William I I KING I Christine Lady Hugh Half sister of "The Conqueror" King of England - Bashor Web Site - MyHeritage William I I KING I Christine Lady Hugh Half sister of "The Conqueror" King of England Born: Sep 9 1087 (at age 62) In: Timeline Immediate family Robert I The Magnificent of "The Guillaume Hiemes bastard Richard III Geoffrey Duke de William (The Conqueror Normandy Harold Bl De Normandy His father Lesceline DeNormandie His sister Duke of Normandy 1035-1087, and King of England 1066-1087. William I, King of England; William II of Normandy. From Encyclopedia Britannica Online, Article entitled William I, The Conquerer: "Reigned 1066-1087. Duke of Normandy 1035-1087. Invaded England defeated and killed his rival Harold at the Battle of Hastings and became King. The Norman conquest of England was completed by 1072 aided by the establishment of feudalism under which his followers were granted land in return for pledges of service and loyalty.

As King William was noted for his efficient if harsh rule. His administration relied upon Norman and other foreign personnell especially Lanfranc Archbishop of Canterbury. "The arrival and conquest of William and the Normans radically altered the course of English history. Rather than attempt a wholesale replacement of Anglo-Saxon law, William fused continental practices with native custom. By disenfranchising Anglo-Saxon landowners, he instituted a brand of feudalism in England that strengthened the monarchy. Villages and manors were given a large degree of autonomy in local affairs in return for military service and monetary payments. The Anglo-Saxon office of sheriff was greatly enhanced: sheriffs arbitrated legal cases in the shire courts on behalf of the king, extracted tax payments and were generally responsible for keeping the peace. "The Domesday Book" was commissioned in 1085 as a survey of land ownership to assess property and establish a tax base. "Within the regions covered by the Domesday survey, the dominance of the Norman king and his nobility are revealed: only two Anglo-Saxon barons that held lands before 1066 retained those lands twentyyears later. All landowners were summoned to pay homage to William in 1086.

William imported an Italian, Lanfranc, to take the position of Archbishop of Canterbury; Lanfranc reorganized the English Church, establishing separate Church courts to deal with infractions of Canon law. Although he began the invasion with papal support, William refused to let the church dictate policy within English andNorman borders. He died as he had lived: an inveterate warrior. He died September 9, 1087 from complications of a wound he received in a siege on the town of Mantes." William the Conqueror, (less flatteringly) known as William the Bastard, was the first of the Norman kings of England. He was the illegitimate son of Robert "the Devil," Duke of Normandy, by Harletteor Herleve de Falaise, daughter of a Norman tanner. William was acknowledged by the Norman nobility as successor to his father in 1034, but when Robert died in 1035 William found himself in a battle for power from which he barely escaped with his life. Several of his guardians were less fortunate -- two were murdered, another poisoned, and one killed in the very room in which William was sleeping.

King Henry I of France came to William's aid, and the rebels were defeated at Val-es-Dunes in 1047. Between that time and 1064 he steadily solidified his support and power within Normandy, and alliedhimself to Flanders by marriage to Matilda in 1051. How William maneuvered himself into the position of conquering England is uncertain. Post-conquest Norman apologists claim that the king of England, the childless Edward the Confessor, offered William the inheritance in 1052; but that is not certain. Edward had closer male relatives than William, and it seems unlikely (especially as Edward himself had just remarried and had presumably some hopes for a male heir) that he would have so capriciously have closed his options. In fact, given that all of the historians at the time had a slant, whether it was pro- or anti-William, it is not known what actually happened prior to the invasion itself. Whatever the lead-up, it is certain that William began laying plans for the conquest shortly afterhearing that Harold Godwinsson had been crowned king of England (January 1066).

He obtained the blessing from Pope Alexander II, and the support of numerous lords from Normandy, Brittany, and beyond.His assembled fleet departed from France on September 27, 1066, and arrived at Pevensey the next morning. He took advantage of the fact that Harold Godwinsson had just fought and defeated the combined forces of his rebel brother, Tostig Godwinsson, and the Norse king Harald Haardrada, at the Battle of Stamford Bridge (September 25); presumably he wished to draw Harold out before he had a chance to regroup, and that is exactly what happened. At the Battle of Hastings, October 14, 1066, Harold Godwinsson and his supporters were routed, and Harold killed. What followed was a ruthless suppressionof the surviving English nobility, and on December 25, 1066, William was crowned King William I of England in Westminster Abbey. While the conquest is often pictured as a decisive battle ending with swift consolidation of the realm, in fact William faced continual revolts between 1067 and 1075.

All were dealt with swiftly and effectively, and by 1080 he was in firm control of both Normandy and England. William died at St. Gervais, near Rouen, France, on September 9, 1087, as the result of a riding accident while besieging the city of Mantes. Guillaume I le Coquaerant de Nomandie William I (c. 1027 - September 9, 1087), was a King of England, known alternatively as William of Normandy,William the Conqueror and William the Bastard. He was the illegitimate son of Robert the Magnificent, Duke of Normandy, and Herleva, the daughter of a tanner; he was born in Falaise, Normandy (now in France). When he was growing up, he always had to look over his shoulder. Many people wantedthe throne and would do anything for it. This is why three of his guardians were murdered. He married Matilda of Flanders, and they had four sons and six daughters (see list below). He succeeded his father to the dukedom as a young boy in 1035 and was known as Duke William II of Normandy.

