William the Conqueror pictured (Fig 1), or should be known as King William I, had many hurdles to overcome in order to make his mark in the history books. He was born in 1028 in the city of Falaise, France but he was originally known as William the Bastard as he was the illegitimate son of the powerful
Robert 1, Duke of Normandy and Herleva, a local tanner woman. Although he was illegitimate, he was born and raised to be the future Duke of Normandy, however, his ascension occurred earlier than expected as his father died on his return pilgrimage from Jerusalem when William was only seven years old. Due to his illegitimacy and the fact that he was so young, William’s right to rule was often challenged as barons fought with both violence and corruption to overthrow him resulting in many attempts on his life (www.biography.com/people/william-the-conqueror, 2014: Online). His great-uncle, the Archbishop Robert, provided the support he needed until the Archbishop’s death, after which, King Henry 1 of France ensured he kept his title. William’s relationship with England …show more content…
(www.biography.com/people/william-the-conqueror-9542227#battle-for-the-throne, 2014: online). This decision meant that William felt betrayed and so he decided to invade England to claim his rightful place as King of England. This invasion resulted in the infamous Battle of Hastings where William’s army, the Norman’s, defeated Harold’s English army which eventuated in the death of Harold with an arrow through his eye (www.historytoday.com/charles-h-gibbs-smith/death-harold-battle-hastings, 1960: online). Harold’s death made way for William and he was crowned King of England on Christmas Day in 1066 (Crofton,
Robert 1, Duke of Normandy and Herleva, a local tanner woman. Although he was illegitimate, he was born and raised to be the future Duke of Normandy, however, his ascension occurred earlier than expected as his father died on his return pilgrimage from Jerusalem when William was only seven years old. Due to his illegitimacy and the fact that he was so young, William’s right to rule was often challenged as barons fought with both violence and corruption to overthrow him resulting in many attempts on his life (www.biography.com/people/william-the-conqueror, 2014: Online). His great-uncle, the Archbishop Robert, provided the support he needed until the Archbishop’s death, after which, King Henry 1 of France ensured he kept his title. William’s relationship with England …show more content…
(www.biography.com/people/william-the-conqueror-9542227#battle-for-the-throne, 2014: online). This decision meant that William felt betrayed and so he decided to invade England to claim his rightful place as King of England. This invasion resulted in the infamous Battle of Hastings where William’s army, the Norman’s, defeated Harold’s English army which eventuated in the death of Harold with an arrow through his eye (www.historytoday.com/charles-h-gibbs-smith/death-harold-battle-hastings, 1960: online). Harold’s death made way for William and he was crowned King of England on Christmas Day in 1066 (Crofton,