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King William I conquered England
What are the origins
of British royalty?
Patricia Johnson
InBritain,Romanruleendedinaroundtheyear
410. The Roman Empire was under threat from
invasion by Germanic clans and so all Roman
soldiers were called back to the continent to fight.
This marks the beginning of the Anglo-Saxon
conquest. At the time, England was divided into
the Heptarchy, a Game Of Thrones-esque seven
kingdoms of varying sizes, each with its own ruler.
The Kingdom of Wessex (covering modern-day
Hampshire, Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset) was
the largest and most influential. King Egbert, who
came to the throne in 802, was the first king to
Thisdayinhistory 18 August
1227
1868
WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR
Nationality: French
Born-died: c. 1028-87
Brief
Bio
Born as a bastard to
the Duke of Normandy,
William inherited the title
at eight years old. After
ruthlessly conquering
England, he was an efficient ruler
and oversaw the Domesday Book,
which was completed in 1086.
William died in 1087 from an
injury to his intestines, which then
exploded at his own funeral.
unifymuchofthesouthandruledallofEngland
southoftheHumber.Hisdynasty,theHouseof
Wessex, continued to reign until the arrival of
William the conqueror in 1066.
With the backing of the pope, William invaded
England to claim the throne that he was promised
by King Edward the Confessor, one of the last
kings of Wessex and who had failed to produce
an heir. After invasion, he was proclaimed king of
all England and supported his reign by forming
a new Norman aristocracy. This unified kingdom
provided the basis for the dynasties of royal houses
throughout the ages.
1920
Who was the
richest man on
the Titanic?
Michael James
American businessman and investor John Jacob
Astor IV is listed as the wealthiest passenger
aboard the Titanic. He was returning to the
USA from a long honeymoon with his second
wife Madeline, who was five months pregnant.
Astor was a descendant of the USA’s first
multi-millionaire, a German-American called
Johann Jakob Astor, and made his money
through building and investment among other
endeavours. He had also served as a lieutenant
colonel in the Spanish-American war.
On the night of 14 April 1912 when Titanic
collided with an iceberg, Astor put his wife into a
lifeboat and she was able to escape with her life
and that of her baby. However, Astor was not so
fortunate. His body was recovered on 22 April,
and identified by the initials on his clothing.
Astor was also carrying a gold pocket watch that
his son (born in August 1912) later claimed.
John Jacob Astor IV was the wealthiest
passenger on the doomed ship
1931
Genghis Khan dies
In his life, the Mongol leader
united Mongolian nomadic tribes
and conquered land across Asia
to create the largest empire in
history. He dies after leading his
armies on one final campaign in
the kingdom of Xixia.
Helium is discovered
French astronomer Jules Janssen
finds the first evidence of helium
during a solar eclipse, as he
notices a bright yellow spectral
line emanating from the Sun. From
this initial observation, a new
element is discovered: helium.
Women’s suffrage
achieved in the US
Nashville legislators pass the
amendment to give women
the vote. Tennessee becomes
the 36th state to ratify, and so
women’s suffrage becomes
law throughout the entire US.
Floods devastate China
Prolonged adverse weather
conditions cause the rivers
of eastern China to flood on
a mass scale. The rushing
waters are responsible for at
least 140,000 deaths from
drowning, debris or diseases.
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