Person Sheet


Name King of England, *William I "The Conqueror", 27G Grandfather
Birth 1028
Death 1087, Normandy228
Burial Caen, France (tomb despoiled, site now marked by a slab)228
Occupation CLICK NAME FOR NOTES. 7th Duke of Normandy (1035-87), then King of England 1066-1087
Father Duke of Normandy, Robert I "The Magnificent" (-1035)
Mother Herleve (also known as Arlette) DE FALAISE
Spouses:
1 Queen of England, *Matilda "Maud" of Flanders, 27G Grandmother
Birth 1032
Death 3 Nov 1083
Occupation CLICK NAME FOR NOTES
Father Count of Flanders, *Baudouin V (~1012-1067)
Mother Princess of France, *Adele (Alix) (1009-1079)
Children: *Henry I (1069-1135)
Notes for King of England, *William I "The Conqueror"
230"The second cousin of Edward the Confessor and upon Edward's bequest, the most justified claimant to the English crown upon Edward's death.

Although Harold II had fallen at Hastings Saxon-English hopes of retaining the throne had not and these hopes were placed upon the shoulders of Edgar Aetheling. William was in no mood to tolerate any further delay from what he saw as his rightful crown and in a systematic, devastating, act of attrition he ordered his troops to burn and kill in the shires of south and south eastern England. The Saxon generals had no moral option but to surrender to such an onslaught. William was duly crowned King of England on Christmas Day 1066 in Westminster Abbey.

William was the illegitimate son of Robert the Devil, Duke of Normandy, and the daughter of a commoner. Protocol forbade a marriage between the two and branded thus William a bastard. He was not alone in being the son of his mother, Herleva, and indeed his two half-brothers, Odo and Robert supported him in single combat at the Battle of Hastings. ..."

228William I
The victory of William I, 'the Conqueror' (1066-1087), Duke of Normandy, at Hastings and his subsequent coronation in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day 1066 did not give him complete control of England. Remaining resistance was, however, severely crushed and castles built to control the country (including a fortress at Windsor, and the White Tower at the Tower of London). The lands of defeated Saxon nobles were given to William's followers in return for military service by a certain number of knights, so that the tenants' foremost obligation was allegiance to the King. This firmly established the feudal system. In 1086, William commissioned the Domesday Book, to record land holdings for the assessment of taxes and other dues. William spent long periods in Normandy to maintain his authority there, dealing with rebellions and French invasions. William died in 1087 while in combat against the French near the town of Rouen. His body lies in the Normandy town of Caen. Upon his death, his duchy went to his eldest son, Robert, and England to his next surviving son, William Rufus.
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1) For some genealogy info. go to http://www.dcs.hull.ac.uk/cgi-bin/gedlkup/n=royal?royal1380 . This page notes William's father as Robert II. The person providing the info. states that in some places he's called Robt.I and in others Robt.II.

2) For biographical info. go to http://encyclopedia.com/articles/13875.html

3) For another Bio. piece, go to http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon22.html
Last Modified 13 Aug 2001 Created 23 Feb 2017 by EasyTree for Windows95

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