William the Conqueror

The English Monarchs

by David Bates

Fifteen years in the making, a landmark reinterpretation of the life of a pivotal figure in British and European history

In this magisterial addition to the Yale English Monarchs series, David Bates combines biography and a multidisciplinary approach to examine the life of a major figure in British and European history. Using a framework derived from studies of early medieval kingship, he assesses each phase of William’s life to establish why so many trusted William to invade England in 1066 and the consequences of this on the history of the so-called Norman Conquest after the Battle of Hastings and for generations to come.

A leading historian of the period, Bates is notable for having worked extensively in the archives of northern France and discovered many eleventh- and twelfth-century charters largely unnoticed by English-language scholars. Taking an innovative approach, he argues for a move away from old perceptions and controversies associated with William’s life and the Norman Conquest. This deeply researched volume is the scholarly biography for our generation.

Genres: History, Biography, Medieval, Nonfiction, Medieval History, British Literature

771 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 10, 2017

About the author

David Bates is a historian of Britain and France during the period from the tenth century to the thirteenth century. He has written many books and articles during his career The most important among his books are Normandy before 1066 (1982); Regesta Regum Anglo-Normannorum: The Acta of William I, 1066-1087 (1998); The Normans and Empire (2013); and a biography of William the Conqueror (2016). The two most recent of these are an argument that seeks to create an analytical framework for the expansion of the Normans in Western Europe and a radical revision of the life of William the Conqueror published in the Yale University Press English Monarchs series.

He was Director of the IHR from 2003 until 2008, a period he regards as an important phase in a relationship with the IHR which goes back to the summer of 1968 when his time there made a major contribution to his subsequent career.

In addition to the University of London, he has held posts in the Universities of Cardiff, Glasgow, East Anglia, and Caen Normandie. He is now a Professorial Fellow of the University of East Anglia.

Reviews

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the Preface and Prologue to this work not only fascinating; but, insightful. The author (Dr. David Bates) had the academic fortune to have worked with some of the foremost authors of this historical era. Dr. Bates created nothing short of a comprehensive review of the life of William the Conqueror. This work is also from an attempted objective-academic perspective; however, the intended objectivity is pushed at times to a level that leaves no interesting story line. On other points, he makes a very compelling account of the biographical life of William in a general sense overall. I am glad I purchased and have read this book, the fact that it took this author 15 years of research life speaks to the commitment he made and the perfection that he strove for within these pages. This said, at times it was “too” academic for my flavor.

Sections I didn't entirely enjoy:
"According to a commentary on the family feelings maybe contained in the pancarte, dating to the first half of the 1080’s and describing the abbey of Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte, in which William is said to have acquired the kingdom of England by battle; possibly from within Normandy, a most unusual contradiction of the official case for a legitimate take-over, or perhaps this was just a statement that divine favour had led to William’s victory." However, if we flash forward to the Battle of Waterloo (1815) it is Wellington who stated that “….Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton…” then it is acceptable to consider the fealty paid by Harold to William in 1064 is acceptance of Edward the Confessors word that his throne would pass to William – this is my soldier viewpoint - Normandy is where it all began.

The detail of this work oft times made me go back pages in order to better keep the names of people, the locations and places, and occurrences to this history that seemed almost on the periphery of the direct History of William. In other words “rabbit holes", but the author was also passionate about this work so this is statement should not be read as a criticism of the work as it is more to the concern for any reader.

The Epilogue: On page 513 the opening paragraph of this section is simply ridiculous. I almost had foregone the whole of the this section based on what the author wrote. It was a modern-day approach in reflection of the History in its attempt to flash it forward 900+ years; but, based on my experience, work, knowledge, and continued battles (on the American Southwest Border) are also irrelevant with the swooping statement that is supposed to cover the gauntlet of nations to modern times – there are no links in other words and his opinion should have been left out entirely. I continued to read the epilogue however until its conclusion. Author states that 50% of Williams time was spent “in war or preparing for war” – written in a manner that was either arrogant or an insult to William or both. My viewpoint is coming from (again) a military perspective – if the Battle of Hastings proved anything, it proved where the battle was the initial struggle to win, then the hearts of minds for the Conquest would take years, and it had and did. Eventually people simply get tired of war and eventually even the Anglo-Saxon race of people stopped the fighting against the Normans. To protect what is earned is always more trying than gaining - William instinctively knew this based on his own experience up to this time of his life - this point is clear even within this exemplary research, if not written to the exact word.

