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The English Monarchs
William the Conqueror
In William the Conqueror, Professor Douglas analyzes the causes and the true character of the Norman impact upon England in the eleventh century. The work is both a study of Anglo-Norman history and a biography of a man whose personal career was spectacular, and as reviewers have remarked, it is distinguished by a wealth of scholarship linked to a lucid and agreeable style.
476 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1964
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622 people want to read
About the author
David C. Douglas
27 books6 followersA specialist in the Norman era, David Charles Douglas taught at the University of Cambridge before joining Oxford University in 1963 as Ford's Lecturer in English History.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
August 22, 2007
Sure, it's like, forty years old, but it still sets the standard in William the Conqueror scholarship. Here are answers, or at least well-phrased hedges about the most important questions surrounding William's life and conquests: Did William introduce feudalism to England or adapt existing social structures? Was his victory in the Battle of Hastings attributable more to the exhaustion of the English after fighting off the Norwegians or more to William's superior conquest? and so forth.
Douglas has read the primary sources in English and French (and Latin, and Italian, etc), he has read the secondary sources, he has, in short, done his homework. I mean, how many books have you read that have quotes from reviewers on the back that say, "the author has set about to self conciously create a masterpiece on the subject... and he has succeded."
The funny thing about this book is that even though it is supremely scholarly, it is also suitable for the general reader. Provided: that reader has either taken an undergraduate course in Midevial history or has done reading on his/her own on the subject. If you only read one book before this one I would recommend either Feudal Society vol. I by Bloch or the Making of the Middle Ages by Southern.
Douglas has read the primary sources in English and French (and Latin, and Italian, etc), he has read the secondary sources, he has, in short, done his homework. I mean, how many books have you read that have quotes from reviewers on the back that say, "the author has set about to self conciously create a masterpiece on the subject... and he has succeded."
The funny thing about this book is that even though it is supremely scholarly, it is also suitable for the general reader. Provided: that reader has either taken an undergraduate course in Midevial history or has done reading on his/her own on the subject. If you only read one book before this one I would recommend either Feudal Society vol. I by Bloch or the Making of the Middle Ages by Southern.
February 18, 2024
Dry academic tome. This was a beautiful Folio edition with great maps and lovely illustrations. Unfortunately he will put you to sleep. Sadly a 2 Star read for me.
July 18, 2021
David C. Douglas’s book on William the Conqueror is a masterwork. It is a meticulous biography of Duke William II of Normandy, later King William I of England, and a detailed study of Anglo-Norman history, with special attention to the Norman impact on England after William’s conquest and during his reign. Hundreds of sources, ancient and recent, and a serious devotion to scholarship of medieval Europe inform his work.
William’s heritage from the Viking ruler Rollo, and the establishment of the latter’s Viking dynasty that would become Normandy sets the backdrop. From his bastard birth to his young inheritance of the Norman duchy after his father, Duke Robert I, leaves for a pilgrimage from which he never returns, a massive, complex, turbulent epic is beginning.
Douglas gives admirable attention to virtually every relevant facet of William’s life, his character, his rule, his battles and wars, his conquests, his cruelty and avarice, his political savviness, his generosity, his qualities as a leader, his strength of will and of mind, his sharp instincts for domination and commanding armies and nations, and he gives an even more thorough treatment to the medieval history of Normandy, of its Carolingian traditions and its Viking character, and the history of England, and how the ensuing decades after William’s ascension to the duchy of Normandy and then the throne of England would forever change the dynamic between England and the rest of Europe. He traces out the course of every influence and factor that could be at play in each moment, and looks analytically at cultural elements, the aristocracy and ecclesiastical revivals that aided William’s achievements.
He makes continuous use of primary sources and many sources from the period, as well as a wealth of modern scholarship. Frequently he explains the controversies and unresolved questions among historians pertaining to certain details or stories in this vast history. Other times he will offer his own insights and speculations and reasoning for accepting certain versions of events over others, attempting to, if nothing else, provide a coherent and understandable and accurate picture for the reader of such a magnificent, sprawling saga.
William, upon the departure of his father, was left in the care of many guardians responsible for his upbringing and his safety. Powerful Norman magnates and aristocrats revolted, deciding to aid Guy of Burgundy in taking the duchy. All of the Duke’s guardians were assassinated or died in mysterious circumstances. An attempt is soon made on William’s life, and it is only through pleading to Henry, king of France, for protection from the conspirators that William is able to survive. This culminates in a brutal battle at Val-es-Dunes between the western vicomtes vying for power and Duke William and King Henry’s armies. This is William’s first true taste of warfare, and he proves himself highly skilled, taking down noted warriors. Thus begins the Duke’s long fight for survival in a hostile and dangerous duchy, against power hungry lords, disloyal vassals, and under great uncertainty, while holding a title considered illegitimate.
Douglas follows not only William’s entire thread of significant events and decisions and movements through his life, with terrific detail and contemplation and masterful handling of the information, but casts it against the greater medieval Europe and the rulers and lords who dominate it. Following his victory at Val-es-Dunes, political turmoil spreads through Normandy, and within a few years the Duke finds himself in another conflict, now against a confederation of his magnates and against King Henry’s French forces, who were once his allies. From 1047 to 1060 the Duke is almost constantly at war, never secure in his rule, always fighting to maintain his position. It seems that this, and his childhood replete with death and danger, were decisive in turning William the Bastard into William the Conqueror.
The period from 1060 to 1066 sees the Duke’s position stabilized after constant war. With the help of his hard won prestige through his exploits as a warrior, he is able to strengthen the duchy, specifically through building a stronger and more loyal aristocracy and revitalizing and growing the ecclesiastical element of Normandy.
