There are certain names which are familiar, as names, to all mankind; and every person who seeks for any degree of mental cultivation, feels desirous of informing himself of the leading outlines of their history, that he may know, in brief, what it was in their characters or their doings which has given them so widely-extended a fame. Consequently, great historical names alone are selected; and it has been the writers aim to present the prominent and leading traits in their characters, and all the important events in their lives, in a bold and free manner, and yet in the plain and simple language which is so obviously required in works which aim at permanent and practical usefulness. This volume is dedicated to William the Conqueror.

William the Conqueror was an innovator in government. He built a strong centralized administration staffed with his Norman supporters. He was also not about to put up with any backtalk from the newly conquered English. Accomplishments or why William the Conqueror was famous: Victory at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Building great castles in England, including the Tower of London. The Doomsday Book. The Bayeux Tapestry. The Norman Conquest and the 'Harrying of the North'. Hereward the Wake.

01 Preface, Normandy,

02 Birth of William,

03 The Accession,

04 Williams Reign in Normandy,

05 The Marriage,

06 The Lady Emma,

07 King Harold,

08 Preparations for the Invasion,

09 Crossing the Channel,

10 The battle of Hastings,

11 Prince Roberts Rebellion,