Gunnora Harldsdottir Duchess Normandy De Crepon

Gunnora married Richard I Fearless Normandy in 962 in Fecamp, Normandie, France. Richard (son of 2nd Duke William I de Normandy and Sprota deBreton) was born on 28 Aug 933 in Fecamp, Normandie, France; died on 20 Nov 996 in Fecamp, Normandie, France; was buried in Fecamp, Normandie, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Richard II (died 28 August 1026), called the Good (French: Le Bon), was the eldest son and heir of Richard I the Fearless and Gunnor. He was a Norman nobleman of the House of Normandy. He was the paternal grandfather of William the Conqueror. Richard succeeded his father as Duke of Normandy in 996. During his minority, the first five years of his reign (suggesting he was born between 980 and 990), his regent was Count Rodulf of Ivry, his uncle, who wielded the power and put down a peasant insurrection at the beginning of Richard's reign.

Richard had deep religious interests and found he had much in common with Robert II of France, who he helped militarily against the duchy of Burgundy. He forged a marriage alliance with Brittany by marrying his sister Hawise to Geoffrey I, Duke of Brittany and by his own marriage to Geoffrey's sister, Judith of Brittany.

In 1000–1001, Richard repelled an English attack on the Cotentin Peninsula that was led by Ethelred II of England. Ethelred had given orders that Richard be captured, bound and brought to England. But the English had not been prepared for the rapid response of the Norman cavalry and were defeated at the Battle of Val-de-Saire.

Richard attempted to improve relations with England through his sister Emma of Normandy's marriage to King Ethelred. This marriage was significant in that it later gave his grandson, William the Conqueror, the basis of his claim to the throne of England. The improved relations proved to be beneficial to Ethelred when in 1013 Sweyn Forkbeard invaded England. Emma with her two sons Edward and Alfred fled to Normandy followed shortly thereafter by her husband king Ethelred. Soon after the death of Ethelred, Cnut, King of England forced Emma to marry him while Richard was forced to recognize the new regime as his sister was again Queen. Richard had contacts with Scandinavian Vikings throughout his reign. He employed Viking mercenaries and concluded a treaty with Sweyn Forkbeard who was en route to England.

Richard II commissioned his clerk and confessor, Dudo of Saint-Quentin, to portray his ducal ancestors as morally upright Christian leaders who built Normandy despite the treachery of their overlords and neighboring principalities. It was clearly a work of propaganda designed to legitimize the Norman settlement, and while it contains numerous historically unreliable legends, as respects the reigns of his father and grandfather, Richard I and William I it is basically reliable.

In 1025 and 1026 Richard confirmed gifts of his great-grandfather Rollo to Saint-Ouen at Rouen. His other numerous grants to monastic houses tends to indicate the areas over which Richard had ducal control, namely Caen, the Éverecin, the Cotentin, the Pays de Caux and Rouen.

Richard II died 28 Aug 1026. his eldest son, Richard becoming the new duke.

He married first, around 1000, Judith (982–1017), daughter of Conan I of Brittany, with whom he had the following children:

Richard (c. 997/1001), duke of Normandy[1]
Robert (1000), duke of Normandy[1]
Alice of Normandy (c. 1003/5), married Renaud I, Count of Burgundy[1]
William (c. 1007/9), monk at Fécamp, d. 1025, buried at Fécamp Abbey[1][15]
Eleanor (c. 1011/3), married to Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders
Matilda (c. 1013/5), nun at Fecamp, d. 1033. She died young and unmarried.[16]
Second he married Poppa of Envermeu, and they had the following children:

Mauger (c. 1019), Archbishop of Rouen
William (c. 1020/5), count of Arques

Richard married Judith De Bretagne about 1000 in , Normandy, France. Judith was born in 982 in , , Bretagne, France; died on 16 Jun 1017 in , Normandy, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Richard married Pope (Papie) Duchess Of Normandy about 1024 in , Normandy, France. Pope was born about 997 in , Normandy, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Archbishop married Havlive De Rouen on Yes, date unknown. Havlive was born about 968 in , Normandy, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Havoise married Geoffrey I de Bretagne, S1015 in 996 in , Normandy, France . Geoffrey (son of Conan I de Bretagne and Ermangarde de Anjou) was born in 980 in Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France; died on 20 Nov 1008 in Nantes, Loire-Atlantique, Pays de la Loire, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Emma married Ethelred II King of England in 1002 in , Normandy, France. Ethelred was born about 968 in Wessex, England; died on 23 Apr 1016 in London, London, England; was buried in Saint Pauls Cathedral, London, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: Mrs. Richard-Iii, Concubine Of Normandie. Mrs. was born about 1000 in , Normandy, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Robert the Magnificent (French: le Magnifique;[a] 22 June 1000 – 1–3 July 1035), was the Duke of Normandy from 1027 until his death in 1035.

