William : bastard and conqueror

Legendary figure of both Normandy and England, direct ascendant of the present-day royal family of the United Kingdom, Duke of Normandy and King of England, that's who I am.

Yet my life began as a young orphan, a bastard who fought fiercely to survive and for his legacy to be acknowledged, a rebel whose ducal destiny was forged by defying his own barons, a conqueror who built an entire nation by successfully commanding the very first landing operation in Normandy's history and by winning the famous Battle of Hastings in 1066.

This is the story of a destiny that was unique, epic and occasionally tragic, but also infinitely human. Follow me as I travel from Falaise to Caen, from Bayeux to Rouen, from Flanders to England. My story is also your story, the story of a region too, and of the nation of England.

I lived there 1,000 years ago, but it was just like yesterday...