William I, usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman King of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087. He was a descendant of Rollo and was Duke of Normandy from 1035 onward. The product of an affair between Robert I, Duke of Normandy, and a woman called Herleva, William was likely known to his contemporaries.
