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William the Conqueror (c. 1028 – 1087) was the first Norman king of England. He became Duke of Normandy in 1035, although his illegitimate status and youth caused him difficulties until he secured the duchy in about 1060. In the 1050s and early 1060s, William was a contender for the English throne, then held by Edward the Confessor. Another claimant was Harold Godwinson, whom Edward named as the next king on his deathbed in January 1066. William invaded England in September 1066, defeated Harold at the Battle of Hastings, and was crowned on Christmas Day 1066. Unsuccessful rebellions followed, but by 1075 William's hold on England was mostly secure. William's final years were marked by difficulties in his continental domains, troubles with his eldest son, and threatened invasions of England by the Danes. In 1085 he ordered the compilation of the Domesday Book, listing all landholders in England and their holdings. He died in September 1087 on a campaign in northern France. (Full article...)