Day 8 (Saturday): To Bayeux in Normandy
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- The Conquest
- William as Ruler
- The Love Story
A Little HistoryWilliam the Conqueror was born October 14, 1024 in Falaise, Normandy, France, the illegitimate son of Robert II "The Magnificent," 6th Duke of Normandy, and his mistress, Arletta of Falaise, a tanner’s daughter. Thus William’s initial nickname, “William the Bastard.” William grew up to be a handsome and athletic man, robust and burly in appearance, with a guttural voice, and tall stature for the time—approximately 5’10”. He was a formidable warrior. When he was 25 and still a Duke, William married his distant cousin, Mathilde. He built Caen Castle while he was 36, and set out to conquer England and become its king when he was 42. His reign as King lasted 21 years (1066–1087). He enjoyed excellent health and stamina into “old age,” and died from a fatal fall from a horse at the age of 63, four years after his beloved wife, Mathilde. The ConquestAs you saw in the Bayeux Tapestries, William was named next king of England by the dying King Edward. But Harold usurped the throne, declaring himself king instead. William gathered together an army, built a fleet of ships, crossed the English channel, and advanced on Harold and his troops. Harold was killed in the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and William reclaimed the crown. Pope Alexander II himself sanctioned William’s invasion and kingship. When gathering together the forces he needed to invade England, William promised to grant them the lands he confiscated from defeated Saxon nobles in exchange for their pledges of service and loyalty. This arrangement set the new precedent of a Continental system of feudalism, where loyalty to the king overrode fealty to an immediate lord. William as RulerKing William was reputed to be an efficient but harsh ruler, fierce in protecting his domain. Although he was known as a conqueror, he also imposed the “Truce of God” to restrict warfare and violence to a maximum of 80 days total per year, and never on holy days or feast days. He prescribed “permanent peace” for churches and their grounds, women and pilgrims, merchants and their servants, cattle and horses, and men at work in the fields. In 1085 William started the Domesday Book, sending men all over England and Wales to record landowner holdings in land and livestock, and determine their total worth. This assessment covered a total of 13,418 domains throughout the shire, and was used to ascertain what lands had been owned by the prior King Edward and what taxes had been paid to him. This comprehensive inventory was used to establish what land was now owned by King William, and what taxes were due him as the new king. The Domesday Book was the last such accounting of land ownership until a census was taken almost eight centuries later in 1873. These ancient volumes from 1085 have been preserved and protected throughout the ages, and are now housed in the British National Archives. The Love StoryIn 1053, when he was 25, William married his 22-year-old cousin, Matilda of Flanders. Matilda was the daughter of the Count of Flanders, one of the wealthiest and most powerful realms in Europe at that time. On her mother’s side, Matilde was the granddaughter of the King of France. Extremely well-educated, lovely and very petite (only four-foot-two), Matilda attracted the adamant attention of her cousin William, as well as many other suitors. As a much sought after potential bride, she considered herself to be too high born to consider marrying a “bastard,” although by this time William had succeeded his father as Duke of Normandy.  William adamantly pursued Matilda, declaring that he had fallen in love with her the first time he saw her at the French court. He was so passionately enamored of her that he declared he would do anything necessary to claim her, even if it required using force.
When Matilda refused William’s offer of marriage, and publicly denounced him as a bastard, William accosted her on her way home from church and dragged her from her carriage by her hair. This outraged Matilda’s father, the Count of Flanders, who began making preparations to attack William’s dominions. But then, to the astonishment of all, Matilda intervened on William’s behalf, announcing that she would marry no other than him. “He must be a man of great courage and high daring who would venture to come and beat me in my own father's palace." This marriage between cousins displeased the Pope, who excommunicated them both. William appealed, and the Pope relented on the condition that the couple build two abbeys, one for monks and one for nuns. You saw these abbeys today during your ride on the Petit Train. Despite the discord and drama of their so-called courtship, William and Matilda went on to enjoy a successful and happy marriage. The pair were devoted to each other, faithful and affectionate, and went on to have 10 children, four sons and six daughters, including two future kings, William II and Henri I. William was proud of his wife, taking her with him on royal tours to show her off to his subjects. And, unprecedented for the period, William remained staunchly faithful to her.
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