WILLIAM L, King of England, commonly called William the Conqueror, was the ille gitimate son of Hobert, surnamed Le _Diable, duke of Normandy. He was born in 1027, and succeeded to the dukedom on the death of his father, in 1035. Previous to his father's death, he had been intrusted to the care of Henry I. of France; but it was owing rather to the quarrels and jealousies of his own subjects than to the protection of Henry, that he was able to preserve his dominion ir.tact, until his arrival at manhood. In 1047 he gained a victory at Val de Dimes over a powerful competitor, Guido of Macon; and in 1054 he defeated another rival, Guifiamne, count of Argues, being aided in both con tests by the French. His ambition now began to extend to England, where Edward the cmfessor reigned atthis time. On visiting England, William found his hopes of suc ceeding Edward much strengthened by the dominance of Norman influence in the coun cils of that monarch. On Edward's death, however, the WitenagemOte (q.v.) chose Harold (q.v.) to fill the English throne; ignoring, according to the monkish chroniclers of Norman bias, in so doing, an alleged bequest of Edward in favor of William. The Norman as rtt d his pretended rights by a powerful invasion, and the result was his ac quisition of the the famous battle of Hastinis, Oct. 14, 1066'. Harold having been killed in the fight, the Saxons chose Edgar Atheling as his successor. Edgar was however, was soon obliged to yield, and William was crowned king of England, Dec. 25, 1066; from which day his reign is dated. Edgar remained for some time at his court, and his treatment of the conquered people was at first mild and conciliatory; but his savage suppression of a rebellion, which broke out in the n. in 1070, laid the foundation of an irreconcilable antipathy between Saxon and Norman, which rendered a continu ance of this policy impossible. Before long, William began to rule like a true con queror. Everywhere, the Saxons were reduced almost to a state of slavery. The higher classes were deprived of every office of church and state, while the people were ground down by new and oppressive taxes. Fortresses were erected over the country. and gar risoned to overawe the Saxon inhabitants. In 1072 the Saxons were so far reduced to submission that William found time to lead an army across the border into Scotland.
in order to punish tire king of that country Malcolm Canmore, for having received and protected Edgar Atheling. The conqueror marched as far n. as the Tay, and received a nominal submission from Malcolm. In 1085 an attempt was made to overturn the power of the English king by Canute, king of Denmark. A great naval armament was got together for the purpose of invasion, but the enterprise was abandoned, its abandon ment being caused partly by bad luck, and partly, it is supposed, by a skillful applica tion of ;William's treasure. The tax called the (q.v.) was reimposed to meet the expense caused by the threatened war. Disputes having arisen between William and his son Hobert respecting the duchy of Maine, which had come to William through his marriage, Nov. 2, 1053, with Matilda, daughter of Baldwin, 5th earl of Flanders, father and son took up arms against one another. The dispute was ultimately adjusted. through the intercession of queen Matilda. Most of the latter part of William's life was spent in Normandy, the government of England being intrusted mainly to his half brother, Odo, bishop of Bayeux. William was of a corpulent habit of body, at which fact it seems that his brother monarch, I. of France, had pointed some sarcasm. William, in a fit of wrath, raised an army and invaded France. He took the city of Mantes, and set it on fire; but while in full enjoyment of the blaze, his horse, stumbling on some hot embers, threw him, and the injury he received ,proved fatal. He died • Sept. 9, 1087, Stern and ruthless as William undoubtedly was, he yet knew how to govern a nation and protect it from foreign aggressions. For more than two centuries England had been harrassed by the frequent descents of piratical hordes. He put as end to these. Never after William's time did allorse rover venture to show face on the English coast. In the common administration of justice he was royally impartial, many of his severities are even referrible in part to his thorough hatred of anarchy; while his attitude toward the church is admirable, He clearly defined the limits of ecclesiastical judicature, and when the formidable Hildebrand desired that the conqueror should do homage to hint for the kingdom of England, the latter boldly refused.