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
Companions of William the Conqueror not to Harold's mother, who offered for the body of her beloved son its weight in gold." ""Hic Odo Eps (Episcopus) Baculu(m) Tenens Confortat Pueros."" ("Here Odo the Bishop holding a club strengthens the boys.") These five were agreed upon by both David C. Douglas and Geoffrey H. White and are from the "Complete Peerage XII-1," Appendix L. Since the time of these lists, J. F. A. Mason in the "English Historical Review" adds one additional name: Companions of William the Conqueror William the Conqueror had men of diverse standing and origins under his command at the Battle of Hastings