William the conqueror biography summary of 100

Although the Battle of Hastings was fought by men, the women of the two opponents, Harold and William, had as much invested in the outcome as their husbands. The two women, however, have very different reputations. Whereas Matilda appears as the epitome of the medieval ideal woman, Edith has come down through history as ‘the other woman’. However, for both these women, their futures, and the futures of their children, were inextricably linked with the fates of the men fighting on Senlac Hill on that October morning in 1066.

Harold had met Edith Swan-neck at about the same time as he became earl of East Anglia, in 1044. Which makes it possible that Edith Swan-neck and the East Anglian magnate, Eadgifu the Fair, are one and the same. Eadgifu the Fair held over 270 hides of land and was one of the richest magnates in England. The majority of her estates lay in Cambridgeshire, but she also held land in Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex and Suffolk; in the Domesday Book Eadgifu held the manor at Harkstead in Suffolk, which was attached to Harold’s manor of Brightlingsea in Essex and some of her Suffolk lands were tributary to Harold’s manor of East Bergholt. While it is by no means certain that Eadgifu is Edith Swan-neck several historians – including Ann Williams in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography – make convincing arguments that they were. Even their names, Eadgifu and Eadgyth, are so similar that the difference could be merely a matter of spelling or mistranslation; indeed, the abbey of St Benet of Hulme, Norfolk, remembers an Eadgifu Swanneshals among its patrons.

By 1065 Harold had been living with the wonderfully-named Eadgyth Swanneshals (Edith the Swan-neck) for twenty years. History books label her as Harold’s concubine, but Edith was, obviously, no weak and powerless peasant, so it’s highly likely they went through a hand-fasting ceremony – or ‘Danish marriage’ – a marriage, but not one recognized by the church,

(1028-1087)

Who Was William the Conqueror?

At the age of eight, William the Conqueror became duke of Normandy and later King of England. Violence plagued his early reign, but with the help of King Henry I of France, William managed to survive the early years. After the Battle of Hastings, in 1066, he was crowned king of England. He never spoke English and was illiterate, but he had more influence on the evolution of the English language then anyone before or since. William ruled England until his death, on September 9, 1087, in Rouen, France.

Early Life

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.

At only eight 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 his teacher was murdered during a period of severe anarchy. With the help of King Henry I of France, William managed to survive the early years.

Battle for the Throne

King Henry I of France 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 "The Bastard" due to his illegitimate birth). By 1064 he had conquered and won two 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.

Harold Godwin

However, when Edward died in 1066, his brother-in-law and most powerful of the English lords, Harold Godwin, claimed the throne of England for himself (despite an oath he made to William to support his claim). The Witan, a council of English lords that commonly took part in deciding succes

King of England (1066–1087), Duke of Normandy (1035–1087)

For other uses, see William the Conqueror (disambiguation).

William the Conqueror (c. 1028 – 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, 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) from 1035 onward. By 1060, following a long struggle, his hold on Normandy was secure. In 1066, following the death of Edward the Confessor, William invaded England, leading a Franco-Norman army to victory over the Anglo-Saxon forces of Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings, and suppressed subsequent English revolts in what has become known as the Norman Conquest. The rest of his life was marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over England and his continental lands, and by difficulties with his eldest son, Robert Curthose.

William was the son of the unmarried Duke Robert I of Normandy and his mistress Herleva. His illegitimate status and youth caused some difficulties for him after he succeeded his father, as did the anarchy which plagued the first years of his rule. Durin

The victory enjoyed by William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings brought the dominance of the Anglo-Saxons to an end and ushered in the Norman era which brought with it, its own trials and tribulations.

With his escapades famously depicted on the Bayeux Tapestry, William’s successes would help redefine the history of the British Isles, thus making him one of the most influential figures in British history.

His early life however was to be defined by his status as the illegitimate son of the Duke Robert I of Normandy and his mistress Herleva. Born around 1028, he became known as “William the Bastard”, denoting his illegitimacy which impacted his destiny to succeed his father.

Meanwhile, Robert I decided in 1034 to embark on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and convened a council before he left, clarifying William as his heir. This would turn out to be the last the Norman magnate saw of him, as Robert never made it back, passing away at Nicea on his journey home.

With his father failing to have produced a legitimate heir, William’s precarious fate rested in the hands of Norman infighters.

Robert’s death thus propelled a young William into the limelight, however he was fortunate enough to enjoy the support of his great-uncle, Archbishop Robert, in addition to King Henry I of France. With such prominent backers supporting his succession to his father’s duchy, despite his illegitimacy, the stage was set for him to become the Duke of Normandy.

That being said, his succession was not all plain sailing, particularly when his prominent supporter, the Archbishop Robert passed away in 1037, throwing Normandy into a state of political disarray.

Despite receiving support from King Henry, William’s power in the duchy was threatened by rebel forces, with one particularly outspoken critic being Guy of Burgundy.

In 1047, at the Battle of Val-ès-Dunes near Caen, King Henry and William were able to claim victory against the rebel forces, however it w