1028-1087

William I was the first Norman King of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087. A descendant of Rollo, he was Duke of Normandy from 1035 onward. William became a contender for the throne of England held by the childless Edward the confessor, his first cousin once removed. There were other potential claimants, including the powerful English Earl Harold Godwinson, whom Edward named as king on his deathbed in January 1066. Arguing that Edward had previously promised the throne to him, and that Harold had sworn to support his claim, William built a large fleet and invaded England in September 1066. He decisively defeated and killed Harold at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066. After further military efforts (later known as the Norman Conquest), William was crowned king on Christmas Day, 1066, in London. The rest of his life was marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over England and his continental lands, and by difficulties with his eldest son Robert Curthose. In 1066 he ordered the compilation of the Domesday Book, a survey listing all of the land-holdings in England along with their pre-conquest and current holders. He died in September 1087 while leading a campaign in Northern France and is buried in Caen. His reign in England was marked by the construction of castles, settling a new Norman nobility on the land, and change in the composition of the English clergy. He did not try to integrate his domains into one empire but continued to administer each part separately. His lands were divided after his death; Normandy went to Robert, and England went to his second surviving son, William Rufus.