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Proven Companions Of William The Conqueror
William the Conqueror had men of diverse standing and origins under his command at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. With these and other men he went on in the five succeeding years to conduct the Harrying of the North and complete the Norman conquest of England. The term "Companions of the Conqueror" in the widest sense signifies those who planned, organised and joined with William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, in the great adventure which was the Norman Conquest (1066-1071). The term is however more narrowly defined as those nobles who actually fought with Duke William in the Battle of Hastings. This article is concerned with the latter narrow definition. Proof versus legend Over the centuries since the Battle of Hastings, many people in England have claimed that an ancestor fought on the Norman side. While there is sound evidence of extensive settlement in England by people of Norman, Breton and Flemish origin after 1066, the fact remains that the names of only 15 men who ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eustace II, Count Of Boulogne
Eustace II, (), also known as Eustace aux Grenons ("Eustace with long moustaches"),Heather J. Tanner, 'Eustace (II), count of Boulogne (d. c.1087)', Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004. was Count of Boulogne from 1049–1087. He fought on the Norman side at the Battle of Hastings, and afterwards received large grants of land forming an honour in England. He is one of the few proven companions of William the Conqueror. It has been suggested that Eustace was the patron of the Bayeux Tapestry. Origins Eustace was the son of Eustace I of Boulogne and Matilda of Louvain. Career In 1048 Eustace joined his father-in-law's rebellion against the Emperor Henry III. The next year Eustace was excommunicated by Pope Leo IX for marrying within the prohibited degree of kinship. Eustace and Ida were both descended from Louis II of France, and just within the prohibited seventh degree. However, since not all their ancestors are known, there might have existed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Turstin FitzRolf
Turstin fitz Rolf, also known as Turstin le Blanc and Tustein fitz Rou (Old Norse: ''Þorsteinn Hrólfsson'') played a prominent role in the Norman conquest of England and is regarded as one of the few proven companions of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. He appears to have originated from Bec-de-Mortagne, Pays de Caux, Normandy, Name & origins As the prefix ''fitz'' indicates, Turstin was the son of a man called Rolf (> ''Rouf'' > ''Rou'' in later French), names that are synonymous with their latinized equivalent ''Rollo'', only used for the first Viking count of Rouen Rollo, with the notable exception of Orderic Vitalis that writes ''Turstinus filius Rollonis'' about Turstin le Blanc. The given name Turstin originated in the Old Norse ''Þórstæinn'' (''Thorstein''; "Thor's stone") and is sometimes spelt Tostein, Thurstan, Tostain and similar variants. Turstin appears to have originated in Bec-de-Mortagne, Pays-de-Caux, Normandy, about five mil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Odo, Earl Of Kent
Odo of Bayeux (died 1097), Earl of Kent and Bishop of Bayeux, was the maternal half-brother of William the Conqueror, and was, for a time, second in power after the King of England. Early life Odo was the son of William the Conqueror's mother Herleva and Herluin de Conteville. Count Robert of Mortain was his younger brother. There is uncertainty about his birth date. Some historians have suggested he was born around 1035. Duke William made him bishop of Bayeux in 1049. It has been suggested that his birth was as early as 1030, making him about nineteen rather than fourteen at the time. Norman Conquest and after Although Odo was an ordained Christian cleric, he is best known as a warrior and statesman, participating in the Council of Lillebonne. He funded ships for the Norman invasion of England and is one of the very few proven companions of William the Conqueror known to have fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The Bayeux Tapestry, probably commissioned by him to ado ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Malet (Norman Conquest)
William Malet (french: Guillaume Malet de Graville, died 1071) held senior positions within the Norman forces that occupied England from 1066. He was appointed the second High Sheriff of Yorkshire in 1068. Of the so-called companions of William of Normandy, Malet is one of about a dozen for whom there is evidence of their presence at the Battle of Hastings of 14 October 1066. For example, the contemporary chronicler William of Poitiers recorded that Malet was present at the battle. According to apocryphal accounts, Malet was related to both William of Normandy and King Harold of England. Some accounts claim that Malet took charge of Harold's body following the Norman victory at Hastings. However, there is no evidence confirming such claims. Malet held substantial property in Normandy – chiefly in the Pays de Caux, with a castle at (now a suburb of Le Havre). After 1066, he held many properties in England as well, most of them in Yorkshire and East Anglia. Biography ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William De Warenne, 1st Earl Of Surrey
William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, Lord of Lewes, Seigneur de Varennes (died 1088), was a Norman nobleman created Earl of Surrey under William II Rufus. He is among the few known from documents to have fought under William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. At the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086, he held extensive lands in 13 counties, including the Rape of Lewes, a tract now divided between the ceremonial counties of East Sussex and West Sussex. Early career William was a son of Rodulf or Ralph de Warenne and Emma, and reported to have descended from a sibling of Duchess Gunnor, wife of Duke Richard I. Chronicler Robert of Torigny reported, in his additions to the '' Gesta Normannorum Ducum'' of William of Jumièges, that William de Warenne and Anglo-Norman baron Roger de Mortimer were both sons of an unnamed niece of Gunnor. Unfortunately, Robert's genealogies are somewhat confused – elsewhere he gives Roger as the son of William, and yet again ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hugh De Grandmesnil
