William the Conqueror

by Unknown

• ISBN13: 9780752429601
• ISBN10: 0752429604
• eBook ISBN(s): 9780750956499
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2004-01-01
• Publisher: Tempus

Summary

William the Conqueror was a formidable personality, whose political imagination and ruthless will were the driving force of the Norman Conquest of England. In this biography, David Bates describes the full scope of William's achievements in both Normandy and England, setting them firmly in the context of Europe in an age of change and turmoil. William showed himself to be an outstanding soldier and an extremely effective ruler, who combined great fortitude with an unbending insistence on his own authority. He was also cruel, greedy, and intoleranta man who pitilessly stamped out opposition and shamelessly manipulated facts to justify dubious enterprises.

Author Biography

David Bates is Director of the Institute of Historical Research.

Table of Contents

Preface	7	(2)
List of Illustrations	9	(2)
Introduction	11	(194)
1 Setting the Scene	17	(22)
2 Boyhood and Youth	39	(14)
3 Supremacy in Northern France	53	(20)
4 Normandy Before 1066	73	(18)
5 The Conquest of England	91	(22)
6 The Triumphant King	113	(24)
7 The Man and his Family	137	(26)
8 William and his Anglo-Norman Dominions	163	(18)
9 The Structure of Conquest	181	(24)
10 William and the Church	205	(22)
11 Difficult Times	227	(20)
12 The Last Years	247	(22)
Epilogue	269	(7)
Bibliographical Notes	276	(5)
Index	281