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 the Conqueror growing control of the duchy, although his conflict with the French king and the Count of Anjou continued until 1060. Henry and Geoffrey led another invasion of Normandy in 1057 but were defeated by William at the Battle of Varaville. This was the last invasion of Normandy during William's lifetime. In 1058, William invaded the County of Dreux and took Tillières-sur-Avre and Thimert. Henry attempted to dislodge William, but the Siege of Thimert dragged on for two years until Henry's death. The deaths of Count Geoffrey and the king in 1060 cemented the shift in the balance of power towards