By aligning his interests with those of his many vassals, by, for example, giving them land taken from revolting lords and taking actions that grant them wealth and power while also benefiting himself, he earns their respect and he affirms their commitments to his cause. The contractual military service he is able to demand of these loyal and subdued vassals, as part of the service they must pay to keep their lands, makes his military more powerful.
His part in the accelerating ecclesiastical developments of Normandy included the sponsorship of a monastic revival and the reorganization of the church via the appointment of strong bishops, who supported the Duke in turn. The church, like the aristocracy, was obligated to provide knight-service to the Duke based on their lands and properties, and in lieu of knights could give money. William's part in this revival puts him in a place of great esteem in the church, and in the following years his political and military actions can be seen as having church approval, lending them a righteousness that rallied the whole duchy behind him.
The reforms and invigorating changes and revitalizations that the Duke brought to Normandy during this period are given many pages of discussions by Douglas, and I will not summarize them for there are so many. After defeating possible threats to Norman stability in Brittany and surrounding lands, the duchy and its Duke are in a terrific position to expand.
The Norman Conquest of England and the intricately mapped out sequences of consequences that would follow is one of the most prominent subjects of the book. We see William's brilliance as a leader, his calm in the face of uncertainty and danger, such as when his ship is separated from the rest of the fleet on the trip across the channel before the conquest. A heavy night fog causes William's ship to get lost in the sea, and his crew panics. William settles down to eat his dinner as though nothing is out of the ordinary, and his calming presence brings a calm to the entire ship. So too do we see his ability to control his troops, to prevent them from ravaging the lands after a victory, as medieval armies tended to do. His command over legions, and his ability to guide and control their behavior even in his absence, is illustrated through this and similar moments, when he displays an almost inhuman ability to dominate anyone and everyone he needs to.
After taking us through the dramatic battles, as well as the simultaneous conquest attempt by King Harold Hardraada of Norway, and the victories, the brutality, and the overthrows, we see William take the throne and declare himself the rightful follower of Edward the Confessor. The 21 years that William rules both Normandy and England until his death in 1087 are covered with precision, with insights and analysis and a reflective, close look at the people and events of significance.
Douglas carefully shows the many ways in which some aspects of Norman culture were carried over to England, the ways in which William brought back to life many of England’s traditions that had been lost or forgotten, recognizing the distinct culture of his conquered kingdom. Douglas examines and analyzes and gives tremendous attention to:
the policies William enacted, the politics of England and Normandy and the surrounding kingdoms, his systems of justice featuring a jury and a court much like our modern judicial system, his taxation system, his ravaging of the lands, his New Forest established in lands that housed over 2000 people who were forcefully removed, his harsh nature, his callous disregard for suffering, his religious piety, his strengthening of English aristocracy by empowering sheriffs to the level of the vicomtes back home, and a multitude of details that are unearthed and explored.
The defense of the Anglo-Norman empire is given outstanding treatment, as France, Flanders, Scandinavia, and Scotland all pose direct threats to William’s reign in his new kingdom. Even his own son plots against him. The politics of Europe fuel an incredible amount of the activity we see in William’s reign, as it surely always had. But Douglas unpacks it and makes it into a massive, detailed web of names and places and events and obscure goings on that somehow follow a perfect logic and forms a coherent picture.
William’s rule is gone over with a fine-toothed comb, and we get to see how his changes benefited England, how his conquest and rule allowed England to become part of the Latin cultural institutions of Europe, letting them share and profit from the progress that would characterize the continent in the centuries to come, how Christendom’s influence over medieval Europe grew and evolved, how his survey of England, documented as the Domesday Book, was one of the highest administrative achievements since the Roman Empire. And even in his final days, William had to fight. He fought to preserve his kingdom and his duchy.
Douglas includes multiple appendices in his book, each going into greater detail about some topic he covered: William’s childhood, the chronology of his many wars and battles, his marriage, assassination by poisoning, and of course, the events of 1066 leading up to and including the Norman conquest of England. The maps, notes, and extended chronology provide additional material of high value. This is an excellent book that gives an almost complete and all-encompassing history of William the Conqueror, and the England, Normandy, and Europe of the high Middle Ages.
William’s heritage from the Viking ruler Rollo, and the establishment of the latter’s Viking dynasty that would become Normandy sets the backdrop. From his bastard birth to his young inheritance of the Norman duchy after his father, Duke Robert I, leaves for a pilgrimage from which he never returns, a massive, complex, turbulent epic is beginning.
Douglas gives admirable attention to virtually every relevant facet of William’s life, his character, his rule, his battles and wars, his conquests, his cruelty and avarice, his political savviness, his generosity, his qualities as a leader, his strength of will and of mind, his sharp instincts for domination and commanding armies and nations, and he gives an even more thorough treatment to the medieval history of Normandy, of its Carolingian traditions and its Viking character, and the history of England, and how the ensuing decades after William’s ascension to the duchy of Normandy and then the throne of England would forever change the dynamic between England and the rest of Europe. He traces out the course of every influence and factor that could be at play in each moment, and looks analytically at cultural elements, the aristocracy and ecclesiastical revivals that aided William’s achievements.
He makes continuous use of primary sources and many sources from the period, as well as a wealth of modern scholarship. Frequently he explains the controversies and unresolved questions among historians pertaining to certain details or stories in this vast history. Other times he will offer his own insights and speculations and reasoning for accepting certain versions of events over others, attempting to, if nothing else, provide a coherent and understandable and accurate picture for the reader of such a magnificent, sprawling saga.