Hugh de Grandmesnil (1032 – 22 February 1098), (known in French as ''Hugues'' and Latinised as ''Hugo de Grentmesnil'', aliter ''Grentemesnil'', etc.), is one of the proven companions of William the Conqueror known to have fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Subsequently, he became a great landowner in England. He was the elder son of Robert I of Grandmesnil by his wife Hawise d'Echaffour, a daughter of Giroie, Lord of Échauffour. His younger brother was Robert II of Grandmesnil. Following the Norman Conquest King William the Conqueror gave Hugh 100 manors in recompense for his service, sixty-five of them in Leicestershire, in the Midlands. He was appointed Sheriff of Leicestershire and Governor of Hampshire. Hugh's landholdings are listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 (''Domesday Book: A Complete Transliteration''. London: Penguin, 2003. p 652-6). Origins The Grandmesnil family achieved prominence in about 1050 in central Normandy, where the family became famous f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raoul II Of Tosny
Raoul II de Tosny seigneur de Conches-en-Ouche (1027 - died 9 April 1102) was a Norman nobleman of the House of Tosny, son of Roger I of Tosny and older brother of Robert de Stafford / Tosny. He was active in Normandy, England and Wales. Hastings in 1066 He is one of the few proven companions of William the Conqueror known to have fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Tradition says he gave up the role of standard bearer, his hereditary office, to Walter Giffard, in order to be able to fight closer to William, duke of Normandy. Feud Raoul became embroiled in a feud with William, Count of Évreux due to a disagreement between William's wife Helvise de Nevers and his wife, Isabel. This came to open war in 1091–92, when William attacked Conches. A settlement was reached. They later co-operated in attacking Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester's county of Meulan. Raoul had widely spread holdings, his seat was at Flamstead in Hertfordshire, while he held lands in western ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hugh De Montfort, Lord Of Montfort-sur-Risle
Hugh de Montfort (Hugh II) (died 1088 or after) was a Norman nobleman. He was Lord of Montfort-sur-Risle, Constable of Normandy and a companion of William the Conqueror. Hugh's father was killed in combat with Valkelin de Ferrières in 1045. The son of Hugh "the Bearded" de Montfort-sur-Risle, Montfort was an early ally of William, fighting in the Battle of Mortemer in 1054, a defeat for King Henry I of France. He participated in the Council of Lillebonne in January 1066 where the decision to invade England was made. In support of the actual invasion, Hugh provided 50 ships and 60 knights. In return, Hugh was installed at William's fortress at Winchester, and he received numerous holdings in Essex, Kent, Norfolk and Suffolk. Hugh married first a daughter of Richard de Beaufour. They had one daughter:{{cite book , last1=Keats-Rohan , first1=K. S. B. , title=Domesday People: Domesday book , date=1999 , publisher=Boydell & Brewer Ltd , isbn=9780851157221 , pages=265–266 , url ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Walter Giffard, Lord Of Longueville
Walter Gautier Giffard, Lord of Longueville, Normandy (a.k.a. 'Giffard of Barbastre'), was a Norman baron, a Tenant-in-chief in England, a Christian knight who fought against the Saracens in Spain during the Reconquista and was one of the 15 or so known companions of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Life WalterThis Walter has been confused with his son, Walter Giffard, 1st Earl of Buckingham. Orderic confused reports of father and son while Freeman, not realizing that the elder Walter had died in the lifetime of the Conqueror, assumed William Rufus had created the first Walter as earl of Buckingham when in fact it was his son Walter who became the first earl. See: ''Records of Buckinghamshire'', Vol 8, Ed. John Parker (Aylesbury: G.T. de Fraine, "Bucks Herald" Office, 1903), pp. 289-293. was the son of Osbern de Bolbec, Lord of Longueville by a sister of Gunnor, Duchess of Normandy.Several sisters of Gunnor are named by historical sources but these so ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aimery IV Of Thouars
Aimery IV viscount of Thouars ( 1024 – c. 1094) was a companion of William the Conqueror on his Invasion of England in 1066. Life He was the son of Geoffrey II of Thouars, and Agnes de Blois, daughter of Odo I, Count of Blois and Bertha of Burgundy. In 1055 he was allied with Geoffroy Martel, Count of Anjou, against William, Duke of Normandy, and he participated in the siege of Ambrières, a castle built by William on the border of the County of Maine. After returning to Thouars in 1056, he joined the army of the Duke of Aquitaine to fight against the Saracens in Spain. He participated in the capture of Barbastro and brought a rich booty back to his hometown of Thouars. In 1066, he was in England as part of the invading army of William the Conqueror. At the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066, he commanded a corps composed of Poitevins, Bretons, and Angevins. Aimery IV did not settle in England, however, but received ample reimbursement and returned to his contine ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl Of Hereford
William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford, Lord of Breteuil ( 1011 – 22 February 1071), was a relative and close counsellor of William the Conqueror and one of the great magnates of early Norman England. FitzOsbern was created Earl of Hereford in 1067, one of the first peerage titles in the English peerage. He is one of the very few proven companions of William the Conqueror known to have fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. His chief residence was Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight, one of many castles he built in England. Origins William FitzOsbern was the son of Osbern the Steward, a nephew of Duchess Gunnor, the wife of Duke Richard I of Normandy. Osbern was the steward of his cousin Duke Robert I of Normandy. When Robert left the Duchy to his young son William, Osbern became one of Duke William's guardians. Osbern married Emma, a daughter of Count Rodulf of Ivry, who was a half-brother of Duke Richard I of Normandy. Through her he inherited a large property in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
