Marc Morris - William I : England’s Conqueror

Marc Morris

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WILLIAM I

Englands Conqueror

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First published 2016

Copyright Marc Morris, 2016

The moral right of the author has been asserted

Cover design by Pentagram

ISBN: 978-0-141-97785-0

To John Gillingham

THE HOUSES OF WESSEX AND DENMARK

THE HOUSES OF NORMANDY, BLOIS AND ANJOU

THE HOUSE OF PLANTAGENET

THE HOUSES OF LANCASTER AND YORK

THE HOUSE OF TUDOR

THE HOUSE OF STUART

THE HOUSE OF HANOVER

THE HOUSES OF SAXE-COBURG & GOTHA AND WINDSOR

The monks of Westminster had started the year by burying a king, and now they were ending it by enthroning a new one.

The dead king, Edward the Confessor, had been the monks dearest friend. During his long reign he had transformed the site of their abbey, a small island in the Thames to the west of London, into a seat of royal power, establishing a palace there for himself and rebuilding the ancient monastery, or minster, on a grand scale. The new church was a magnificent affair, the largest in Britain, and built in a strikingly novel Romanesque style. It had been only recently consecrated, and was still not quite finished, at the time of the old kings death on 5 January 1066. The following day the monks had reverentially laid him to rest in front of its high altar.

Now, almost twelve months later, they were preparing for the coronation of William, Duke of Normandy though Englishmen sometimes referred to him by a different name. William was Edwards second cousin and, according to some, his nominated successor. But the dukes claim to the throne had been bitterly contested. The Confessor had been replaced in the first instance by his brother-in-law, Harold Godwineson, the most powerful earl in England and a candidate with strong popular backing. The result had been the most famous succession dispute in English history. After months of anxious waiting and preparation, William had invaded that autumn and fought Harold at the Battle of Hastings, killing his rival and many thousands of others. A few weeks later the surviving English in London had submitted and begged him to take the crown.

And so, on Christmas Day 1066, the Duke of Normandy entered the pristine abbey church at Westminster for his coronation ceremony. He was nearly forty years old, and this was the climactic moment of his life the sacred ritual that would transform him from a duke into a king, and herald the beginning of what he hoped would be a long, glorious and peaceful reign. His English subjects, too, were hopeful that Williams rule would bring peace and security, for in recent months they had experienced little besides death and destruction. Before the crown was placed on his head, the new king swore to govern his kingdom according to the best customs of his predecessors.

But no sooner had this promise been made than the prospect of a better future was shattered. At some point during the proceedings, the audience was asked whether they would accept William as their new ruler, and responded with a shout of acclamation. This was customary behaviour for an English coronation, but the Norman soldiers who had been left outside to guard the church, hearing a clamour of foreign voices from within, assumed that treachery was afoot, and began setting fire to the