William, upon the departure of his father, was left in the care of many guardians responsible for his upbringing and his safety. Powerful Norman magnates and aristocrats revolted, deciding to aid Guy of Burgundy in taking the duchy. All of the Duke’s guardians were assassinated or died in mysterious circumstances. An attempt is soon made on William’s life, and it is only through pleading to Henry, king of France, for protection from the conspirators that William is able to survive. This culminates in a brutal battle at Val-es-Dunes between the western vicomtes vying for power and Duke William and King Henry’s armies. This is William’s first true taste of warfare, and he proves himself highly skilled, taking down noted warriors. Thus begins the Duke’s long fight for survival in a hostile and dangerous duchy, against power hungry lords, disloyal vassals, and under great uncertainty, while holding a title considered illegitimate.
Douglas follows not only William’s entire thread of significant events and decisions and movements through his life, with terrific detail and contemplation and masterful handling of the information, but casts it against the greater medieval Europe and the rulers and lords who dominate it. Following his victory at Val-es-Dunes, political turmoil spreads through Normandy, and within a few years the Duke finds himself in another conflict, now against a confederation of his magnates and against King Henry’s French forces, who were once his allies. From 1047 to 1060 the Duke is almost constantly at war, never secure in his rule, always fighting to maintain his position. It seems that this, and his childhood replete with death and danger, were decisive in turning William the Bastard into William the Conqueror.
The period from 1060 to 1066 sees the Duke’s position stabilized after constant war. With the help of his hard won prestige through his exploits as a warrior, he is able to strengthen the duchy, specifically through building a stronger and more loyal aristocracy and revitalizing and growing the ecclesiastical element of Normandy.
By aligning his interests with those of his many vassals, by, for example, giving them land taken from revolting lords and taking actions that grant them wealth and power while also benefiting himself, he earns their respect and he affirms their commitments to his cause. The contractual military service he is able to demand of these loyal and subdued vassals, as part of the service they must pay to keep their lands, makes his military more powerful.
His part in the accelerating ecclesiastical developments of Normandy included the sponsorship of a monastic revival and the reorganization of the church via the appointment of strong bishops, who supported the Duke in turn. The church, like the aristocracy, was obligated to provide knight-service to the Duke based on their lands and properties, and in lieu of knights could give money. William's part in this revival puts him in a place of great esteem in the church, and in the following years his political and military actions can be seen as having church approval, lending them a righteousness that rallied the whole duchy behind him.
The reforms and invigorating changes and revitalizations that the Duke brought to Normandy during this period are given many pages of discussions by Douglas, and I will not summarize them for there are so many. After defeating possible threats to Norman stability in Brittany and surrounding lands, the duchy and its Duke are in a terrific position to expand.
The Norman Conquest of England and the intricately mapped out sequences of consequences that would follow is one of the most prominent subjects of the book. We see William's brilliance as a leader, his calm in the face of uncertainty and danger, such as when his ship is separated from the rest of the fleet on the trip across the channel before the conquest. A heavy night fog causes William's ship to get lost in the sea, and his crew panics. William settles down to eat his dinner as though nothing is out of the ordinary, and his calming presence brings a calm to the entire ship. So too do we see his ability to control his troops, to prevent them from ravaging the lands after a victory, as medieval armies tended to do. His command over legions, and his ability to guide and control their behavior even in his absence, is illustrated through this and similar moments, when he displays an almost inhuman ability to dominate anyone and everyone he needs to.
After taking us through the dramatic battles, as well as the simultaneous conquest attempt by King Harold Hardraada of Norway, and the victories, the brutality, and the overthrows, we see William take the throne and declare himself the rightful follower of Edward the Confessor. The 21 years that William rules both Normandy and England until his death in 1087 are covered with precision, with insights and analysis and a reflective, close look at the people and events of significance.
Douglas carefully shows the many ways in which some aspects of Norman culture were carried over to England, the ways in which William brought back to life many of England’s traditions that had been lost or forgotten, recognizing the distinct culture of his conquered kingdom. Douglas examines and analyzes and gives tremendous attention to:
the policies William enacted, the politics of England and Normandy and the surrounding kingdoms, his systems of justice featuring a jury and a court much like our modern judicial system, his taxation system, his ravaging of the lands, his New Forest established in lands that housed over 2000 people who were forcefully removed, his harsh nature, his callous disregard for suffering, his religious piety, his strengthening of English aristocracy by empowering sheriffs to the level of the vicomtes back home, and a multitude of details that are unearthed and explored.
The defense of the Anglo-Norman empire is given outstanding treatment, as France, Flanders, Scandinavia, and Scotland all pose direct threats to William’s reign in his new kingdom. Even his own son plots against him. The politics of Europe fuel an incredible amount of the activity we see in William’s reign, as it surely always had. But Douglas unpacks it and makes it into a massive, detailed web of names and places and events and obscure goings on that somehow follow a perfect logic and forms a coherent picture.
William’s rule is gone over with a fine-toothed comb, and we get to see how his changes benefited England, how his conquest and rule allowed England to become part of the Latin cultural institutions of Europe, letting them share and profit from the progress that would characterize the continent in the centuries to come, how Christendom’s influence over medieval Europe grew and evolved, how his survey of England, documented as the Domesday Book, was one of the highest administrative achievements since the Roman Empire. And even in his final days, William had to fight. He fought to preserve his kingdom and his duchy.
Douglas includes multiple appendices in his book, each going into greater detail about some topic he covered: William’s childhood, the chronology of his many wars and battles, his marriage, assassination by poisoning, and of course, the events of 1066 leading up to and including the Norman conquest of England. The maps, notes, and extended chronology provide additional material of high value. This is an excellent book that gives an almost complete and all-encompassing history of William the Conqueror, and the England, Normandy, and Europe of the high Middle Ages.
