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William the Conqueror: A Captivating Guide to the First Norman King of England Who Defeated the English Army Led by the King of the Anglo-Saxons in the Battle of Hastings
If you want to discover the captivating life of William the Conqueror, then keep reading...
The tale of William the Conqueror is written down by numerous contemporaries with various perspectives. It's a tale that would inspire some while fascinate and even terrify others. It’s a tale of a man from a seemingly small land rising to rule one of the most powerful, stable kingdoms in all of Europe at the time, a kingdom that would sow the seeds of an empire that would sprout many centuries later.
William’s story is a fascinating yarn full of twists and turns, wins and losses, political intrigue, and good, old-fashioned raw bursts of emotion.
In some ways, William’s life is quite in line with the mores of his time; he would often be no different than any other medieval ruler, be they the Holy Roman emperor, the Angevine count, the Hungarian king, or the prince of Kievan Rus. But once you delve deeper into the events that occurred during the Norman king’s life, you’ll see just how innovative, atypical, and, for lack of a better term, different William was. From his birth at Falaise to his death at Rouen, he has been through everything that medieval Europe could throw at him, and, as is evident from hundreds of thousands of books on the subject, including this one, he stood the test of time and achieved proverbial immortality.
In William the A Captivating Guide to the First Norman King of England Who Defeated the English Army Led by the King of the Anglo-Saxons in the Battle of Hastings , you will discover topics such
So if you want to learn more about William the Conqueror, scroll up and click the "add to cart" button!
The tale of William the Conqueror is written down by numerous contemporaries with various perspectives. It's a tale that would inspire some while fascinate and even terrify others. It’s a tale of a man from a seemingly small land rising to rule one of the most powerful, stable kingdoms in all of Europe at the time, a kingdom that would sow the seeds of an empire that would sprout many centuries later.
William’s story is a fascinating yarn full of twists and turns, wins and losses, political intrigue, and good, old-fashioned raw bursts of emotion.
In some ways, William’s life is quite in line with the mores of his time; he would often be no different than any other medieval ruler, be they the Holy Roman emperor, the Angevine count, the Hungarian king, or the prince of Kievan Rus. But once you delve deeper into the events that occurred during the Norman king’s life, you’ll see just how innovative, atypical, and, for lack of a better term, different William was. From his birth at Falaise to his death at Rouen, he has been through everything that medieval Europe could throw at him, and, as is evident from hundreds of thousands of books on the subject, including this one, he stood the test of time and achieved proverbial immortality.
In William the A Captivating Guide to the First Norman King of England Who Defeated the English Army Led by the King of the Anglo-Saxons in the Battle of Hastings , you will discover topics such
So if you want to learn more about William the Conqueror, scroll up and click the "add to cart" button!
108 pages, Paperback
Published December 15, 2020
115 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 9, 2021
Very enjoyable. I am related to William, he is my 25th grandfather, amazing. So many of these names are my relations.
I truly enjoy the Captivating History, they are a easy read, as long as I don’t spend half my time looking up places mentioned in these books.
I truly enjoy the Captivating History, they are a easy read, as long as I don’t spend half my time looking up places mentioned in these books.
December 20, 2020
This book makes the point that in medieval times, bastardy didn't necessarily preclude a person from the throne. Captivating History uses a lot of ink to explain that bastardy was so common amongst royals that the Church and other royals did not consider it to be a problem. William was the first son of Duke Robert and his concubine. Although the couple eventually married other people, William was well-loved by his parents. It wasn't until long after William's reign that 'the Bastard' was added by later chroniclers.
This book tells the Norman Conquest through the lens of William's life and leadership. Before reaching his majority, William showed that he was an accomplished leader by reining in his foes, making reasoned judgments, gifting to churches, forgiving his enemies, and appointing good officials. William was a descendant of Rollo and was Duke of Normandy from 1035.
There's a spot-on explanation regarding the Normans. They spoke and lived as French but were actually descendants of Germanic-Scandinavian warriors. "So technically, the Norman invasion of England wasn't done by the French but by French-speaking Germans who, in all likelihood share some common ancestry with the Anglo-Saxons who were inhabiting England at the time." (p. 32) I believe this is an important distinction that most don't understand. This is the best explanation I've read so far.
