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Also known as William of Normandy and William the Bastard, King William I
of England was the illegitimate son of Duke Robert of Normandy, France.
Though his blood claim to the throne of England was slim, he set his sights
on the land once governed by his cousin, Edward the Confessor, and claimed
the old king had named him his heir. In October of 1066, William the
Conqueror successfully invaded England and defeated Harold Godwinson to win
the crown.
As King of England William initiated or oversaw numerous changes, including
an extensive plan of castle-building and a more rigidly structured system of
feudal government than England had previously known. The Anglo-Saxon
population was ruled primarily by William's Norman comrades, resulting in a
gulf between two classes that took centuries to shrink.
One of King William's most significant acts was to commission the Doomsday
Survey, which catalogued the population of England and to this day serves as
useful data for the historian. William also ordered the building of the
Tower of London and Battle Abbey.
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Kings Alfred The Great, King of Wessex athelstan King of the English Athelred II The Unready, King of the English canute King of England eadred King of the English eadwig King of the English Edgar I, King of the English Edmund I, King of the English Edmund II Ironside, King of the English Edward The Martyr, King of the English
King Arthur King Edward the Confessor King Harold of Wessex
King William I King William Rufus
King Henry I King Stephen King Henry II King Richard I King John King Henry III King Edward I King Edward II
King Edward III |
