Here is the story of Anschetil's son William, ancestor of the Harcourts.
(July 23, 2018) William was the son of Anschetil. William knew, before he was of age, that he would live in England. Anschetil had a connection in England. Anschetil understood that William, the Duke, intended to become the King of England. Anschetil understood, if he was able to establish a son, he would be able to ensure the well-being of his family. William was chosen to be the son who would be established. William was not the eldest. William had a brother. William knew, because of his brother, that he would not receive the family’s land in France. William knew, after he agreed to settle in England, that he would have to be careful. William understood, after he settled, that his fellow landowners would help the Englishman who claimed to be King. This meant that William had to be able to not (alienate) his neighbors.
William understood, after the Conquest, that he had been very lucky. The English (claimant) to the throne was killed. That meant that there would not be a serious struggle. Each county would succumb. William understood, after the Norman leader spoke, that William was going to be able to hold his land. This meant that William was able to find a wife.
(July 26, 2018) William had three problems. William understood that he was not a native. William had neighbors who resented him. William had to prove that he was loyal. These were William’s three problems.
William understood that, if he wanted to be accepted, he had to ingratiate himself with his neighbors. William also understood that his neighbors resented the thought of the Conquest. William, before the Conquest, had issues with one of his neighbors. This led to a later issue, that wasn’t settled. This was eventually decided by a Norman. William had to appeal to the authority of the Conqueror. This is how two of the three problems came together.
(August 5, 2018)
William knew, after the Conquest, that one of his neighbors would lose his land. William understood, as a member of a Norman family, he had the opportunity to receive the land. William, without thinking, sought to get the land. This led the man to oppose William.
William understood, if this was going to be resolved, William would have to find a way to help the man. William, without asking, told the Norman lieutenant that he would not give the land to the previous owner. This had the result of William being granted the land. And this led to the problem.
William didn’t want to tell the previous owner to leave. William had his own home. William understood, if he was going to be able to live with his neighbors, he had to be perceived as just. William also understood, if he was going to be respected as a Norman, that he would have to make the man leave. This was William’s problem.
(Aug. 18, 2018) William wanted to be able to encourage the neighbor. William understood that the neighbor was bitter. William knew, if it came to force, the neighbor would be killed. William understood, if the neighbor was killed, William would be remembered. This is what William wanted to avoid.
William understood, after there was a meeting of leading men, that William was seen as a collaborator. This meant that William was mistrusted. William understood, after this, that William would have to make sure that the Norman lieutenant was of the opinion that William was trustworthy. This meant that William was indeed a collaborator, even though he had not intended to become one.
William wanted to be able to make the owner of the land leave. William knew that the Norman lieutenant was observing. William also knew that the community was observing. William was of the opinion that he would be able to help maintain good order. William understood, after he was unable to convince the owner to leave, that he would have to use force.
William decided to move little by little. William began by telling peasants that they were his. This meant that William could tell them to move. And William understood that unwilling peasants would make a serious problem. So William simply announced that William intended to move some of the peasants. This was received with silence. William did not expect anything else.
(Aug. 24, 2018) William didn’t think that he would be able to move all of the peasants. He thought that he would be able to move some of them. Then the former owner would insist that the others stay. And this is what happened. William relocated one village. The peasants got better land. The peasants were unhappy. However, they realized that they would have the opportunity to return. This is what William promised them.
After the village moved, William understood that the former owner would insist that the remaining two villages not move. William understood that the former owner would make it difficult for villagers. This meant that William would be unable to move the villagers without shedding blood. This was what William wanted to avoid.
William decided to wait until winter. This meant that the former owner had less than he expected. The village had moved in the spring, which meant that the peasants planted fields in their new village. William understood, because the former owner had less, that the former owner had to take more from his peasants. This meant that the peasants were hungry. William had saved food. William told the peasants that they could move and receive food. This resulted in one village moving.
(Aug. 28, 2018) William understood, after the second village moved, that the former owner had no choice. He could not support his men. He would have to leave. This meant that his men had to appeal to William. And this made a difficult problem.
William had confronted the men of the former owner. This had not resulted in bloodshed. Two of the knights had decided to check with their lord. And this was the reason why William had avoided bloodshed. However, a third knight had drawn his sword. He had been forced to sheath it. This was seen as a humiliation. In this situation, the man resented William. William knew, before there was any discussion, that the man would never forget. This made William unable to accept him.
William didn’t think that the man would become violent. However, William had no expectation. This meant that William was prepared. The man drew his sword. This was honorable. The sword had been drawn before. And now William had to fight.
(Sept. 2, 2018) William understood, if he was to be the master of his new knight, he must vanquish him. William understood, if he vanquished the man, it would be acceptable. However, William understood, if he failed, he would put his family at risk. William was unable to make that choice. William asked his new man to defend him. And this was the beginning of a terrible problem.
William was aware that his new man was not a very good swordsman. William was also aware that the opponent was not a very good swordsman. William understood, if the men were good swordsmen, one would yield. However, William did not think that either one would yield.
William understood that, if one of the men died, there would be a panic. There would be a feeling of death in the community. This meant, if William was unable to ensure that neither one died, William would save himself. William thought, if he commanded his man to yield, this would save the situation. However, if his man yielded, the man would lose honor. This meant that William would not have his man’s respect. William didn’t think of this problem. He commanded his man to yield.
The man obeyed. The man was struck dead.