The Bastard King essays

The Bastard King essays William the Conqueror was born in 1027. His father, the previous Duke of Normandy, was known as Robert the Devil, and William himself as William the Bastard. Duke Robert had enamored himself of a girl named Herleve, who was the daughter of a tanner in the town of Falaise. Not long after William was born, Robert decided to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and before he went on the dangerous journey it was necessary to decide the succession to the Dukedom. He called a meeting of his feudal vassals and presented William as his heir. It is said the assembly did not like the choice but could not agree on any other; it reluctantly paid homage to the child. Robert set off on his journey and died on the way. At the age of seven William became the Duke of Few people have had such a dangerous childhood, lacking in the safety and continuity that children need. Almost at once Normandy fell to pieces. Every minor Baron set himself up as an independent sovereign and made war on his neighbors. For his own safety, his mothers family moved William from place to place. He began to grow up learning the politics of war and proved to be an apt student. By the age of sixteen he was knighted, and by the time he was eighteen the barons sensed a danger that he would soon be capable of pressing his claim to the Duchy. Many of them combined William, as the Duke of Normandy, was a vassal of the King of France, and during this crisis he asked for aid. The King came into Normandy with a French army, and in 1047 he and William met the rebels near the city of Caen. The interesting thing about this battle is that although infantry troops were present, it was fought entirely by mounted knights. With the help of the King, William won and at the age of nineteen, all the barons of Normandy swore allegiance to him. For the next decade, William would fight to preserve the power h...