William the Conqueror Timeline

William captured Le Mans and took control of the County of Maine, expanding Norman influence south of Normandy. Though the Manceaux later rebelled, Maine remained central to William's continental ambitions.

Image source: List of counties in Maine

In response to rebellion in northern England and Danish support for Anglo-Saxon resistance, William's forces systematically devastated Yorkshire and beyond, destroying crops, livestock, and villages. The resulting famine killed tens of thousands.

Image source: Harrying of the North

William launched a massive castle-building program across England, most famously beginning the White Tower at London around 1078. These fortifications anchored Norman control over the conquered territory.

Image source: White Tower (Tower of London)

William appointed his trusted advisor Lanfranc as Archbishop of Canterbury, replacing Stigand. Lanfranc reorganized the English Church, replacing English bishops and abbots with Normans and aligning it with continental reform.

Image source: Lanfranc

A conspiracy involving Ralph de Gael, Roger de Breteuil, and Waltheof sought to overthrow William's regime. The revolt was crushed, and its suppression marked the last serious attempt by native and Norman magnates to reverse the conquest.

Image source: Revolt of the Earls

William held a church council at Lillebonne in Normandy, approving ecclesiastical reforms that tightened ties between the duchy's church and ducal authority, mirroring his policies in England.

Image source: Lillebonne

William arrested his half-brother Odo, Earl of Kent and Bishop of Bayeux, who had planned to campaign in Italy using English resources. Odo remained imprisoned until William's death, demonstrating William's insistence on royal supremacy.

Image source: Odo of Bayeux

William commissioned a comprehensive survey of landholdings, resources, and values across most of England. Completed with astonishing speed, the 'Great Survey' enabled efficient taxation and remains a unique record of medieval England.

Image source: Domesday Book

William summoned all major landholders to Salisbury, where they swore direct allegiance to him above all other lords, reinforcing the principle that sub-tenants owed loyalty first to the king.

Image source: Old Sarum

William obtained the support of Pope Alexander II for his invasion, receiving a papal banner and the framing of the campaign as a holy mission against the perjured Harold. This helped him recruit nobles from across northern France.

King Edward the Confessor of England died childless, allegedly having promised the throne to William years earlier. Instead, the Witenagemot chose Harold Godwinson as king, giving William a pretext for invasion.

Image source: Edward the Confessor

Harold Godwinson was crowned king at Westminster Abbey the day after Edward's death. William viewed this as both an act of usurpation and perjury, since Harold had supposedly sworn an oath supporting William's claim in 1064.

Image source: Harold Godwinson

William gathered a fleet of hundreds of ships and thousands of men at Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, waiting weeks for favorable winds while Harold guarded the southern English coast.

Harold defeated a Norwegian invasion led by King Harald Hardrada and Harold's own brother Tostig at Stamford Bridge in Yorkshire. Both invaders were killed, but the forced march north left Harold's army weakened before facing William.

Image source: Battle of Stamford Bridge

William's fleet landed unopposed at Pevensey on the Sussex coast. His army built a wooden castle at Hastings and raided the surrounding countryside to draw Harold into battle.

William's Norman army defeated and killed King Harold at Senlac Hill near Hastings after a daylong battle featuring archers, cavalry, and feigned retreats. Harold's death shattered Anglo-Saxon leadership and opened the path to London.

Image source: Battle of Hastings

After burning Southwark and circling London, William crossed the Thames and received the submission of Edgar Ætheling and London's leaders, who elected him king. He was crowned on Christmas Day at Westminster Abbey.

William was crowned King of England on Christmas Day 1066. Shouting by Norman guards outside the abbey, mistaken by Londoners for a riot, sparked fires and violence in the city during the ceremony.

Image source: Coronations of William the Conqueror and Matilda

During a punitive raid against Philip I of France's territories, William's troops sacked and burned Mantes. According to tradition, William suffered a fatal internal injury when his horse stumbled or he was thrown against his saddle pommel amid the burning ruins.

Image source: Mantes-la-Jolie

Per William's wishes, his eldest surviving son Robert Curthose inherited the Duchy of Normandy, while his son William Rufus took the throne of England. The youngest, Henry, received money and later seized the English crown in 1100.

Image source: William II of England

William died at the priory of Saint-Gervais near Rouen from complications of his injury. His body was so bloated that, according to accounts, it burst during burial preparations at his funeral in Caen.