William's government blended elements of the English and Norman systems into a new one that laid the foundations of the later medieval English kingdom. [64] William appointed a Norman to the bishopric of Le Mans in 1065. This tomb was again destroyed during the French Revolution but was eventually replaced with the current ledger stone. It is unclear whether William would have been supplanted in the ducal succession if Robert had had a legitimate son. His reign in England was marked by the construction of castles, settling a new Norman nobility on the land, and change in the composition of the English clergy. His daughter, Arlotta, is said to have been the mother of William the Conqueror. He took part in church councils and made several appointments to the Norman episcopate, including the appointment of Maurilius as Archbishop of Rouen. [48] The birth order of the sons is clear, but no source gives the relative order of birth of the daughters. [101] Norman clergy were appointed to replace the deposed bishops and abbots, and at the end of the process, only two native English bishops remained in office, along with several continental prelates appointed by Edward the Confessor. W. Gray. London, S.E., 1892, states that John Gray of that place had the following Edgar the theling also appears to have been given lands. [37], In February 1054 the king and the Norman rebels launched a double invasion of the duchy. William I | Biography, Reign, Achievements, Facts, & Death William responded swiftly, ignoring a continental revolt in Maine, and symbolically wore his crown in the ruins of York on Christmas Day 1069. 10 Things You May Not Know About William the Conqueror - History France in the 9th century with his Norwegian followers and established [4] In an effort to improve matters, King thelred the Unready took Emma, sister of Richard II, Duke of Normandy, as his second wife in 1002. Earl Edwin was betrayed by his own men and killed, while William built a causeway to subdue the Isle of Ely, where Hereward the Wake and Morcar were hiding. died January 1, 1515. [41], One factor in William's favour was his marriage to Matilda of Flanders, the daughter of Count Baldwin V of Flanders. Although Orderic Vitalis describes it as starting with a quarrel between Robert and his two younger brothers, William and Henry, including a story that the quarrel was started when William and Henry threw water at Robert, it is much more likely that Robert was feeling powerless. During his childhood and adolescence, members of the Norman aristocracy battled each other, both for control of the child duke, and for their own ends. William was the son of the Norman Duke Robert the Magnificent and the unnamed daughter of a tanner. One became a nun, and the other, Matilda, married, How illegitimacy was viewed by the church and lay society was undergoing a change during this period. Members VCG Wilson/Corbis via Getty Images. no trace to follow. The youngest son, Henry, received money. He was not known as a patron of authors, and there is little evidence that he sponsored scholarships or other intellectual activities. [96] Once in Normandy the new English king went to Rouen and the Abbey of Fecamp,[94] and then attended the consecration of new churches at two Norman monasteries. of Hastings, and was recorded in the Domesday Book (a record complied by Arguing that Edward had previously promised the throne to him and that Harold had sworn to support his claim, William built a large fleet and invaded England in September 1066. Lady Jane Grey (r. 10-19 July 1553) The accession of Lady Jane Grey as Queen was engineered by the powerful Duke of Northumberland, President of the King's Council, in the interests of promoting his own dynastic line. de Gray, who was in high favor with King Richard I and King John. [94] Waltheof was married to William's niece Judith, daughter of his half-sister Adelaide,[95] and a marriage between Edwin and one of William's daughters was proposed. He left his half-brother Odo, the Bishop of Bayeux, in charge of England along with another influential supporter, William fitzOsbern, the son of his former guardian. England was divided into shires or counties, which were further divided into either hundreds or wapentakes. This would have been considered tampering with the king's authority over his vassals, which William would not have tolerated. The administrative machinery of Normandy, England, and Maine continued to exist separate from the other lands, with each one retaining its own forms. [14] After his accession, Robert continued Norman support for the English princes Edward and Alfred, who were still in exile in northern France. Regarding the Grays of Scotland being of the same family, Nesbits says, [54] The duke travelled constantly around the duchy, confirming charters and collecting revenues. Gray Family History - Brigham Young University It was an annual tax based on the value of landholdings, and it could be collected at differing rates. [13] Conditions in Normandy were unsettled, as noble families despoiled the Church and Alan III of Brittany waged war against the duchy, possibly in an attempt to take control. Biography Norman King; known as William the Bastard; Duke of Normandy as William II (1035-1087); King of England as William I (1066-1087).