William the Conqueror
King William I of England
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). William succeeded to the throne of England by right of conquest by winning the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
Life
William succeeded to his father’s Duchy or Normandy at the young age of 7 in 1035 and was known as Duke William II of Normandy. Many people wanted his throne and would do anything for it, so that three of his guardians were murdered. His overlord, King Henri I of France knighted him, when he was 15. By the time he reached 19 he was himself successfully dealing with threats of rebellion and invasion. With the assistance of King Henri I of France, William finally secured control of Normandy by defeating the rebel Norman barons at Caen in the battle of Val-ès-Dunes in 1047.
He married Matilda of Flanders in 1050 or 1051 at the Cathedral Of Notre Dame D'eu, Normandy, France. He was 23, she was 21. Their marriage produced four sons and six daughters (see list below).
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 28 and 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. He was crowned king on December 25 1066 in Westminster Abbey.
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.
The signatures of William I and Matilda ( beside the first two large Xs ) on the Accord of Winchester from 1072.
He died aged 60 at the Convent of St. Gervais, near Rouen, France, on September 9, 1087 from abdominal injuries received from his saddle pommel 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 Henry also became King of England later, after William II died without any child to succeed him.
Children of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders
Some doubt exists over how many daughters there were. This list includes some entries which are obscure.
- Robert Curthose (~1054 - 1134), Duke of Normandy, married Sybil of Conversano, daughter of Geoffrey of Conversano
- Adelizia (or Alice)(1055- d. ~1065), reportedly betrothed to Harold II of England (existence in some doubt)
- Cecilia (~1056 - 1126), Abbess of Holy Trinity, Caen
- William Rufus (1056 - 1100), King of England
- Richard (1057 - ~1081), killed by a stag in New Forest
- Adela (~1062 - 1138), married Stephen, Count of Blois
- Agatha (~1064 - ~1080), betrothed to (1) Harold of Wessex, (2) Alfonso VI of Castile
- Constance (~1066 - 1090), married Alan IV Fergent, Duke of Brittany; poisoned, possibly by her own servants
- Matilda (very obscure, her existence is in some doubt)
- Henry Beauclerc (1068 - 1135), King of England, married (1) Matilda (or Edith) of Scotland, daughter of Malcolm III, King of Scotland, (2) Adelicia of Louvain, daughter of Geoffrey of Louvain, Duke of Brabant
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Further Reading
- David Bates, William the Conqueror ISBN 0752419803