Statue of William the Conqueror Statue of William the Conqueror The statue of William the Conqueror is located in his birthplace, Falaise, Calvados, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) southeast of Caen, France. It depicts William the Conqueror, the Duke of Normandy and later King of England, on a horse, and is surrounded by statues of his six predecessors. It is the work of the French sculptor Louis Rochet. The monument is a bronze statue on a granite pedestal. Surrounding the pedestal are six other statues representing the first six dukes of Normandy: Rollo, William I, Richard I, Richard II, Richard III, and Robert I. There
William Ernest, Duke of Saxe-Weimar William Ernest, Duke of Saxe-Weimar William Ernest, Duke of Saxe-Weimar (19 October 1662 – 26 August 1728) was a duke of Saxe-Weimar. He was born in Weimar, the eldest son of Johann Ernst II, Duke of Saxe-Weimar and Princess Christine Elisabeth of Schleswig-Holstein-Sonderburg. When his father died in 1683, he succeeded him as duke; however, he was compelled to rule jointly with his younger brother Johann Ernst III. Because John Ernest III was alcoholic, William Ernest took full control of the government of the duchy and permitted John Ernest the nominal title of co-duke ("Mitherr") until his death in 1707.