He immediately came under attack from the vassals. With the assistance of King Henri I of France, William finally secured control of Normandy by defeating the rebel Norman barons at Caen the battle of Val-ès-Dunes in 1047. Upon the death of William's cousin King Edward the Confessor of England (January 1066), William claimed the throne of England, asserting that the childless Edward had named him his heir during a visit by William (probably in 1052) and that Harold Godwinson, England's foremost magnate, had reportedly pledged his support while shipwrecked in Normandy (c. 1064). He made this pledge whilst in captivity and was reportedly tricked into swearing on a saint's bones that he would give the throne to William. Even if this story is true, however, Harold made the promise under duress and may so have felt free to break it. In order to pursue his claim, William invaded England on September 28and defeated King Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings (October 14, 1066), thus allowing him to seize the throne.

This was the defining moment of what is now known as the Norman Conquest. His victory is commemorated in the Bayeux Tapestry. William initiated many major changes, amongst them a fundamental review of the prevailing Anglo-Saxon legal system, which he fused with Norman law. In 1085, in order to ascertain the extent of his dominion, William commissioned the compilation of the Domesday Book, a survey of England's productive capacity similar to a modern census. He also ordered the building of a number of castles, among them the Tower of London. His conquest also led to French replacing English as the language of the ruling classes, for nearly 300 years. He died at the Convent of St. Gervais, near Rouen, France, on September 9, 1087 from injuries received when he fell off a horse at the Siege of Mantes. He is buried at St. Stephen's, Caen, Normandy, now in France. William was succeeded in 1087 as King of England by his younger son William II and as Duke of Normandy by his elder son Robert Curthose, who had earlier rebelled.

His youngest son Henryalso became King of England later, after William II died without any child to succeed him. - [1] "King of England born c. 1027 in Falaise, Normandie, France.[DeClare.FTW] William I (of England), called The Conqueror (1027-87), first Norman king of England (1066-87), who has been called one of the first modern kings and is generally regarded as one of the outstanding figures in western European history. Born in Falaise, France, William was the illegitimate son of Robert I, duke of Normandy, and Arletta, a tanner's daughter, and is therefore sometimes called William the Bastard. Upon the death of hisfather, the Norman nobles, honoring their promise to Robert, accepted William as his successor. Rebellion against the young duke broke out almost immediately, however, and his position did not becomesecure until 1047 when, with the aid of Henry I, king of France, he won a decisive victory over a rebel force near Caen.

During a visit in 1051 to his childless cousin, Edward the Confessor, king of England, William is said to have obtained Edward's agreement that he should succeed to the English throne. In 1053, defying a papal ban, William married Matilda of Flanders, daughter of Baldwin V, count of Flanders and a descendant of King Alfred the Great, thereby strengthening his claim to the crown of England. Henry I, fearing the strong bond between Normandy and Flanders resulting from the marriage, attempted in 1054 and again in 1058 to crush the powerful duke, but on both occasions William defeated the French king's forces. Conquest of England ---------------------------------- About 1064, the powerful English noble, Harold, earl of Wessex, was shipwrecked on the Norman coast and taken prisoner by William. He secured his release by swearing to support William's claim to theEnglish throne. When King Edward died, however, the witenagemot (royal council) elected Harold king. Determined to make good his claim, William secured the sanction of Pope Alexander II for a Norman invasion of England.

The duke and his army landed at Pevensey on September 28, 1066. On October 14, the Normans defeated the English forces at the celebrated Battle of Hastings, in which Harold was slain. William then proceeded to London, crushing the resistance he encountered on the way. On Christmas Day he was crowned king of England in Westminster Abbey. The English did not accept foreign rule without a struggle. William met the opposition, which was particularly violent in the north and west, with strong measures; he was responsible for the devastation of great areas of the country, particularly in Yorkshire, where Danish forces had arrived to aid the Saxon rebels. By 1070 the Norman conquest of England was complete. William invaded Scotland in 1072 and forced the Scottish king Malcolm III MacDuncan to pay him homage. During the succeeding years the Conqueror crushed insurrections among his Norman followers, including that incited in 1075 by Ralph de Guader, 1st earl of Norfolk, and Roger Fitzwilliam, earl of Hereford, and a series of uprisings in Normandy led by his eldest son Robert, who later became RobertII, duke of Normandy.

His Achievements ----------------------------- One feature of William's reign as king was his reorganization of the English feudal and administrative systems. He dissolved the great earldoms, which had enjoyed virtual independence under his Anglo-Saxon predecessors, and distributed the lands confiscated from the English to his trusted Norman followers. He introduced the Continental system of feudalism; by the Oath of Salisbury of 1086 all landlords swore allegiance to William, thus establishing the precedent that a vassal's loyalty to the king overrode his fealty to his immediate lord. The feudal lords were compelled to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the local courts, which William retained along with many other Anglo-Saxon institutions. The ecclesiastical and secular courts were separated, and the power of the papacy in English affairs was greatly curtailed. Another outstanding accomplishment was the economic survey undertaken and incorporated in the Domesday Book in 1086. In 1087, during a campaign against King Philip I of France, William burned the town of Mantes (now Mantes-la-Jolie). William's horse fell in the vicinity of Mantes, fatally injuring him.

