William I of England - Conquest of England

William of Normandy (French: Guillaume de Normandie; 1028?–September 9, 1087) ruled as the Duke of Normandy from 1035 to 1087 (as William II) and as King of England from 1066 to 1087 (as William I). The sole son of Robert the Magnificent and Herleva, William was born illegitimate in Falaise, Normandy, part of France. William invaded England, won a victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and suppressing subsequent English revolts in what has become known as the Norman Conquest. No authentic portrait of William has been found. He was described as a big burly man, strong in every ...

Including:

• William I of England - Early life history
• William I of England - Conquest of England
• William I of England - William's reign
• William I of England - Death burial and succession
• William I of England - Children of William and Matilda
• William I of England - Honours

Read more here: » William I of England: Encyclopedia - William I of England

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 and purportedly celibate Edward had named him his heir during a visit by William (probably in 1052) and that Harold Godwinson, England's foremost magnate and brother-in-law of the late King Edward the Confessor, had reportedly pledged his support while shipwrecked in Normandy (c. 1064). Harold made this pledge while in captivity and was reportedly tricked into swearing on a saint's bones ...

See also:

William I of England, William I of England - Early life history, William I of England - Conquest of England, William I of England - William's reign, William I of England - Death burial and succession, William I of England - Children of William and Matilda, William I of England - Honours

Read more here: » William I of England: Encyclopedia II - William I of England - Conquest of England

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 and purportedly celibate 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). Harold made this pledge while in captivity and was reportedly tricked into swearing on a saint's bones that he would give the throne to William. Even if this st ...

See also:

William I of England, William I of England - Early life history, William I of England - Conquest of England, William I of England - William's reign, William I of England - Death burial and succession, William I of England - Children of William and Matilda, William I of England - Honours

Read more here: » William I of England: Encyclopedia II - William I of England - Conquest of England

He died at the age of 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. William was buried in the St. Peter's Church in Caen, Normandy. In a most unregal postmortem, his corpulent body would not fit in the stone sarcophagus, and burst after some unsuccessful prodding by the assembled bishops, f ...

See also:

William I of England, William I of England - Early life history, William I of England - Conquest of England, William I of England - William's reign, William I of England - Death burial and succession, William I of England - Children of William and Matilda, William I of England - Honours

Read more here: » William I of England: Encyclopedia II - William I of England - Death burial and succession

William initiated many major changes. In 1085, in order to ascertain the extent of his new dominionans and maximize taxation, William commissioned the compilation of the Domesday Book, a survey of England's productive capacity similar to a modern census. He also ordered many castles, keeps, and mots, among them the Tower of London, to be built across England to ensure that the rebellions by the English people or his own followers would not succeed. His conquest also led to Norman replacing English as t ...

See also:

William I of England, William I of England - Early life history, William I of England - Conquest of England, William I of England - William's reign, William I of England - Death burial and succession, William I of England - Children of William and Matilda, William I of England - Honours

Read more here: » William I of England: Encyclopedia II - William I of England - William's reign

William was born the grandnephew of Queen Emma, wife of King Ethelred the Unready and later of King Canute. William succeeded to his father's Duchy of Normandy at the young age of 7 in 1035 and was known as Duke William I of Normandy (Fr. Guillaume II, duc de Normandie). He lost three guardians to plots to usurp his place. Count Alan of Brittany was a later guardian. King Henry I of France knighted him at the age of 15. By the time he turned 19 he was himself successfully dealing with threats of rebellion and invasion. With the ...

See also:

William I of England, William I of England - Early life history, William I of England - Conquest of England, William I of England - William's reign, William I of England - Death burial and succession, William I of England - Children of William and Matilda, William I of England - Honours

Read more here: » William I of England: Encyclopedia II - William I of England - Early life history