William the Conqueror Invades England
William the Conqueror, originally Duke of Normandy, initiated a pivotal military campaign to invade England on September 28, 1066. This invasion followed a period of significant political tension, as Harold Godwinson, the Earl of Wessex, claimed the English throne after the death of King Edward the Confessor. Edward, who had strong ties to Normandy, had allegedly promised the throne to William, creating a complex situation filled with competing claims. Shortly after Harold's coronation, William landed his forces in Sussex and engaged Harold's troops at the Battle of Hastings on October 14, 1066. The outcome was a decisive victory for William, leading to Harold's death and William's subsequent coronation in Westminster Abbey on December 25, 1066.
Following his ascension, William faced ongoing resistance but ultimately established Norman rule across England, introducing the feudal system and conducting the extensive land survey known as the Domesday Book. His reign significantly impacted the social and political landscape of England, including the construction of formidable structures such as the Tower of London. William's legacy continues to be a subject of interest, not only for its historical significance but also for its lasting effects on English governance and culture. He passed away on September 9, 1087, near Rouen, France.
William the Conqueror Invades England
William the Conqueror Invades England
William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy and later King William I of England, began his historic conquest of the British Isles on September 28, 1066.
England was a province of the Roman Empire in classical times, but the Romans abandoned it when the western half of their empire began to collapse in the fifth century a.d. Afterward, England was settled by a variety of Germanic tribes, including the Angles, Jutes, and Saxons. The Saxons came to dominate the land, despite frequent and fierce combat with the Vikings and other Scandinavian invaders in the latter centuries of the first millennium. By the first century of the second millennium, Saxon kings based in southern England near the former Roman city of London had unified most of the land and powerful local nobles often competed for the throne. One such noble was Harold Godwinson, the Earl of Wessex.
Harold stood to inherit the throne from King Edward the Confessor, who had no children of his own. However, Edward had a cousin with ambitions to the throne as well, namely Duke William II of Normandy. Born on an unknown date in 1027 in Falaise, France, William was an illegitimate child and had to fight long and hard in order to secure his title. In doing so he became a formidable warrior. During a meeting in 1051 or 1052, Edward supposedly promised William that William could succeed to the throne after Edward's death. Edward, who took the throne in 1042, had spent many years in Normandy and during his rule Norman influence increased throughout England. Harold was a leader among those Saxons opposed to Norman power, but in 1064 he was shipwrecked along the coast of Normandy and taken prisoner by William, who forced him to surrender his claim to the throne as the price of his release.
Whether it was because his pledge to William was made under duress or because he succumbed to ambition, Harold reneged on his promise after Edward died on January 5, 1066. He proclaimed himself King Harold II of England the next day, declaring that Edward had made him king on his deathbed, and his succession was confirmed by the council of Saxon nobles known as the Witenagemot. Harold defeated challengers led by his brother Tostig and the king of Norway, Harald Hardrada, at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on September 25, 1066. However, William landed an army of 5,000 to 10,000 men at Pevensey just three days later on September 28 in order to enforce his claim to the crown, having received official permission from Pope Alexander II to do so. William met Harold in combat on October 14, 1066, at the Battle of Hastings, routing the Saxons in a decisive victory later commemorated in the Bayeux Tapestry, embroidered by William's wife. Harold was killed during the fighting, although the legend that he died from an arrow in the eye is open to doubt.
Afterward, William proceeded to London and was crowned King William I of England on Christmas day, December 25, 1066, in Westminster Abbey. It took him many years to crush the remaining opposition throughout the country, but he was eventually successful in securing Norman control over England and even established some very loose authority over Scotland to the north. William introduced the strict Norman system of feudalism into the land, including the swearing of allegiance by fief holders under the Oath of Salisbury, granted important titles to his loyal followers, made a comprehensive land and wealth survey taken down in what was known as the Domesday Book, and began a program of building castles and other fortifications, including the Tower of London, to secure his rule. He died on September 9, 1087, near Rouen, France.