Customer Reviews

William the Conqueror

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Having read both David Douglas's William the Conqueror and this book by David Bates, I somewhat prefer Bates. It is not for want of historical detail. Douglas is one of the most well-recognized scholars on Norman history and his book is filled with important details. However, I thought Bates's book is better written and is not lacking in critical details. Bates's biography of William is also more recent by 25 years. Specifically, I preferred Bates for a couple reasons. One is that I gained a better sense of William as a person. William was somewhat like the Napoleon of his time, a superb military leader, a bold risk-taker who acted like he had something to prove, and uncompromising in his goals. Bates does a fine job of drawing out the dimensions of the man as duke and then as king, both his strengths and many weaknesses. The second reason is the use of extremely helpful drawings and plates in the book. For twenty consecutive pages Bates puts the Bayeux Tapestry along the top and bottom of each page and the narrative ties into what is happening on the tapestry. Following the flow of events displayed on the tapestry is an historical learning experience in itself. Except for one frame or two, I had never seen the entire tapestry laid out. It is a remarkable piece of history. It shows how at least one Norman in William's time, his half-brother, Odo, Bishop of Bayeaux, saw the events before, during, and after Hastings. After William arrested Odo later in his life, Odo may have had second thoughts about commissioning a tapestry to commemorate his brother's conquest. Second, the book has what might be viewed by some as a weakness but which I viewed as a strength. There was a re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings in October, 2000. Bates uses 12 color plates from this event to display the armor, shields and weaponry used by William and Harold. Of course this is not the real thing but the color plates give a much clearer idea to the reader of what the participants at Hastings were wearing and the kinds of standards and shields used. I have nothing against the book by Douglas - it is a very good biography. But so is this book by Bates and I just found William and the times brought to life more in this biography. I recommend it.

William the Conqueror is perhaps one of the best known of the old ruling kings of England, yet oftentimes the lay person seems to only know that he conquered England and ruled Normandy, and perhaps that he was a bastard. William was so much more of a complex person and his important rule over Normandy and England had huge, far reaching implications.

William came in to his rule young and through force and will he was able to take a hold of his claim on Normandy and solidify his holdings. Bates does wonderfully in analyzing William's Normandy before he had any thoughts of invading England. You see a shrewd man who was a calculating general who continually thwarted his enemies in battle. His eventual invasion of England, as Bates showed, was a huge undertaking that also had luck on his side as Harold was off fighting another invasion in the north. The combination of his forces and Harold's depleted forces made for a decisive victory and a new King of England.

What I learned most from Bates was about William's personality. Bates shows how forceful he was in enforcing his rule by displacing the nobility with Normans loyal to him and thus changing the history of England irrevocably. Even more telling was how William handled the church. When the Pope tried to enforce his will in William's land he was absolutely unsuccessful since William took the stance that he had complete control over the church in his lands and dictated who was appointed the various bishoprics and so on. This was fascinating to me because, even though the church was still securing its power base, I had assumed that their foothold in Normandy and England was more secure. Not so with William. The nobility and the church yielded to his iron will.

Bates does wonderfully in showing the true character of William both pre-England as well as post-England. A recommend to those interested in William or this time period.

4 stars.

William the Conqueror was an ambitious political leader who was the driving force of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Scholar David Bates' new biography WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR documents the man's achievements in Normandy and England, examining these successes in light of European history as a whole. A 'must' for any student of the era.