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Mother. Herleva of Falaise. William the Conqueror[a] (c. 1028[1] – 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, [2][b] was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was Duke of Normandy (as William II) [3] from 1035 onward. By 1060, following a long struggle, his ...
Apr 2, 2014 · Born circa 1028 in Falaise, Normandy, France, William the Conqueror was an illegitimate child of Robert I, duke of Normandy, who died in 1035 while returning from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem ...
Born around 1028, William was the illegitimate son of Duke Robert I of Normandy, and Herleve (also known as Arlette), daughter of a tanner in Falaise. Known as 'William the Bastard' to his contemporaries, his illegitimacy shaped his career when he was young. On his father's death in 1035, William was recognised by his family as the heir - an ...
- Jennie Cohen
- He was of Viking extraction. Who Were the Vikings? Though he spoke a dialect of French and grew up in Normandy, a fiefdom loyal to the French kingdom, William and other Normans descended from Scandinavian invaders.
- He had reason to hate his original name. The product of an affair between Robert I, duke of Normandy, and a woman called Herleva, William was likely known to his contemporaries as William the Bastard for much of his life.
- His future bride wanted nothing to do with him at first. When William asked for the hand of Matilda of Flanders, a granddaughter of France’s King Robert II, she demurred, perhaps because of his illegitimacy or her entanglement with another man.
- He couldn’t bear any disrespect toward his mother. During William’s siege of Alençon, a disputed town on the border of Normandy, in the late 1040s or early 1050s, residents are said to have hung animal hides on their walls.
- Born around 1028 in Falaise, Normandy, France. William the Conqueror was born around 1028 in Falaise, Normandy, France. His birth name was Guillaume le Bâtard, which translates to William the Bastard, as he was born out of wedlock.
- Became Duke of Normandy at age seven. William became the Duke of Normandy in 1035 at the tender age of seven, following the death of his father, Robert the Magnificent.
- Conquered England in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings. William’s most famous achievement came in 1066 when he successfully conquered England. This conquest was a result of a complex web of political and personal relationships.
- Crowned King of England on Christmas Day 1066. After his pivotal victory at the Battle of Hastings on October 14, 1066, William the Conqueror’s path to the English throne became inexorable.
Jan 30, 2019 · William the Conqueror (c. 1027-1087), also known as William, Duke of Normandy, led the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 when he defeated and killed his rival Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. Crowned King William I of England on Christmas Day 1066, he secured his new realm after five years of hard battles against rebels and invaders.
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May 18, 2023 · Morris H. Lary | European History | September 23, 2024. William the Conqueror, also known as William I, was a Norman Duke who became King of England after defeating the English army in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. William’s reign was marked by significant changes in the social, political, and economic structures of England.
