Some later writers say William was not well accepted as the duke because his parents were not married.[4] But during William's time there were no social consequences of being a bastard. A historian living the 1030s, Ralph Glaber did not think so.[4] Many of William's rivals who thought they should be duke were also bastards.[4]
A marriage to Matilda of Flanders was an important step upward for Duke William. She was the niece of King Henry I of France, William's overlord. Matilda was closely related to most of the royal families of Europe. It gave status to the duke of Normandy to have a member of the royal family as his wife.[19]
A shield wall was a "wall of shields" formed by soldiers standing in line very close to each other. They hold their shields to form a barrier the enemy cannot easily get through.
Throughout his reign he maintained he was the rightful successor to king Edward. That his reign followed that of Edward's only after a brief period of England not having a king (called an interregnum).[48] Harold was a usurper and never had the right to rule England.[48] In all official records the reign of king Edward was followed by that of king William. William was crowned in the English tradition and was to rule as an English king.[48]