Owing to uncertainty over the numbering of the Dukes of Normandy he is usually called Robert I, but sometimes Robert II with his ancestor Rollo as Robert I. He was the son of Richard II and brother of Richard III, who preceded him as the Duke. Less than a year after his father's death, Robert revolted against his brother's rule, but failed. He would later inherit Normandy after his brother's death. He was succeeded by his illegitimate son, William the Conqueror who became the first Norman king of England in 1066, following the Norman conquest of England.

Robert was the son of Richard II of Normandy and Judith, daughter of Conan I, Duke of Brittany. He was also grandson of Richard I of Normandy, great-grandson of William I of Normandy and great-great grandson of Rollo, the Viking who founded Normandy. Before he died, Richard II had decided his elder son Richard III would succeed him while his second son Robert would become Count of Hiémois. In August 1026 their father, Richard II, died and Richard III became duke, but soon afterwards Robert rebelled against his brother, was subsequently defeated and forced to swear fealty to his older brother Richard.

When Richard III died a year later, there were suspicions that Robert had something to do with his death. Although nothing could be proved, Robert had the most to gain. The civil war Robert I had brought against his brother Richard III was still causing instability in the duchy. Private wars raged between neighbouring barons. This resulted in a new aristocracy arising in Normandy during Robert’s reign. It was also during this time that many of the lesser nobility left Normandy to seek their fortunes in southern Italy and elsewhere. Soon after assuming the dukedom, possibly in revenge for supporting his brother against him, Robert I assembled an army against his uncle, Robert, Archbishop of Rouen and Count of Évreux. A temporary truce allowed his uncle to leave Normandy in exile but this resulted in an edict excommunicating all of Normandy, which was only lifted when Archbishop Robert was allowed to return and his countship was restored. Robert also attacked another powerful churchman, his cousin Hugo III d'Ivry, Bishop of Bayeux, banishing him from Normandy for an extended period of time. Robert also seized a number of church properties belonging to the Abbey of Fecamp.

Despite his domestic troubles Robert decided to intervene in the civil war in Flanders between Baldwin V, Count of Flanders and his father Baldwin IV whom the younger Baldwin had driven out of Flanders. Baldwin V, supported by king Robert II of France, his father-in-law, was persuaded to make peace with his father in 1030 when Duke Robert promised the elder Baldwin his considerable military support. Robert gave shelter to Henry I of France against his mother, Queen Constance, who favored her younger son Robert to succeed to the French throne after his father Robert II. For his help Henry I rewarded Robert with the French Vexin. In the early 1030s Alan III, Duke of Brittany began expanding his influence from the area of Rennes and appeared to have designs on the area surrounding Mont Saint-Michel. After sacking Dol and repelling Alan's attempts to raid Avranches, Robert mounted a major campaign against his cousin Alan III. However, Alan appealed to their uncle, Archbishop Robert of Rouen, who then brokered a peace between Duke Robert and his vassal Alan III. His cousins, the Athelings Edward and Alfred, sons of his aunt Emma of Normandy and Athelred, King of England had been living at the Norman Court and at one point Robert, on their behalf, attempted to mount an invasion of England but was prevented in doing so, it was said, by unfavorable winds, that scattered and sank much of the fleet. Robert made a safe landing in Guernsey. Gesta Normannorum Ducum stated that King Cnut sent envoys to Duke Robert offering to settle half the Kingdom of England on Edward and Alfred. After postponing the naval invasion he chose to also postpone the decision until after he returned from Jerusalem.

Robert's attitude towards the Church had changed noticeably certainly since reinstating his uncle's position as Archbishop of Rouen. In his attempt to reconcile his differences with the Church he restored property that he or his vassals had confiscated, and by 1034 had returned all the properties he had earlier taken from the abbey of Fecamp.

