english sasp

 Wilhelm the Conqueror

Wilhelm I (William) was born in 1028 and he died in 1087. 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 (look at: The Norman Conquest of England) . The rest of his life was marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over England and his continental lands and by problems with his eldest son.

Wilhelm I is usually known as William the Bastard. William was the son of the unmarried Robert I (Duke of Normandy) and mysterious Herleva. During his childhood (after his father's death), members of the Norman aristocracy battled each other, because they wanted to control the duke son. In 1047 William was able to quash the rebellion and begin to establish his authority over the country.

In 1050 he married Matilda of Flanders. In the 1050s and early 1060s William became a contender for the throne of England, then held by his childless cousin Edward the Confessor. There were other potential claimants, including the powerful English earl Harold Godwinson. William built a large fleet and conquested England in September 1066, decisively defeating and killing Harold during the Battle of Hastings on 14th October 1066. He was crowned king on Christmas Day 1066.

In 1086 William ordered to write a survey listing all the landholders in England. This survey was called the Domesday Book.

William died in September 1087 while leading a campaign in northern France, after he buried Cean. He had a "little" accident with his horse ;).

William the Conqueror was a very cruel king, but he did some good things for England, too.

ANONYMOUS GUY