Talk:William the Conqueror

2003-10-28T11:34:54Z

210.9.139.75:

It's actually not true that William the Conqueror was the most recent invasion of England.

Henry Tudor invaded from France in 1485, and James II was essentially deposed when 14 000 of William of Orange's troops landed to kick off the "Glorious Revolution" of 1688.

I also think some armies landed during Stephen and Matilda's civil war, but those two will do for a start :)

Anton de Stoc
Politokopolis

Good point. My immediate response would be that both of the exmples you cited were part of a civil war (or popular uprising). Upon consideration the same could be said for William the concreter. It's a bit of an argument about nomenclature here I suspect. I've changed the wording slightly but you may still disagree with it. Feel free to change it if that's the case.

Oh, and register as a wiki user too. It's good to have you aboard Anton. Anyone with your enormous background knowledge is highly valued.

Anton note (28/10/03) : I amended 'last' to 'most' ... in one of his discussions on Phillip II, Geoffrey Parker (Academic God of 16th Century warfare) outlines the various invasions of England. I dont have the precise reference, but I think it's in 'The Spanish Armada' by Parker and Martin.

William the Conqueror

2003-10-28T11:32:36Z

210.9.139.75:

Sometimes known as ''William the Bastard'' having been born the illegitimate son of the Duke of Normandy. He inherited the Duchy upon his father's death, but it is for succesfully leading the [[Norman conquest]] of [[England]] that he is best known.

William first attempted to gain England through diplomatic manouveuring. He first claimed that [[Edward the Confessor]] had named him successor in 1051, and then in 1064 he somehow managed to get [[Harold Godwinson]] to swear fealty to him and relinquish his claim to the throne. The latter event almost certainly took place under duress and the former may not have happened at all, but he used both as a pretext for invasion when the [[witan]] declared Harold king in January [[1066]].

William delayed his assault until late September waiting for favourable winds. All this stretched Harold's resources as not only did he need to stay on high military alert for several months, but he also had to fight at the demanding [[Battle of Stamford Bridge]].

William's victory at the [[Battle of Hastings]] marked a turning point in English history. Not only was it the most succesful invasion of Britain by a foreign force, it also marked the begining of a new dynasty. All kings of England number themselves from the ascension of the [[Norman]] kings.

Having been crowned in 1066, William set about securing his new kingdom. Uprisings were quelled brutally, Norman lords were installed into places of power and by 1072 the whole of England had been united once more.

In [[1085]] William comissioned the [[Domesday book]] to give a more detailed picture of the land he had conquered.

William died in [[1087]], and was succeded by his his second son, [[William Rufus]].

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Talk:William the Conqueror

William the Conqueror