William I, the Conqueror

William I, the Conqueror (1027-87), King of England, b. Falaise, Normandy, France.

William, Duke of Normandy, was promised the throne of England by his cousin, Kind Edward the Confessor.

When King Harold II was crowned, William invaded England and defeated him in the Battle of Hastings at Battle, in Sussex, on 14 October, 1066.

He was crowned in Westminster Abbey on 25 December, 1066.

Afterwards, there were uprisings in many parts of the kingdom. William's forces put them down.

In 1069-70 he marched through the North with his armies and laid waste the lands of those who rose against him.

William wanted to make sure that the English did not rebel again and he built castles beside the large towns. He gave parts of the land to barons from Normandy and then he made a register of all the land in England. This is called the Domesday or Doomsday Book. It is in two volumes and can be seen today at The National Archives in Kew, London.

William fought against the Scots and the Welsh and went back to Normandy to put down a revolt by his son Robert.

In 1087, he was fighting against the King of France. He destroyed the town of Nantes but was injured and afterwards died.

See David C. Douglas William the Conqueror