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Hello and welcome to Life of the Week, where leading historians delve into the lives of some of

of history's most intriguing and significant figures, from ancient Egyptian fairies and medieval

warrior, to daring 20th century spies.

His legacy is still debated almost a thousand years later.

But how much do we know about the man behind this formidable reputation?

I spoke to Emeritus Professor David Bates to chart William's dramatic rise to power

and the brutal realities of Norman rule.

Thank you so much for joining me on the podcast, David. We're going to be

introducing the life of William the Conquer and also talking a bit about how he was understood at the time

and how he has been seen since his death. To start us off, let's go right back to the beginning, right back to his birth.

William was born in the Duchy of Normandy, but what kind of world was he born into?

Yes, well, Normandy at the time of William's birth, which is either late in the year 1027 or early

1028.

Well, what we call the Duchy was by those times very well established,

originally a Viking settlement,

which was created into a territorial principality,

...