General Notes

William I (of England), called The Conqueror (1027-87), first Norman kingof England (1066-87) , who has been called one of the first modern kingsand is generally regarded as one of the outstanding figures in westernEuropean history.

Born in Falaise, France, William was the illegitimate son of Robert I,Duke of Normandy (die d 1035), and Arletta, a tanner's daughter, and istherefore sometimes called William the Bastard. Upon the death of hisfather, the Norman nobles, honoring their promise to Robert, acceptedWilliam as his successor. Rebellion against the young duke broke outalmost immediately, however, and his position did not become secure until1047 when, with the aid of Henry I, King of France, he won a decisivevictory over a rebel force near Caen.

During a visit in 1051 to his childless cousin, Edward the Confessor,King of England, William is said to have obtained Edward's agreement thathe should succeed to the English throne. In 1053, defying a papal ban,William married Matilda of Flanders (died 1083), daughter of Baldwin V,count of Flanders (died 1067) and a descendant of King Alfred the Great,thereby strengthening his claim to the crown of England. Henry I, fearingthe strong bond between Normandy and Flanders resulting from themarriage, attempted in 1054 and again in 1058 to crush the powerful duke,but on both occasions William defeated the French king's forces.

Conquest of England

About 1064, the powerful English noble, Harold, earl of Wessex, wasshipwrecked on the Norman coast and taken prisoner by William. He securedhis release by swearing to support William's claim to the English throne.When King Edward died, however, the witenagemot (royal council ) electedHarold king. Determined to make good his claim, William secured thesanction of Pope Alexander II (died 1073) for a Norman invasion ofEngland. The duke and his army landed at Pevensey on September 28,1066.On October 14, the Normans defeated the English forces at thecelebrated Battle of Hastings, in which Harold was slain. William thenproceeded to London, crushing the resistance he encountered on the way.On Christmas Day he was crowned King of England in Westminster Abbey.

The English did not accept foreign rule without a struggle. William metthe opposition, which was particularly violent in the north and west,with strong measures; he was responsible for the devastation of greatareas of the country, particularly in Yorkshire, where Danish forces hadarrived to aid the Saxon rebels. By 1070 the Norman conquest of Englandwas complete.

William invaded Scotland in 1072 and forced the Scottish king Malcolm IIIMacDuncan (died 1093 ) to pay him homage. During the succeeding years theConqueror crushed insurrections among his Norman followers, includingthat incited in 1075 by Ralph de Guader, 1st earl of Norfolk, and RogerFitzwilliam, Earl of Hereford, and a series of uprisings in Normandy ledby his eldest son Robert (1054?-1134), who later became Robert II, Dukeof Normandy.

His Achievements

One feature of William's reign as king was his reorganization of theEnglish feudal and administrative systems. He dissolved the greatearldoms, which had enjoyed virtual independence under his Anglo-Saxonpredecessors, and distributed the lands confiscated from the English tohis trusted Norman followers. He introduced the Continental system offeudalism; by the Oath of Salisbury of 1086 all landlords sworeallegiance to William, thus establishing the precedent that a vassal'sloyalty to the king overrode his fealty to his immediate lord. The feudallords were compelled to acknowledge the jurisdiction of the local courts,which William retained along with many other Anglo-Saxon institutions.The ecclesiastical and secular courts were separated, and the power ofthe papacy in English affairs was greatly curtailed. Another outstandingaccomplishment was the economic survey undertaken and incorporated in theDomesday Book in 1086 .

In 1087, during a campaign against King Philip I of France, Williamburned the town of Mantes (now Mantes-la-Jolie). William's horse fell inthe vicinity of Mantes, fatally injuring him. He died in Rouen onSeptember 7 and was buried at Caen in Saint Stephen's, one of the abbeyshe and Matilda had founded at the time of their marriage as penance fortheir defiance of the pope. William was succeeded by his third-born son,William II.

Biographic entry: B1581

"William I (of England)," Microsoft (R) Encarta. Copyright (c)1993Microsoft Corporation. Copyright (c) 1993 Funk & Wagnall's Corporation