Medieval World
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William Plans
an Invasion
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When William of Normandy heard that the the Witan had chosen Harold Godwinson as king in January 1066, he began making plans to invade England. To make sure he had enough soldiers to defeat Harold's army, he asked the men of Poitou, Burgundy, Brittany and Flanders to help. William also arranged for soldiers from Germany, Denmark and Italy to join his army.
In exchange for their services, William promised them a share of the land and wealth of England. By July 1066 William had raised an army of 3,000 knights and 5,000 infantry soldiers.
William was a Christian and it was very important to him that the Pope and the Catholic Church supported him in his plans to take England by force. These negotiations took all summer but eventually Pope Alexander II gave William permission to invade England.
William of Normandy also had to arrange the building of the ships to take his large army to England. About 700 ships were ready to sail in August but William had to wait a further month for a change in the direction of the wind.
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