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William the Conqueror 1027 -- 1087

King of England; born c. 1027, in Falaise, Normandy, France. He 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 Williams 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.

The king knighted William, still in his teens, in 1042. Taking a new stand on political events, William finally gained firm control of his duchy . By 1064, he had conquered and won two neighboring provincesBrittany and Maine. In the meantime, the childless King of EnglandEdward the Confessor, whose mother was a sister of Williams grandfatherpromised William succession to the English throne. However, when Edward died in 1066, his brother-in-law and most powerful of the English lords, Harold Goodwin, claimed the throne of England for himself . The Witan, a council of English lords that commonly took part in deciding succession, supported Harold. William, angered by the betrayal, decided to invade England and enforce his claim.

William assembled a fleet and an army on the French coast, but due to unrelenting north winds, their advance was delayed for several weeks. In the meantime, the Norwegian army invaded England from the North Sea. Harold, who had been preparing for Williams invasion from the south, rapidly moved his army north to defend England from Norway. After defeating the Norwegians, Harold unwisely marched his troops back down to meet William, without a rest. On October 14, 1066, the two armies met in the famous Battle of Hastings. King Harold and his two brothers were killed in the battle, and since no one of stature remained to raise a new army, Williams path to the throne was clear. He was crowned King of England on Christmas Day.