William I (approximately 1028-September 9, 1087) was the first English king of the Norman dynasty (reigned from December 25, 1066 to September 9, 1087). In 1035, he inherited the throne of the Duke of Normandy in France and was known as "William the Conqueror", sometimes referred to as "William the Bastard".
In 1066, after the death of his cousin Edward, the Confessor of the English King, he had no heirs, and the nobleman Harold was enthroned. William had saved Harold before, and in return for his help, Harold promised to let the wise invade England by crossing the sea, if one day he became the king of England; In October, in the final battle between Hastings and King Harold II of England (Battle of Hastings), after winning, William went straight to London and proclaimed himself king at the end of the year, known as William I. In 1085, William I sent people to investigate the actual situation and economic power of the aristocratic and self cultivating lands throughout England, and in 1086, he issued the Apocalyptic Judgment, strengthening centralization and carrying out land and military reforms. In July 1087, William I fell from his horse and suffered serious injuries while suppressing his eldest son's rebellion; On September 9th, William I passed away at St. Gervais Abbey in Rouen.
William I reused and distributed land to the Normans, suppressed Anglo Saxon nobles, and forced lords to remain loyal; The compilation of the Apocalypse Judgment was one of the most influential monarchs in medieval Europe, with influences including changes in rulers, changes in English, changes in the upper echelons of society and the church, and the adoption of some views on church reform on the continent.

Illegitimate son
William was born in 1027 or 1028 at the Farce Castle in Farce, Normandy, France. William was the only son of Duke Robert I of Normandy and also the nephew of Queen Emma of Normandy (she was the wife of King Edward and King Canute). His mother Leiu was the maid of Robert I, so William was an illegitimate child. Lai Wu was the daughter of Fulbert of Falaise, who later married Herlin de Conteville and had two sons. In addition to his two half brothers, Earl of Bayeux and Count Robert of Moran, William also has a sister, Adelaide of Normandy, who is Robert's other child.
Despite being an illegitimate child, his father still designated him as the heir to Normandy. This identity influenced his early career. During his childhood, his life was often threatened by relatives who believed they had a more legitimate right to inheritance. When William was sleeping in the castle fortress of Vaudreuil, an assassination attempt occurred against him, in which the assassin mistakenly stabbed a child sleeping next to William. However, when his father passed away, he was recognized as the heir. William's enemies called him "half hearted William" and mocked him as a descendant of a tanner. The residents around Alongsong hung animal skins on the city walls to mock him.
Successive Duke
According to his father's will, in 1035, William ascended to the throne and became the Duke of Normandy at the age of seven. The hostile Norman nobles conspired to usurp William's position and killed his three guardians, although not including Alan III of Brittany, who was a later guardian. However, William received the support of King Henry I. He was knighted by Henry at the age of 15. By the age of 19, William had successfully dealt with the threats of rebellion and invasion.
In 1047, with Henry's assistance, William defeated the rebellious Norman nobles in the Battle of Val è s Dunes at Caen and obtained the Holy Truce supported by the Roman Catholic Church, ultimately consolidating Normandy's rule. Contrary to the wishes of Pope Leo IX, William married Matilda of Flanders in 1053 at the Notre Dame Chapel in the town of Normandy (Seine Maritime). At that time, William was about 24 years old and Matilda was 22 years old. William is considered a loyal and loving husband, and their marriage gave birth to four sons and six daughters. In order to repent of this close relative marriage (they were distant cousins), William donated the construction of St. Stephen's Church (a men's monastery), and Matilda donated the construction of St. Trinity Church (a women's monastery).

Due to William's aristocratic alliance, the strengthening of Normandy's power posed a threat to King Henry I of France, who attempted to invade Normandy twice (1054 and 1057) but was unsuccessful. William was already a charismatic leader who attracted strong support within Normandy, including the loyalty of his half brother Earl of Bayo and Count Robert of Moran, both of whom played important roles in his life. Subsequently, Henry I and Geoffrey II of Anjou passed away in 1060, weakening the power centers of these two competing forces and benefiting William. In 1062, William invaded and gained control of the Count of Man's territory, which was once a fiefdom of Anjou.
Norman Conquest
After the death of Edward the Confessor, who had no heirs, William, the powerful Earl of Wessex Harold Gwenson, and the Viking King Harald III of Norway, known as Harold Hardrad, fiercely competed for the English throne.
William had a weak lineage to assert his rights through his aunt Emma (wife of Ethelyid and mother of Edward). William also claimed that when he visited Harold in London in 1052, the latter promised him the throne. During the Danish occupation of England, Harold went into exile in Normandy and spent much of his life there. William rescued Harold from a shipwreck in the Count of Pontier's territory, and together they defeated Duke Conan II of Brittany. In that situation, William knighted Harold; Anyway, he also induced Harold to swear allegiance to himself through a hidden saint's skeleton. However, in January 1066, in accordance with Edward's final will and through a vote by the Parliament, Harold was crowned king by Archbishop Aldred.