After making his illegitimate son William his heir, he set out on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. According to the Gesta Normannorum Ducum he travelled by way of Constantinople, reached Jerusalem, fell seriously ill and died on the return journey at Nicaea on 2 July 1035. His son William, aged about eight, succeeded him.

According to the historian William of Malmesbury, decades later his son William sent a mission to Constantinople and Nicaea, charging it with bringing his father's body back to Normandy for burial. Permission was granted, but, having travelled as far as Apulia (Italy) on the return journey, the envoys learned that William himself had meanwhile died. They then decided to re-inter Robert's body in Italy.

By his mistress, Herleva of Falaise, he was father of:
William the Conqueror (c. 1028–1087).

By Herleva or possibly another concubine, he was the father of:
Adelaide of Normandy, who married firstly, Enguerrand II, Count of Ponthieu. She married secondly, Lambert II, Count of Lens, and thirdly, Odo II of Champagne.

Robert married Harlette De Falaise about 1023. Harlette was born about 1003 in Falaise, Calvados, Normandy, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Adelais married Renaud I Count Palatine Of Burgundy in 1023 in , , , France. Renaud (son of Otto Guillaume Count Of Burgundy and Ermentrude (Irmtrude) Countess Of Rheims) was born about 986 in Burgundy, Marne, Aisne, Hauts-de-France, France; died on 4 Sep 1057 in , , , France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Guillaume married Daughter De Ponthieu on Yes, date unknown. Daughter was born about 1029 in Ponthieu, Picardie, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Richard, married Adaele Mrs De Toni, Countess Of Evreux before 1030. Adaele was born about 1004 in , Normandy, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Odo of Rennes (Medieval Breton: Eudon Pentevr, Modern Breton: Eozen Penteur, Latin: Eudo, French: Eudes/Éon de Penthièvre) [a] (999–1079), Count of Penthièvre, was the youngest of the three sons of Duke Geoffrey I of Brittany and Hawise of Normandy, daughter of Richard I of Normandy. Eozen married Agnes of Cornouaille (Orguen Kernev), the daughter of Alan Canhiart, Count of Cornouaille and sister of Hoel II, Duke of Brittany who was married in 1066 to Eozen's niece Hawise, Duchess of Brittany.

Role in Governance of Brittany
When Eozen's father Duke[b] Geoffrey I died on 20 November 1008, both Eozen and his older brother Alan were minors.

Duke Geoffrey had initiated a dynastic double marriage with Richard II, Duke of Normandy by marrying Hawise of Normandy, one of Richard's sisters, in 996; this was followed by the marriage of Geoffrey's sister Judith of Brittany to Richard around the year 1000. Alan and Eozen were thus double-first cousins of Duke Richard II's children, including Richard III, Duke of Normandy and Robert I, Duke of Normandy (William the Conqueror's father), nephews of Emma of Normandy, and first cousins of Emma's children Edward the Confessor, Harthacnut, Goda of England, Gunhilda of Denmark and Alfred Aetheling.

At Geoffrey's death, Alan became de jure Duke, as Alan III, Duke of Brittany,[c] Hawise took on the role of Regent, and Richard asserted the role of Guardian of Brittany, an arrangement reciprocated on the death of Robert I, Duke of Normandy in 1035.

Also in 1035, after a dispute between Eozen and Duke Alan III, their uncle Judicaël Bishop of Vannes arbitrated, and Alan III gave Eozen the bishoprics of Saint-Brieuc, Saint-Malo, Tréguier and Dol-de-Bretagne, as well as the counties and baronies of Penthièvre, Goëlo, Avaugour and Lamballe. Eozen placed his capital at Lamballe, where he began issuing coins in his own name.

Following the death of his brother Duke Alan III in 1040, Eozen ruled as regent of Brittany in the name of his nephew Conan II, holding Conan in custody. Conan was freed by his supporters in 1047. Eozen's regency should have ended when Conan reached his majority (circa 1054), but Eozen refused to relinquish control of the Duchy.

In 1054 Geoffrey, Viscount of Mayenne in Maine, affronted by William of Normandy's new fortifications at Ambrieres, "appealed to Geoffrey, Count of Anjou" who "called to his assistance Guy-William of Aquitaine and Count Eudo of Brittany"[1]

In a charter dated to 1056/1060, Eozen ("Eudo") granted land "in pago Belvacensi" (Beauvais, Picardy) to the Abbey of Angers Saint-Aubin (q.v. Albinus of Angers). Witnesses included his wife Orguen and their sons Gausfridus, Alanus Rufus, Willelmus, Rotbertus and Ricardus (Geoffrey, Alan Rufus, William, Robert and Richard).