May 12, 2014
William the Conqueror
David C. Douglas
Read it in old yellowed hardcover, weighing in at 476 pages, including cited work, pedigrees, and maps.
Third in line of the English Monarch Series.
Getting through these, a little out of order though. The idea this year is to read from William the Conqueror through to Richard the Lionhearted. A little exercise, William I, William Rufus, Henry I, Henry II, Stephen I, and Richard I. I've gotten through William I and Henry I, four to go this year and I have been staring at the tombs that composes Rufu's and Henry II's lives waiting hungrily.
This is the Third of the line, and arguably the third official king of England. Williams roots however are very much not 'English' in origin, but we'll get to that and I'll try to keep it short and concise.
William was born in or around 1028, a bastard of Robert I of Normandy (Northern France)a commoner and in a series of perplexing events Robert I leaves Normandy shortly after securing it from his brothers, a campaign so horrendous and bloody that Robert believed that he would require penance for his actions which would be obtained if he made the sacred pilgrimage to Jerusalem. After disregarding good council Robert disappears off to Jerusalem, abandoning his young bastard heir, to which he never returned dying on his return journey.
Queue succession crisis now.
During William's early upbringing no fewer than three regents were slain protecting their charge from the vassals of the duchy who were attempting to take the Norman seat. When William finally came of age, the continued rebellion still hadn't been quenched. Through some interesting geo political intrigue and of course war (including William's valiant charge at the head of the Vanguard at a young age and some long sieges) William is able to wrestle control of his Duchy. William used this brokered peace to consolidate Normandy and propel it to one of the leading Duchies in France. At this time, Edward the Confessor the King of England with no heir apparent nominates William as the successor to the crown (they are loosely connected from the marriage of a great Aunt previously, so 'Casius Belli' for William to be named heir to Edward). Everyone agrees, but when push comes to shove and Edward dies, Harold ( a Noble from England) takes the opportunity to seize the crown. William must now take the English crown by force. Harold, having to contend with a Viking invasion is forced to make some interesting decisions and despite his success against the Viking invasion he is ill prepared for William's landing. William lands on English shores in 1066 unabated, secures the area and then begins to March towards London. Harold meets him in battle after a long march in which the battle of Hastings ensues. (spoiler alert)William wins and takes the English crown. From this point on William basically consolidates England (in some cases, such as Northumbria he used devastating force against the general populace) and focuses the rest of his time with revolts on the island and a mounting crisis on the continent against a coalition of enemies. When William's death does come in 1087 he is an old man, no longer the fit fighter he's purported to have become massively obese and surrounded by enemies on the continent invested against him. During his funerary rights the body was too large to be fit into the stone coffin so the priests attempted to push and the body exploded in which the stench was so strong that the funeral was cut off early so that mourners could flee the smell. In any event, his death would split his holdings between his first born William Rufus, taking the crown of England; his second born Robert Curthose gaining the Duchy of Normandy; and finally his third son Henry getting nothing but a fat stack of cash.
Naturally my synopsis leaves out many very important details, events, and history provided by Mr. Douglas but if this sort of thing interests you, it's definitely worth the read. This was the most comprehensive tomb that I could find on William, but it should be noted that Mr. Douglas (1898-1982, most impressive sir!) published it in 1964 and that there have been many other numerous tombs written about William and especially Hastings in 1066, Williams most lauded accomplishment. The tomb covers everything from what we know of Williams engagements to his appointment of lords, his movements, church officials, etc. and isn't 'light' reading by a long shot.
David C. Douglas
Read it in old yellowed hardcover, weighing in at 476 pages, including cited work, pedigrees, and maps.
Third in line of the English Monarch Series.
Getting through these, a little out of order though. The idea this year is to read from William the Conqueror through to Richard the Lionhearted. A little exercise, William I, William Rufus, Henry I, Henry II, Stephen I, and Richard I. I've gotten through William I and Henry I, four to go this year and I have been staring at the tombs that composes Rufu's and Henry II's lives waiting hungrily.
This is the Third of the line, and arguably the third official king of England. Williams roots however are very much not 'English' in origin, but we'll get to that and I'll try to keep it short and concise.
William was born in or around 1028, a bastard of Robert I of Normandy (Northern France)a commoner and in a series of perplexing events Robert I leaves Normandy shortly after securing it from his brothers, a campaign so horrendous and bloody that Robert believed that he would require penance for his actions which would be obtained if he made the sacred pilgrimage to Jerusalem. After disregarding good council Robert disappears off to Jerusalem, abandoning his young bastard heir, to which he never returned dying on his return journey.
Queue succession crisis now.
During William's early upbringing no fewer than three regents were slain protecting their charge from the vassals of the duchy who were attempting to take the Norman seat. When William finally came of age, the continued rebellion still hadn't been quenched. Through some interesting geo political intrigue and of course war (including William's valiant charge at the head of the Vanguard at a young age and some long sieges) William is able to wrestle control of his Duchy. William used this brokered peace to consolidate Normandy and propel it to one of the leading Duchies in France. At this time, Edward the Confessor the King of England with no heir apparent nominates William as the successor to the crown (they are loosely connected from the marriage of a great Aunt previously, so 'Casius Belli' for William to be named heir to Edward). Everyone agrees, but when push comes to shove and Edward dies, Harold ( a Noble from England) takes the opportunity to seize the crown. William must now take the English crown by force. Harold, having to contend with a Viking invasion is forced to make some interesting decisions and despite his success against the Viking invasion he is ill prepared for William's landing. William lands on English shores in 1066 unabated, secures the area and then begins to March towards London. Harold meets him in battle after a long march in which the battle of Hastings ensues. (spoiler alert)William wins and takes the English crown. From this point on William basically consolidates England (in some cases, such as Northumbria he used devastating force against the general populace) and focuses the rest of his time with revolts on the island and a mounting crisis on the continent against a coalition of enemies. When William's death does come in 1087 he is an old man, no longer the fit fighter he's purported to have become massively obese and surrounded by enemies on the continent invested against him. During his funerary rights the body was too large to be fit into the stone coffin so the priests attempted to push and the body exploded in which the stench was so strong that the funeral was cut off early so that mourners could flee the smell. In any event, his death would split his holdings between his first born William Rufus, taking the crown of England; his second born Robert Curthose gaining the Duchy of Normandy; and finally his third son Henry getting nothing but a fat stack of cash.
