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William the Conqueror: The Bastard of Normandy
A new biography of the Norman king who conquered England in 1066, changing the course of the country forever. Of Franco-Scandinavian descent through his father, Duke Robert 'the Magnificent', William the Conqueror's life is set against his true background, the turbulent Norman Duchy which, even after the Conquest of England, remained his primary concern. William is revealed as the brutal and violent product of his time, much given to outbursts of rage, capable of great cruelty, autocratic, avaricious and prone to a sort of grisly humour, yet, with all that he could also be a loyal friend and affectionate husband and father. His military reputation rests mainly on his victory at Hastings and he showed little sign of strategic or tactical genius. He was a competent rather than inspired general, benefiting from the mistakes and disunity of his foes. Only at Hastings did he meet and defeat a man who was his peer as a leader of men. He inspired great loyalty in some and even greater hatred in others. His primary attribute was his ruthless will which made him the driving force behind Norman ambition in North Western Europe. His propagandists shamelessly manipulated the facts to justify his Conquest of England, a dubious enterprise if ever there was one.
304 pages, Paperback
First published July 19, 2011
3 people are currently reading
118 people want to read
About the author
Peter Rex
14 books9 followersBorn in in 1930, Peter Rex attended St Brendan’s and Bristol University prior to earning an MA at Coventry. He taught at Huddersfield and Princethorpe College until his retirement in 1994.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 31, 2020
Throughout this project I’ve made an effort to approach every book I read without expectations. This is a challenge for me when it comes to certain series, as their editors usually establish certain standards in terms of their selection of authors and the quality of what they’re willing to approve for publication. This is also difficult when it comes to authors whose works I have read before, as exposure to their works helps to define what I will encounter when I pick up their next volume.
For the rest of my review, click on the link:
https://www.bestbritishbios.com/2020/...
For the rest of my review, click on the link:
https://www.bestbritishbios.com/2020/...
December 29, 2025
Very historical interpretation the detail. However an excellent companion in understand the life of William the conqueror his trials and tribulations and how a rag tag band of Norman’s conquered England and whose descendants still dominate British life and the aristocracy today.
November 17, 2020
1099 and William the Conquerer is an amazing character and is responsible for nearly 1/2 of the English words we use today.
January 12, 2021
Concise and interesting book on this pivotal historic character.
February 26, 2014
Source: Free copy from Amberley in exchange for a review. The review is of my own opinion.
I've been anxious to read a book on William the Conqueror. I wanted to know about the Norman king who invaded England and changed the course of English history. What kind of personality did he have? What did he look like? Was he a historical person who is more legend than truth? What kind of upbringing did he have? What kind of legacy did he leave?
I felt Peter Rex's book did a splendid job in answering all of my questions.
Summary:
William's parents were Duke Robert I and Herleva. Several stories are shared as to their "meeting". Romantic variations describing their relationship as a great love is a myth. Sometime after William's birth, which was possibly in 1028, Herleva was no longer Robert's mistress, and she married another man. William lived with his mother for the first few years of his life; but at the tender age of 2, or 3, he was taken to live with his father who was often absent. Peter Rex, mentions in the book, William's absence from his mother, and the early death of his father, probably caused William to be "psychologically damaged". William had a polar-type personality. He was known to be pious for the benefit of the Church, yet cruel and ruthless to his subjects. William married Matilda in 1051, or 1052. They had four sons and six daughters.
William the Conqueror, shares in brief his family dynamics; the main point of the book is when he began to take interest in England, his calculating plot, the invasion, and his tumultuous reign.
My Thoughts:
In the opening paragraph, I posed several questions, and will explain in this section how the author answered them.
1. What kind of personality did he have?
I'd stated that he was a person of a polar-type personality. He was pious, yet ruthless. He was loving and faithful to his family, yet cruel and demanding to his subjects.
I'm a person who picks apart and dissects characters, I want to know what makes them tick. I agree with the author that William's "early life scarred him".
2. What did he look like?
He was known to be tall and long armed. I can imagine with his appearance and his personality, he was intimidating.
3. Was he a historical person of more legend than truth?
I believe, Peter Rex, has written a balanced view of William. He neither creates for the reader a hero, nor a monster. William, is a complicated person because of his polar personality. I don't understand a person who can divide themselves into compartments. What I mean is how could he be a pious and religious person, and on the other hand be cruel and destructive? Isn't this the same type of thinking a criminal has? To justify what they do without empathy for others? Please forgive me if I'm harping on his meanness.
Peter Rex, expounded on the opinions of whether William had been the true heir, or was he the usurper.
Historical information is given on William's blessing from the pope before the invasion, and of William Poitiers writings of the events of the invasion.
4. What kind of upbringing did he have?
I'd answered this in the summary. I feel empathy for his childhood, but as an adult he became responsible for his choices in life.
