William the Conqueror - Biography, Conquest & Death

William the Conqueror – Biography, Conquest & Death

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William the Conqueror, also known as William I (Falaise, 8 November 1028 – Rouen, 9 September 1087), was Duke of Normandy from 1035 with the name of William II and the king of England from 1066 until his death.

Although also called William the Bastard because illegitimate or otherwise born from a non-canonical union not recognized by the Church, he was still known as “the Conqueror” already before 1066, for his victories over the Bretons and for the conquest of Maine.

William ascended the throne of England after his victory in the Battle of Hastings, with which he began the Norman conquest, defeating the Saxon king Aroldo II. The epic of conquest and the reasons for the war are represented in the famous Bayeux Tapestry.

It gave birth to the first census of English properties (the Domesday Book ), which allowed the king to have direct knowledge of all the landowners, without going through their feudal lords, indeed summoning them all, in 1086 in Salisbury, where he made them swear that they would be loyal to their king against every other man.

William is considered the founder of the central government in England and one of the first builders of the constitutional monarchy.

With his reign began the Norman dynasty, which, also including the female and cadet branches that have alternated, still sits on the English throne: in fact, all the sovereigns of England his successors, are his direct descendants.

Early Years

William the Conqueror was born in Falaise in Normandy, from a union in blackberry (considered illegitimate by the Church), in the year in which his father, Roberto, count of Hiesmois, rebelled against his brother the Duke of Normandy Richard III and had placed the field in Falaise (the capital city of its county); Roberto, defeated, submitted and peace was agreed.

Richard III, shortly after returning to Rouen, died, poisoned. Also, the English monk and chronicler Orderico Vitale believes that Riccardo was poisoned (Richardus III Veneno, non-plane biennium Practo, permit).

Finally, according to Wace, in his Roman de Rou, the poisoning of Richard III was the work of his brother, Roberto, the person who had the most to gain from his death. In fact, Roberto became Duke of Normandy, disinheriting and ousting his nephew, Nicola, from the ducal title, as confirmed by William of Jumièges, Orderico Vitale, and the chronicler Robert of Tourigny.

Roberto, in 1034, decided to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem; before leaving, having no legitimate heirs, he wanted to solve the problem of his succession for which he chose his son, then only six years old, Guglielmo, had from Herleva, his concubine.

He called a general council in which all the nobles, even the most reluctant, had to accept this succession. On the occasion, in the event that Roberto had not returned from the Holy Land (although he was considered very unlikely, as Roberto was in excellent health and was only 25 years old), the four tutors of the duchy were appointed for him:

  • Gilberto, count of Eu and count of Brionne, cousin of Roberto (nephew of duke Riccardo Senza Paura)
  • Osberno di Crepòn, siniscalco of the duchy
  • Toronado of Neufmarché, tutor to William and probably high constable of the duchy
  • Alano III, duke of Brittany and count of Rennes, cousin of Roberto.

The King of France Henry I granted his assent so that in February 1035 Robert left and reached Jerusalem without problems, but on the way back to Nicea, he suddenly fell ill and died on July 2.

William the Conqueror Marriage

Around 1049 a marriage was planned between William the Conqueror and Mathilde, the daughter of Baldwin V, Count of Flanders, and granddaughter Roberts II of France. This connection prohibited Leo IX. at the Reims Council in October 1049, presumably because of the degree of kinship too close.

William the Conqueror and Mathilde were cousins ​​and 5th-grade base since both were descended from Rollo the Viking. The marriage nevertheless took place in 1051 in Eu. Wilhelm immediately brought his wife to Rouen. First, however, the marriage led to the ban on the church.

The connection was finally approved in 1059 by Nicholas II after he formed an alliance with William’s relatives, the southern Italian Norman leaders Richard von Capua and Robert Guiscard.

Out of gratitude or in order to give the Pope a favorable opinion, the spouses each founded a monastery east and west of the castle in Caen: the Women’s Abbey (Abbaye-aux-Dames) and the Men’s Abbey (Abbaye-aux-Hommes). Construction began for both abbeys in 1066. Mathilde was buried in St.-Trinité in the Abbaye-aux-Dames.

William’s marriage to Mathilde von Flandern made his power so threatening in the eyes of the King of France that Heinrich dropped his previous ally and met Gottfried von Anjou, Theobald III. of Blois (Theobald I of Champagne) and rebellious Norman barons allied against him.

The Conquest of England

On January 5, 1066, the King of England, Edward the Confessor, died, buried in the cathedral of Westminster. William the Conqueror claimed the throne as Edward’s distant cousin, referring to the promise of succession which Edward gave him in 1051.

The powerful Anglo-Saxons, however, chose King among themselves – Earl of Wessex, Harold Godwinson, from a powerful and powerful family.

Apparently, a few years earlier Harold found himself at the court of the Duke of Normandy and there he promised to support his claim to the throne, but we do not have reliable accounts on this subject, and the visit is only a hypothesis.

News of the death of Edward and the coronation of Harold II reached William when he hunted near Rouen. The prince immediately stopped his hunt and began diplomatic activities. A message was sent to Harold to remind him of his promise, but it returned with nothing. The second message went to Alexander II.

MPs accused Harold of perjury and presented the planned expedition to England as a just criminal expedition. The message received the support of the influential Cardinal Hildebrand and was fully successful. Harold was cursed and Wilhelm received relics and a banner from Saint Peter.