He died in Rouen on September 7 and was buried at Caen in Saint Stephen's, one of the abbeys he and Matilda had founded at the time of their marriage as penance for their defiance of the pope. William was succeeded by his third-born son, William II. Further Reading "William I (of England)," Microsoft (R) Encarta. Copyright (c) 1994 Microsoft Corporation. Copyright (c) 1994 Funk & Wagnall's Corporation. Weis' "Ancestral Roots. . ." (121:23), (121E:22), (137:23), (139:23), (162:23), (169:23). Known as William "The Conquerer". Duke of Normandy, then King of England 1066-1087. WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR-- He was born in falaise, Normandie, France the illegitimate son of Robert I, Duke of Normandy, who died in 1035 while returning from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

At only 8 years of age, William became the new Duke of Normandy. Violence and corruption plagued his early reign, as the feudal Barons fought for control of his fragile Dukedom. A few of William's guards died and histeacher was murdered during a period of severe anarchy. With the help of King Henry I of France, William managed to survive the early years. The King knighted william, still in his teens, in 1042. Taking a new stand on political events, William finally gained firm control of his Duchy (although his enemies commonly referred to him as "thebastard" because of his illigitimacy). By 1064, he had conquered and won 2 neighboring provinces Brittany and Maine. In the meantime, the childless King of England, Edward "The Confessor" whose mother was a sister of William's grandfather, promised William succession to the English Throne. however, when Edward died in 1066, his brother-in-law and most powerful of the English Lords, Harold Goodwin, claimed the Throne of England for himself (despite an oath he made to support William in his claim).

The Witan, a council of English Lords that commonly took part in deciding succession, supported Harold. William, angered by the betrayal, decided to invade England and enforce his claim. William assembled a fleet and an army on the coast of France, but due to unrelenting north winds , their advance was delayed for several weeks. In the meantime, the Norwegian army invaded England from the North Sea. Harold, who had been preparing for William's invasion from the south, rapidly moved his army north to defend England fdrom Norway. After defeating the Norwegians, Harold unwisely marched his troops back down to meet William, without resting. On October 14, 1066, the 2 armies met in the famous Battle of Hastings. King Harold and his 2 brothers were killed in the battle, and since no one of stature remained to raise a new army, William's path to the Throne was clear. He was crowned King of England on Christmas Day of 1066. There were several revolts in the next 5 years, which William used as an excuse to confiscate English land and declare it his personal property. He then distributed the land to his Norman followers, who imposed their unique feudal system.

Eventually, Normans replaced the entire Anglo-Saxon aristocracy. William, however, retained most of England's institutions and was intensely interested in learning about his new property.He ordered a detailed consensus to be made of the population and property of England, which was compiled in THE DOMESDAY BOOK (now an invaluable source of historical information and still in the Public Record Office in London). William died in 1087 in Rouen, France. He had 4 sons and 5 daughters, and every monarch of England since has been his direct descendant. Although he never spoke English and was illiterate, he had more influence on the evolution of the English language than anyone before or since...adding a slew of French and Latin words to the Englishdictionary. The introduction of skilled Norman administrators may be largely responsible for eventually making England the most powerful government in Europe. Biography.com c2000 A&E Television Networks. All rights res. Reigned 1066-1087. Duke of Normandy 1035-1087. Invaded England defeated and killed his rival Harold at the Battle of Hastings and became King.

The Norman conquest of England was completed by 1072 aided by the establishment of feaudalism under which his followers were granted land in return for pledges of service and loyalty. As King William was noted for his efficient if harsh rule. His administration relied upon Norman and other foreign personnell especially Lanfranc Archbishop of Canterbury. In 1085 started Domesday Book. Also known as William the Conqueror 1 _UPD 25 SEP 2009 18:54:41 GMT-5 2 _UID C6E91138-2499-40A9-BEB4-060D8DFF39B6 2 _UID B6AFCF33-6111-4A88-AB23-019B285E5496 William was born in Falaise, Normandy, the illegitimate and only son of Robert I, Duke of Normandy, who named him as heir to Normandy.

His mother, Herleva (among other names), who later had two sons to another father, was the daughter of Fulbert, most probably a local tanner. William had a sister, Adelaide of Normandy, another child of Robert and Herleva. Later in life the enemies of William are said to have commented derisively that William stank like a tannery, and the residents of besieged Alençon hung skins from the city walls to taunt him.

William is believed to have been born in either 1027 or 1028, and more likely in the autumn of the latter year.[1] He was born the grandnephew of Queen Emma of Normandy, wife of King Ethelred the Unready and later of King Canute the Great.[4] [edit] Duke of Normandy By his father's will, William succeeded him as Duke of Normandy at age eight in 1035 and was known as Duke William of Normandy (French: Guillaume, duc de Normandie; Latin: Guglielmus Dux Normanniae).Plots by rival Norman noblemen to usurp his place cost William three guardians, though not Count Alan III of Brittany, who was a later guardian. William was supported by King Henry I of France, however. He was knighted by Henry at age 15. By the time William turned 19 he was successfully dealing with threats of rebellion and invasion.

With the assistance of Henry, William finally secured control of Normandy by defeating rebel Norman barons at Caen in the Battle of Val-ès-Dunes in 1047, obtaining the Truce of God, which was backed by the Roman Catholic Church. Against the wishes of Pope Leo IX, William married Matilda of Flanders in 1053 in the Cathedral of Notre Dame at Eu, Normandy (Seine-Maritime). At the time, William was about 24 years old and Matildawas 22. William is said to have been a faithful and loving husband, and their marriage produced four sons and six daughters. In repentance for what was a consanguine marriage (they were distant cousins), William donated St-Stephen's church (l'Abbaye-aux-Hommes) and Matilda donated Sainte-Trinité church (Abbaye aux Dames). Feeling threatened by the increase in Norman power resulting from William's noble marriage, Henry I attempted to invade Normandy twice (1054 and 1057), without success.

