William the Conqueror

1028 – 1087 · died at about 59^[1][2]

Politics & Leadership

Fun Facts About William the Conqueror

• William the Conqueror's bones were scattered during the French Wars of Religion in 1562, and only one thigh bone survived; it shows he was about 5 feet 10 inches tall.^[1]
• William became Duke of Normandy at just seven or eight years old, and one of his guardians, Osbern, was killed in William's chamber while the young duke slept.^[1]
• Also known as William the Bastard, he was the son of Duke Robert I and his unmarried mistress Herleva, whose father may have been a tanner or embalmer.^[1]
• Pope Leo IX forbade William's marriage to Matilda of Flanders in 1049, but the wedding went ahead in the early 1050s, possibly without the pope's approval.^[1]
• William's funeral was interrupted by a man from Caen who said the church stood on land taken from his family; the claim proved true and he was compensated.^[1]
• William was strong enough to draw bows that others could not pull, though he became quite fat in later life.^[1]
• Murasaki Shikibu wrote The Tale of Genji in Japan about 60 years before William the Conqueror invaded England.^[1][2][3][4]
• William the Conqueror was alive at the same time as Avicenna — their lives overlapped for 9 years (1028–1037).^[1][2][5][6]

William the Conqueror, sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was Duke of Normandy from 1035 onward. By 1060, following a long struggle, his hold on Normandy was secure. In 1066, following the death of Edward the Confessor, William invaded England, leading a Franco-Norman army to victory over the Anglo-Saxon forces of Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. He suppressed subsequent English revolts in what has become known as the Norman Conquest. 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.^[1]

Contemporaries

Shen Kuo

56 yr overlap

Omar Khayyam

39 yr overlap

Avicenna

9 yr overlap

Questions About William the Conqueror

When was William the Conqueror born?

William the Conqueror was born in 1028 and died on September 9, 1087.

How old was William the Conqueror at death?

William the Conqueror died in 1087 at about 59 years old (1028–1087).

What was William the Conqueror known for?

William the Conqueror was known for: Norman king who conquered England. William the Conqueror, sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was Duke of Normandy from 1035 onward. By 1060, following a long struggle, his hold on Normandy was secure. In 1066, following the death of Edward the Confessor, William invaded England, leading a Franco-Norman army to victory over the Anglo-Saxon forces of Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. He suppressed subsequent English revolts in what has become known as the Norman Conquest. 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.

Who was alive at the same time as William the Conqueror?

William the Conqueror's closest contemporary was Shen Kuo. Their lives overlapped for 56 years.