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William, Duke of Normandy

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William the Conqueror

William, Duke of Normandy was born in Normandy 1027. Even though the legitimacy of his birth was challenged, his father named him as the heir to Normandy. It was known that his enemies called him William the Bastard.

William's PreparationEdit

One day William saved Edward the Confessor from a shipwreck, and it was said that Edward promised William the throne of England. However on his deathbed Edward gave the crown to Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex. Both Harold and William claimed they had a right to the throne, and William also made a hereditary claim, as Edward's mother was a Norman, but the ministers named Harold as king. When William heard of this, he was furious. He prepared 700 ships in the port of Deave, with thousands of men, drawn from as far as Italy to fight for him. He told them the Pope was behind his invasion and God was on their side, and William also had a formidable weapon - horses. Trained to bite and kick, William prided himself on his cavalry with which he had 2000 horses. But they could not sail, as they needed a West wind in order to move the ships. And so William waited, and his men grew impatient and weary, eager for some fighting.

Invasion of EnglandEdit

Then, at last, in September the wind changed to the Normans favour. September 28th, William landed on Pevensie, East Sussex, because there were many bays to hide there. His men disembarked the ships expecting an army to meet them, but the beach was empty as Harold was busy fighting the Battle of Stamford Bridge. Making their way north, William's men began pillaging and destroying in an attempt to lure Harold out.

The iconic Battle of Hastings took place at Battle Abbey, with William facing the Saxonss uphill in a long and intense drawn-out battle. After William's victory, he was crowned king on Christmas day, 1066. William and his successors then fought to bring Ireland, Wales and Scotland under their control as well. William died on the 9th of September, 1087.

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