Already a charismatic leader, William attracted strong support within Normandy, including the loyalty of his half-brothers Odo of Bayeux and Robert, Count of Mortain, who played significant roles in his life. Later, he benefitted from the weakening of two competing power centers as a result of the deaths of Henry I and of Geoffrey II of Anjou, in 1060. In 1062 William invaded and took control of the county of Maine, which had been a fief of Anjou.[5] [edit] English succession Upon the death of the childless Edward the Confessor, the English throne was fiercely disputed by three claimants -- William, Harold Godwinson, the powerful Earl of Wessex, and the Viking King HaraldIII of Norway, known as Harald Hadråda. William had a tenuous blood claim, through his great aunt Emma (wife of Ethelred and mother of Edward). William also contended that Edward, who had spent much of his life in exile in Normandy during the Danish occupation of England, had promised William the throne when William visited Edward in London in 1052.

Finally, William claimed that Harold had pledgedallegiance to him in 1064. William had rescued the shipwrecked Harold from the count of Ponthieu, and together they had defeated Conan II, Count of Brittany. On that occasion, William knighted Harold,and deceived him by having him swear loyalty to William over the concealed bones of a saint.[6] In January 1066, however, in accordance with Edward's last will and by vote of the Witenagemot, Harold Godwinson was crowned King by Archbishop Aldred. [edit] Norman Invasion Meanwhile, William submitted his claim to the English throne to Pope Alexander II, who sent him a consecrated banner in support. Then, William organized a council of war at Lillebonne and openly beganassembling an army in Normandy. Offering promises of English lands and titles, he amassed at Saint-Valery-sur-Somme a considerable invasion force of 600 ships and 7,000 men, consisting of Normans, Bretons, French mercenaries, and numerous foreign knights.

In England, Harold assembled a large army on the south coast and a fleet of ships to guard the English Channel.[6] Victorian era statue of William the Conqueror, holding Domesday Book on the West Front of Lichfield Cathedral.Fortuitously for William, his crossing was delayed by weeks of unfavourable winds. Williammanaged to keep his army together during the wait, but Harold's was diminished by dwindling supplies and falling morale with the arrival of the harvest season.[7] Harold also consolidated his ships in London, leaving the English Channel unguarded. Then came the news that the other contender for the throne, Harald III of Norway, allied with Tostig Godwinson, had landed ten miles from York; Haroldwas forced to march against them. Before he could return south, the wind direction turned and William crossed, landing his army at Pevensey Bay (Sussex) on 28 September. Thence he moved to Hastings, a few miles to the east, where he built a prefabricated wooden castle for a base of operations.

From there, he ravaged the hinterland and waited for Harold's return from the north.[8] William chose Hastings as it was at the end of long penninsula flanked by impassable marshes. Battle was on the isthmus. William at once built a fort at Hastings to guard his rear against potential arrival of Harold's fleet from London. Having landed his army, William was less concerned about desertion and could have waited out the winter storms, raided the surrounding area for horses and starteda campagn in the spring. Harold had been reconnoitering the south of England for some time and well appreciated the need to occupy this isthmus at once. [9] [edit] Battle of Hastings Main article: Battle of Hastings Harold, after defeating his brother Tostig Godwinson and Harald Hardraada in the north, marched his army 241 miles to meet the invading William in the south. On October 13, William received news of Harold's march from London. At dawn the next day, William left the castle with his army and advanced towards the enemy.

Harold had taken a defensive position atop the Senlac Hill/Senlac ridge, about seven miles from Hastings, at present-day Battle, East Sussex. The Battle of Hastings lasted all day. Although the numbers on each side were about equal, William had both cavalry and infantry, including many archers, while Harold had only foot soldiers and few ifany archers.[10] Along the ridge's border, formed as a wall of shields, the English soldiers at first stood so effectively that William's army was thrown back with heavy casualties. William rallied his troops, however -- reportedly raising his helmet, as shown in the Bayeux Tapestry, to quell rumors of his death. Meanwhile, many of the English had pursued the fleeing Normans on foot, allowing theNorman cavalry to attack them repeatedly from the rear as his infantry pretended to retreat further.[11] Norman arrows also took their toll, progressively weakening the English wall of shields. A final Norman cavalry attack decided the battle irrevocably, resulting in the deaths of Harold, killed by an arrow in the eye, and two of his brothers, Gyrth and Leofwine Godwinson. At dusk, the English army made their last stand.

By that night, the Norman victory was complete and the remaining English soldiers fled in fear. [edit] March to London For two weeks, William waited for a formal surrender of the English throne, but the Witenagemot proclaimed the quite young Edgar Ætheling instead, though without coronation. Thus, William's next target was London, approaching through the important territories of Kent, via Dover and Canterbury, inspiring fear in the English. However, at London, William's advance was beaten back at London Bridge, and he decided to march westward and to storm London from the northwest. After receiving continental reinforcements, William crossed the Thames at Wallingford, and there he forced the surrender of Archbishop Stigand (one of Edgar's lead supporters), in early December. William reached Berkhamsted a few days later where Ætheling relinquished the English crown personally and the exhausted Saxon noblemen of England surrendered definitively. Although William was acclaimed then as English King, he requested a coronation in London.

