William the Conqueror William the Conqueror William I (c. 1028 – 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman King of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087. A descendant of Rollo, he was Duke of Normandy from 1035 onward. After a long struggle to establish his power, by 1060 his hold on Normandy was secure, and he launched the Norman conquest of England six years later. The rest of his life was marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over England and his continental lands and by difficulties with his
Hoël II, Duke of Brittany in the east and the House of Cornouaille in the west may have further strengthened Brittany at a time when external interference was attempted by William the Conqueror. After Hawise's death in 1072, Hoël acted as regent for his son, Alan IV, until the latter reached his majority in 1084. During his reign he faced several rebellions from Breton nobles. Geoffrey Grenonat of Rennes (a natural son of Duke Alan III of Brittany and thus a half-brother of Hawise) led a revolt and was joined by Ralph de Gael who had returned to Brittany from England after the failure of