William the conqueror why is he famous

King Harold and his two brothers were killed in the battle, and since no one of stature remained to raise a new army, William's path to the throne was clear. He was crowned king of England on Christmas Day. There were several revolts in the next five years, which William used as an excuse to confiscate English land and declare it his personal property.

He then distributed the land to his Norman followers, who imposed their unique feudal system. Eventually, Normans replaced the entire Anglo-Saxon aristocracy. William, however, retained most of England's institutions and was intensely interested in learning about his new property.

He ordered a detailed census to be made of the population and property of England — which was compiled in The Domesday Book now an invaluable source of historical information and still in the Public Record Office in London. Although he never spoke English and was illiterate, he had more influence on the evolution of the English language than anyone before or since — adding a slew of French and Latin words to the English dictionary. The introduction of skilled Norman administrators may be largely responsible for eventually making England the most powerful government in Europe.

William the Conqueror had four sons and five daughters, and every monarch of England since has been his direct descendant. We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives.

Prince William is the elder son of Princess Diana and Prince Charles of Wales, and is next in line for the British throne after his father. British novelist William Golding wrote the critically acclaimed classic 'Lord of the Flies,' and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in From long before , the writing of history in Normandy consisted of panegyrics in praise of the ruling dynasty. William and his ancestors, descended from pagan Vikings, were determined to prove the legitimacy of their rule over northern France.

Their English or Anglo-Norman successors — most notably John of Worcester, Orderic Vitalis and William of Malmesbury — wrote in the aftermath of to explain why William and the Normans secured so unexpected and total a victory.

As a result, William himself could be portrayed not as villain but as divinely appointed scourge. In theory, no illegitimate son could sit on a ducal throne, let alone a royal one. Yet there is no doubt that William was illegitimate. Rumour, already circulating by the s, identified Herleva as the daughter of a tanner from Falaise, associated with a trade mired in dung and the stench of the abattoir.

Duke Robert died in while on pilgrimage to Jerusalem, leaving no legitimate heir. Aged only about eight, William was caught in a power struggle that took more than two decades to resolve. Normandy fissured between various factions backed by the neighbouring rulers of France, Brittany and Anjou. His court became notorious as a place of conspiracy and assassination from which William had to be sheltered at night, hidden in the houses of the poor.

Fatherless and raised amid paranoia, William triumphed through a combination of diplomacy and calculated terror. The opposition was then hunted down, killed or exiled. In or , to consolidate support from the north, William married Matilda, daughter of the Count of Flanders.

William and Matilda were cousins, so their marriage was immediately condemned by the church. Acceptance came only after intense diplomatic negotiations with the papacy. Once again showing his coolness under pressure, William first seized the castle at Arques and then ensured his enemies were defeated in battle at Mortemer in A second attempted invasion in ended in victory for William at Varaville near Caen.

Only from this point, in his early thirties, could William claim full mastery over Normandy. In the meantime, victory in at least three battles proclaimed him both a master tactician and a military commander peculiarly favoured by God.

There followed a whirlwind of activity and aggression. Pushing south and west into Maine and Brittany, William laid the basis for his reputation as a conqueror in France. More significantly, he revived plans already devised by his father, Duke Robert, for a Norman descent upon England.

Edward had been raised in exile in Normandy, returning to England in the s with Norman assistance. The Norman Conquest brought about the most radical change in society ever seen in England, and the question of whether this was for the better or for the worse is very much open to interpretation. When William first approached his men with the idea of invading England, he received a cool reception. It took the promise of land and titles to persuade them otherwise.

After the Battle of Hastings , William kept this promise and carved up much of England, rewarding those who had fought alongside him with land at the expense of the native English aristocracy. One of the many Normans whose fortunes were transformed was William de Warenne. If you look at the Domesday Book, which tells us what England was like in and in when it was compiled you can see how the old English aristocracy had been destroyed.

In return for these new wealthy lands, the barons who supported the king were expected to contribute knights to his on-going military endeavours, thereby ensuring that the king had well-trained men throughout the country ready to put down any rebellion.

In , William took things one step further: he summoned every land owner, every single landlord and all of their subtenants, to one place to pledge an oath to him — the Oath of Sarum. Within two decades of Hastings , William gave birth to the feudal system in England — the basis for the medieval class system.

Over several generations, the Normans stopped this practice. The Normans were savage in putting down rebellions and in the years following Hastings, a drop in population did occur — as seen in the Domesday Book. However, the Normans were more civil in their politics; before it was considered the norm to murder your political opponents.