William I (
Old Norman:
Williame 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. The descendant of
Viking raiders, he had been
Duke of Normandy since 1035. After a long struggle to establish his power, by 1060 his hold on
Normandy was secure, and he launched the
Norman conquest of England in 1066. The rest of his life was marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over
England and his continental lands and by difficulties with his eldest son.