and that harold had sworn to...