William the Conqueror

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Throughout the duration of history, many important figures arose to lead nations to great conquests. This list of important figures includes William the Conqueror who had risen from somewhat humble beginnings to become the conqueror of England. Descendants of Viking raiders, the Normans eventually came to settle in a region in the northern portion of France. Before long, they developed their own culture and grew in might. And so, when William, the Duke of Normandy at the time, conquered England, he became the first Norman King of England. Conquering England plays out to be of great importance, as this event would shape the future for many years to come. And so, William the Conqueror plays a role of great importance in world history as his actions brought the Normans to England.

Before he became William the Conqueror, his contemporaries referred to him William the Bastard, emphasizing his illegitimate birth. At the time of William’s birth, his father, Robert I, had not yet become the Duke of Normandy; people recognized him as the Count of Hiesmois. In addition, people sometimes referred to Robert as Robert the Devil since rumors floated about that Robert had killed his own father, Richard II. Supposedly, Robert I was descended from Rolf the Viking who had become the ruler of Neustria around 911 BC (Douglas 16). In the year 1028, Robert I succeeded his brother, Richard III, as the Duke of Normandy (Freeman 13). Unfortunately for William, his father, Robert I, never married his mother, Herleva, alternately known as Herleve or Arlette; therefore, society recognized William as an illegitimate child and would harbor prejudices against him. Though people know little of Herleva, people believe that she was the dau...

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...hires already in place there. Overall, William the Conqueror, formerly William the Bastard or William the Duke of Normandy, proved to be a prominent figure in world history and helped shape the flow of history to lead humanity to the present age.

Works Cited

Douglas, David Charles. William the Conqueror: The Norman Impact upon England. Berkeley: U of California P, 1964. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.

Freeman, Edward Augustus. William the Conqueror. London: Macmillan, 1907. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.

Halsall, Paul. "Laws of William the Conqueror." Medieval Sourcebook. Feb. 1996. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.

Stenton, Frank Merry. William the Conqueror and the Rule of the Normans. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1908. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.

Tilton, Rafael. Rulers of the Middle Ages. Detroit: Lucent, 2005. Print.

"William the Conqueror." BBC News. BBC. n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2012.

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