History of Europe

William the Conqueror, the founder of the Norman dynasty in England (Guillaume, Duke of Normandy) ~ The mastermind of Norman Conquest in 1066 ~

The French want to go against American policy anyway. This is probably because the United States was a British colony for France, and there was a consciousness that Britain was a French territory in the first place.

This consciousness is strong probably because the "Norman Conquest", which is said to have had the most influence on the history of England, occurred in 1066.

This time, let's take a look at the contents of Norman Conquest, which was the source of British rule by France, and its protagonist, the Duke of Normandy Guillaume.

Kings and English nobles who couldn't speak French

It is not uncommon for successive British kings to be unable to speak English.

Edward the Confessor (Edward Testimony King), who was born in the Duchy of Normandy in France, was one such king.

His father was King Ezelred, who was said to be the King of Thoughts, and his mother was Emma, ​​the sister of the Duke of Normandy.

There was a fairly complicated reason why this person was born and raised in France.

Æthelred, as its nickname suggests, was not as good as flattery, and the English aristocrats welcomed the Danish Knut to the throne. The birth of the Dane dynasty in England.

Under the Dane dynasty, Britain would be divided and ruled by four major aristocrats. This is because Knut, who became King of England, also served as King of Denmark and Finland at the same time.

So, these four great aristocrats are Earl of Wessex, Mercia, Northumbria, and Anglo-Angria, and those familiar with British history will find that they are the surviving nations of the former Anglo-Saxon Seven Kingdoms. ..

The most powerful of these aristocrats was Earl of Wessex, Godwin. There is a part where King Edward's testimony also became king at his will, and there is a strong theory that Edward's brother Alfred was assassinated by Godwin.

Edward was raised by his mother, the Duke of Normandy, so he couldn't speak French and was dissatisfied with the English nobles. , I ended up spending my whole life as a puppet.

But Edward doesn't die for free either.

As his last resistance, he testamented that it would be Guillaume, then Duke of Normandy, who would succeed him and become King of England.

In 1065, the Holy King Edward's testimony died. His body is said to have been buried in the Westminster Abbey he built.

Three-way battle

After the death of the Holy King Edward, the princes of England gathered to hold a wise man's meeting.

At the meeting, it was decided that Harold, the Count of Wessex, who took over the position from Godwin, would take the throne as Harold Godwinson.

However, there are two people who disagree with this.

One is Guillaume, Duke of Normandy, and the other is Harald Hardrada, King of Norway.

European royal aristocrats have repeatedly married each other, and there have always been many people with inheritance rights. This is also the reason why there are no rising kings like Hongwu Emperor and Hideyoshi in medieval Europe. Therefore, it may be no exaggeration to say that medieval history is the most boring.

Aside from that, Harold Godwinson and Harald Hardrada first collided.

This battle was Stamford Bridge in later generations Also called, it ended in the victory of Harold Godwinson, who became King of England.

Harald Hardrada was killed in action by this battle, and the Nordic forces called Vikings were expelled from England.

Then the Duke of Normandy Guillaume and King Harold Godwinson of England clashed.

Later Battle of Hastings Harold Godwinson was killed in action and became a great victory for Guillaume, Duke of Normandy.

After that, it occupied Canterbury, Winchester, and London, and on December 25, 1066, Guillaume became King William the Conqueror of England.

The birth of the Norman dynasty in England.

Norman Conquest

The series of events in 1066 was called "Norman Conquest" in British and world history, and William the Conqueror was nicknamed the King of Conquest.

Since William the Conqueror was also a tribute to the King of France as the Duke of Normandy, England became the territory of the King of France.

Traditional English politics was carried out through a wise man's meeting and consultation with the king, but William the Conqueror held a coronation at Westminster Abbey shortly after winning the Battle of Hastings. , As King of England.

This coronation is also to be approved by the Pope, and in fact William the Conqueror has been consulted with the Pope before the landing in England, so it is easy to prepare. In fact, at the coronation, the Pope presented William the Conqueror with the heraldic flag of St. Peter (the first disciple of Jesus and the first Pope of Rome), congratulating him on his coronation.

William the Conqueror himself declared that he would keep the ancestral law of the former King, Edward the Conqueror, and the Norman dynasty was established.

However, not everyone in England recognized William the Conqueror's coronation.

In 1068, the four great aristocrats, Count Marcia and Earl of Northumbria, rebelled, and in 1069, King Scotland (dominant the northern part of England), King Denmark, Wessex nobles and other Welsh nobles warped William I. Is set up.

However, William the Conqueror's military talent was considerable, and by 1071 these rebellions had been put together and subdued.

While suppressing this rebellion, William the Conqueror cleverly confiscates the land of the aristocrats and shares them with his breathtaking Normandy aristocrats and priests. According to one theory, the land of about 4,000 English princes was distributed by about 200 Normandy princes, which was literally the conquest of England by the Duke of Normandy.

By the way, the lords who were given the land at this time were obliged to serve in the military for 40 days a year (60 days during the campaign), and became the king's tenant in chief (a vassal under the direct control of the king) and became known as Barons. Become. By the way, the count that came out a while ago is called Earl, and Baron is now called the Baron, and this aristocratic rank still remains in England. Duke, the highest aristocrat, is "public" at this time.

Even so far, the official language was French at this time, and it was decided that all official documents would be written in French.

This would have been a considerable impact.

William the Conqueror's personnel affairs extend not only to central officials and princes, but also to the secretary of state (Sheriff) dispatched to rural areas. Even the resurrection of.

In British history, it was only during this Norman Conquest that it was so dominated later and earlier. It is probably the overwhelming force that made such a policy possible.

"The pen is mightier than the sword" is the English writer's words, but in reality, British history has proved that the sword is mightier than anything else.

William the Conqueror was a person who implemented a lot of policies, and he was actively involved in the development of judicial power, coining, and defense bases. It was built.

William Siege Net

William the Conqueror, who exerted overwhelming power in England, was wary of its expansion.

Philip I of France.

William was a homage to Philip I as the Duke of Normandy, but his power was already at a level that surpassed that of the King of France.

Philip I formed an alliance with Counts of Anjou and Flanders, and the King of Scotland joined in to complete the William siege.

William was in a situation where he had to keep an eye on the movements of the princes of England and at the same time strengthen his defense against the King of France.

But the biggest enemy was inside, not outside.

William the Conqueror's greatest enemy was not the princes of England or the king of France, but his own children.

The King of France and the Count of Anjou aroused William's son Robert and rebelled against his father.

William the Conqueror and his son Robert clash at the Battle of Gerberoy, and William the Conqueror is injured and escapes to Rouen, the capital of Normandy.

He once rebuilt, but when his son Robert, who joined hands with the King of France in 1087, attacked again, he was injured again during the battle and died.

He is 60 years old.

Personal evaluation of William the Conqueror

It may be ironic that William the Conqueror, who did the logic in his power, reached his end by the power of his son.

History can be greatly influenced by the talent of an individual, and William the Conqueror is probably one of those talented people.

The question is whether the existence of William the Conqueror led to a good time for posterity.

Looking at later history, the conquest of William the Conqueror has once again turned British history into a period of great war, and it was not possible to create a peaceful era.

This area is very different from Caesar and Octavian, who created Pax Romana, and Zhao Tao, who created the Song dynasty.

William the Conqueror had a great influence on world history, but he is not a hero or a master.

The reason why the history of the Middle Ages feels boring is probably because the era of the Middle Ages did not produce heroes.