The French possessions England was conquered by a duke of Normandy in Although Normandy and England were initially separated after the Conqueror's death inthey were reunited by force under king Henry I in Sep 05,  · At the Battle of Hastings on October 14,William, duke of Normandy, defeated the forces of Harold II, king of England, and then was himself crowned king as William I, leading to profound political, administrative, and social changes in the British Isles as result of the Norman Conquest. Edward, byname Saint Edward the Confessor, (born /05, Islip, Eng.—died Jan. 5,London; canonized ; feast day originally January 5, now October 13), king of England from to Although he is often portrayed as a listless, ineffectual monarch overshadowed by who was the first king of england in 1066 nobles, Edward preserved much of the dignity of the crown and managed to keep the kingdom united during .