Wilhelm 1 Conqueror: biography, photo, years of government

Wilhelm the Conqueror is the Duke of Normandy, King of England (since 1066), the organizer of the Norman conquest of England, one of the greatest political figures of Europe in the 11th century.

His invasion of England had significant consequences for this country.

Childhood

Like any historical face of the Middle Ages, Wilhelm 1 is known from written sources, which for the most part are poorly preserved. Because of this, historians still argue about when the Duke of Normandy was born. Most often, the researchers refer to 1027 or 1028.

Wilhelm 1 was born in the city of Fález. It was one of the residences of his father Robert the Devil - the Duke of Normandy. The ruler had an only son who was to inherit the throne after his death. However, the problem was the fact that Wilhelm was born outside the official marriage, and therefore, was considered a bastard. The Christian tradition did not recognize such children as legitimate.

However, the Norman nobility was very different from the neighbors. In its ranks, the inertia of the traditions and customs of pagan time was strong. From this point of view, the newborn could well inherit power.

Death of the father

In 1034 William's father went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. In those years, such a journey was fraught with many dangers. Because of this, he made a will, in which he indicated that his only son was to become the heir of the title in the event of his death. The Duke seemed to feel his fate. After visiting Jerusalem, he went home and died on the road in Nicaea next year.

So William 1 became the duke of Normandy in a very young age. In this case, his title "First" corresponds to his royal title in England. In Normandy, he was the Second. Many representatives of the aristocracy were dissatisfied with the illegal origin of the new ruler. Nevertheless, feudal lords from among ill-wishers could not offer a worthy alternative figure. Other members of the dynasty either became priests, or also were juveniles.

The weakness of power in the duchy resulted in the fact that Normandy could become an easy prey for hostile neighbors. However, this did not happen. Numerous counts and dukes, who ruled in this region of France, were engaged in internecine wars.

The uprising of the Norman feudal lords

The ruler of Normandy had a legitimate overlord - King of France Henry I. Traditionally, it was he who had to dedicate the knight to the boy when he would have reached adulthood. So it happened. The solemn ceremony took place in 1042. After this, William 1 received the legal right to manage his duchy.

Every year he more and more interfered in the governance of the state. This caused discontent among the numerous feudal lords. Because of the conflict, Wilhelm had to flee from Normandy to the King of France. Henry I could not help his vassal. He assembled an army, part of which was led by William himself.

The French met the rebellious barons in the Dune Valley. Here in 1047 a decisive battle took place. The young duke showed himself to be a brave warrior, than he earned the respect of others. During the battle, one of the feudal lords passed to his side, which completely upset the order of the opponents. After this battle, Wilhelm managed to return his own duchy.

War for the county of Maine

Becoming the sole ruler of Normandy, the new Duke began to conduct an active foreign policy. Despite the fact that, formally, the king continued to rule the king, his vassals enjoyed great freedom, and in a sense they were completely independent.

One of Wilhelm's main competitors was Count Anjou Geoffroy. In 1051, he invaded a small county of Maine in the neighborhood of Normandy. Wilhelm had his own vassals in this province, because of what he went to war with his neighbor. Count Anjou in return received the support of the King of France. Henry led to Normandy and other feudal lords - the rulers of Aquitaine and Burgundy.

A long internecine war began, which was going on with varying success. In one of the battles, Wilhelm captivated Count Pontier Guy I. He was released two years later, becoming a vassal of the Duke.

King Henry I of France died in 1060, and after him the Count of Anjou also died. After the natural death of his opponents, Wilhelm decided to make peace with Paris. He swore an oath to the new king, the young Philip I. The internecine war in Anjou between the heirs of Geoffrey allowed Wilhelm to finally subjugate the neighboring Maine.

Applicant for the English throne

In 1066, King Edward the Confessor died in England. He did not have heirs, which aggravated the question of the continuity of power. The king was in a warm relationship with Wilhelm - they were allies. Grandfather Duke Richard II in his time helped the fluent Edward find refuge in the next internecine war. In addition, the king did not like his entourage of magnates and ambitions of numerous Scandinavian monarchs who also had the right to power.

Because of this, Edward was guided by his southern friend. Wilhelm himself 1 The Conqueror sailed to England, where he stayed with his ally. Confidence led to the fact that the monarch, shortly before his death, sent to the Duke Harold Godwinson (his vassal) to offer him the English throne after his death. On the way the messenger was in trouble. Count Guy I of Pontier captured him. Wilhelm helped Harold get out.

