WILLIAM the CONQUEROR and the Battle of Hastings 1066

William was born in 1028 in Normandy. His father was the powerful Robert I, Duke of Normand

y and descendent of the Vikings. His mother was Robert’s mistress (maitresse) so William was often called ‘the Bastard’ (batard). William grew up to be a tall, red-haired and hard man. When his father died he in turn became Duke of Nomandy and married Mathilde of Flanders.

William’s cousin Edward was the Saxon king of England but he had no children. When he died in 1066 the most important man in England was Edward’s brother-in-law (beau frère) Harold Godwinson. He said to the English people ‘I am your King now.’ But William didn’t like this. ‘Edward wanted me to be king. I came to London last year and he asked me,’ he said. So he decided to invade England. He crossed the Channel in boats with a great army of archers and knights on horses. The battle took place on a hill (colline) near Hastings. Harold waited at the top of the hill with his soldiers in a line making a wall with their shields (boucliers). But when a Norman soldier shouted ‘William has fallen’ the Saxons broke the line and ran down the hill. But this was a trick (ruse). Harold was shot in the eye and killed, the Normans won the battle and William became King of England.

William’s wife and her women made a beautiful, long picture called ‘The Bayeux Tapestry.’ It tells the story of the battle. You can see it in that town Bayeux today. William was crowned in Westminster Abbey in London. He built a castle at Hastings and later he built the Tower of London with white stone brought from Caen. William was a very strong king and reigned for 21 years. The Normans didn’t understand the Anglo-Saxon language so they spoke and wrote in French.