William the Conqueror was a member of the House of Normandy. He was the son of Duke Robert I of Normandy, born out of wedlock in 1028. He succeeded his father as Duke of Normandy at the age of 7 years. He is best known for his conquest of England in 1066 which he then ruled until his death in 1087.
Contents
William the Conqueror Family Tree Image
William the Conqueror Family Tree in Table Form
William the Conqueror Short Biography
William the Conqueror Family Tree Image showing:
grandparents, parents, sibling, half siblings, wife, children and grandchildren
William the Conqueror Family Tree in Table Form showing:
grandparents, parents, sibling, half siblings, wife, children and grandchildren
GRANDPARENTS
Paternal Grandfather – Richard II, Duke of Normandy – (970 – 1026)
Paternal Grandmother – Judith of Brittany – (982 – 1017)
Maternal Grandfather – Fulbert of Falaise – (dates not known)
Maternal Grandmother – Doda – (details not known)
PARENTS
Father – Robert I, Duke of Normandy – (1000 – 1035)
Mother – Herleva – (c.1005 – c.1050)
SIBLINGS
Adelaide – (c.1030 – c.1090)
HALF SIBLINGS
Robert, Count of Mountain – (c.1031 – c.1095)
Odo, Bishop of Bayeux – (d.1097)
MARRIED
Matilda of Flanders – (c.1031 – 1083)
CHILDREN
Robert Curthose – (c.1052 – 1134)
Richard of Normandy – (c.1054 – 1075)
Cecilia – (c1055 – 1126)
Adeliza – (c.1057 – c.1073)
Constance – (c.1058 – 1090)
William Rufus, King of England – (c.1060 – 1100)
Matilda – (1061 – c.1086)
Agatha – (c.1064 – c.1073)
Adela of Blois – (c.1067 – 1137)
Henry I, King of England – (1068 – 1135)
GRANDCHILDREN
by Robert Curthose and Sybilla of Conversano
William Clito – (1102 – 1128)
by Adela and Stephen, Count of Blois
William, Count of Sully – (c.1085 – 1150)
Theobald II of Champagne – (1090 – 1152)
Stephen, King of England – (c.1067 – 1154)
Henry, Bishop of Winchester – (1096 – 1171)
Eleanor of Champagne – (1102 -1147)
Lucia-Mahaut – (d. 1120)
Odo of Blois – (dates unknown)
Adela – (dates unknown)
Agnes – (dates unknown)
Alix – (dates unknown)
by King Henry I and Edith of Scotland
Matilda, Holy Roman Empress – (1102 – 1167)
William Adelin – (1103 – 1120)
William the Conqueror Short Biography
Early Life
King William I was born in 1027 or 1028 and died on 9th September 1087. He was the illegitimate son of Duke Robert I of Normandy by his mistress Herleva. William’s mother married Herluin de Conteville in 1031 and had two sons, Robert and Odo.
William became Duke of Normandy in 1035 after his father died in Nicea, returning from a pilgrimage. He had a turbulent childhood becoming the ward of a number of prominent men and a target for those who wanted to take the Duchy of Normandy from him.
In 1040, his protector, Osbern, was murdered while watching over the sleeping Duke. In 1046 William secured the backing of the King of France and managed to defeat his enemy Guy of Burgundy at the Battle of Val-es-Dunes.
Marriage and Family
The young Duke decided he wanted to marry Matilda of Flanders. She initially rejected his proposal but later changed her mind. The couple married in 1050 despite being forbidden to do so by the Pope on the grounds of being too closely related. The couple had ten children including Robert Duke of Normandy, King William II of England, King Henry I of England and Adela, mother of King Stephen.
English Throne
In 1051 William paid a visit to his kinsman, King Edward the Confessor of England. It is believed that he was hoping to secure Edward’s backing for his marriage. During this visit Edward may have suggested that William would succeed to the English throne if Edward remained childless.
In 1064, Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex was shipwrecked off the coast of Ponthieu and brought to William’s court. Some sources claim that Harold was kept under house arrest but it may have been that his ship was badly damaged and needed extensive repairs or he may have remained in Normandy to secure the release of his brother and nephew who had been taken as hostages 10 years earlier. William later claimed that before he left, Harold swore an oath to uphold William’s claim to the English throne.
1066
At the end of January 1066, William was dismayed to discover that King Edward the Confessor had died on 5th January and Harold Godwinson had been crowned King the next day. William began planning an invasion, amassing a huge fleet of ships. He also secured the backing of the Pope who sent a papal banner to be carried into battle.
William landed in England at Pevensey on 28th September 1066 and was surprised to meet no resistance. He soon learned that Harold was in the north dealing with an invasion by Harald Hardrada. He made his camp in Hastings and waited for the Saxons to return south. The two sides met in battle on 14th October and Harold was killed in the fighting. However, the Saxons did not submit to Wiliam and it took him until December to subdue the south and receive the submission of the Witan.
King William I
William was crowned King William I of England on 25th December 1066 at Westminster Abbey. For the first five years of his reign he faced repeated uprisings against his rule by the Anglo-Saxons. They were all ruthlessly suppressed. William also faced repeated rebellions and conflicts in Normandy and was frequently recalled to Normandy. Following the Norman Conquest he gained the nickname William the Conqueror.
In 1078 William ordered construction of a fortified tower in London. Made of white stone it became known as the White Tower and now forms the inner part of the Tower of London.
In 1085 King William I ordered commissioners to visit every town in England and make a detailed inventory of the holdings of everyone in the land. It took a year to complete and the findings were published in the Domesday Book.
William had to return to Normandy at the end of 1086 to deal with another dispute. In July 1087 he was injured during a raid and died from his injuries two months later. His son, Robert succeeded as Duke of Normandy while his son William succeeded as King William II of England.
Published 2020 – Updated – [last-modified]
Harvard Reference for William the Conqueror Family Tree:
Heather Y Wheeler. (2020 – 2024). King William the Conqueror Family Tree & Biography (1028-1087) . Available: https://www.treesofblue.com/king-william-i-conqueror-1028-1087. Last accessed October 5th, 2024