As William I, he was formally crowned on Christmas day 1066, in Westminster Abbey, by Archbishop Aldred.[6] [edit] English resistance The dominions of William the Conqueror around 1087Although the south of England submitted quickly to Norman rule, resistance in the north continued for six more years until 1072. During the first twoyears, King William I suffered many revolts throughout England (Dover, western Mercia, Exeter) and Wales. Also, in 1068, Harold's illegitimate sons attempted an invasion of the south western peninsula, but William defeated them. For William I, the worst crisis came from Northumbria, which had still not submitted to his realm. In 1068, with Edgar Ætheling, both Mercia and Northumbria revolted. William could suppress these, butEdgar fled to Scotland where Malcolm III of Scotland protected him. Furthermore, Malcolm married Edgar's sister Margaret, with much éclat, stressing the English balance of power against William. Under such circumstances, Northumbria rebelled, besieging York.

Then, Edgar resorted also to the Danes, who disembarked with a large fleet at Northumbria, claiming the English crown for their King Sweyn II. Scotland joined the rebellion as well. The rebels easily captured York and its castle. However, William could contain them at Lincoln. After dealing with a new wave of revolts at western Mercia, Exeter, Dorset, and Somerset, William defeated his northern foes decisively at the River Aire, retrieving York, while the Danish army swore to depart. William then devastated Northumbria between the Humber and Tees rivers, with his Harrying of the North. This devastation included setting fire to the vegetation, houses and even tools to work the fields. He also burnt crops, killed livestock and sowed the fields and land with salt, to stunt growth. After this cruel treatment the land did not recover for more than 100 years. The region ended up absolutely deprived, losing its traditional autonomy towards England. However it may have stopped future rebellions, scaring the English people into obedience. Then, the Danish king disembarked in person, readying his army to restart the war, but William suppressed this threat with a payment of gold.

In 1071, William defeated the last rebellion of the north through an improvised pontoon, subduing theIsle of Ely, where the Danes had gathered. In 1072, he invaded Scotland, defeating Malcolm and gaining a temporary peace. In 1074, Edgar Ætheling submitted definitively to William. In 1075, during William's absence, the Revolt of the Earls was confronted successfully by Odo. In 1080, William dispatched his half brothers Odo and Robert to storm Northumbria and Scotland, respectively. Eventually, the Pope protested that the Normans were mistreating the English people. Before quelling the rebellions, William had conciliated with the English church; however, he persecuted it ferociously afterwards. [edit] Events As would be habit for his descendants, William spent much of his time (11 years, since 1072) in Normandy, ruling the islands through his writs. Nominally still a vassal state, owing its entire loyaltyto the French king, Normandy arose suddenly as a powerful region, alarming the other French Dukes who reacted by attacking the duchy persistently.

As Duke of Normandy, William was obsessed with conquering Brittany, and the French King Philip I admonished him. A treaty was concluded after his aborted invasion of Brittany in 1076, and William betrothed Constance to the Breton Duke Hoel's son, the future Alan IV of Brittany. The wedding occurred only in 1086, after Alan's accession to the throne, and Constance died childless a few years later. The mischief of William's elder son Robert arose after a prank of his brothers William and Henry, who doused him with filthy water. The situation became a large scale Norman rebellion. Only with KingPhilip's additional military support was William able to confront Robert, who was based at Flanders. During the battle in 1079, William was unhorsed and wounded by Robert, who lowered his sword only after recognizing him. The embarrassed William returned to Rouen, abandoning the expedition. In 1080, Matilda reconciled both, and William revoked Robert's inheritance. Odo caused many troubles to William, and he was imprisoned in 1082, losing his English estate and all royal functions, except the religious ones.

In 1083, Matilda died, and William became more tyrannical over his realm. [edit] Reforms The signatures of William I and Matilda are the first two large crosses on the Accord of Winchester from 1072.William initiated many major changes. He increased the function of the traditional Englishshires (autonomous administrative regions), which he brought under central control; he decreased the power of the earls by restricting them to one shire apiece. All administrative functions of his government remained fixed at specific English towns, except the court itself; they would progressively strengthen, and the English institutions became amongst the most sophisticated in Europe. In 1085,in order to ascertain the extent of his new dominions and to improve taxation, William commissioned all his counselors for the compilation of the Domesday Book, which was published in 1086. The book was a survey of England's productive capacity similar to a modern census. William also ordered many castles, keeps, and mottes, among them the Tower of London's foundation (the White Tower), which were built throughout England. These ensured effectively that the many rebellions by the English people or his own followers did not succeed.

His conquest also led to French (especially, but not only, the Norman French) replacing English as the language of the ruling classes for nearly 300 years.[12][13] Furthermore, the original Anglo-Saxon cultural influence of England became mingled with the Norman one; thus the Anglo-Norman culture came into being. William is said to have eliminated the native aristocracy in as little as four years. Systematically, he despoiled those English aristocrats who either opposed the Normans or who died without issue. Thus, most English estates and titles of nobility were handed to the Norman noblemen. Many English aristocrats fled to Flanders and Scotland; others may have been sold into slavery overseas. Some escaped to join the Byzantine Empire's Varangian Guard, and went on to fight the Normans in Sicily. By 1070, the indigenous nobility had ceased to be an integral part of the English landscape, and by 1086,it maintained control of just 8% of its original land-holdings.[14] However, to the new Norman noblemen, William handed the English parcels of land piecemeal, dispersing these wide.

