William the Conqueror (c. 1027-1087), also known as William, Duke of Normandy, led the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 when he defeated and killed his rival Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. Crowned King William I of England on Christmas Day 1066, he secured his new realm after five years of hard battles against rebels and invaders.
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Definition
Timeline
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c. 1027Birth of William the Conqueror in Falaise, Normandy.
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1035William the Conqueror is made Duke of Normandy following his father Robert's death.
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1047William, Duke of Normandy, defeats Norman rebels at Val-ès-Dunes near Caen.
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1051William, Duke of Normandy, visits Edward the Confessor who, according to Norman sources, promises William the crown of England.
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1053William, Duke of Normandy, defeats his own uncle, William of Arques, a rebel baron.
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1054William, Duke of Normandy, defeats a French army at Mortemer.
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1057Edgar Ætheling and his sisters Margaret and Cristina return from exile in Hungary to England.
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1057William, Duke of Normandy, defeats a French army led by Henry I at Varaville.
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Mar 1064Possible visit to Normandy by Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex. Norman writers would claim he was captured and held by William the Conqueror until he promised to be the Norman's vassal in England.
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6 Jan 1066Harold Godwinson is crowned Harold II, king of England, probably in Westminster Abbey.
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Aug 1066William, Duke of Normandy, prepares his invasion fleet to conquer England.
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25 Sep 1066Battle of Stamford Bridge in which Harold Godwinson (Harold II) defeats an invading army led by Harald Hardrada, king of Norway.
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28 Sep 1066William the Conqueror's invading army lands at Pevensey in Sussex, southern England.
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Oct 1066The Normans introduce motte and bailey castles to Britain.
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Oct 1066 - 20 Dec 1066William the Conqueror marches on London, capturing Romney, Dover, Canterbury and Winchester on his circuitous route.
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14 Oct 1066The Battle of Hastings in which William, Duke of Normandy, defeats King Harold II of England.
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25 Dec 1066William the Conqueror is crowned William I, king of England, in Westminster Abbey.
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1067 - 1079The Bayeux Tapestry depicting the Norman Conquest of Anglo-Saxon Britain is made.
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1068Edgar Ætheling and his sisters Margaret and Cristina flee to Scotland.
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Jan 1068Exeter and its Anglo-Saxon rebels surrender to William the Conqueror after an 18-day siege.
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11 May 1068Mathilda, wife of William the Conqueror, is crowned Queen of England in Westminster Abbey.
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Jan 1069Northumbrian Anglo-Saxon rebels sack Durham and York.
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21 Sep 1069A Viking force led by King Sweyn II of Denmark's brother Asbjorn sacks York.
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Nov 1069 - Mar 1070William the Conqueror's 'harrying of the north'.
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c. 1070William the Conqueror builds a motte and bailey castle at Windsor.
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May 1070King Sweyn II of Denmark joins forces with Anglo-Saxon rebels led by Hereward the Wake to threaten East Anglia in England.
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Jun 1070Peterborough Abbey is attacked and looted by Anglo-Saxon rebels led by Hereward the Wake.
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Jun 1071William the Conqueror defeats the last Anglo-Saxon Rebellion at Ely Abbey in East Anglia.
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1072William the Conqueror launches a land and sea attack on Scotland. Malcolm III of Scotland sues for peace.
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1073William the Conqueror successfully defends Norman lands against Fulk, Count of Anjou.
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1075The future William II of England campaigns with success in Wales, subduing the Welsh king Caradog ap Gruffudd.
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1078William the Conqueror is defeated in battle by his rebel son Robert Curthose during the siege of Gerberoi.
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1086 - 1087The Domesday Book is compiled in Norman Britain by William the Conqueror.
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9 Sep 1087Death of William the Conqueror.
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26 Sep 1087William II of England is crowned in Westminster Abbey.