By 1056 Conan gained the upper hand in Brittany, and in 1057 he captured his uncle Eozen and chained him in a prison cell. Eozen's eldest son Geoffrey Boterel continued to fight.

In 1062, peace was concluded between Conan and Geoffrey. Eozen, who was now free, continued the fight alone.

In histories favourable to the house of Penthièvre, Eozen is shown as effectively ruling Brittany between 1040 and 1062. In other histories his rule is shown as ending with his capture in 1057.

Conan was a legitimate contender for the title of Duke of Normandy, so he became a serious rival to Duke William.

In 1064, Eozen's liegeman Rivallon I of Dol invited Duke William to join him against Conan, thus initiating the Breton-Norman War of 1064-1065 in which Normandy, Anjou, Dol de Bretagne and the captive Harold Godwinson combined against Conan II, as depicted in three panels of the Bayeux Tapestry. Historians differ on whether William or Conan should be considered the victor in this conflict.

Involvement in the Preparations for the Norman Conquest of England
Eozen provided, trained and equipped 5000 Breton soldiers for William the Conqueror's army. Of these, 4000 were professionals, comprising light cavalry, heavy cavalry, archers, crossbowmen and axemen; he also trained 1000 levied (conscripted) spearmen. Eozen put these troops on 100 ships under the command of his sons Count Alan Rufus and Count Brian, and they sailed from Brittany to join the Norman forces gathering at Barfleur then on to William's staging point at Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, in readiness to cross the Channel.

Rebellion against Hoel II of Brittany
Despite his advanced years, Eozen was involved in the failed 1075/1076 rebellion against Hoel II, Duke of Brittany, by Geoffrey Grenonat of Rennes and Ralph de Gael (fresh from his 1075 rebellion against King William). Hoel II was supported by William the Conqueror, briefly placing Eozen and William on opposing sides once again, a situation that was soon resolved when, to William's disappointment, Hoel came to terms with the rebels.

Death
On 7 January 1079, at about 80 years of age, Eozen died in Cesson-Sévigné, an eastern suburb of Rennes. He was buried in Saint-Brieuc Cathedral.

In his memory, “Comes Alanus Rufus” (Count Alan Rufus), his second son, donated property to Swavesey Abbey in Cambridgeshire, for the soul of “patris sui Eudonis comitis” (his father Count Eozen), by an undated charter witnessed by “…Ribaldus et Bardulfus fratres comitis…” (Ribald and Bardulf, brothers of Count Alan).

Family
Thomas Forester’s 1854 translation of volume 2 of Orderic Vitalis’s The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy, book 5, chapter 9, section 43 and page 164, last paragraph, states concerning Eozen's sons:

“God also gave him seven sons, who became remarkable for the singular and changeable events of their lives. The studious might compose a long and pleasing history, from true accounts of their various fortunes.”

Eozen's children with Agnes include:

Adèle (born c. 1035, died after 1056/1057).[2]
Geoffrey Boterel I, count of Penthièvre (d. 24 August 1093).
Brian - Earl of Cornwall (d. after 1084) (possibly illegitimate).[d]
Alan Rufus (Latin; alternatively Alain Le Roux in French, or Alan Ar Rouz in Breton, called Count Alan in the Domesday Book, his name means "Red Deer" or "Hart") (d. between 1093 and 1098). He promoted trade at Boston, Lincolnshire, built St Mary's Abbey, York, Richmond Castle and the first castle at Middleham, and was effectively the first Earl of Richmond, though the majority of his manors were in East Anglia. Richmondshire in North Yorkshire is described in the Domesday Book as "Terra Alani Comitis" ("The Land of Count Alan") in "Eborakscire" (Yorkshire).[6] In the Rebellion of 1088, he was the first of the great magnates to support William II of England against Odo, Earl of Kent and his allies.
Alan the Black (alternatively Alain Niger, or Alan Ar Du in Breton, his name means "Black Deer") (d. between 1094 and 1098), inherited from Alan Rufus.[e]
Stephen, Count of Tréguier married Havise of Guingamp - succeeded Alan Rufus and Alan the Black as de facto Earl of Richmond. Stephen and Havise had a number of legitimate children and grandchildren, all of whom are ancestors of the current British Royal Family.
Robert, a priest in Yorkshire (d. after 1083).
Richard, a canon of Bayeux at the time when Thomas of Bayeux, Thomas's brother Samson and William de Saint-Calais were also canons there.
Guillaume or William, who came to Switzerland, entering the service of the Holy Roman Emperor; he was the suppressor of the revolt of Agaunum (today Saint-Maurice-en-Valais), and received a castle in his honour.
An unnamed daughter, who married Enisandus Musardus de Pleveno who was the Lord of Cheveley in Cambridgeshire (under Alan Rufus as tenant-in-chief) and first Constable of Richmond Castle and lord of some twenty manors in Richmondshire. Cheveley was recorded until 1457 as remaining under the overlordship of the Honour of Richmond.[7]
Sons of Eozen who were probably illegitimate include:

