William the Conqueror - Duke of Normandy, King of England (since 1066), organizer of the Norman conquest of England, one of the largest political figures in Europe in the 11th century.
His invasion of England had significant repercussions for that country.
Childhood
Like any historical person of the Middle Ages, Wilhelm 1 is known from written sources, which are mostly poorly preserved. Because of this, historians are still arguing about when the Duke of Normandy was born. Most often, researchers refer to 1027 or 1028.
Wilhelm 1 was born in the city of Falaise. It was one of the residences of his father Robert the Devil - Duke of Normandy. The ruler had an only son who was to inherit the throne after his death. However, the problem was the fact that Wilhelm was born out of official marriage, which means he was considered a bastard. Christian tradition did not recognize such children as legitimate.
However, the Norman nobles were very different from their neighbors. In its ranks, the inertia of the traditions and customs of pagan times was strong. From this point of view, the newborn could well inherit the power.
Father's death
In 1034 William's father went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. ThoseFor years, such a journey was fraught with many dangers. Because of this, he made a will in which he indicated that his only son was to become heir to the title in the event of his death. The Duke seemed to feel his fate. After visiting Jerusalem, he went home and on the way died in Nicaea the following year.
So William 1 became the Duke of Normandy at a very young age. At the same time, his title "First" corresponds to his royal title in England. In Normandy, he was Second. Many representatives of the aristocracy were unhappy with the illegal origin of the new ruler. Nevertheless, the feudal lords from among the ill-wishers could not offer a worthy alternative figure. Other members of the dynasty either became priests or were also minors.
The weakness of power in the duchy turned into the fact that Normandy could become easy prey for hostile neighbors. However, this did not happen. Numerous counts and dukes who ruled in this region of France were occupied with internecine wars.
Rise of the Norman feudal lords
The ruler of Normandy had a legitimate overlord - King Henry I of France. According to tradition, it was he who had to knight the boy when he came of age. And so it happened. The solemn ceremony took place in 1042. After that, William 1 received the legal right to rule his duchy.
Every year he interfered more and more in government. This caused discontent among numerous feudal lords. Due to the outbreak of conflict, William had to flee from Normandy tothe king of France. Henry I could not help but help his vassal. He gathered an army, part of which was led by Wilhelm himself.
The French met the rebellious barons in the Dune Valley. Here in 1047 a decisive battle took place. The young duke proved himself to be a brave warrior, which earned him the respect of those around him. During the battle, one of the feudal lords went over to his side, which finally upset the order of the opponents. After this battle, Wilhelm managed to regain his own duchy.
War for Maine
Becoming the sole ruler of Normandy, the new duke began to pursue an active foreign policy. Despite the fact that formally the king continued to rule France, his vassals enjoyed great freedom, and in a sense they were completely independent.
One of Wilhelm's main competitors was Count Anjou Geoffroy. In 1051 he invaded the small county of Maine next to Normandy. William had his own vassals in this province, which is why he went to war with a neighbor. The Count of Anjou, in response, enlisted the support of the King of France. Henry led other feudal lords to Normandy - the rulers of Aquitaine and Burgundy.
A long internecine war began, which went on with varying success. In one of the battles, William captured Count Pontier Guy I. He was released two years later, becoming a vassal of the duke.
King Henry I of France died in 1060, and the Count of Anjou died after him. After the natural death of his opponents, Wilhelm decided to make peace with Paris. He swore an oath to the new king -young Philip I. Civil strife in Anjou between Geoffroy's heirs allowed William to finally subjugate neighboring Maine.
Pretender to the English Throne
In 1066, King Edward the Confessor died in England. He had no heirs, which exacerbated the issue of succession of power. The king was on warm terms with Wilhelm - they were allies. The duke's grandfather Richard II once helped the fugitive Edward find refuge during another internecine war. In addition, the king did not like his environment of magnates and the ambitions of numerous Scandinavian monarchs, who also had the right to power.
Because of this, Edward was guided by his southern friend. William 1 the Conqueror himself sailed to England, where he stayed with his ally. The trusting relationship led to the fact that the monarch, shortly before his death, sent Harold Godwinson (his vassal) to the Duke to offer him the English throne after his death. On the way, the messenger got into trouble. Count Guy I of Pontier captured him. Wilhelm helped Harold get free.
