William Of Normandy Facts: Read More About The Great Conqueror

William Normandy (c. 1028-September 9, 1087) was also proclaimed as William the Conqueror and William the Bastard.

He was born in Falaise, France, and died in Rouen, France. An exceptional soldier and ruler of the Middle Ages, William was an illegitimate son; consequently, he faced several grave difficulties growing up.

He was married in the 1050s to Matilda of Flanders. As a result, he made influential connections in the county of Flanders. In between the 1050s and the late 1060s, William became interested in striving to achieve the throne of England.

Other mighty contenders for the same spot included English earl Harold Godwinson, who was the first choice of King Edward to be his successor. But in contrast, William believed that he was the correct claimant of the throne and thus set to invade England in 1066. Sounds Interesting?

William was crowned King of England after he defeated the forces of King Harold II. Read on to know more about William of Normandy, and afterward, also check out William Penn facts and William Mckinley facts.

Fun Facts About William Of Normandy

William of Normandy changed the face of Europe and became a significant part of its history as a conqueror and victor.

He was known as William the Bastard because he was born to unmarried parents, whose father was a duke, but his mother held no station and was certainly not at par with William's father, Robert.

Before the Norman conquest, at least 10% of England or even 30% of the population was enslaved. We all know about the harsh torment a slave had to go through. But this practice took a swing after the Norman Conquest, for good.

William prohibited the slave trade practice and also librated some slaves. This change was so drastic that by the end of his reign, about 25% of the slave population was decreased. In the 12th century, England was free of slavery not long after.

William did not speak the English language and could not, despite his best efforts. Due to this reason, after he and his forces invaded England, French was the language used in its courts, and some of its words were transfused with English, over time.

It is said that every English monarch after William is somehow related to him and is probably his descendant. Also, some genealogists believe that over 25% of the English population is somehow related to William, and a significant number of Americans who have British ancestry might also be related to him.

In the 13th century, William was the most common name given to a male child in Britain. The name is popular and is the first choice of many parents to date.

Historical Facts About William Of Normandy

There is so much more to William's life that often goes unheard, and that is where we come to the rescue. Find below some historical facts about William of Normandy.

What is the relation between the two, you ask? William built the Tower of London. Marking their claim and power, conquerors often constructed fortresses in the places they conquered. Such was the motive behind building the white tower in London, which to date is symbolic of royal power.

As a consequence of the Norman conquest, the most significant churches of the kingdom, England, were re-built. England was unfamiliar with the building style of Romanesque until William conquered the place. Normandy was familiar with its practice during Williams's reign. This revolution of construction began in 1070 with the construction of Canterbury Cathedral.

The concept of Castles was French, and Normandy had a plethora of these by 1066, unlike England. By the time of William's death, about 500 castles had been constructed in the whole of England.

Moments after his death, William was looted and left almost naked by his attendants. Additionally, while traversing his body via a boat to Caen, a fire broke out, causing chaos.

Further, during his funeral ceremony at St. Stephen's Abbey, the protocol was halted by an angry heckler, who alleged that the church was established without compensation because it was his father's.

Did you know that William was the grandson of Edward's maternal uncle, Richard II of Normandy?

Facts About William Of Normandy's Achievements

William the Conqueror of England had achieved many great things during his lifetime.

After the death of Robert I in 1035, William the Conqueror was declared the Duke of Normandy, a momentous transition from just a bastard. Before his death, Robert I made sure his English nobles paid allegiance to his son after him. William's great uncle, Archbishop Robert, and King Henry I of France supported William becoming the Duke of Normandy.

Frenemy? What is that now?

It's a term used for friends turned enemies, exactly what King Henry I did. First, he Knighted William during his teenage years of 1042 and helped him win in the Battle of Val-es-Dunes.

Eventually, with William the Conqueror growing in authority and power, Henry started seeing him as a threat and went to war against him in 1054 and 1057, where Williams won both times.

A survey that aimed at collecting information on landholdings all over his kingdom was started by William in 1085. Within a year, in 1086, the survey was finalized, which is known as the Doomsday Book.

Everything from the landowner, its value, its tax assessment, and more are included. Because these findings could not be challenged, the collection became known as the Doomsday Book. It is also the oldest public record that exists with information on such a large scale in the whole of Europe.

Among other things, Chivalry was introduced to Britain in 1066, with the conquest of William the Conqueror. Before this, the British murdered their political rivals, but William's rule made political killing a taboo in England.

While summarizing the good bits of King William's reign, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle mentioned this saying that, 'No man dared slay another, no matter what wrong he had done to him.'

During his rule, only one person was executed in England in 1076. The next time something of this sort occurred was some 230 years later, in 1306.

Facts About William Of Normandy's Conquests

Yes, even after covering all these facts, some more exhilarating ones remain about King William the Conqueror of England.

The day William the Conqueror died was September 9, 1087. The cause of death is said to be an infection caused by his wound.

During his attempt at capturing the French town of Mantes in northern France, King William's horse reared up, landing him so hard on the surface that his internal organs ruptured. His lands were divided among William's two sons: Robert, who became the Duke of Normandy, and William Rufus, who ruled England.

William's forces set foot on Britain's soil on September 29, 1066, with his barons and landlords from Normandy. Taking place on October 13, the battle is considered to be one of the most crucial.

Sometimes the odds were against the Normans, other times against Anglo-Saxons led by Harold, but ultimately, after the long conflict, the Normans, led by Willam, came victorious.

From December 25, 1066, William the Conqueror was not just the Duke of Normandy anymore but a crowned king of England. The celebrations for the same transpired in Westminster. But William's guards mistook the clapping and cheering sound as a possible attack on his majesty, and so they lit fire to the surrounding buildings.

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