Naturally my synopsis leaves out many very important details, events, and history provided by Mr. Douglas but if this sort of thing interests you, it's definitely worth the read. This was the most comprehensive tomb that I could find on William, but it should be noted that Mr. Douglas (1898-1982, most impressive sir!) published it in 1964 and that there have been many other numerous tombs written about William and especially Hastings in 1066, Williams most lauded accomplishment. The tomb covers everything from what we know of Williams engagements to his appointment of lords, his movements, church officials, etc. and isn't 'light' reading by a long shot.
August 30, 2020
It’s probably not an exaggeration to say that David Charles Douglas is the godfather of modern studies of William the Conqueror. A longtime scholar of Norman history who taught at the University of Bristol, Douglas authored and edited a number of books on the era, all of which reflect his vast knowledge of the subject and his command of the available documents on it. His biography of William was written near the end of his long career, and embodies his many years of study in the field.
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/...
September 9, 2014
I debated between three and four stars for some time and finally settled on four - if only Goodreads believed in half stars!
This book is incredibly well-researched and detailed. The author knows his material inside and out. The unfortunate side effect is, for someone choosing this as their first text about William the Conquerer, it is simply too much detail. Those just learning about him for the first time will be greatly overwhelmed and should start elsewhere for a foundation.
That being said, for those who have said foundation, this book provides a wealth of details of who William was before his most famous battle. It is a biography of William truly, not a biography of William solely at the time he conquered England. He's both fascinating and utterly terrifying.
I get the impression the author felt Harold had no place being King, perhaps I'm wrong. I find Harold equally as fascinating, as he is commonly referred to as the 'lost king'. It's intriguing to think about what might've become of England had Hastings not turned out the way it did. Certainly though, the invasion would not have been a success had it been anyone else attempting it.
This book is incredibly well-researched and detailed. The author knows his material inside and out. The unfortunate side effect is, for someone choosing this as their first text about William the Conquerer, it is simply too much detail. Those just learning about him for the first time will be greatly overwhelmed and should start elsewhere for a foundation.
That being said, for those who have said foundation, this book provides a wealth of details of who William was before his most famous battle. It is a biography of William truly, not a biography of William solely at the time he conquered England. He's both fascinating and utterly terrifying.
I get the impression the author felt Harold had no place being King, perhaps I'm wrong. I find Harold equally as fascinating, as he is commonly referred to as the 'lost king'. It's intriguing to think about what might've become of England had Hastings not turned out the way it did. Certainly though, the invasion would not have been a success had it been anyone else attempting it.
September 5, 2012
Textbook quality history by a man who lectures on this era. Excellent and thorough research, thoughtfully constructed and written with great discipline and balance. Great book, perhaps the best out there on the subject and full of insights and notes, but can be hard to get through at times. I enjoyed the book and have great respect for it, but it is not one of my favorite histories.
Read
March 29, 2023DNF: This is a me issue in that I'm not that interested in William the Conqueror and what little interest I do have was not fostered further by the dry tone of this book. I found the chapters about William's life to be interesting (Part I, Chapter 6, Part III) but those about administration and church issues to be non-readable.
Again, I think this is a me issue.
Again, I think this is a me issue.
May 30, 2013
Academic biography. While thorough in scholarship, the prose can be long and it is not written in a particularly flowing style. Interesting subject, but not exactly a page turner.
August 17, 2013
This is quite simply the greatest biography of the life of Duke William, a truly great warrior, statesman and utter bastard.
June 6, 2018
Epic. Very few historians today can hold a candle to this work. The lost art of history. Here it is.
February 1, 2024
This is an excellent authoritative biography on William the Conqueror. The author assumes some familiarity with the history and does not merely dryly recite chronologies, a la Freeman. Instead, Douglas is a 20th century historian who brings modern methods and analysis to the subject. I appreciate the terse footnotes and simple appendices. Many modern history books suffer from painstakingly telling the reader about how to interpret specific obscure charters and complicated inferences on whether something happened in the autumn of 1058 or spring 1059. Douglas keeps this kind of minutia to a minimum. Instead, Douglas does an excellent job analyzing the impact of the conquest on ecclesiastical history in both Normandy and England, the impact upon feudalism, and the relations between the secular at the spiritual.
I recommend this work to someone who is already familiar with the main events and the names and wants a more detailed analysis of on the causes and effects of the most important episode in English history.
I recommend this work to someone who is already familiar with the main events and the names and wants a more detailed analysis of on the causes and effects of the most important episode in English history.
October 5, 2025
Boy this one was rough. I have read a lot of medieval history and I found this one a real slog. I believe this stems from two reasons. One is it's organizationally a mess to a large degree. The bigger reason though is Douglas's writing style. It is rather academic which I like but there are so many qualifying statements and unnecessary filler that really drags the whole project down. He is always saying stuff like, "To understand why William did this or that I think it's important to talk about this and that." Once you see it, it's very hard to ignore and is pointless. If something is in the book I presume that it is important otherwise you wouldn't have put it in the book. It becomes really tedious at a certain point. It's a real shame because Douglas really knew his stuff and this is the most thorough book about William I have found. I recommend sticking with Marc Morris or David Bates books if you want a good biography on the conqueror.
