William the Conqueror

William The Conqueror (William I) was a King of England. He was born in 1027 in Falaise and died in 1087. He was the son of Robert the Devil, Duke of Normandy and of Arlette, the daughter of a tanner of Falaise. He succeeded his father as duke in 1035 but was not thoroughly established in power until 1047. He was offered succession of the English crown by his cousin, Edward the Confessor in 1051, and in 1064 Harold of Wessex also recognised the Norman duke's pretensions to the English crown. However, when Edward the Confessor died Harold II refused to be bound by a promise which he said was extorted from him, and seized the throne. In consequence William invaded England and defeated Harold II at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. His victory at Hastings and his subsequent coronation in Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day in 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 in Normandy, leaving his duchy to his eldest son, Robert, and England to his next surviving son, William Rufus.

Source: www.probertencyclopaedia.com