5. What kind of legacy did he leave?
William left a divided England in regards to respect of their new foreign king, William conquered England, but he did not gain their admiration. The northern area of England rebelled against him, Wales rebelled against him. He was considered a religious and pious man and he lived a moral life, that is if you don't count his merciless killing and devastation of England.
I've been anxious to read a book on William the Conqueror. I wanted to know about the Norman king who invaded England and changed the course of English history. What kind of personality did he have? What did he look like? Was he a historical person who is more legend than truth? What kind of upbringing did he have? What kind of legacy did he leave?
I felt Peter Rex's book did a splendid job in answering all of my questions.
Summary:
William's parents were Duke Robert I and Herleva. Several stories are shared as to their "meeting". Romantic variations describing their relationship as a great love is a myth. Sometime after William's birth, which was possibly in 1028, Herleva was no longer Robert's mistress, and she married another man. William lived with his mother for the first few years of his life; but at the tender age of 2, or 3, he was taken to live with his father who was often absent. Peter Rex, mentions in the book, William's absence from his mother, and the early death of his father, probably caused William to be "psychologically damaged". William had a polar-type personality. He was known to be pious for the benefit of the Church, yet cruel and ruthless to his subjects. William married Matilda in 1051, or 1052. They had four sons and six daughters.
William the Conqueror, shares in brief his family dynamics; the main point of the book is when he began to take interest in England, his calculating plot, the invasion, and his tumultuous reign.
My Thoughts:
In the opening paragraph, I posed several questions, and will explain in this section how the author answered them.
1. What kind of personality did he have?
I'd stated that he was a person of a polar-type personality. He was pious, yet ruthless. He was loving and faithful to his family, yet cruel and demanding to his subjects.
I'm a person who picks apart and dissects characters, I want to know what makes them tick. I agree with the author that William's "early life scarred him".
2. What did he look like?
He was known to be tall and long armed. I can imagine with his appearance and his personality, he was intimidating.
3. Was he a historical person of more legend than truth?
I believe, Peter Rex, has written a balanced view of William. He neither creates for the reader a hero, nor a monster. William, is a complicated person because of his polar personality. I don't understand a person who can divide themselves into compartments. What I mean is how could he be a pious and religious person, and on the other hand be cruel and destructive? Isn't this the same type of thinking a criminal has? To justify what they do without empathy for others? Please forgive me if I'm harping on his meanness.
Peter Rex, expounded on the opinions of whether William had been the true heir, or was he the usurper.
Historical information is given on William's blessing from the pope before the invasion, and of William Poitiers writings of the events of the invasion.
4. What kind of upbringing did he have?
I'd answered this in the summary. I feel empathy for his childhood, but as an adult he became responsible for his choices in life.
5. What kind of legacy did he leave?
William left a divided England in regards to respect of their new foreign king, William conquered England, but he did not gain their admiration. The northern area of England rebelled against him, Wales rebelled against him. He was considered a religious and pious man and he lived a moral life, that is if you don't count his merciless killing and devastation of England.
May 24, 2017
After reading both fact and fiction from the era of Eleanor of Aquitaine, then working my way through the generations to Henry VIII and the Tudors, I was keen to read something from the centuries prior to get a feel for where those people came from... so who better to read about than William the Conqueror. Surprisingly - this is the only book on William the Conqueror in our local library catalogue. (and we have 6 branches!)
Although this book is not particularly long it gave a concise oversight to his life and man that William the Conqueror was - from his birth as a 'bastard', his upbringing, siblings, marriage to Matilda, his children and of course the battles namely the Battle of Hastings.
I found it an interesting read albeit hard going at times as I knew nothing about King William or the battle at Hastings.
What stuck out to me most was the polar opposite of his personality. On one hand he could be a loving family man, but hateful to others. As a 'good christian' he felt he could make up for his killings and warfare by otherwise living a pious life, prayer and giving generously to the church. Hmmm...
Overall a great book. It has wet my appetite for history of this era and I feel encouraged to follow it up with further reading.
Although this book is not particularly long it gave a concise oversight to his life and man that William the Conqueror was - from his birth as a 'bastard', his upbringing, siblings, marriage to Matilda, his children and of course the battles namely the Battle of Hastings.
I found it an interesting read albeit hard going at times as I knew nothing about King William or the battle at Hastings.
What stuck out to me most was the polar opposite of his personality. On one hand he could be a loving family man, but hateful to others. As a 'good christian' he felt he could make up for his killings and warfare by otherwise living a pious life, prayer and giving generously to the church. Hmmm...
Overall a great book. It has wet my appetite for history of this era and I feel encouraged to follow it up with further reading.
July 16, 2015
Out of the two books I've read about William the Conqueror, this one was far better. It had more details about his early life. It is not just about the Battle of Hastings and ruling over England and Normandy. There is much more that is flushed out. I still wish there had been a bit more about his family told as it doesn't mention his marriage or children that often... just a bit toward the end. Overall though it is a good read.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews