William the Conqueror was born illegitimate, orphaned young, and hunted by assassins before he reached adolescence. In the brutal feudal politics of eleventh-century Normandy, powerful nobles saw a boy duke as easy prey. Yet this hunted child survived, fought his way to mastery, and crossed the English Channel to win one of the most decisive battles in Western history.

This episode follows William from his desperate childhood through the Battle of Hastings in 1066 and the ruthless consolidation that followed — examining how the Norman Conquest transformed England’s language, law, aristocracy, and architecture forever.

• William’s dangerous childhood as an illegitimate duke hunted by his own nobles
• The disputed succession and Harold Godwinson’s broken oath that triggered invasion
• The tactics and turning points of the Battle of Hastings
• How the Norman Conquest permanently transformed English language, law, and culture