Thus nobody wouldtry conspiring against him without jeopardizing their own estates within the so unstable England. Effectively, this strengthened William's political stand as a monarch. William also seized and depopulated many miles of land (36 parishes), turning it into the royal New Forest region to support his enthusiastic enjoyment of hunting.[15] [edit] Death, burial, and succession In 1087 in France, William burned Mantes (50 km west of Paris), besieging the town. However, he fell off his horse, suffering fatal abdominal injuries by the saddle pommel. On his deathbed, William divided his succession for his sons, sparking strife between them. Despite William's reluctance, his combative elder son Robert received the Duchy of Normandy, as Robert II. William Rufus (his third son) was next English king, as William II. William's youngest son Henry received 5,000 silver pounds, which would be earmarked to buy land. He also became King Henry I of England after William II died without issue. While on his deathbed, William pardoned many of his political adversaries, including Odo.

William died at age 59 at the Convent of St Gervais in Rouen, capital city of Normandie, France, on 9 September 1087. William was buried in the Abbaye-aux-Hommes, which he had erected, in Caen, Normandy. According to some sources, a fire broke out during the funeral; the original owner of the land on which the church was built claimed he had not been paid yet, demanding 60 shillings, which William's son Henry had to pay on the spot; and, in a most unregal postmortem, William's corpulent body would not fit in the stone sarcophagus. William's grave is currently marked by a marble slab with a Latin inscription; the slab dates from the early 19th century. The grave was defiled twice, once during the French Wars of Religion, when his bones were scattered across the town of Caen, and again during the French Revolution. Following those events, only William's left femur remains in the tomb and some skin particles [edit] Legacy A romantic nineteenth century artists impression of King William I of England.

After an engraving by George Vertue.William's invasion was the last time that England was successfully conquered by a foreign power. Although there would be a number of other attempts over the centuries, the best that could be achieved would be excursions by foreign troops, such as the Raid on the Medway during the Second Anglo-Dutch War, but no actual conquests such as William's. There have however been occasions since that time when foreign rulers have succeeded to the English/British throne, notably the Dutch Stadtholder William III of Orange in 1688 after a successful invasion of England by Dutch troops (see Glorious Revolution) and George of Hanover b. 1660, who acceded by virtue of the exclusion of Roman Catholics from the succession. As Duke of Normandy and King of England he passed the titles on to his descendants. Other territories would be acquired by marriage or conquest and, at their height, these possessions would be known as the Angevin Empire.

They included many lands in France, such as Normandy and Aquitaine, but the question of jurisdiction over these territories would be the cause of much conflict and bitter rivalry between England and France, which took up much of the Middle Ages, including the Hundred Years War and, some might argue, continued as far as the Battle of Waterloo of 1815. citation needed [edit] Physical appearance No authentic portrait of William has been found. Nonetheless, he was depicted as a man of fair stature with remarkably strong arms, "with which he could shoot a bow at full gallop". William showed a magnificent appearance, possessing a fierce countenance.

He enjoyed an excellent health; nevertheless his noticeable corpulence augmented eventually so much that French King Philip I commented that William looked like a pregnant woman.[16] 2 _PRIM_CUTOUT Y 2 _POSITION 0 0 158 208 2 _THUM C:\Users\James\Documents\MyHeritage\New_Photos\P2_AUX_96_128.jpg 2 _CUTOUT Y 3 TITL William the Conqueror 3 FILE C:\Users\James\Documents\MyHeritage\New_Photos\P1_159_216.jpg 3 NOTE Photo was added as Smart Match from family tree 'Mayer Roots Web Site \ Mayer Root 2008-5' by: Mayer Family 3 _PRIM_CUTOUT Y 3 _POSITION 0 0 158 208 2 OBJE 3 TITL William the Conqueror 3 FILE C:\Users\James\Documents\MyHeritage\New_Photos\P2_158_208.jpg 3 _PRIM Y 3 _THUM C:\Users\James\Documents\MyHer

itage\New_Photos\P2_AUX_96_128.jpg 3 _CUTOUT Y 1 _PHOT P2 "The Conqueror", "Le Conquberant", Duke of NORMANDY Reigned 1035-1066, "The Bastard", " King of ENGLAND Reigned 14 Oct [Battle of Hastings]; 25 Dec 1066 [Crowned at Westminster]- 9 Sep 1087.

Christened as an Adult 1066 Norman Conquest.

BOOKS Barber Grandparents: 125 Kings, 143 Generations, Ted Butler Bernard and Gertrude Barber Bernard, 1978, McKinney TX, p87: "387W William `The Conqueror', King of England after being Duke of Normandy, (S of 375, F of 408); born in 1027; knighted at age of 15; subdued rebellious vassals; defeated King Henry I of France at Val Des Dunes; defeated Harold, Saxon King of England at Battle of Hastings in 1066 after which he was crowned as the first Norman King of England on December 22, 1066; died in 1087." The Oxford Book of Royal Anecdotes, Elizabeth Longford, 1991, Oxford Univ Press, pxviii: "Saxons and Danes Genealogy 871-1066", pxix: "Normans and Plantagenets 1066-1399, William I The Conqueror (1066-1087) mar Matilda of Flanders

." A History of the English Speaking People Winston S Churchill Vol I The Birth of Britain Dodd Mead & Co p146: "A crisis came in the year 1051, when the Norman party and Court succeeded in driving Godwin into exile.

