William The Conqueror

by Hilaire Belloc

This book describes one of the crucial steps in the building of "Christendom," i.e., it describes the entry of England in 1066 A.D. into the European Christian unity which was then coming to birth. It also gives a true picture of a Catholic military leader who, despite his sins, took seriously the Catholic Faith and his obligations thereto. Essential for understanding where our Western Christian civilization came from.

Genres: History, Biography, Catholic

76 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1934

About the author

Joseph Hilaire Pierre René Belloc, French-born British writer, is considered a master of light English prose and also widely known for his droll verse, especially The Bad Child's Book of Beasts in 1896.

The sharp wit of Belloc, an historian, poet, and orator, extended across a large literary output and strong political and religious convictions. Throughout his career, he prolifically wrote across a range of genres and produced histories, essays, travelogues, poetry, and satirical works.

Cautionary Tales for Children collects humorous yet dark morals, and the historical works of Hilaire Belloc often reflected his staunch Catholicism and critique of Protestant interpretations. He led advocates of an economic theory that promoted and championed distribution of small-scale property ownership as a middle ground between capitalism and socialism, alongside Gilbert Keith Chesterton, his close friend.

In politics, Hilaire Belloc served as a member of Parliament for the Liberal party, but the establishment disillusioned him. His polemical style and strong opinions made him a controversial figure, who particularly viewed modernism, secularism, and financial capitalism as threats to traditional Christian society in his critiques.

Reviews

[Best British Biographies · Rating 2 out of 5]

Today the title of “man of letters” is an informal label usually applied to writers, scholars, or people with broad knowledge. In the Victorian era, however, the phrase had a more specific meaning. In those days it referred to the public intellectual who wrote works that usually addressed issues of contemporary interest or concern. These authors often ranged across a variety of subjects and genres, sometimes gaining renown as authors of both fictional and nonfictional works, which was a testament both to their literary skill and the reading public’s broad-minded views towards their authority.

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[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully concise history of how England came to be unified under William the Conqueror from France. The history of England prior to William was one of many feudal manors and territories controlled by various lords who held power over their own territories. The former king, Edward, though a pious man, was unable to hold any kind of real control over the factions. At his death, Edward left no heir from his own marriage. William, a cousin of his, and one who Edward had made a promise to transfer the rule to, came from France to make sure that he followed up on that promise. He was the first man to be able to organize the country into a more unified country with a stronger central government.

[Paithan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked that Belloc took a stance. He told a history from a Catholic perspective, filtering the events of the past through his moral framework. I have no problem with this. I think it is the proper way for history to be done if a group of people are going to accept it as their history, to allow it to do its job of informing their place in the world.

But Belloc's style is cumbersome. I can't seem to track the logic of the sentences, the position of the words in that sentence, nor the positioning of the sentences in their paragraphs. I feel he was trying to write in a high academic style, one popular in his day and age, that is difficult to follow nowadays.

[Jose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about a great historical figure in a way only Belloc could write. A defender of the faith writing about another big defender. Excellent prose.