Sunday, November 14, 2010

William the Conqueror

Today I interviewed William the Conqueror

Q: Did you have an experience prior to being king of England?
A: While I was Duke of Normandy, King Edward died without an heir to the throne. A council chose his son-in-law, Harold to inherit the throne. I was not pleased, and told the council I was related to Edward and he promised me the throne. So I made an army, got on the good side of the pope, then sailed across the English Channel to England. There, I defeated Harold in the Battle of Hastings and was crowned king on Christmas Day, 1066.

Q: How did you handle your land?
A: I granted fiefs to Norman lords and the church, so people could live there, but I also kept land for the crown.

Q: What was the Doomsday Book?
A: In 1086 I had a census taken to record every castle, field, building, person and animal in England. This helped us create an accurate tax system for our land. It's called Doomsday because it's just like God's judgement day where no one can escape if they are lying.

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