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 During the 600 years, many battles had been fought, land had frequently changed hands, and rulers had often been replaced by new rulers all over Europe.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.

这一年是公元1066年，中世纪已经过去了600年。在这600年中，发生了许多大战，王国频繁易手，整个欧洲统治者频繁更替。欧洲部分地区开始形成大的王国，就像今天的欧洲。其他部分仍旧处于无中央政府的混乱状态。

英格兰就是那样的地区。每个部分都由自己大公统治，中央政府刚刚形成，这意味着如果英格兰受到攻击，没有任何方法组织反击。

这正好发生在1066年，这是一个充满了行动、承诺和谎言的复杂的故事。

故事起始于1035年，发生在法国诺曼底维京人居住地。在那儿，七岁大的男孩威廉被加冕为国王。在最初的几年中，威廉的叔祖父统治着他的地盘，但是像其他同时代的男孩一样，很快长大。在他15岁时，被封为骑士。在他20岁时，他不仅统治着自己的地盘，而且同他的敌人进行战争。

他经常不得不防止自己的王国内的暴动。他打退其他王国的入侵者。很快威廉成为一个经验丰富且残忍的军事首领