June 30, 2021
I'm starting a program of doing little reviews of books that inspired my own writing, and the story of mine they most closely inspired. I'm beginning with this marvelous, classic life of William, the fascinating -- and, many think, very dominant -- conqueror of England. I love how the best ancient and medieval historians manage to bring a person to life despite the scarcity of personal documentation. If you've got a Euro royal thing like I have, and you can handle some density, don't miss it.
The book of mine it inspired: The Count's Discipline.
The Count's Discipline
The book of mine it inspired: The Count's Discipline.
The Count's Discipline
September 2, 2018
Very good but a bit dated, particularly in the discussion of "feudalism" and in coverage of women/marriage. Helpful intro by Frank Barlow.
March 28, 2023
Fairly typical academic biography/history but Douglas writes well and this is still considered (over 50 years after it was written) to be one of the foremost studies of the Norman Conquest.
March 22, 2013
William the Conqueror tells the story of the most unlikely of individuals who became one of the most powerful rulers in the eleventh century A.D. William of Normandy was born in 1028, because his father Robert, the Duke of Normandy, had seduced a young woman named Herleve, the daughter of a local tanner. As an illegitimate child, William had no legal claim to any inheritance. Nevertheless, William would be made heir to one of the most powerful duchies in France. Not only would he inherit Normandy but he would hold on to it despite attacks on every front imaginable. He would go on not only to rule Normandy but he would cross the English Channel and conqueror that island kingdom, and his descendants have ruled their ever since*.
David Douglas covers William's, in royal terms, lowly birth as the illegitimate child of tanner's daughter, whose father nevertheless recognizes him as his heir. His father was able to get the King of France to back his son's rights because, as duke, Robert stood by King Henry I when he was danger of losing his kingdom**. William goes on to rule the duchy with strength. He even gains the ability to stand against his earlier supporter, the King of France, to maintain his independence. When a succession crisis breaks out in England, William manages to do what King Phillip II of Spain, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Adolf Hitler have since all failed to do: conqueror England by force. The Norman Conquest would move England from the Scandinavian cultural sphere back to the sphere of Latin Europe as it had been during the time of the Roman Empire.
"In any case, the attackers had been given an opportunity to recover. Duke William doffed his helmet, and having displayed himself to his men as still alive he succeeded in restoring order among them. The issue was, none the less, still in doubt. Harold's position had been weakened, but it was still strong, and both sides were becoming exhausted. It was at this juncture, apparently, that William introduced a new element into his conduct of the battle, Hitherto the attacks of his horsemen and his footmen had been uncoordinated: now they were to be combined. William, it is said, ordered his archers to shoot from a distance high into the air so that their arrows might fall on the heads of the defenders, and at the same time he sent his weary horsemen once again up the hill for yet another attack. This time they were successful. It was perhaps now that Harold himself was killed, and now the defenders were overwhelmed, and the hill position taken. A group of housecarls managed to rally for a while at a spot unsuitable for cavalry in the rear of the main position, and to inflict damage on their pursuers. But there could no longer be any doubt of the outcome. The flight became general and soon turned into slaughter, until at last, as darkness was beginning to fall, the duke called off the pursuit and brought his force back to the hill itself. He encamped for the night amid the carnage."(p.201)
Reading this book I came to the conclusion that King William I of England had much in common with Emperor Augustus. As the first Emperor of Rome, Augustus tried to maintain the allusion of continuity with the classical Republic, while in reality he was completely dismantling it and establishing the Principate. As the King of England, William tried to maintain the allusion of continuity with the Anglo-Saxon kingdom, while in reality he was in the process of restructuring his new kingdom to the same manner in which he governed Normandy.
This book is very well organized but it does tend to move up and down the time line a great deal in order to cover various aspects of the reign of William I both as a duke and a king. I do want to point to an error in the table of contents: two chapters, ten and eleven, are missing from the list. Fortunately the 'lost chapters' are still in the text. I would still strongly recommend this book to anyone. Professor Douglas is very good at examining one of the most well-known but least understood historical figures in William the Conqueror.
*Although 'rule' may not be the appropriate word for his modern descendants over the last few hundred years. There was also the brief interlude between 1649-1660 known as the Commonwealth.
**The King of France during this time period only directly ruled a small portion of his kingdom with the great vassals, such as the Duke of Normandy, ruling the other areas.
David Douglas covers William's, in royal terms, lowly birth as the illegitimate child of tanner's daughter, whose father nevertheless recognizes him as his heir. His father was able to get the King of France to back his son's rights because, as duke, Robert stood by King Henry I when he was danger of losing his kingdom**. William goes on to rule the duchy with strength. He even gains the ability to stand against his earlier supporter, the King of France, to maintain his independence. When a succession crisis breaks out in England, William manages to do what King Phillip II of Spain, Napoleon Bonaparte, and Adolf Hitler have since all failed to do: conqueror England by force. The Norman Conquest would move England from the Scandinavian cultural sphere back to the sphere of Latin Europe as it had been during the time of the Roman Empire.
