William the Conqueror
A lifetime of scholarship plus fifteen years
of hard work has been invested in David
Bates’ new biography of William the
Conqueror. We should be grateful!
William the Conqueror
By David Bates
Series: The English Monarchs Series
Yale University Press 2016
ISBN-10: 0300118759
ISBN-13: 978-0300118759
Yale University publishes an extremely
prestigious series of biographies of English
Monarchs, the latest of which is about
William the Conqueror by David Bates.
Davis Barnes has had a long and productive career as professor in medieval history at the universities in
Cardiff, Glasgow and London until 2008. He now holds an associative chair in medieval History at the
University of East Anglia.
However, scrolling though his list of publications, it immediately becomes apparent that his distinguished
career has been focused on the history of Normandy and England 900 – 1100 with a particular focus on
the conquest and its aftermath. Of particular importance has been his engagement with the scholarly
communities on both shores. Of particular interest has been his focus on the careers of some of the major
actors: Odo, bishop of Bayeux and William the Conqueror.
Fifteen years ago David Bates agreed to write a biography of William the Conqueror based on his
extensive scholarship. Mistakenly, he believed that this might build on existing scholarship and his own
previous work. Delving into what was perceived as familiar texts, he nevertheless soon discovered that
rereading the sources from one end to the other revealed a much more difficult subject than he had
hitherto imagined.
Also, it soon became apparent that inspiration had to be sought in the anthropological turn, which
medieval history of 10th century Normandy was early to adopt, but which has been a late-comer to the
11th century history of conquest and nation-building.
Subsequently this magisterial biography examines the life of this major figure in British and European
history from a distinct multidisciplinary approach, considering not just the political and ideological
ramifications of his rule but also the cultural, as witnessed by cross-Channel empire and its artistic
legacy.
But we also get to know an individual with a distinct personality characterised by ruthless ambitions and
cruelty. On one hand, he was capable at attracting widespread support from his close friends. On the
other hand he was a formidable soldier, who never forgave his enemies, nor shied away from such brutal
and pitiless acts as the Harrying of the North, in which vast segments of the population were killed off
together with their beasts needed to work the land.
This is a magisterial biography summing up a lifelong scholarly endeavour to grasp the tiny details as
well as the broad scope of the history of the 11th century and one of its main players.