Before William's Norman Conquest, he was busy defending lands because there were many princes and nobles with dreams of ruling. However, William had a secure control of Normandy by 1060, following his long struggle to stabilize his leadership.
One factor that came into play during this time was the inbreeding of the royals in Europe. Royalty was a very small club and they were all interrelated in some way -- and in some cases, they were related in complicated family relationships. Thus, when the English throne came up, there were many men with just cause to think they were eligible to claim the crown.
Please note: This book explains William rather more than the Norman Conquest. Captivating History has another very fine publication explaining the Norman Conquest of England in great detail. Rather, this explains William's leadership style (it was particularly gory; let's just say he didn't believe in taking prisoners) and explains the outcome of the Norman invasion of England.
The book goes on to explain some of the most important ways William changed England. I was surprised to learn that William killed thousands of his English subjects. He treated rebellion with a scorched-earth policy, destroying everything in his path. However, with his strong leadership, he combined the Anglo-Saxons with the Normans, which created a new identity of English. William holds the record as the last foreign power to invade Great Britain and maintain control of the entire country.
This book tells the Norman Conquest through the lens of William's life and leadership. Before reaching his majority, William showed that he was an accomplished leader by reining in his foes, making reasoned judgments, gifting to churches, forgiving his enemies, and appointing good officials. William was a descendant of Rollo and was Duke of Normandy from 1035.
There's a spot-on explanation regarding the Normans. They spoke and lived as French but were actually descendants of Germanic-Scandinavian warriors. "So technically, the Norman invasion of England wasn't done by the French but by French-speaking Germans who, in all likelihood share some common ancestry with the Anglo-Saxons who were inhabiting England at the time." (p. 32) I believe this is an important distinction that most don't understand. This is the best explanation I've read so far.
Before William's Norman Conquest, he was busy defending lands because there were many princes and nobles with dreams of ruling. However, William had a secure control of Normandy by 1060, following his long struggle to stabilize his leadership.
One factor that came into play during this time was the inbreeding of the royals in Europe. Royalty was a very small club and they were all interrelated in some way -- and in some cases, they were related in complicated family relationships. Thus, when the English throne came up, there were many men with just cause to think they were eligible to claim the crown.
Please note: This book explains William rather more than the Norman Conquest. Captivating History has another very fine publication explaining the Norman Conquest of England in great detail. Rather, this explains William's leadership style (it was particularly gory; let's just say he didn't believe in taking prisoners) and explains the outcome of the Norman invasion of England.
The book goes on to explain some of the most important ways William changed England. I was surprised to learn that William killed thousands of his English subjects. He treated rebellion with a scorched-earth policy, destroying everything in his path. However, with his strong leadership, he combined the Anglo-Saxons with the Normans, which created a new identity of English. William holds the record as the last foreign power to invade Great Britain and maintain control of the entire country.
February 4, 2021
A Great Tactician of War
This book is a concise, well researched account of William the Conqueror’s life. The author begins with William’s parents, explaining who they were and how his father, Duke Robert, had handled governing his
duchy in Normandy. Robert died while returning from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1035. William was only eight years old when his father died, but he was now the Duke of Normandy.
After having guardians assist in ruling during his minority William assumed control of the duchy of Normandy in his own right when he was fifteen. One of his first acts was to go to war to put down a rebellion by Thurston of Goz. Thurston was backed by King Henry I of France who sought control over Normandy. William defeated Thurston and began consolidating his control in Normandy.
William had a talent for tactics and for assessing conditions in an area which aided him greatly in his many battles. He also developed a strategy of spreading terror in an area which often led opposing forces to retreat or submit.
This book is a concise, well researched account of William the Conqueror’s life. The author begins with William’s parents, explaining who they were and how his father, Duke Robert, had handled governing his
duchy in Normandy. Robert died while returning from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1035. William was only eight years old when his father died, but he was now the Duke of Normandy.
After having guardians assist in ruling during his minority William assumed control of the duchy of Normandy in his own right when he was fifteen. One of his first acts was to go to war to put down a rebellion by Thurston of Goz. Thurston was backed by King Henry I of France who sought control over Normandy. William defeated Thurston and began consolidating his control in Normandy.
William had a talent for tactics and for assessing conditions in an area which aided him greatly in his many battles. He also developed a strategy of spreading terror in an area which often led opposing forces to retreat or submit.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews