William the Conqueror

Hello, I'm Katie and today I will be interviewing William of Normandy, also known as William the Conqueror.

Katie: How old were you when you became the Duke of Normandy?

William: I was seven years old when I became Duke. From that day on my life was in constant danger, mostly from jealous relatives.

Katie: After you were knighted at the age of 15, what happened from there?
William: Well I got help from my liege lord, Henry I of France, to put down rebellions by my barons. Then was I was 20, I led an army to defeat my cousin, King Edward.
Katie: What happened after this?
William: Well, I raised an army and won the backing of the pope. I then sailed across the English Channel to England. At the Battle of Hastings, my army and I triumped over Harold. I then become king of England on Christmas Day in 1066.

Katie: Now that you have conquered England, what else did you do?

William: I set out to impose control over the land. I granted fiefs to the Church and to my Norman lords, or barons but I also kept a large amount of land for myself. I monitored who built castles and where. I required every vassal to swear first allegiance to him rather than to any other feudal lord.

Katie: Well that's all the time we have for today. Thank you William for being here.