During Godwin's absence William of Normandy is said to have paid an official visit to the Confessor in England in quest of the succession to the Crown. Very likely King Edward promised that William should be his heir..." p153: "The Normans claimed that their Duke held his cousin Edward'spromise of the throne. William of Normandy had a virile origin and a hard career... "...Duke Robert died when William was only seven, and in those harsh times a minor's hold upon his inheritance was precarious. The great nobles whe were his guardians came one by one to violent ends,and rival ambitions stirred throughout Normandy. Were they to be ruled by a bastard? Was the grandson of a tanner to be the liege lord of the many warrior families? The taint of bastardy clung, andsank deep into William's nature. It embittered and hardened him. When, many years afterwards, he besieged the town of Alencon the citizens imprudently hung out hides upon the walls, shouting, `Hides forthe tanner!' William rapid this taunt bydevastating the town, and mutilating or flaying alive its chief inhabitants.

"It was the declared policy of King Henry of France to recognise and preserve the minor upon the ducal throne. He became his feudal guardian and overlord. But forthis the boy could hardly have survived..." p155: "Fate played startlingly into the hands of the Norman Duke. On some visit of inspection, probably in 1064, Harold was driven by the winds on to the French coast. The Count of Ponthieu, who heldsway there, looked upon all shipwrecked mariners and their gear as treasure-trove. He held Harold to ransom for what he was worth, which was much. The contacts between the Norman and English Courts were at this time close and friendly, and Duke William asked for the release of King Edward's thane, acting at first by civil request, and later by armed commands. The Count of Ponthieu reluctantly relinquished his windfall, and conducted Harold to the Norman Court. A friendship spring up between William and Harold. Politics apart, they liked each other well..." p156: "...[Harold] was honoured and knighted by William. But the Duuke looked forward to his future succession to the English crown. Here indeed was the prize to be won.

Harold had one small streak of royal blood on his mother's side; but William, through his father, had a more pointed or at least less cloudy claim to the Island throne. This claim he was resolved to assert...He invited Harold to make a pactwith him whereby he himself should become King of England, and Harold Earl of the whole splendid province of Wessex, being assured thereof and linked to the King by marriage with William's daughter. "All this story is told with irresistible charm in the tapestry chronicle of the reign commonly attributed to William's wife, Queen Matilda, but acutally designed by English artists under the guidance of his half-brother, Odo, Bishop of Baueux. It is our course the Norman version, and was for generations proclaimed by their historians as a full justification- and already even in those days aggressors needed justifications- of William's invasion of England...It is provable however that Harold swore a solemn oath to Williamto renounce all rights or designs upon the English crown, and it is likely that if he had not done so he might never have seen either crown or England again.

"The feudal significance of this oath making Harold William's man was enhanced by a trick novel to those times, yet adapted to their mentality. Under the altar or table upon which Harold swore there was concealed a sacred relic, said by some later writers to have been some of the bones of St Edmund..." p160: "At the moment of victory [at Stamford Bridge] news reached the King form the South that `William the Bastard' had landed at Pevensey..." p161: "But the winds [had been] contrary. For six whole weeks there was no day when the south wind blew. The heterogeneous army, bound by no tie of feudal allegiance, patriotism, or moral theme, began to bicker and grumble. Only William's repute as a managing director and the rich pillage to be expected held them together. At length extreme measures had to betaken with the weather. The bones of St Edmund were brought from the church of St Valery and carried with military and religious pomp along the seashore. This proved effective, for the very next day the wind changed, not indeed to the south, but to the south-west. William thought this sufficient, and gave the signal.

The whole fleet put to sea, with all their stores, weapons, coats of mail, and great numbers of horses... "On September 28 the fleet hove in sight, and all came safely to anchor in Pevensey Bay. There was no opposition to the landing..." p162: "Meanwhile Harold and his house-carls, sadly depleted by the slaughter of Stamford Bridge, jingled down Watling Street on their ponies, marching night and day to London. They covered the two hundred miles in seven days. In London the King gathered all the forces he could...Remaining only five days in London, Harold marched out towards Pevensey, and in the evening of October 13 took up his position upon the slope of a hill which barred the direct march upon the capital. "The military opinion of those as of these days has criticised his staking all upon an immediate battle. The loyalty of the Northern earls, Edwin and Morcar, was doubtful.They were hastening south with a substantial reinforcement, but he could not be sure which side they would join.

In the event they `withdrew themselves form the conflict'...Duke William's was essentially a cavalry force assistedby archers, while Harold had nothing but foot-soldiers who used horses only as transport...King Harold had great confidence in his redoubtable axe-men, and it was in good heart that he formed his shield-wall on the morning of October 14. There is a great dispute about the numbers engaged. Some modern authorities suppose the battle was fought by five or six thousand Norman knights and men-at-arms,with a few thousand archers, against eight to ten thousand axe- and spear-men, and the numbers on bothsides may have been fewer. However it may be, at the first streak of dawn William set out from his camp at Pevensey resolved to put all to the test; and Harold, eight miles away, awaited him in resolute array." "...The cavalry charges of William's mail-clad knights, cumbersome in manoeuvre, beat in vain upon the dense, ordered masses of the English. Neither the arrow hail nor the assaults of the horsemen could prevail against them. William's left wing of cavalry was thrown intodisorder, and retreated rapidly down the hill.

