Who is William the Conqueror?

Answer 1

William I of England (William the Conqueror; c. 1028 – 9 September 1087) was a medieval monarch. He ruled as the Duke of Normandy from 1035 to 1087 and as King of England from 1066 to 1087. As Duke of Normandy, William was known as William II, and, as King of England, as William I. He is commonly referred to as William the Conqueror (Guillaume le Conquérant) or William the Bastard (Guillaume le Bâtard).

In support of his claim to the English crown, William invaded England in 1066, leading an army of Normans 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.[1]

His reign brought Norman culture to England, which had an enormous impact on the subsequent course of England in the Middle Ages. In addition to political changes, his reign also saw changes to English law, a programme of building and fortification, changes in the English language and the introduction of continental European feudalism into England.
William was born in Falaise, Normandy (Northern France, nowadays), the illegitimate and only son of Robert II, Duke of Normandy, who named him for heir of Normandy. His mother, Herleva (among other names), who later had two sons to another father, was the daughter of Fulbert, most likely a local tanner. William's birth is believed to have been in either 1027 or 1028, and more likely in the autumn of the latter year.He was born the grandnephew of Queen Emma of Normandy, wife of King Ethelred the Unready and later of King Canute the Great.

Answer 2

Nope. William of Poitiers (c. 1020–1090) become a Frenchman of Norman beginning and chaplain of Duke William of Normandy (William the Conqueror) (Guillaume le Conquerant), from whom he chronicled the Norman Conquest of england in his Gesta Guillelmi II ducis Normannorum.

Answer 3

William I of England (William the Conqueror; c. 1028 – 9 September 1087) was a medieval monarch. He ruled as the Duke of Normandy from 1035 to 1087 and as King of England from 1066 to 1087. As Duke of Normandy, William was known as William II, and, as King of England, as William I. He is commonly referred to as William the Conqueror (Guillaume le Conquérant) or William the Bastard (Guillaume le Bâtard).

In support of his claim to the English crown, William invaded England in 1066, leading an army of Normans 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.

His reign brought Norman culture to England, which had an enormous impact on the subsequent course of England in the Middle Ages. In addition to political changes, his reign also saw changes to English law, a programme of building and fortification, changes in the English language and the introduction of continental European feudalism into England.

I hope it helps!

Answer 4

William the Conqueror (aka William the Bastard) was the first Norman king of England. He defeated King Harold, a Saxon, at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. He was from Brittany, and the Normans were Celts who had originally been driven from England into Brittany by the Saxons centuries before. They continued to consider England to be their homeland, traced their origins back to King Arthur--they even played battle songs in homage to him as they marched.

When William assumed control, he divided England up between his generals, and instituted feudalism, where each of them, as lords, owed their allegiance to him, and each lord in return received allegiance from their vassals and serfs (essentially, slaves).

William also commissioned the Domesday (Doomsday) Book. This was a thorough survey of all the property in England, both real and personal. They even went so far as to count how many goats, chickens, etc. each person owned, so he could tax all of them.

Answer 5

Bill the vanquisher.

Answer 6

Google him.

Answer 7

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_I_of_England

Answer 8

The above answer is totally wrong, below is my correct answer.....

