Was William the Conqueror an important monarch?

Answer 1

William the Conqueror was important because he established feudalism in Europe. Europe had no central government and was constantly being attacked by vikings and other barbarians, so feudalism was very important. Feudalism was a system of loyalty. Monarchs were loyal to lords and the other way around. Lords were loyal to knights and the other way around. Knights were loyal to both lords and peasants, and lords were loyal to peasants, who were also loyal to the lords and knights. Without feudalism, no work would have gotten done, and the kingdoms may not have been protected.

This is not true.

Feudalism was established in France long before the Norman Conquest of England.

William had to pledge loyalty to King Henry I of France as his Liege Lord under the feudal system. In later times this obligation by the descendants of William was the cause of the conflict between England and France that lasted for centuries. With the combined power of England and the Norman possessions in France the Normans saw no reason to be subservient to the French crown.

William was important because he established a new order in England, he ended the conflict between the Danes and the Saxons by establishing himself as King. As a conquering leader he was able to impose his own form of centralized rule over his new kingdom. William actually spent very little time in England so he had to organise a system of government that allowed his nobility to govern without anyone getting too powerful to challenge an absentee King.

His legacy was also important, as he divided his heritage between his oldest son Robert that gained Normandy and his next surviving son that became William II, establishing England as a separate kingdom again.