Born around the year 1028, the illegitimate son of Duke Robert the Magnificent of Normandy, and Herleve, the daughter of a Falaise tanner.
Known as William the Bastard by his enemies, Duke William of Normandy inherited power on his father's death. He was just nine years of age at the time and, due to his youthful vulnerability, had to face many challenges to his rule.
The Duchy of Normandy had passed through decades of instability but with the aid of trusted elders and advisers, William survived. Indeed, the struggle to maintain his position honed him into a strong and powerful leader.
He served a long and highly distinguished military career during the 1050s, transforming Normandy into a greater military power with an emphasis on horsemanship and the development of cavalry as a fighting force.
He was a competent and accomplished commander, and by 1066 he had at his command perhaps the finest fighting unit of the times.
After his victory against King Harold on the battlefield, William of Normandy returned to Hastings where he rested for five days before making his way east.
Having secured Dover, William took Canterbury and Winchester before entering London and was crowned King of England on Christmas Day 1066.
Although the Battle of Hastings was a decisive part of the Norman invasion, it would be many years before all pockets of resistance were crushed and the whole country came under Norman rule.
Apart from the introduction of Norman feudalism, continental methods of government and ecclesiastical courts, one of William's greatest achievements in the year 1085 was to record in detail the value, state of cultivation, ownership and tenancy of land, which were revealed a year later in The Domesday Book.
William of Normandy ruled with ruthless efficiency until his death in 1087.
