Individual Details
(14 Oct 1027 - 9 Sep 1087)
He was the first Norman King of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087. Descended from Vikingraiders, he had been Duke of Normandy since 1035 under the title of William II. After a long struggle to establish his power, by 1060 his hold on Normandy was secure, and he launched the Norman conquest of England in 1066. The rest of his life was marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over England and his continental lands and by difficulties with his eldest son. Norsemen first began raiding in what became Normandy in the late 8th century. Permanent Scandinavian settlement occurred before 911, when an agreement was reached between Rollo, one of the Viking leaders, and King Charles the Simple of France, surrendering the county of Rouen to Rollo. The lands around Rouen became the core of the later duchy of Normandy. Normandy may have been used as a base when Scandinavian attacks on England were renewed at the end of the 10th century, which would have worsened relations between England and Normandy. In an effort to improve matters, King Æthelred the Unready took Emma of Normandy, sister of Duke Richard II, as his second wife in 1002.Danish raids on England continued and Æthelred sought help from Richard, taking refuge in Normandy in 1013 when King Swein I of Denmark drove Æthelred and his family from England. Swein's death in 1014 allowed Æthelred to return home, but Swein's son Cnut contested Æthelred's return. Æthelred died unexpectedly in 1016 and Cnut became king of England.
Events
| Birth | 14 Oct 1027 | Falaise Castle, Bourgogne, France | |  | |
| Marriage | Bef 1049 | Etienette Stephanie DE LONGWY | | | |
| Death | 9 Sep 1087 | Rouen | | | |
| Burial | | Caen, Departement du Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France | | | |
Families
Endnotes