William The Conquerer

     William The Conquerer was born circa 1027 at Falaise Castle, Normandy, France.¹ He was the son of Robert I of Normandy and Arlette. William The Conquerer married Matilda of Flanders, daughter of Baldwin V of Flanders and Adele (Alix) of France, in 1053 at Normandy, France; Cathedral of Notre Dame d'Eu. William The Conquerer was buried at St Stephen Abbey, Caen, Normandy; His tomb is marked by a marble slab of 1802 but, having been desecrated during the Wars of Religion and the French Revolution, all that remains inside the tomb is a single leg bone.² He died on 9 September 1087 at near Rouen, France.
     William The Conquerer was also known as William I. William The Conquerer was also known as William the Bastard In medieval times, the word bastard was not a derogatrory term. It simply indicated that the child's parents weren't married to each other, therefore the child would not inherit by "right'. If the father acknowledged him though, he could inherit, which is what happened in William's case.² William was knighted by the time he was 15 years old and by 20 was at war against his cousin Guy of Normandy to defend his title of Duke of Normandy.
There are tales that related that Matilda turned down William's advances, that she told his emissary she was too high-born (being a descendant of Alfred the Great) to marry a Bastard. It is said that he rode to Bruges, and dragged her off her horse. He was finally able to convince her , but the church oppsed the marriage as they were distant cousins. For a time, all of Normandy was excommunicated because William married her anyway. After the destruction of two abbeys, the excommunication was lifted.
By William's account, he visited his cousin Edward the Confessor, then King, and Edward named him his successor. William invaded England in 1066 with his Norman army in a successful Battle of Hastings.³