"In any case, the attackers had been given an opportunity to recover. Duke William doffed his helmet, and having displayed himself to his men as still alive he succeeded in restoring order among them. The issue was, none the less, still in doubt. Harold's position had been weakened, but it was still strong, and both sides were becoming exhausted. It was at this juncture, apparently, that William introduced a new element into his conduct of the battle, Hitherto the attacks of his horsemen and his footmen had been uncoordinated: now they were to be combined. William, it is said, ordered his archers to shoot from a distance high into the air so that their arrows might fall on the heads of the defenders, and at the same time he sent his weary horsemen once again up the hill for yet another attack. This time they were successful. It was perhaps now that Harold himself was killed, and now the defenders were overwhelmed, and the hill position taken. A group of housecarls managed to rally for a while at a spot unsuitable for cavalry in the rear of the main position, and to inflict damage on their pursuers. But there could no longer be any doubt of the outcome. The flight became general and soon turned into slaughter, until at last, as darkness was beginning to fall, the duke called off the pursuit and brought his force back to the hill itself. He encamped for the night amid the carnage."(p.201)
Reading this book I came to the conclusion that King William I of England had much in common with Emperor Augustus. As the first Emperor of Rome, Augustus tried to maintain the allusion of continuity with the classical Republic, while in reality he was completely dismantling it and establishing the Principate. As the King of England, William tried to maintain the allusion of continuity with the Anglo-Saxon kingdom, while in reality he was in the process of restructuring his new kingdom to the same manner in which he governed Normandy.
This book is very well organized but it does tend to move up and down the time line a great deal in order to cover various aspects of the reign of William I both as a duke and a king. I do want to point to an error in the table of contents: two chapters, ten and eleven, are missing from the list. Fortunately the 'lost chapters' are still in the text. I would still strongly recommend this book to anyone. Professor Douglas is very good at examining one of the most well-known but least understood historical figures in William the Conqueror.
*Although 'rule' may not be the appropriate word for his modern descendants over the last few hundred years. There was also the brief interlude between 1649-1660 known as the Commonwealth.
**The King of France during this time period only directly ruled a small portion of his kingdom with the great vassals, such as the Duke of Normandy, ruling the other areas.
January 7, 2015
In this scholarly work, David C. Douglas takes an exhaustive look at the life of Duke William II of Normandy. The book is broken out into four parts: The Young Duke, The Duke in His Duchy, The Establishment of the Anglo-Norman Kingdom, and The King in His Kingdom.
The first part tells of William’s birth and inheritance, his accession to his position as duke, and his war for survival in his duchy. From 1047-1060, William was in a constant state of warfare against those in and surrounding his duchy, including the King of France.
Part II underscores the rule of Duke William after he solidified his position as duke. While the duchy of Normandy was never entirely safe from outside threats–or inside threats for that matter, as can be seen in William’s own son’s rebellion later–there was a brief period where the state of his administration was more firmly established along with a strong group of noble supporters surrounding him. Most of these nobles would continue to support him for his entire reign as duke of Normandy and king of England.
Part III moves into the conquest of England and the defense of this kingdom after it had been conquered. Defending the kingdom was not an easy task for William, as he faced a series of rebellions within England, along with outside threats from Scandinavia and the continent.
The last part of the book deals with William’s royal administration and the end of his reign.
When I say this book is exhaustive, I’m not exaggerating. In fact, I felt Douglas spent too much time in certain areas, such as the Ecclesiastical Revival in Part II, which could have been told in a more concise fashion. The main takeaway from that chapter was that William was a supporter of the Church, and he helped establish a strong ecclesiastical presence within Normandy, which in turn helped him throughout his lifetime. For example, a common thread in many historical accounts of the invasion of England was the Pope’s support for William in this endeavor. While it is important to know the foundations of William’s relationship with the Church, the chapter is around 30 pages long, when Douglas probably could have related this information in half the space.
I don’t want to turn people off from reading this book, though, just because of its length. If you’re interested in the subject of the Norman invasion of England, Douglas’s account is essential in understanding the background to the person of Duke William II. It’s certainly a must-read; it will just take a while to read through it.
Also, one other point in which I felt Douglas could have made a stronger argument. Most historians I’ve read take the side of William the Conqueror in his invasion of England. The brief story is that King Edward the Confessor appointed William to be his successor long before his death. Harold Godwineson, the actual direct successor to Edward, supposedly swore fealty to William after a trip he made to the continent years earlier, but he claimed that on Edward’s deathbed, the dying king appointed him, not William, to succeed to the throne.
Historians, such as Ian Walker, author of the Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King, claim Harold likely swore fealty to William under duress, and that Edward never intended for William to be his successor. Both historians make good arguments, even though after reading both biographies, I felt Walker made a stronger case for Harold as the legitimate successor than Douglas did for William. Douglas, in my opinion, could have made a stronger case, though I have always found it peculiar that William would have risked so much to invade England had a promise of succession not been made to him earlier. On this point, I give credit to the historians who favor William as the legitimate successor. My recommendation would be to read both Douglas’s book and Walker’s book, and form your own opinion.
The first part tells of William’s birth and inheritance, his accession to his position as duke, and his war for survival in his duchy. From 1047-1060, William was in a constant state of warfare against those in and surrounding his duchy, including the King of France.
Part II underscores the rule of Duke William after he solidified his position as duke. While the duchy of Normandy was never entirely safe from outside threats–or inside threats for that matter, as can be seen in William’s own son’s rebellion later–there was a brief period where the state of his administration was more firmly established along with a strong group of noble supporters surrounding him. Most of these nobles would continue to support him for his entire reign as duke of Normandy and king of England.
Part III moves into the conquest of England and the defense of this kingdom after it had been conquered. Defending the kingdom was not an easy task for William, as he faced a series of rebellions within England, along with outside threats from Scandinavia and the continent.
The last part of the book deals with William’s royal administration and the end of his reign.