Ribald, who received the Lordship of Middleham from Alan Rufus.[f]
Bardolf, who moved to England where he held the lordship of Ravensworth and became the ancestor of the Fitzhugh family.
Bodin, Lord of Bedale and brother of Bardolf.
(Possibly) Derrien, Lord of La Roche-Derrien in Brittany.
At least two of Eozen's sons (Alan Rufus and Brian) were early participants in the Norman conquest of England.[8]

Eozen's descendants formed the junior branch of the Breton ducal family, which gained control of the duchy in 1156 under Conan IV of Brittany.

Notes
Odo in French is Eudes.
The title of Duke of Brittany had not yet been recognized by the King of France, although it was in use since Alan II, Duke of Brittany. Since Brittany was not in fact under the French Crown until the late 15th century, and not incorporated into the French State until the French Revolution, what the King of France thought is a moot point.
In some histories Eozen is shown co-Duke with his brother Alan, followed by a period where Alan ruled as Duke of Brittany alone. Eozen's position as co-Duke is unlikely and remains an historical uncertainty in search of documented proof. In any event Alan would go on to shed the control of Normandy circa 1026, and from this date it is clear there was no ruling role for Eozen until Alan died.
The detailed documented histories are lacking and limited. He is presumed to have been illegitimate, though his title of Count suggests that he was a legitimate son, as does the genealogy in Gale's edition of the Registry of the Honour of Richmond which gives his wife's name as Imogen. Brian participated in the conquest of England. The website of Charles Cawley reports that Brian (French: Brien; Latin: Briennius) defeated a second raid in the southwest of England, launched from Ireland by Harold's sons in 1069. Brian's forces then went north to counter the rebellion by Eadric the Wild, as William the Conqueror's army travelled west; the two armies joined and won the Battle of Stafford.[3] For a time, Brian held the Honour of Brittany, including 227 manors in Cornwall and a number in eastern England. However, he became an invalid and subsequently relinquished all his estates in south-west England (William then gave them to his own half-brother Robert, Count of Mortain), and retired to Brittany to be with his bride. He is recorded as a witness to two documents issued by Geoffrey I Boterel in 1084. He is believed to have died without offspring,[4] however Domesday Book[5] entries for the year 1086 refer to "Ralph son of Brian" (http://domesdaymap.co.uk/name/418750/ralph-son-of-brian/) as holding seven properties in Essex and Suffolk, some under the Bishop of London St Paul, the others under Ranulf (Ranulph) Peverel (see William Peverel); to "William son of Brian" (http://domesdaymap.co.uk/name/597200/william-son-of-brian/) as holding land under the Bishop of London St Paul at Great and Little Totham in the Hundred of Thurstable in Essex; to "Everard son of Brian" (http://domesdaymap.co.uk/name/196550/everard-son-of-brian/), whose name is the first listed for the Hundred of Cheveley, as holding land, under Aubrey de Vere I in Ashley and in Saxon [Street], either side of Cheveley; and to "Brian's wife" (http://domesdaymap.co.uk/name/118700/brians-wife/) as holding property under the Bishop of London St Paul in Stepney in the Hundred of Ossulstone in Middlesex. The timing of the lives of Alan Rufus and Stephen of Tréguier suggests that Brian did not hold Richmond. It is reported elsewhere that he was an Earl of Cornwall but resigned the title and returned to Brittany; Brian's lands in England were then granted by King William I to the latter's half-brother Robert, Count of Mortain. During the Anarchy, Alan the Black II claimed Cornwall on the basis of his uncle Brian having held it; a claim that was accepted by King Stephen.
Not to be confused with Alan the Black II, the son of Stephen, Count of Tréguier, who also would inherit the Earldom, after Stephen. There is little reliable written documentation of his life save for a record of his death - possibly in the same year as his brother Alan Rufus, as he is believed to have held the Earldom for a very brief period of time before it passed to Stephen.
Middleham later passed by marriage and consequent female descent to the House of Neville.

