The Normans conquer England. Claiming his right to the English throne, William, Duke of Normandy, begins his invasion of England at Pevensey. William was the cousin of Edward the Confessor, the English king who died childless in 1066. Fifteen years earlier, Edward had supposedly nominated William to succeed him, but upon the king’s death, the royal council chose the powerful nobleman Harold Godwin. On October 14, 1066, William clashed with Harold at the Battle of Hastings: the king was killed and his army defeated. On Christmas Day, William the Conqueror was crowned the first Norman king of England. The period of Norman rule would significantly change the English language and culture.