Then William obtained confirmation of neutrality in the conflict from Emperor Henry IV, his father-in-law, Count Baldwin, and his charges Philip I. In March at the baron congress in Lillebonne, Wilhelm presented his plans and gained full support from the vassals who promised to support the expedition to the best of their strength.

William the Conqueror began the large-scale construction of the fleet, which was to transport his army through the English Channel. It is estimated that this fleet consisted of 696 ships, which were to be transported about 7 thousand. people, of which 4-5 thousand is infantry, and 2-3 thousand knights and horse squires, with several steeds.

Around Easter, a comet from Halley appeared above Normandy (shown on the fabric of Bayeux, which was the chronicle of this expedition ), which was read as a good sign before the expedition. Upon hearing of the expedition’s plans, numerous volunteers came to Normandy, whom the prince gladly accepted in his ranks.

In the summer another knight rally was called, this time to Bonneville. William appointed his successor his first-born son Robert. William’s wife Matilda was to be the regency. At the same time, the church of the Holy Trinity in Caen was blessed.

On this occasion, William’s daughter Cecylia made religious vows. To get God’s help during the expedition, William vowed to found an abbey in England. Meanwhile, the fleet and army gathered at the mouth of the Dives River and were waiting for a sign to sail.

King of England

William the Conqueror’s rule marked the beginning of a new era in the history of England. Within a few years after the Battle of Hastings, the Anglo-Saxon power class was virtually completely replaced by newcomers from the continent.

Lucrative dignities, both secular and ecclesiastical, fell to the Normans and people associated with William the Conqueror. For killing Norman threatened higher Weregild than for killing Anglo-Saxon.

Huge taxes were imposed on the population (in addition to them, the treasury had other income, such as precarious, Danegeld, a tribute from cities, Jews, customs duties al.), to fill William’s ever-empty treasury.

The land was confiscated or bought for next to nothing by the victors. In addition, it turned out that the new elite did not intend to assimilate with the locals, following the Danish invaders from the early 11th century.

Along with the Norman conquest, a fully developed feudal system appeared in England. The entire territory of the country was considered the property of the king, who could grant land to his vassals.

The strict royal domain covered 1/7 of the country’s territory, mainly the most fertile areas. In the royal domain, the forests were transformed into hunting reserves, were hunting under the threat of eye-piercing was forbidden.

A different rule was introduced than on the continent: “my vassal’s vassal is my vassal.” William also avoided broadcasting compact fief complexes. Land grants, though numerous, were scattered throughout many counties (e.g. Robert de Mortainobtained 693 fillings in 20 counties).

Exceptions to this rule were border counties such as Cheshire, Durham, and Kent. The last two were entrusted to the care of the clergy, Cheshire was transformed into a military march.

Subsequent revolts thinned the ranks of the former aristocracy. The wealthy died on the battlefields or fled abroad. Some agreed with fate and joined the ranks of the new Anglo-Norman aristocracy. Lesser Anglo-Saxon aristocrats retained their possessions but were subordinated to Norman barons.

Willian also built castles throughout the country (including the Tower of London) to keep the conquered country obedient. During his reign, the domination of the French language and culture classes that continued until the fourteenth century began.

William also reviewed Anglo-Saxon law and enriched it with Norman elements. The public judiciary came under the control of royal officers, mainly sheriffs, who were also responsible for collecting taxes and maintaining peace in their county.

Death and Heirs of William the Conqueror

The last war of William the Conqueror unfolded in France. As far back as 1077, the French king subjugated the county of Vexin, which covered the approaches to Normandy from Paris. This sharply weakened the defense system of eastern Normandy.

In early 1087, the French garrison of Mantes, the center of Vexin, ravaged the Norman county of Evreux. William, who arrived in Normandy at the end of 1086, demanded that Philip I return Veksen and after the refusal besieged and burned Mant.

Plump William the Conqueror became too clumsy, which was one of the causes of his death. The royal horse, riding through the conflagration, stepped on hot coals, capsized and wounded William in the stomach (the horn of the saddle damaged the abdominal cavity).

Over the next six months, Wilhelm slowly died, suffering from severe pain – suppuration formed at the site of damage. Repenting of his atrocities, Wilhelm sent money to restore the churches burned in Manta and freed political prisoners.

On September 9, 1087, William the Conqueror died at the age of 60-62 in the monastery of Saint-Gervais, near Rouen. His entourage immediately left the body that had not yet cooled, dropping him to the floor, and plundered the existing values.

Berlin, the only knight who remained faithful to his king, transferred the body to Caen, to the church of St. Stefan. Immediately after the transfer of William’s coffin to Caen, a big fire broke out in the city. Only after putting out the fire, the townspeople took up the funeral of William I.

During the ceremony, it turned out that the body did not fit in the grave. Attempts to fit the body led to the fact that the body was damaged and began to emit a strong stench, which even incense could not drown out.

During the burial, the man from whom the king took the land on which the church of St. Stefan forbade the burial of William, demanding compensation for damage caused by the monarch. Only after paying him 60 shillings did the former landowner allow the burial of the body of William I.

During the French Revolution, William’s tomb was opened and devastated; at present, only one tibia of the king rests under the tombstone.

Before his death, Wilhelm bequeathed the English throne to his second son, Wilhelm Rufus, and the duke of Normandy, where the existing inheritance law existed, was to be the eldest son and repeated rebel Robert Kurtas.

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