The year was 1066 AD. The Middle Ages had already been going on for 600 years. During the 600 years, many battles had been fought, land had frequently changed hands, and rulers had often been replaced by new rulers all over Europe. Parts of Europe had begun to settle into large kingdoms, much like the countries of Europe today. Other parts were still disorganized with no central government.

  England was one of those places. Each section was ruled by its own duke, and a central government was just beginning to develop, which meant that if England was attacked, it had no organized way to fight back.

  And that is exactly what happened in 1066. It is a complicated story full of actions, promises, and lies.

  It started back in 1035, in the Viking settlement of Normandy in France. There, William, a seven-year-old boy ,was crowned king. For the first few years, William‘s great uncle ruled in his place, but William, like other boys of his time, grew up fast. At the age of 15, he was knighted. By the age of 20, he was not only ruling on his own, but also waging wars against his enemies.

  He often had to defend himself against uprisings within his kingdom. He fought off invaders from other lands. Soon, William was an experienced and ruthless military leader.

公元1066年，中世纪已经持续了600年。在这600年期间,许多大战已经打响，土地频繁转手，整个欧洲地区，统治者经常被新统治者取代。欧洲的部分地区已经开始适应大王国，就像今天的欧洲国家一样。其他部分仍然混乱,没有中央政府。

英格兰是其中的一个地方，每个部分由自己的公爵统治，中央政府刚刚开始发展，这意味着如果英格兰被攻击,它没有条理性的方式去反击。

而这正是发生在1066年。这是一个充满了行动,承诺,和谎言的复杂故事。

它始于1035年,定居在法国诺曼底的维京人。威廉,一个七岁的男孩,加冕成为国王。前几年，威廉的伟大的叔叔玛探雅代替他作裁决，但威廉像其他男孩一样，快速成长。15岁时,他被封为爵士。20岁的时候,他不仅自己执政,但也对敌人发动战争。

他经常反抗在他的王国的起义以维护自己，击退其他土地的入侵者。很快，威廉是一位有经验的和无情的军事领袖。