On 28 September 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, landed with his troops at Pevensey, Sussex. This was the start of the Norman invasion of England which would see defeat for King Harold at the Battle of Hastings.

King Harold had achieved victory over a Norse invasion on 25 September at Stamford Bridge. As soon as William and his forces landed they constructed a wooden castle at Hastings and raided the surrounding area for any supplies they needed.

The two armies met on 14 October. The defeat of Harold resulted in William becoming the first Norman King of England, as many of England’s leaders submitted to him, even though  Edgar Ætheling had been proclaimed king on the death of Harold.

There were rebellions to the rule of the Normans but by Easter 1070 Papal legates arrived in England and re-crowned William. Known as William the Conqueror (aka William the Bastard), purges took place, wealth was confiscated from monasteries, and castles were built to maintain Norman hold on England.