William I "The Conqueror" England, [Duke]

1024 - 1087  (62 years)

• Name	William I "The Conqueror" England
  Suffix	[Duke]
  Born	8 Oct 1024	, Falaise, Calvados, France
  Gender	Male
  AFN	8XHZ-SV
  Died	4 Sep 1087	Hermentruvilleby, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, France
  Buried	Abbey of St Step, Caen, Calvados, France
  Person ID	I18610	Smoky Mountain Ancestral Quest
  Last Modified	12 Jan 2001

  
  

  Father	Robert I Normandy,   b. Abt 998, , Normandy, France ,   d. 26 Jun 1035, , Nicea, Bthyn, Turkey  (Age ~ 37 years)
  Mother	Harlette De Falaise,   b. Abt 1002, Of, Falaise, Clavados, France
  Married	Abt 1022
  Family ID	F6640	Group Sheet

  
  

  Family 1	Matilda Countess Of Flanders, [Queen],   b. Abt 1030, Of, Flanders, France ,   d. 27 Oct 1083, , Caen, Calvados, France  (Age ~ 53 years)
  Married	1052	Castle Of, Angi, Normandy, France
  Children	+ 1. Robert III Prince England, [Duke],   b. 1050/1055, , Normandy, France ,   d. 3 Feb 1134, , Cardiff, Glamorganshire, Wales  (Age 79 years)   2. Richard Prince Of England,   b. Abt 1053, , Normandy, France ,   d. 1080, , New Forest, Hampshire, England  (Age ~ 27 years)   3. Cecilia Princess Of England,   b. Abt 1054, , Normandy, France ,   d. 23 Jul 1126, , Caen, Calvados, France  (Age ~ 72 years)   4. Adelidis "Alice" Princess England,   b. Abt 1055, , Normandy, France ,   d. Aft 1065  (Age ~ 11 years)   5. Margaret Princess Of England,   b. 1058, , Normandy, France ,   d. Bef 1111  (Age < 52 years) + 6. William II "Rufus" England,   b. Abt 1059, , Normandy, France ,   d. 25 Jul 1100, , New Forest, Hampshire, England  (Age ~ 41 years)   7. Constance Princess Of England,   b. 1060, , Normandy, France ,   d. 7 Aug 1090, , England  (Age 30 years) + 8. Adela Alice Princess England,   b. Abt 1061, , Normandy, France ,   d. 1136, , Marsigny, France  (Age ~ 75 years) + 9. Gundred Princess Of England, [Countess],   b. Abt 1062, , Normandy, France ,   d. 21 May 1085, Castle Acre, Norfolk, England  (Age ~ 23 years)   10. Agatha Matilda Princess England,   b. Abt 1063, , Normandy, France ,   d. Bef 1079, , Calvados, France  (Age ~ 15 years)   11. Anna Princess Of England,   b. Abt 1065, , Normandy, France + 12. Henry I "Beauclerc" England, [King],   b. 1069, , Selby, Yorkshire, England ,   d. 24 Nov 1135, , St. Denis, Seine-St. Denis, France  (Age 66 years)
  Family ID	F6631	Group Sheet

  
  

  Family 2	Ingelrica Maud,   b. Abt 1072, Of, England
  Married	Abt 1052
  Family ID	F6632	Group Sheet

  
  

• Notes

  William I "The Conqueror" King Of England, Duke of Normandy was the first Norman king of England. He inherited Normandy at the age of eight. During his youth, there were many disorders. At the age of 20, he put down a great rebellion at the battle of Val-es-dunes, which he won with the aid of his lord, King Henry of France. From that time on, William ruled Normandy with an iron hand. In 1051, William visited England. King Edward the Confessor granted him the succession to the English throne as his nearset adult heir. In 1064, Harold, Edward's brother-in-law, was shipwrecked on the Norman coast and was taken prisoner. He promised to support William's claim to the throne in return for his freedom. But when Edward died in 1066, Harold obtained the succession on the basis of a deathbed grant by Edward and election by the nobles and prelates of England. William immediately invaded England. His expedition had the pope's blessings, because William was expected to depose the Anglo-Saxon archbishop of Canterbury and introduce ecclesiastical reforms. Before William could sail, the king of Norway invaded northern England. King Harold hurried north and defeated the Norwegian invaders at Stamford Bridge. William landed before Harold could return to defend the coast. The Normans destroyed the Anglo-Saxon army and killed Harold at the Battle of Hastings. On Christmas Day, 1066, William was crowned king William then suppressed local rebellions. He took lands from those who resisted him, and gave them to his followers to hold in return for their military service to him. To emphasize the legitimacy of his crown, William confirmed the laws of Edward the Confessor and retained all the powers of the Anglo-Saxon monarchy. He levied Danegeld, the only national tax on landed property in all of Europe at that time. At Salisbury in 1086, he made all the landholders, even the vassals of his barons, swear allegiance directly to him as king. William was devout, firm in purpose, and unchanging in gaining his ends. His greatest monument is Domesday Book, an exhaustive survey of the land, the principal landholders, the farm population, and the material and financial resources of his realm. Buried in Abbey of St Stephen, Caen, Calvados, France ---------- Reference: "The World Book Encyclopedia", 1968, p W258-259