A Conqueror
The illegitimate son of Robert, Duke of Normandy, and Arlette (or "Herleva"), daughter of a Falaise burgher, William was about seven years old when his father died on pilgrimage. Since Robert had no legitimate children and had designated his young son as his heir, the Norman magnates and King Henry I of France accepted William as the next duke. But this made his childhood neither easy nor safe. One of his tutors was murdered and three guardians died violently. The duchy was plunged into chaos. No help was to be found from his father's family, who could see advantages if William was out of the picture.
It was somewhat miraculous that William made it to his 15th year, but he did, was knighted, and began to take direct action in the affairs of his duchy. With occasional help from the king, he put down baronial rebellions (often led by his relatives) and defeated a coalition of Norman rebels. He worked fairly successfully toward restoring the ducal rights and revenues he had lost during his minority. It was at this time that William learned how to fight, how to lead, and when to cut his losses.
In 1049 William sought an alliance with Baldwin V of Flanders, who was rebelling against the Emperor Henry III, by negotiating for the hand of his daughter Matilda. The emperor's friend Pope Leo IX condemned the proposed marriage as incestuous, although any blood relationship between the two was a distant one. But William and Baldwin, at least, were anxious for the alliance, and the marriage had taken place by 1053. Several years later the couple made peace with the next pope, Victor II, and did penance for their "sin" by building monasteries in Caen.
From early on there had been a tie to Edward the Confessor and the English crown. Edward's mother, Emma, had been the sister of William's grandfather, Duke Richard II of Normandy. This made the two men cousins, once removed. While still in his teens, William had known and associated with Edward before the older man went back to England to take the throne. They shared a bond of family and perhaps even of friendship, and as Edward grew older and remained childless, William saw an opportunity to increase his holdings by acquiring England.
Norman sources indicate that Edward designated William as his heir in the early 1050's, and although there is no Anglo-Saxon record of it, it is entirely possible. It is also possible that having done so, Edward then chose Godwinson as his successor while he lay in his deathbed in 1066. In either case, the Witangemot was unlikely to choose William over an Englishman, although Harold Godwinson may not have been a unanimous choice. For William to press his claim would require force of arms.
This is exactly what William had in mind.
Check out Part 3: Blood and Steel
Think you know all about the Norman Conquest? Test yourself in the Quest for Conquest Quiz
Guide note: This feature was first posted in November, 1999 and was updated in October, 2007.
Sources and Suggested Reading
The links below will take you to a site where you can compare prices at booksellers across the web. More in-depth info about the book may be found by clicking on to the book's page at one of the online merchants.
1066: The Year of
Conquest
by David Howarth
Fairly clear, uncomplicated introduction to life in England in the
11th century, the events that brought about the Conquest, and what
followed.
Harold: The Last
Anglo-Saxon King
by Ian W. Walker
Thorough, revealing examination of this oft-overlooked individual,
whose short reign might have fulfilled the promise of his earlier
years had he not seen defeat at Hastings. Nicely illustrated.
The Making of
England
by C. Warren Hollister
Lucid general overview of England from the first Roman incursions to
1399.