After such a service, this feudal lord swore allegiance to the future king of England. However, a few years later everything changed dramatically. When Edward died, the Anglo-Saxon nobility proclaimed Harold king. This news surprised Wilhelm unpleasantly. Using his legal right, he gathered a loyal army and went on ships to the northern island.
Organization of a trip to England
From the very beginning of the conflict with the BritishWilhelm 1 (whose biography was full of well-calculated actions) tried to convince the surrounding European states that he was right. To do this, he gave wide publicity to the oath that Harold had taken. Even the Pope reacted to this news, supporting the Duke of Normandy.
Wilhelm, having defended his reputation, contributed to the fact that more and more free knights joined his army, who were ready to help him in the struggle for the taken away throne. Such "international" support meant that the Normans made up only a third of the army. In total, under the banners of Wilhelm there were about 7 thousand well-armed soldiers. Among them were both infantry and cavalry. They were all put on ships and landed on the British coast at the same time.
Wilhelm 1's ill-conceived campaign is hard to describe. This medieval ruler's short biography is all about wars and battles, so it's no surprise that he was able to put his past experience to good use in his ultimate test.
War with Harold
At this time, Harold was busy trying to resist the invasion of the Norwegian Vikings in the north of England. Upon learning of the Norman landings, Harold rushed south. The fact that his army had to fight on two fronts was the saddest thing for the last Anglo-Saxon king.
October 14, 1066, the enemy troops met at Hastings. The ensuing battle lasted more than ten hours, which was incredible for that era. By tradition, the battle began with a face-to-face battle between two selected knights. The duel ended with the victory of the Norman, who cut off the head of his enemy.
Next came the turn of the archers. They shot the Anglo-Saxons, who were immediately attacked by cavalry and infantry. Harold's army was defeated. The king himself died on the battlefield.
Siege of London and coronation
After such a triumph of the enemy, all of England was defenseless before William. He went to London. The local nobility split into two unequal camps. A minority wanted to continue to resist the foreigners. However, every day more and more barons and counts came to Wilhelm's camp, who took an oath of allegiance to the new ruler. Finally, on December 25, 1066, the gates of the city were opened before him.
Then the coronation of William took place in Westminster Abbey. Despite the fact that his authority became legitimate, there was still disagreement among the local Anglo-Saxons in the province. For this reason, the new king Wilhelm 1 started building a large number of castles and fortresses that would be a stronghold for his loyal troops in various regions of the country.
Fight against Anglo-Saxon resistance
For the first few years, the Normans had to prove their right to power with the help of brute force. The north of England remained rebellious, where the influence of the old order was strong. King Wilhelm 1 the Conqueror regularly sent armies there and led several timespunitive expeditions. His situation was complicated by the fact that the rebels were supported by the Danes, who sailed on ships from the mainland. Several important battles ensued, with the Normans always victorious.
In 1070, the Danes were expelled from England, and the last rebels from among the old nobility submitted to the new monarch. One of the leaders of the protest, Edgar Ætheling, fled to neighboring Scotland. Its ruler Malcolm III sheltered the fugitive.
Because of this, another campaign was organized, led by Wilhelm 1 the Conqueror himself. The biography of the king was replenished with another success. Malcolm agreed to recognize him as ruler of England and promised not to host his Anglo-Saxon enemies. As a confirmation of his intentions, the Scottish monarch sent his son David as a hostage to William (this was the standard rite for that time).
Further reign
After the wars in England, the king had to defend his ancestral lands in Normandy. His own son Robert rebelled against him, dissatisfied with the fact that his father did not give him real power. He enlisted the support of the matured King Philip of France. For several years, another war continued, in which Wilhelm again turned out to be the winner.
This feud has distracted him from internal English affairs. However, a few years later he returned to London and took them directly. His main achievement is the Doomsday Book. During the reign of William 1 (1066-1087)A general census of land holdings in the kingdom was carried out. Its results were reflected in the famous Book.
Death and heirs
In 1087, the king's horse stepped on burning coals and knocked him over. During the fall, the monarch was seriously injured. Part of the saddle pierced his stomach. Wilhelm was dying for several months. He died on September 9, 1087. Wilhelm bequeathed the Kingdom of England to his second son, and the Duchy of Normandy to his eldest, Robert.
The conquest of England was a turning point in the history of the country. Today, every British history textbook has a photo of William 1. His dynasty ruled the country until 1154.
