THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL WORLD LEADERS OF ALL TIME

7 The 100 Most Influential World Leaders of All Time 7

carefully, first taking steps to secure his duchy and to
obtain international support for his venture. He also
appealed to volunteers to join his army of invasion and
won numerous recruits from outside Normandy.
On September 27, William and his army set sail for the
southeastern coast of England. The following morning he
landed, took the unresisting towns of Pevensey and
Hastings, and began to prepare for battle. William’s forces
were in a narrow coastal strip, hemmed in by the forest of
Andred. On October 13, Harold emerged from the forest,
but the hour was too late to push on to Hastings, and he
took up a defensive position instead. Early the next day,
before Harold had prepared his exhausted troops for
battle, William attacked. Although the English phalanx
initially held firm, ultimately William’s forces gained
the upper hand. Harold was killed in the battle, and the
English surrendered. On Christmas Day, 1066, William
was crowned king in Westminster Abbey.
William, although newly king of England, was already
an experienced ruler. In Normandy he had replaced dis-
loyal nobles and ducal servants with his friends, limited
private warfare, and recovered usurped ducal rights, defin-
ing the duties of his vassals. The Norman church flourished
under his reign, as he adapted its structures to English tra-
ditions. Like many contemporary rulers, he wanted the
church in England to be free of corruption but also subor-
dinate to him. During his reign, church synods were held
much more frequently, and he also presided over several
episcopal councils. He also promoted monastic reform by
importing Norman monks and abbots, thus quickening
the pace of monastic life in England and bringing it into
line with continental developments.
William left England early in 1067 but had to return in
December to deal with rebellions. To secure his hold on