On this the troops on Harold's right, who were mainly the local `fyrd' broke their ranks in eager pursuit. William in the center, turned his disciplined squadrons upon them and cut them to pieces.The normans then re-formed their ranks and began a second series of charges upon the English masses, subjecting them in the intervals to severe archery...The tortured infantry stood unbroken. Never, it was said, had the Norman knights met foot-soldiers of this stubbornness. They were utterly unable to break through the shield-walls, and theysuffered serious losses from deft blows of the axe-men, or from javelins, or clubs hurled from the ranks behind. But the arrow showers took a cruel toll. So closely were the English wedged that the wounded could not be removed, and the dead scarcely found room in which to sink upon the ground. "The autumn afternoon was far spent before any result had been achieved, and it was thenthat William adopted the time-honoured ruse of a feigned retreat. He had seen how readily Harold's right had quitted their positions in pursuit after the first repulse of the Normans.

He now organised a sham retreat in apparent disorder, whilekeeping a powerful force in his own hands. The house-carls around Harold preserved their discipline and kept their ranks, but the sense of relief to the less trained forces after these hours of combat was such that seeing their enemy in flightproved irresistible. Theysurged forward forward on the impulse of victory, and when half-way down the hill were savagely slaughtered by William's horsemen. There remained, as the dusk grew, only the valiant bodyguard who fought round the Kingand his standard. William now directed his archers to shoot high into the air, so that the arrows would fall behind the shield wall, and one of these pierced Harold in the right eye,inflicting a mortal wound...The hard-fought battle was now decided. The last formed body of troops was broken, though by no means overwhelmed. They withdrew into the woods behind, and William, who had fought in the foremost ranks and had three horses killed under him, could claim the victory. Nevertheless the pursuit was heavily checked.

There is a sudden deep ditch on the reverse slope of the hill of Hastings, into which large numbers of Norman horsemen fell, and in which they were butchered by the infuriated English lurking in the wood... "...Here the English once again accepted conquest and bowed in a new destiny..." p166: "William was a prime exponent of the doctrine, so well known in this civilised age as 'frightfulness'- of mass terrorism through the spectacle of bloodyand merciless examples..." p167: "On Christmas Day Aldred, Archbishop of York, crowned him King of England at Westminster...Within two years of the conquest Duchess Matilda, who ruled Normandy in William's absence, came acrossthe sea to her coronation at Westminster on Whit Sunday 1068, and later in the year a son, Henry, symbol and portent of dynastic stability, was born on English soil." p168: "...For at least twenty years after the invasion the Normans were an army camped in ahostile country, holding the population down by the castles at key points. The Saxon resistance died hard... "Woe to the conquered!

Here were the Normans entrenched on English soil, masters of the land and the fullness thereof. An armed warrior from Anjou or Maine or Brittany, or even from beyond the Alps and the Pyrenees, took possession of manor and county, according to his rank and prowess, and set to work to make himself secure. Everywhere castles arose...From these strongpoints horsemen sallied forth to rule and exploit the neighbourhood; above them all, at the summit, sat William, active and ruthless, delighting in his work, requiring punctual service from his adherents, and paying good spoil to all who did their duty." p173: "...Finally in 1086 a vast sworn inquiry was made into the whole wealth of the King's feudal vassals, from whom he derived a large part of his own income. The inquest or description, as it was called, was carried through with adegree of minuteness and regularity unique in that age and unequalled for centuries after. The history of many an English village begins with and entry in the Domesday Book.

The result of this famous survey showed that the underlying structureof England and its pasant life were little changed by the shock of the invasion... "...But the holding of the great Domesday inquest marks a crisis. The Normand garrison in England was threatened from abroad by other claimants... William took precautions. It became necessary that all feudal controversies arising out of the Conquest should be speedily settled, and it was under the shadow of this menace that Domesday Book was compiled. In 1086 William called together at Salisbury`all the land-holding men of any account throughout England whosoever men they were.' The King had need of an assurance of loyalty from all his feudal tenants of substance, and this substantial body bound itself together by oath and fealty to his person." p175: "In the Norman settlement lay the germ of a constitutional opposition, with the effect of not the design of controlling the Government, not breaking it up. The seat of this potential oppositionwas found in the counties, among the smaller nobility and their untitled descendants...Whatever else changed they were always there.

And the reason why they were there is that William found the old West Saxon organisation, which they alone could administer, exceedingly convienient..." p176: "The Conquest was the supreme achievement of the Norman race. It linked the history of England anew to Europe, and prevented forever a drift into the narrower orbit of a Scandinavian empire. Henceforth English history marched with that of races and lands south of the Channel." The Wall Chart of World History, Edward Hull, 1988, Studio Edition, England 1066. 1000+ images about EARLY ENGLISH / IRISH HISTORY on Pinterest | The vikings, Cnut the great and England Forward Emma (c. 985 – 6 March 1052 in Winchester, Hampshire), was a daughter of Richard the Fearless, Duke of Normandy, by his second wife Gunnora. She was Queen consort of England twice, by successive marriages: first as second wife to Æthelred the Unready of England (1002–16); and then second wife to Cnut the Great of Denmark (1017–35).

She acted as regent in Wessex in 1040. See More

Question: Prior to the coming of William the Conqueror in 1066 where was the capital of England situated?
Answer: Winchester