What reasons did William have to be king in 1066?

Answer 1

William's grandfather's sister had married a previous King of England, Aethelred II (nicknamed "Unready", which basically meant "unwise" in ancient English). This gave him a weak claim to the throne.

However, Edward the Confessor had lived in exile in Normandy during his youth (Aethelred II had unwisely massacred Danish people living in England, so the King of Denmark invaded and occupied England, forcing the royal family to flee), and greatly admired his hosts. When he finally became King of England, Edward tended to view the Normans more favorably than the entrenched old English nobles. It is said that Edward nominated William to be his heir, since other potential heirs had not panned out (his nephew died- probably murdered- after returning to England, and the nephew's son was too young).

Lastly, William claimed that Harold Godwinson, another claimant to the throne and a very powerful English nobleman, had previously visited Normandy and during that visit, had promised to support William, including if William were to claim the throne. This is likely a story made up by William's supporters after he defeated Harold, since there's no evidence that Harold had ever been to Normandy.

Answer 2

He went to war with Harold II on october 14th the day it began and ended, this is because at Senlac Hill the two armies met and this is where they fought. William and his army were at the top of the hill and king Harold II and his army at the bottom. Whenever Harolds army tried to get u the hill Williams army shot them back down with arrows.