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1028
Birth of William the Conqueror
William the Conqueror was born in the year 1028 in Falaise, Normandy, France, William the Conqueror was an illegitimate child of Robert I, Duke of Normandy and Herleva. -
1042
Getting to the Throne
King Henry I of France knighted William in 1042 while he was around 14 years old. After being knighted by King Henry I of France Williamf finally decided to grasp hold of his duchy. By 1064 he had conquered and won two neighboring provinces which were Brittany and Maine. After conquering the two provinces, Edward the Confessor was a cousin of William and had no children to pass the throne to, promised William succession to the English throne. -
1066
Norman Conquest
Before being William the Conqueror, he once was William, Duke of Normandy. He invaded England after the death of King Edward the Confessor due to his belief that he had the most right to be King of England, but King Harold II had himself crowned king instead. William Crossed the English Channel & landed in Pevensey; conquered all of England & went to battle at Hastings to be crowned king. With him leading this conquest, England has never been successfully invaded since the Norman invasion. -
Oct 14, 1066
Battle of Hastings
The Witan supported Harold and William was angered by the betrayal due to an oath made of him getting the throne, decided to invade England and enforce his claim. On October 14, 1066, both Harold's & William's army met in the Battle of Hasting wanting to fight over England and Normany. King Harold & his two brothers were killed in the battle, & since no one next to raise a new army, William claimed the throne and was crowned king of England on Christmas Day. -
1069
The Harrying of the North
After the Battle of Hastings, it did not guarantee William control of England. There were many rebellions happening in the north & William wanted the north brought into line so he ordered the Harrying of the North in the Winter of 1069. He burned down livestock, crops, & farming equipment in northern England. The death toll rose to 100,00 due to starvation. This was a bad idea because this led to people fleeing & refugees taking part in the rebellion of Hereward the Wake in East Anglia. -
1086
Domesday Book
The Domesday Book was commissioned by William the Conqueror to raise taxes to pay for his army and so a survey was set in motion to assess the wealth and assets of his subjects throughout the land and also to asses the state of the country’s economy in the aftermath of the Conquest and everything after. This is one of the great things he has done as a king. -
Sep 9, 1087
Death of William the Conqueror
During the Battle of Mantes in France, William was seriously injured before his fatal death. William the Conqueror was fighting an attack against the French in July when he fell against the pommel of his saddle and damaged his intestines. He was taken to the Duchy's capital Roue Rouen after the accident and was taken care of by bishops and Abbots of the land. For several weeks he lingered in sickness and pain until he died.