Eudes married Agnes Canhiart De Cornouaille in 1040 in , , Bretagne, France. Agnes was born in 1018 in Cornouaille, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France; died on 7 Jan 1078 in Cornouaille, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Goda married Dreux Count Of Vexin about 1025 in , , , England. Dreux was born about 1000 in Vexin, Île-de-France, France; died in 1035. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Alix married Ranulf Count De Bayeux, , , France. Ranulf was born about 1017 in Bayeux, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Born around 1028, William was the illegitimate son of Duke Robert I of Normandy, and Herleve (also known as Arlette), daughter of a tanner in Falaise. Known as 'William the Bastard' to his contemporaries, his illegitimacy shaped his career when he was young.

On his father's death in 1035, William was recognised by his family as the heir - an exception to the general rule that illegitimacy barred succession. His great uncle looked after the Duchy until 1037, and his overlord, King Henry I of France, knighted him at the age of 15. From 1047 onwards, William successfully dealt with rebellion inside Normandy involving his kinsmen and threats from neighbouring nobles, including attempted invasions by his former ally King Henry I of France in 1054 (the French forces were defeated at the Battle of Mortemer) and 1057. William's military successes and reputation helped him to negotiate his marriage to Mathilda, daughter of Count Baldwin V of Flanders. At the time of his invasion of England, William was a very experienced and ruthless military commander, ruler and administrator who had unified Normandy and inspired fear and respect outside his duchy.

William's claim to the English throne was based on his assertion that, in 1051, Edward the Confessor had promised him the throne (he was a distant cousin) and that Harold II - having sworn in 1064 to uphold William's right to succeed to that throne - was therefore a usurper. Furthermore, William had the support of Emperor Henry IV and papal approval. William took seven months to prepare his invasion force, using some 600 transport ships to carry around 7,000 men (including 2,000-3,000 cavalry) across the Channel.

On 28 September 1066, with a favourable wind, William landed unopposed at Pevensey and, within a few days, raised fortifications at Hastings. Having defeated an earlier invasion by the King of Norway at the Battle of Stamford Bridge near York in late September, Harold undertook a forced march south, covering 250 miles in some nine days to meet the new threat, gathering inexperienced reinforcements to replenish his exhausted veterans as he marched.

At the Battle of Senlac (near Hastings) on 14 October, Harold's weary and under-strength army faced William's cavalry (part of the forces brought across the Channel) supported by archers. Despite their exhaustion, Harold's troops were equal in number (they included the best infantry in Europe equipped with their terrible two-handled battle axes) and they had the battlefield advantage of being based on a ridge above the Norman positions. The first uphill assaults by the Normans failed and a rumour spread that William had been killed; William rode among the ranks raising his helmet to show he was still alive. The battle was close-fought: a chronicler described the Norman counter-attacks and the Saxon defence as 'one side attacking with all mobility, the other withstanding as though rooted to the soil'. Three of William's horses were killed under him. William skilfully co-ordinated his archers and cavalry, both of which the English forces lacked. During a Norman assault, Harold was killed - hit by an arrow and then mowed down by the sword of a mounted knight. Two of his brothers were also killed. The demoralised English forces fled. (In 1070, as penance, William had an abbey built on the site of the battle, with the high altar occupying the spot where Harold fell. The ruins of Battle Abbey, and the town of Battle, which grew up around it, remain.)

William was crowned on Christmas Day 1066 in Westminster Abbey. Three months later, he was confident enough to return to Normandy leaving two joint regents (one of whom was his half-brother Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, who was later to commission the Bayeux Tapestry) behind to administer the kingdom. However, it took William six years to consolidate his conquest, and even then he had to face constant plotting and fighting on both sides of the Channel.