WILLIAM-I
[ THE CONQUEROR ]
Born- AD-1027....(26th Dec. AD-1066 - 9th Sept. AD-1087) reign 21 years: died aged 60.
The son of Robert-I “The Magnificent”, Duke of Normandy, and Harleve, a high-born woman who's father controld the Norman tanning industry in and around Falaise. William was a shrewd, crude, and vigorous man who inspired fear and earned respect. A bastard by birth and a bastard by nature! He was a tall man with a forehead of receding fair hair, with blue eyes and was clean-shaven, and was very well built. In AD-1522, William’s tomb was opened, to reveal a skeleton of a large man with exceptionally long arms and legs.
His main aim before AD-1066 was to assert his authority as Duke of Normandy against disloyal nobles and his overlord, Henry-I of France. After a most turbulent minority between (AD-1035 to 1042), William mastered his duchy by determination and skill, also of his defeating rebels at “Val-es-Dunes”, near Caen in (AD-1047); indeed, he was a “bully-boy”, and being so physically large and strong, with an iron nerve and will that made all who knew him quake!
He sought external security by subduing his neighbour’s or, as with his marriage to the count of Flanders daughter Matilda, (c.AD-1052), winning their alliance. This is interesting too, as Matilda appears to have been a relative midget, no more than 4 feet 2 inches (1·27:mts) tall; and she bore him nine children, seven of whom reached maturity. It would seem that through her sixteen child bearing years, their may certainly have been infant deaths, or miscarriages, and died in her 60th year. Matilda had admired a Saxon noble, but he rejected her advances; she had him arrested and jailed for life after the conquest. She too, had a wild and evil temper, and this led to William beating her half to death when she taunted him over his illegitimacy, yet they were happy for despite this setback. Strange how marriages stay together despite some male bullyboy antics of some husbands? William’s English ambitions stemmed from personal and political links between the two countries, and Edward the Confessor seems to have promised him the succession (AD-1051). He obtained Papal Approval for his invasion and held a papal banner at Hastings where, ‘near the old grey apple tree’, he defeated King Harold-II (Harold Godwinson) in a hard won fight.
The submission of the rest of England, by ruthless harrying, castle building and confiscation’s, took in all twenty years. William suppressed uprisings in several areas and marched as far as Hexham and Chester (AD-1068 to AD-1069). He invaded Scotland in AD-1072, and forced Malcolm-III to do homage at Abernathy; in AD-1081 he visited St David’s receiving Welsh submissions on the way. William was no less concerned to maintain his authority in Normandy, where he spent long periods especially dealing with rebellions and many French invasions. It would seem that William hated the Saxon English, so much so, that he had courts set up to try the slightest misdemeanours, and had cruel punishments meted out to all who were found guilty. Many rotted in William’s dank and dark jails that sprang up from his new castle in London. He abolished the death penalty, but in it’s place he gave his bailiffs power to cut off hands and feet, ears and slit noses! The days of torture had arrived. At his coronation, there was much confusion when a fire broke out in a nearby building, and the crowd, shouting and in terror, flew from the building, and the troops, sensing a rebellion, cleared the whole area, thus leaving the new king “alone” in a vast Westminster abbey! (his death too, bore some resemblance). In England his rule was firm, disciplined, and equitable, and owed much to Archbishop Lanfranc, on whom he had relied in church and state since AD-1063. The “Doomsday” survey completed in AD-1086 recorded the resources on his New Kingdom, and the oath of fealty (loyalty) at Salisbury in AD-1086 from all-important landholders stressed their obligations to him. Anglo-Norman writers were excellent publicists for him; William of Poitiers called him “Another Caesar”.
Many contemporary English writers gave him respect.
(Irony)
Frequent bickering between his overlord the king of France, led to him having a furious quarrel; he was ill, but had recovered enough to raid and set fire to many towns in the Seine Valley. He rode to inspect one of his fired towns, when his horse stepped on hot cinders, and threw him onto his pommel and then onto the hot cinders. He was to suffer 3rd degree burns as a result. He suffered as many others had done at “HIS“ hand, and in agony! He was taken to Rouen, Normandy’s capital, and lingered for three weeks in server pain. As death drew near, all three of his son’s, who might decently have gathered around his bed, hastened away to size their inheritances, and all his attendants deserted him, leaving the house stripped of every thing moveable. Thus the Conqueror passed away in an empty, gloomy silence that reminds one of his coronation: then he had been almost, now he was completely alone. His body was left for five days in the hot Abbey; and when eventually, the monks came to try to fit his now swollen body into his coffin, but in trying to do so, his body burst open, and the smell must have been indeed very bad! He, like King Harold Godwinson before him, had no royal blood in his veins. He was buried in his abbey foundation at Caen. Huguenots, in AD-1662 and bands of revolutionaries and French Calvinists AD-1793 destroyed his tomb and scattered his bones. Only a single thighbone still remains. Recent examination of this single bone reveals, William-I to have been 5ft 10in (1·75 Metres) tall, some would say it was a remarkable height for a medieval man.
He was a very stern and violent man, so that no one dared say or do any thing contrary to his will.. Amongst other things, the good security he made in this country is not to be forgotten. (Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, AD-1087).