Assignment 7 Lena Ilagan

The twenty-eight of September, 1066. At first glance, the date seems a mere speck in the gargantuan timeline of human history, yet, do not be fooled by its size. On that day, European history turned to the next chapter in their boBlook, going from the ashes of the Roman Empire, to a bright, new, promising era of unity and progress. On that day, Norman conqueror Duke William of Normandy landed on the stony shores of Sussex, Britain, and changed Western European history forever.

William the Conqueror was the illegitimate and only son of Duke Robert of Normandy and Herleva, a tanner’s daughter. His legitimacy as the successor to the Norman seat of power was often contested, and as a result William became accustomed to fighting and scrabbling for power. However, he eventually gained control over Normandy, and most would think he that he would settle down for a comfortable life in a comfortable land with a comfortable family and a comfortable kingdom. But it soon became evident that he would never grow out of that conquering mindset, and he began to absorb neighboring regions, and soon almost all of Northern France was under his control. He then turned his eyes to Britain, and soon felt an unquenchable thirst for what laid beyond. It didn’t help that the childless King Edward of some stony, unimportant island had somehow declared William the heir to his throne. And with that, William set off into the cold, narrow English Chanel to claim his new prize, and then, on the twenty-eighth of September, William stepped onto his new home: England. His conquest of England was swift and sudden, and on Christmas Day, 1066, he became King of England and Normandy, thus unifying the region and ushering in a new age of renewal and progress.

Though much of the Middle Ages lies forgotten in a dusty corner of human history, the reign of William the Conqueror is the one exception, with it being the shimmering treasure in a sea of faded and musty trinkets. If William had not stepped onto the grey shores of England, Western Europe would have never had the chance to re-bloom out of the ashes of the Dark Ages and become the great area it was. On that day, his actions birthed the events which would soon lead to the Renaissance and other golden ages of Europe.