William+the+Conqueror

Kenyon 4/9/12 William The Conqueror **Words 464** Greatness is when someone has the quality of being great. But how does one define being great leader? I would define the man who conquered the English in under for months, conquered the Scotts after being crowned king, crushed many revolts, was backed by the pope, created England’s first records, built the Tower of London and hundreds of castles as the greatest leader. 1 All of these successes make William the Conqueror great. Being great earned him the name William the Conqueror, he conquered the most powerful kingdom in Europe at the time. William was born in 1028 as the son of Robert 1, the Duke of Normandy. In 1035 William’s father died and at the age of seven William was the heir. 3In 1046 he put down a series of rebellions and because of his success as a leader he was able to marry Matilda of Flanders. He then repulsed two French invasions and captured Maine. In 1066 Edward, the King of England died. William claimed that Edward had left the throne to him, them being cousins. When William was not chosen as the new king he was furious. The same year in September, William landed with his undefeated army on English shores. Harold the new and unrightfully crowned king rushed down with half of the English army to crush William. This did not happen. The famous Battle of Hastings was over in less than two days. Harold was dead after one of Williams knights had struck him down.1 William then marched into London and was crowned king in the Westminster Abby on Christmas Day, 1066. William had conquered England in three months. 2 Only success followed for William, now named William the Conqueror. The Scotts to the north fell next at the hands of William. Harold’s mother Gytha led a rebellion that was quickly put down. 3William the Conqueror stood undefeated and in control of one of the most powerful forces on the earth. His campaign from being the Duke of Normandy to the King of England does constitute William as a great leader. He led his army to victory every time. William had many strengths, but almost no weaknesses. His biggest strength is being a great military leader. His Norman campaign was one of the greatest of all time. He also built castles all over England, Scotland, and France, which reinforced his authority. He also created the “Domesday Books” which was England’s first ever census. William was not a weak person. The only weakness that he had was the fact that he was illiterate.1 But, keep in mind that even with his illiteracy he conquered all of England and became king in three months. This never stopped him from anything. William never lost a battle. All of these accomplishments make William the Conqueror a great leader.

1 Middle Ages/WilliamtheConqueror [] Last updated September 20, 2006. Internet Rating 12 2 BBC [] Page Last Updated 2012 Internet Rating 15 3 Spartucus [] Page Last Updated 2011 Internet Rating 14