After such a service, this feudal lord swore allegiance to the future King of England. However, a few years later everything changed dramatically. When Edward died, the Anglo-Saxon nobility proclaimed Harold king. This news unpleasantly surprised Wilhelm. Using his legal right, he gathered a loyal army and set out on ships to the northern island.

Organization of a campaign on England

From the very beginning of the conflict with the English, Wilhelm 1 (whose biography was full of well-calculated actions) tried to convince the surrounding European states of his right. To this end, he betrayed the wide oath of the oath that Harold gave. Even the Pope reacted to this message, supporting the Duke of Normandy.

Wilhelm, defending his reputation, contributed to the fact that his army was joined by all the new free knights who were ready to help him in the struggle for the taken away throne. Such "international" support led to the fact that the Normans were only a third of the army. In total, under the banners of Wilhelm was about 7 thousand well-armed soldiers. Among them was both infantry and cavalry. All of them were seated on ships and simultaneously landed on the British shore.

It is difficult to call the poorly thought-out campaign conducted by William 1. A brief biography of this medieval ruler entirely consists of wars and battles, so it is not surprising that he was able to effectively apply his past experience in his main test.

War with Harold

At this time Harold was busy with the fact that in the north of England he tried to resist the invasion of the Norwegian Vikings. Learning about the landing of the Normans, Harold rushed south. The fact that his army had to fight on two fronts had a most sad effect on the last Anglo-Saxon king.

On October 14, 1066, the enemy troops met at Hastings. The ensuing battle lasted more than ten hours, which was incredible for that era. By tradition, the battle began with a full-time battle of two selected knights. The duel ended in the fact that the Norman defeated, who cut off his head to his enemy.

Then came the turn of the archers. They shot the Anglo-Saxons, who immediately fell under the blow of cavalry and infantry. Harold's army was defeated. The king himself was killed on the battlefield.

London siege and coronation

After such a triumph of the enemy, all of England was defenseless before Wilhelm. He went to London. The local nobility split into two unequal camps. The smaller part wanted to continue to resist the aliens. However, every day, new barons and graphs came to Wilhelm's camp, which swore allegiance to the new ruler. Finally, on December 25, 1066, the gates of the city were opened before him.

At the same time, the coronation of Wilhelm took place in Westminster Abbey . Despite the fact that his authority became legal, the province still had disagreement with the local Anglo-Saxons. For this reason, the new King Wilhelm 1 began to build a large number of castles and fortresses, which would have been a stronghold for loyal troops in various regions of the country.

The fight against the resistance of the Anglo-Saxons

The first few years the Normans had to prove their right to power with the help of brute force. The north of England remained unruly, where the influence of the old order was strong. King William 1 The Conqueror regularly sent armies there and himself several times directed punitive expeditions. His situation was complicated by the fact that the Danes supported the rebels, who sailed from the mainland on ships. There were several important battles with the enemy, the victors in which were always the Normans.

In 1070, the Danes were expelled from England, and the last rebels from among the old nobility submitted to the new monarch. One of the leaders of the protest Edgar Eteling fled to neighboring Scotland. Her ruler Malcolm III sheltered the fugitive.

Because of this, another campaign was organized, led by William the Conqueror himself. The biography of the king was replenished with another success. Malcolm agreed to recognize him as the ruler of England and promised not to host his enemies among the Anglo-Saxons. As evidence of his intentions, the Scottish monarch sent his son David as a hostage to Wilhelm (this was a standard rite for that time).

Further government

After the wars in England, the king had to defend his hereditary lands in Normandy. Against him rebelled his own son Robert, dissatisfied with the fact that his father does not give him real power. He enlisted the support of the maturing King Philip of France. Several years continued the next war, the winner in which again was William.

This internecine distracted him from domestic English affairs. However, a few years later he returned to London and engaged in them directly. His main achievement is the Domesday Book. During the reign of Wilhelm 1 (1066-1087), a general census of land holdings in the kingdom was carried out. Its results were reflected in the famous Book.

Death and heirs

In 1087 the king's horse stepped on burning coals and overturned it. When the monarch fell, he was seriously injured. Part of the saddle pierced his stomach. Wilhelm died for several months. He died on September 9, 1087. His second son Wilhelm bequeathed the Kingdom of England, and the eldest, Robert - the Norman duchy.

The conquest of England was a turning point in the history of the country. Today in every UK history textbook there is a photo of William 1. His dynasty ruled in the country until 1154.