William the Conqueror follows the illegitimate duke of Normandy who secured his duchy, claimed the English throne and defeated Harold Godwinson at Hastings in 1066. It traces the invasion, coronation and prolonged resistance that followed the initial victory.
The biography examines castle building, land redistribution, the Harrying of the North and the Domesday survey, showing how conquest transformed England’s aristocracy and government. It also considers William’s continuing responsibilities in Normandy and the unstable inheritance he left to his sons.
