David C. Douglas "William the Conqueror: The Norman Impact Upon England."
The tale of William the Conqueror is written down by numerous contemporaries with various perspectives. It's a tale that would inspire some while fascinate and even terrify others. It’s a tale of a man from a seemingly small land rising to rule one of the most powerful, stable kingdoms in all of Europe at the time, a kingdom that would sow the seeds of an empire that would sprout many centuries later. William’s story is a fascinating yarn full of twists and turns, wins and losses, political intrigue, and good, old-fashioned raw bursts of emotion. In some ways, William’s life is quite in line with the mores of his time; he would often be no different than any other medieval ruler, be they the Holy Roman emperor, the Angevine count, the Hungarian king, or the prince of Kievan Rus.
But once you delve deeper into the events that occurred during the Norman king’s life, you’ll see just how innovative, atypical, and, for lack of a better term, different William was. From his birth at Falaise to his death at Rouen, he has been through everything that medieval Europe could throw at him, and, as is evident from hundreds of books on the subject, he stood the test of time and achieved proverbial immortality.
Hardcover. 1964.
Used book. Previous owner’s notes in pencil on back of endpaper. Otherwise, like new inside.