At the same time, William presented his request for the English throne to Pope Alexander II, who gave him the Holy Cross as support. Then, William held a war conference in Lillebonne and began publicly assembling an army in Normandy in January. William provided a commitment to British land and titles, and he gathered a massive fleet at Dives sur Mer, estimated to reach 696 ships. The invading forces carried by the fleet included not only troops from William's own territories of Normandy and Mann, but also a large number of mercenaries, as well as allies and volunteers from Brittany, northeastern France, and Flanders, as well as a small number of troops from other regions of France and Norman colonies in southern Italy. In England, Harold assembled a large army and fleet on the southern coast to defend the English Channel.
Fortunately for William, his crossing was delayed by eight months of harsh winds. During the waiting period, William managed to keep his army together. However, Harold's army decreased due to insufficient supply and a decrease in morale due to the arrival of the harvest season, and he disbanded his army on September 8th. Harold also reinforced his ships in London, leaving the undefended English Channel. Then news came that another contender for the throne, Harold III of Norway (Harald III), joined forces with Tostig Gwensen to land in York and penetrate 10 miles. Harold summoned his army again and, after four days of rapid march, defeated Harold III and Tostig on September 25th.
On September 12th, the wind changed and William's fleet set sail. A storm suddenly struck, forcing the fleet to take shelter on the Saint Valery sur Samme River and wait for a change in wind direction once again. On September 27th, the Norman fleet finally set sail and landed on September 28th in the Bay of Pevensie (Sussex) in England. William went from there to Hastings, several miles east, where he built a prefabricated wooden castle as a base for military operations. He plundered the inland areas from there and swept through the Kent and Sussex areas, luring King Harold to lead only a small portion of his troops southward. The further Harold went southward and wanted to confront the enemy, the farther he left his reinforcements.
William chose Hastings because it was located at the end of a long peninsula, near an impassable swamp. The battle took place in the isthmus. William immediately built a fortress in Hastings to guard his back against the Harold fleet that may have arrived from London. When William's army landed, he was able to pay less attention to the issue of escape and wait for the end of winter blizzards, attack the surrounding areas with cavalry, and then launch a battle in the spring. Harold conducted a period of reconnaissance in southern England and was fully aware of the need to immediately occupy this isthmus.

William led Harold to Hastings, near the shore of the English Channel, and only then began to engage in battle with Harold. He then took indirect tactical actions, achieving a favorable outcome for himself in the battle. At that time, he ordered some troops to pretend to be defeated and flee, attracting the enemy to follow them in pursuit, thereby causing the enemy to disrupt the battle formation themselves. Later, in the final stage of the battle, William used archers to shoot from a high altitude, resulting in Harold's death. This can also be considered as a way of action for indirect routes. [2]
The strategy adopted by William after this victory is also worthy of attention. Afterwards, he did not directly advance to London, but first occupied Dover, thereby ensuring the safety of his maritime transportation line. After arriving in the outskirts of London, he did not directly attack the city, but began to sweep away the four suburbs of London. Due to the danger of starvation, when William reached Belkhansted, the capital finally surrendered voluntarily.
Establishing a dynasty
On December 25th, William was crowned as the King of England at Westminster Abbey, marking the beginning of the Norman dynasty. After William I ascended the throne, in order to suppress the rebellion of the Anglo Saxon people in the country, William I designated one-fifth of England as his territory and appointed his knights as barons. He stationed himself in various places to guard the rebellion and built many castles throughout the country. The Tower of London and Windsor Castle were both built during that period.
William I changed the direction of British history, whether in business, religion, or culture, from the previous Scandinavian customs to a situation that was inherited from Europe. He introduced French and French customs, some of which had a significant impact on Britain. At the same time, William I also changed the previous agricultural dominated social model and introduced the feudal system in Europe, such as knights replacing the status of domestic slaves and farmers lowering their status to the serfdom class. In order to grasp the population and land distribution situation throughout the country, William I sent people in 1085 and 1086 to investigate the actual situation and economic power of the aristocratic and self cultivating lands in the entire England region, and issued land books known as the Apocalyptic Judgment. According to the findings of the Apocalypse Judgment, England has a population of approximately 1.5 million, of which over 90% are farmers.

Death from Expedition
In order to suppress the rebellion launched by his eldest son Robert II in the Normandy region, William I personally returned to France. In July of that year, he fell from his horse and was injured in Mantes, and two months later in St The Gervais convent passed away, with his third son William by his side. After his death, he was buried at the Abbaye de St. Etienne in Caen, Normandy.
He gained weight in his later years, and when people tried to bury him in the coffin, his body burst, causing the entire church to be filled with an unpleasant odor. And when William was about to be buried in the cemetery, a person suddenly claimed that this piece of land belonged to him and demanded justice in front of everyone. After paying sixty shillings, William's body was finally buried in the ground.