William: King and Conqueror

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

1066 is the most famous date in English history. On 14 October, on Senlac Hill near Hastings, a battle was fought that would change the face of England forever. Over the next twenty years, Norman culture was imposed on England, and English politics and society were radically reshaped. But how much is really known about William 'the Conqueror', the Norman duke who led his men to victory on that autumn Saturday in what was to be the last successful invasion of England Mark Hagger here takes a fresh look at William - his life and leadership. As king, he spent much of his reign threatened by rebellion and invasion. In response, he ordered castles and strongholds to be built across the land - a symbol of the force with which he defended his realm and which, along with Domesday Book, England's first public record, attest to a powerful legacy. This book provides a rounded portrait of one of England's greatest rulers.

Reviews

'Mark Hagger tells the story of William the Conqueror accurately and concisely in an attractive style and a highly accessible format.' Ann Williams, author of The World Before Domesday. 'This is the first new biography of William the Conqueror for more than two decades, and has accordingly been able to take account of new research which has thrown light on such matters as William's rule in western Normandy, his travels between England and Normandy, and the making of Domesday Book. Mark Hagger has kept the Conqueror himself very much as the focus of the narrative and there is an independence of judgment that sees the author cutting a clear path through the jungle of scholarship that surrounds the Conqueror and the year 1066. It will certainly prompt lively discussion.' Judith Green, author of The Aristocracy of Norman England

Author Bio

Mark Hagger is Lecturer in Medieval History at Bangor University. He is the author of The Fortunes of a Norman Family: the de Verduns in England, Ireland and Wales 1066-1316 and has also published a number of articles on Norman aristocracy, law and government.