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226
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WILLIAM I, known as THE CONQUEROR
See original version (French)
226
-
WILLIAM I, known as THE CONQUEROR
See original version (French)
Estimate €800 - €1,000
Voluntary lot
Description
WILLIAM I, known as THE CONQUEROR
King of England 25 December 1066 – 9 September 1087
+ PILLELM REX ‘William the King’.
Front view of William’s bust, crowned, holding a sceptre topped with a small cross.
Reverse: + OSBERN ON SIERE ‘Osbern at Salisbury’.
A cross pattée flanked by an X within a circle, an S within a circle, an A within a circle and
a P within a circle, forming the word PAXS.
♦ S 1257; North 848 p.192
Undated Type VIII silver penny (1083–1087)
minted at Salisbury by the mintmaster Osbern.
Beautiful collector’s patina. Rare. A very fine specimen.
William the Conqueror, also known as William the Bastard or William of Normandy.
He was born in Falaise in 1027 or 1028 and died in Rouen on 9 September 1087.
He was the son of Robert the Magnificent and Arlette of Falaise, and the cousin of Edward the Confessor.
Duke of Normandy. On his father’s death in 1035, he became Duke of Normandy at around the age of eight, ruling as William II until his death. After a period of great instability, he managed to regain control of the duchy following the Battle of Val-ès-Dunes in 1047. He married Matilda of Flanders around 1050. He turned Normandy into a powerful duchy, feared by the Kings of France, Henry I (1031–1060) and then Philip I (1060–1108).
He reigned as King of England as William I from 1066 until his death.
On the death of his cousin Edward the Confessor, a succession crisis erupted and, following his victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, he seized the English crown.
Three claimants sought to ascend the throne. Harold Godwinson, Earl of Wessex, was elected and crowned by Archbishop Aldred. However, two more powerful neighbouring rulers were also seeking the English throne: Duke William of Normandy and King Harald Hardrada of Norway.
Harald was the first to act, invading the north of England whilst the king was in the south, expecting an invasion from Normandy. Upon learning of the Norwegian’s plans, Harold hastened northwards, mustering an army along the way. On 25 September 1066, the English army utterly routed the Norwegian invaders at the Battle of Stamford Bridge, securing Harold’s claim to the throne on one front. However, Harold Godwinson still had another pretender to contend with, and three days after the victory in Yorkshire, the Norman forces under Duke William landed at Pevensey. He proceeded to Hastings, where he built a castle and awaited the King of England. On 14 October 1066, William and Harold finally met at the famous Battle of Hastings, which resulted in Harold’s death and marked the beginning of the Norman conquest of England.
William was crowned King of England by the same Archbishop Aldred on Christmas Day 1066. The entire episode lasted less than a year.
This conquest made him one of the most powerful monarchs in Western Europe and led to profound changes in English society, with the Anglo-Saxon elite being supplanted by the Normans. From then on, he spent the remainder of his reign defending himself against his many enemies, whether in England or on the continent, including Fulk the Grumbler, Count of Anjou; Robert I, Count of Flanders; and, above all, Philip I, King of France.
He died in Rouen in 1087, following the sacking of Mantes, during a campaign of reprisals in the French Vexin region against King Philip I. He was buried at the Abbaye aux Hommes in Caen.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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