When I say this book is exhaustive, I’m not exaggerating. In fact, I felt Douglas spent too much time in certain areas, such as the Ecclesiastical Revival in Part II, which could have been told in a more concise fashion. The main takeaway from that chapter was that William was a supporter of the Church, and he helped establish a strong ecclesiastical presence within Normandy, which in turn helped him throughout his lifetime. For example, a common thread in many historical accounts of the invasion of England was the Pope’s support for William in this endeavor. While it is important to know the foundations of William’s relationship with the Church, the chapter is around 30 pages long, when Douglas probably could have related this information in half the space.
I don’t want to turn people off from reading this book, though, just because of its length. If you’re interested in the subject of the Norman invasion of England, Douglas’s account is essential in understanding the background to the person of Duke William II. It’s certainly a must-read; it will just take a while to read through it.
Also, one other point in which I felt Douglas could have made a stronger argument. Most historians I’ve read take the side of William the Conqueror in his invasion of England. The brief story is that King Edward the Confessor appointed William to be his successor long before his death. Harold Godwineson, the actual direct successor to Edward, supposedly swore fealty to William after a trip he made to the continent years earlier, but he claimed that on Edward’s deathbed, the dying king appointed him, not William, to succeed to the throne.
Historians, such as Ian Walker, author of the Harold: The Last Anglo-Saxon King, claim Harold likely swore fealty to William under duress, and that Edward never intended for William to be his successor. Both historians make good arguments, even though after reading both biographies, I felt Walker made a stronger case for Harold as the legitimate successor than Douglas did for William. Douglas, in my opinion, could have made a stronger case, though I have always found it peculiar that William would have risked so much to invade England had a promise of succession not been made to him earlier. On this point, I give credit to the historians who favor William as the legitimate successor. My recommendation would be to read both Douglas’s book and Walker’s book, and form your own opinion.
October 28, 2015
$14.85
Before reading this book I had only heard of William the Conqueror and the year 1066, but after getting started in it, I was lost pretty much. I had to set this aside because it is so dry and read William the Conqueror Makers of History by Jacob Abbott and then the Bayeux Tapestry by Bridgeford before I could come back to this book. I'm stumbling through it, but I'm sorry to say that it is books like this that make people not like history. It is a thoroughly researched book, and after reading some reviews on Amazon, I'm feeling more ignorant than ever because so many people have said what a great book this was and gave it five stars. I remember one reviews saying that there are two types of books written about historical events -- popular and historical. The author of the review said this was more of a popular book. I could not disagree more. I feel like I am in some history class, and I have to stop every now and again to look something up or just take a break. Without the other two books, I really would have been more lost, and if I could go back I probably wouldn't purchased this book, but considering how many I have bought (not to mention how many I have gotten for free), I can handle it. Still I am learning a great deal, but this is one author I will not read it again. The only reason this book gets three stars is because I read those other ones first.
Before reading this book I had only heard of William the Conqueror and the year 1066, but after getting started in it, I was lost pretty much. I had to set this aside because it is so dry and read William the Conqueror Makers of History by Jacob Abbott and then the Bayeux Tapestry by Bridgeford before I could come back to this book. I'm stumbling through it, but I'm sorry to say that it is books like this that make people not like history. It is a thoroughly researched book, and after reading some reviews on Amazon, I'm feeling more ignorant than ever because so many people have said what a great book this was and gave it five stars. I remember one reviews saying that there are two types of books written about historical events -- popular and historical. The author of the review said this was more of a popular book. I could not disagree more. I feel like I am in some history class, and I have to stop every now and again to look something up or just take a break. Without the other two books, I really would have been more lost, and if I could go back I probably wouldn't purchased this book, but considering how many I have bought (not to mention how many I have gotten for free), I can handle it. Still I am learning a great deal, but this is one author I will not read it again. The only reason this book gets three stars is because I read those other ones first.
December 10, 2025
If I absorbed 1/4 of the information presented here, I’d be the smartest I know. Which I am not.
Comprehensive, educational, and most of it, way over my head. Still loved it. Need to read about Matilda next.
Comprehensive, educational, and most of it, way over my head. Still loved it. Need to read about Matilda next.
April 10, 2016
This book is extremely clear, detailed and documented history of William the Conqueror. It tell of the invasion of England and his impact there as well as in Norman France. One of the large points made is that few surnames of the men invading with William can be documented. The number of surnames documented is probably less than fifty.
February 6, 2011
honestly, i snoozed a bit through the parts in religion and governing but the parts on war were so riviting that my eyes were bugging out.
August 27, 2012
Read this way back in my undergrad days. Really comprehensive text on William and his conquest of England. Not exactly fun reading, except for those of us that are Medieval History Geeks.
May 21, 2015
I'll get back to this, I find William so infuriating I can stick with books about him for long.
March 24, 2017
I did finish the whole huge book so I have to give it 2 stars, but I skimmed almost all of it. The material presented is highly detailed and most of it highly trivial.
The main reason is almost nothing is really known about the life, reign and death of the Conqueror.
This is a book for professional historians to read and argue about all the details.
One thing that puzzled me very much was the coverage of the famous Domesday Book which was begun in 1085 as a detailed census of most of England. William, it is said, undertook this census so that he knew what he was king of and could tax. My question is why in the world did he wait 20 years after he conquered England to find out ?
I probably would have been much happier reading an historical novel around William's life if there is such a work available.
The main reason is almost nothing is really known about the life, reign and death of the Conqueror.
This is a book for professional historians to read and argue about all the details.
One thing that puzzled me very much was the coverage of the famous Domesday Book which was begun in 1085 as a detailed census of most of England. William, it is said, undertook this census so that he knew what he was king of and could tax. My question is why in the world did he wait 20 years after he conquered England to find out ?
I probably would have been much happier reading an historical novel around William's life if there is such a work available.
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