In 1068, Harold's illegitimate sons raided the south-west coast of England (dealt with by William's local commanders), and there were uprisings in the Welsh Marches, Devon and Cornwall. William appointed earls who, in Wales and in all parts of the kingdom, undertook to guard the threatened frontiers and maintain internal security in return for land.

In 1069, the Danes, in alliance with Prince Edgar the Aetheling (Ethelred's great-grandson) and other English nobles, invaded the north and took York. Taking personal charge, and pausing only to deal with the rising at Stafford, William drove the Danes back to their ships on the Humber. In a harsh campaign lasting into 1070, William systematically devastated Mercia and Northumbria to deprive the Danes of their supplies and prevent recovery of English resistance. Churches and monasteries were burnt, and agricultural land was laid to waste, creating a famine for the unarmed and mostly peasant population which lasted at least nine years. Although the Danes were bribed to leave the north, King Sweyn of Denmark and his ships threatened the east coast (in alliance with various English, including Hereward the Wake) until a treaty of peace was concluded in June 1070. Further north, where the boundary with Scotland was unclear, King Malcolm III was encroaching into England. Yet again, William moved swiftly and moved land and sea forces north to invade Scotland. The Treaty of Abernethy in 1072 marked a truce, which was reinforced by Malcolm's eldest son being accepted as a hostage.

William consolidated his conquest by starting a castle-building campaign in strategic areas. Originally these castles were wooden towers on earthen 'mottes' (mounds) with a bailey (defensive area) surrounded by earth ramparts, but many were later rebuilt in stone. By the end of William's reign over 80 castles had been built throughout his kingdom, as a permanent reminder of the new Norman feudal order.


William and his wife Matilda of Flanders had at least nine children. The birth order of the sons is clear, but no source gives the relative order of birth of the daughters.

Robert was born between 1051 and 1054, died 10 February 1134. Duke of Normandy, married Sybilla of Conversano, daughter of Geoffrey, Count of Conversano.
Richard was born before 1056, died around 1075.
William was born between 1056 and 1060, died 2 August 1100. King of England, killed in the New Forest.]
Henry was born in late 1068, died 1 December 1135. King of England, married Edith of Scotland, daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland. His second wife was Adeliza of Louvain.
Adeliza (or Adelida, Adelaide) died before 1113, reportedly betrothed to Harold Godwinson, probably a nun of Saint Léger at Préaux.
Cecilia (or Cecily) was born before 1066, died 1127, Abbess of Holy Trinity, Caen.
Matilda was born around 1061, died perhaps about 1086. Mentioned in Domesday Book as a daughter of William.
Constance died 1090, married Alan IV Fergent, Duke of Brittany.
Adela died 1137, married Stephen, Count of Blois.
(Possibly) Agatha, the betrothed of Alfonso VI of León and Castile.

There is no evidence of any illegitimate children born to William.

Christened:
During Norman conquest, as an adult.

William married Matilda Countess Of Flanders Queen Of England in 1050 in Castle Of, Angi, Normandy, France. Matilda (daughter of Baudouin V Count of Flanders and Adaele Capet) was born in 1031 in , Flanders, Belgium; died on 2 Nov 1083 in Caen, Calvados, Normandy, France; was buried in Eglise DE La Sainte Trinitbe, Caen, Normandie, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Adbelahide married Lambert De Boulogne about 1053 in , Normandy, France. Lambert was born about 1020 in , Boulogne, France; died in 1054 in Lille, Nord, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Guillaume married Stephanie (Etiennette) Of Barcelona before 1060. Stephanie was born about 1044 in , , , France; died after 1092. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Richard married Maude Fitzwalter about 1113 in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England. Maude was born about 1081 in Clifford Castle, Clifford, Herefordshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Agnaes married Simon I Of Montfort about 1058 in , Normandy, France. Simon was born about 1025 in Montfort-l'Amaury, Île-de-France, France; died in 1087; was buried in Epernon, Eure-et-Loir, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Died:
Near St. Edmund Church

Ribald married Beatrix DeTallebois in 1075 in Middleham, Yorkshire, England. Beatrix was born in 1054 in York, Yorkshire, England; died in 1112 in Middleham, Yorkshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Ralph married Gytha on Yes, date unknown. Gytha was born about 1028 in Herefordshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]