Who was William? Where did he live? What has he done? Why is he important?
“Life yields only to be conqueror. Never accept what can be gained by giving in.”
“Life yields only to be conqueror. Never accept what can be gained by giving in,” are the great words of William I, the Conqueror. Conquer is the rule that William lived by. He never lost sight of his aim, and helped the central system of England's government grow and become powerful. He was the first Norman ruler of England. Conqueror also made many influences and inventions that affect the modern world today. But why was Conqueror so important?
William had many hardships growing up. William was born in 1027 at Falaise, France. William was of Viking origin and grew up in Normandy (northwest France). His dad was Robert the Magnificent, Duke of Normandy, and his mom was Herleva. William was an illegitimate child meaning that when he born, his parents weren't married. His mother had moved away to marry after William's birth. She had two more sons, Odo of Bayeux and Robert of Mortain. When William was about eight, his father started a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Other than Jerusalem, the only other places William traveled were Normandy and England. On the way, his father died. But William's dad told his servants to swear loyalty and protect William. So they returned to Normandy, where William trained to become a knight. Conqueror had a very serious and formal childhood.
William had many hardships growing up. William was born in 1027 at Falaise, France. William was of Viking origin and grew up in Normandy (northwest France). His dad was Robert the Magnificent, Duke of Normandy, and his mom was Herleva. William was an illegitimate child meaning that when he born, his parents weren't married. His mother had moved away to marry after William's birth. She had two more sons, Odo of Bayeux and Robert of Mortain. When William was about eight, his father started a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Other than Jerusalem, the only other places William traveled were Normandy and England. On the way, his father died. But William's dad told his servants to swear loyalty and protect William. So they returned to Normandy, where William trained to become a knight. Conqueror had a very serious and formal childhood.
William also was married, and Matilda of Flanders was his wife. At first, William wanted to marry Matilda. When she refused, he threw her down on a pile of mud and rode away on his horse. Matilda found William's personality very masculine, and decided to marry him. William and Matilda were married at the Angi Castle in Normandy. Matilda was crowned queen on May 11, 1068. She was also known as the Queen of the Conqueror. William had ten children. His wife passed in 1083 away after giving birth to all the children. Conqueror had six daughters and four sons. His sons' names were Richard, Robert (often know as "Curthose"), William II (commonly known as "Rufus"), and Henry I. William's successor was William II (nickname is Rufus) . His daughters' names were Constance, Matilda, Adela, Cecily, Adeliza, and Agatha.