William the Conqueror was born on 8 November 1028 in Falaise. Duke of Normandy and King of England, William was the illegitimate son of Duke Robert I of Normandy and became duke as a child, surviving violent rebellions in his early years. He claimed that Edward the Confessor had promised him the English throne, and when Edward died in 1066 and Harold Godwinson was crowned, William invaded. He defeated and killed Harold at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066 and was crowned king on Christmas Day. He crushed resistance, notably in the Harrying of the North, built castles throughout England, replaced much of the English nobility with Normans, and ordered the Domesday Book survey in 1086. He died in Rouen in 1087.
Before and after
- 1021Vikings are at L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland
- 1024The Song dynasty issues the first government paper money
- c. 1020sAl-Biruni measures the size of the Earth
- 1025Avicenna completes the Canon of Medicine
- 8 November 1028Birth of William the Conqueror
- 1031Construction of Krak des Chevaliers
- from 1035 to 1707Kingdom of Aragon
- from 1037 to 1194Seljuk Empire
- 18 June 1037Death of Avicenna
More in Wars, politics & history
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- 8 June 793 CEVikings raid Lindisfarne
- from 28 September 1066 to 1 January 1075Norman conquest of England
- from 1075 to 1124Investiture controversy
- 8 May 1429Joan of Arc relieves Orleans
- 7 June 1494Treaty of Tordesillas
The era
This moment belongs to the Medieval world (500 CE to 1500 CE), kingdoms, faiths and trade routes. You can also browse everything in the 11th century.