Sections written extremely well:
Author references the Domesday Book in the opening salvos of the Battle of Hastings – this is the section where the Battle of Hastings comes to the foreground and was by far the most flowing and readable part of this book – author provided a descriptive analysis of the battle that seemingly had lacked in other parts of the book. Everything I have personally learned on the difficulties of the English Channel crossings are related to my own personal reading of the Second World War and the Normandy Invasion of 6 June 1944. Time hasn’t changed this fact of navigation, and was as prevalent to Duke William in his day as it is currently to the 21st century. Though the author didn’t delve into this topic with any form of navigational detail, I wish that he had. His (David Bates) record on the Battle Hastings and descriptive analysis was by far an excellent example of what a committed historian can provide to a battle of historical significance. However, where William did eventually cross in 1066, I couldn’t help but ponder the German “Operation Sea Lion” that failed before it started (in almost 900 years later) much the same way that Napoleon had made it to Moscow by horse in 1812 in less time than Corporal Hitler had (with mechanized vehicles at his disposal no less) and also failed 130 years later. The Battle of Stamford Bridge, which was a prelude to Hastings, had depleted the forces of King Harold Godwine. His rush to face William was by all accounts a premature effort in that his forces had been sent home and could not be readily accessed for the gathering storm at Hastings. The armada that landed was vast and one of the largest recorded up to that time.

The arrest of Bishop Odo of Bayeux who is also the ½ brother to William was again an interesting analysis. Oderic may have been critical for his time on this necessary arrest – I took this as understandable to the time it occurred and to which Oderic had written on this topic. The author however though attempts to give Bishop Odo his respectful due and this nearly a full millennial later.

Death of Matilda, Queen of the English and Duchess of Normandy (1083) had a direct impact on the remainder of the life of William. In 1958 the exhumed remains of Queen Matilda would allow scientists to discover that she was approximately 5 feet tall and had wide hips (according to the author.) I took this to mean that she was a strong and healthy woman who we know had 4 sons with King William and at least 5 daughters (possibly 6 but the record to history isn’t as clear with the daughters as it had been with the sons.) As periodically described in this book and that of Marc Morris in “The Norman Conquest” it is apparent that the Queen was the behind the scenes politician for the times of absences by her husband. King William never fathered illegitimate children as so often, so many with rank and power had before, during, and after. Queen Matilda was an amazing, strong woman and I have a personal sense of the type of woman that she was as an individual, wife, and Mother.

On the Domesday Book, David Bates wrote “The essential aim was to record the present in order to stabilize the future.” This to me was the most practical single statement to the purpose of the book, and for the security of the realm. I hope one day to visit a location that has a posted sign outside the community referencing the Domesday Book 1086-1986. Author also states, (and Historians seem to agree) that had William lived another 2 years (died 1087) Ireland would have been enjoined to the Realm.

In the end, I give this book a 4 star rating.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book with this title written by Bates. The first, which came out more than three decades ago was a popular work, much shorter and including minimal citations. This is more than just an expanded version of the first work, however. Bates has completely reconsidered the topic in light of recent research and his own decades of experience working on the topic. The result is a thorough academic study with important discussions of the primary sources and changes in historical interpretation. This is must-read for serious students of medieval English history.

Those familiar with the work of David Douglas (whose work inspired much of the early research of Bates) will note the greater attention to women and social history here, as well as the near-absence of the F-word (feudalism).

Bates has several important insights into the character of William and the nature of his accomplishments. He sees William as a religious man, but also proud (arrogant even) and ambitious (some of his contemporaries might have said greedy). William's vindictive actions are put in the context of medieval ideas about royal wrath as a justifiable part of ruling. William also comes off as someone who valued loyalty greatly and truly trusted only a very small number of friends and family (who could be counted on the fingers of one hand). England in this telling was a kingdom with a dysfunctional system of succession, one that experienced a major upheaval every generation or two. William's ruthless takeover is not papered over, but readers are invited to see the mixed nature of his conquest by looking at the larger picture.

Note on the writing: Stylistically, Bates is not the writer that David Douglas was. While I often stopped while reading Douglas to think, that was a nicely turned phrase or a good sentence, I found Bates more workmanlike, though with occasional bits of awkwardness (and a sentence here or there where I was not entirely clear, even after rereading, to what the pronouns referred). Clarity when writing about this subject is difficult, if only because of the large number of people named William in a time when surnames were flexible and context-driven. Bates has generally done a good job, but it is perhaps not surprising in a work of this scope that there have been occasional lapses.

[Best British Biographies · Rating 5 out of 5]

How does one improve upon a classic? This is perhaps the foremost question that David Bates faced when he agreed to write a new volume on William the Conqueror’s life for the Yale English Monarchs series. As one of the foremost scholars of his generation on Normandy and having previously written a short biography of William, Bates was well suited for the task. Yet undertaking the project must have been a daunting one, as doing so involved nothing less than an effort to supersede David Douglas’s superb biography of William published a half century before for the English Monarchs series.

For the rest of my review, click on the link:

https://www.bestbritishbios.com/2021/...

[Simon Chipps · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part of the Yale English Monarchs series this is a hefty book covering the life and rule of William the Conqueror. I found sections of it engaging. However, I found the amount of players overwhelming to read and the pace never really picks up momentum. It is also a problem of the period, not the author, that you end the 500 odd pages having no greater sense of the man than when you began. Indeed, before I read it I'd have said William was effective in maintaining rule across the two countries, but that he probably used a force greater than contemporaries would have thought standard. By the end I'd come to the same conclusion for having worked my way through this book, with little extra to add.