William the Conqueror

On the 3rd of July of the year 1035, William the Conqueror became the Duke of Normandy. 

William the I, usually known as William the Conqueror was the very first Norman King of England, and his reign went from the year 1066 to his death in 1087. He was a descendant of the Vikings who raided northern France and Settled there, becoming the Normans. William had been duke of Normandy since 1035 under the name of William II. After a long struggle to establish his power, by 1060 his hold on Normandy was secure, and he launched the Norman conquest of England in 1066. William built a large fleet and invaded England, decisively defeating and killing the powerful English Earl, Harold Godwinson. After further military efforts William was crowned king on the Christmas Day of 1066, in London. Several unsuccessful rebellions followed, but by 1075 William's hold in England was secure, allowing him to spend the majority of the rest of his reign in the continent. The conquest of William had a profound impact in England, such as changes in the Church, aristocracy, culture and of course, the language of the country persisted into modern times.