King William I “The Conqueror”: A Short Biography

By Ryan Young

The descendant of Viking raiders, William the Conqueror, or William the Bastard as he was also known, took the throne of England in 1066. William showed himself to be an outstanding soldier and an extremely effective ruler, combining great fortitude with an unwavering insistence on his own authority. He was a formidable personality, whose political imagination and ruthlessness were the driving forces of the Norman Conquest of England. William’s achievements in both Normandy and England were set in an age of European change and turmoil. He could be cruel, greedy, and intolerant—a man who pitilessly stamped out all forms of opposition, and yet he was an accomplished leader in both England and Normandy. In fact, William brought about a number of positive changes. His later years were marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over England and his continental lands, and by difficulties with his eldest son.

Spend a few minutes reading about this amazing man, and learn how he changed the face of Europe and started a new dynasty of English rule.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Doug West
• Release date: Aug 31, 2016
• ISBN: 9781370911738

Ryan Young

Writer living in Miami, FL with his wife.

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King William I The Conqueror – A Short Biography

By Ryan Young

King William I The Conqueror – A Short Biography

Copyright © 2016 C&D Publications

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author. Reviewers may quote brief passages in reviews.

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Table of Contents

Introduction to the Normans

Chapter 1 – Forging a Warrior King

Chapter 2 – William’s Claim to the English Throne

Chapter 3 – Harold, Hastings, and Coronation

Chapter 4 – A New Nation; by Pen and Steel

Chapter 5 – Plots, Revolts, and Family Time

Chapter 6 – The King is Dead...God Save the King

Glossary of Geographic, Political, & Cultural Terminology

Acknowledgements

Further Reading

About the Author

Introduction to the Normans

Viking raiders had been settling an area along the northern coast of France since the 870s, mixing with and living alongside the native Frankish inhabitants. In 910 CE, an infamously war-like Viking Jarl named Hrólfr, known as Rollo in Latin, assembled a small army with the intention of taking the English Channel coast of France. The contingent of Rollo’s Viking raiders who ultimately settled what would become Normandy included Norsemen like the Danes, Norwegians, Norse–Gaelic from Ireland, Norse-Scots from the Orkney Islands, Swedes, and Anglo-Danes from the Danelaw in England, which was effectively under Viking occupation.

Figure # 1 Norse-Viking