William the Conqueror killedthe King of England.

THIS DAY IN HISTORY

OCTOBER 14TH THE BATTLE OF HASTINGS

On this day in history, October 14th, 1066, 958 years ago today, William the Conqueror killed
the King of England.
William the Conqueror had a Viking heritage. He was the illegitimate son on Robert the 1st
,
who was the Duke of Normandy. William, to borrow a line from Johnny Cash, “Grew up tough,
and he grew up mean, his fists got hard, and his wits got keen.” He was a fighting man.

In January of A.D. 1066, King Edward, the king of England, died. King Edward had no children.
On his deathbed he granted the kingdom to Harold Godwinson. Just one little problem;
According to William, King Edward granted him the throne about 15 years earlier. This little
problem of King Harold now sitting on the throne was a problem that William knew how to
handle. Being the fighting man that he was, William gathered an army, sailed across the English
Channel, and landed in England on September 28th. He took control of Pevensey, and then
sallied forth on to Hastings. William, with his army, arrived at Hastings ready to battle. Then on
this day in history, 958 years ago today, William, Harold, and their respective armies clashed.
William, as you may have guessed by his name, conquered. He was soon coroneted as the first
Norman King of England. From the time of A.D. 1066 until today, every monarch who has sat
on the English throne is