In 1776 The Continental Congress official name the 13 revolutionary states the United States of America.
In 1087 William I of England (William the Conqueror) Died.
Upon King Edward death on the 5th of January 1066 he named Harold (his Brother-in-law) as his successor to the English throne. Harold reigned as King Harold II of England until the 14th of October 1066 when he fought William the Conqueror (Edwards Cousin who also claimed to have been promised the English throne) for the Crown and died in the battle of Hastings. William the Conqueror was successful in claiming the throne but as a foreigner he knew it would be difficult for him to hold onto it. Added to this William was also the Duke of Normandy, controlling lands in France and therefore needed to maintain control of his French assets.
One way he attempted to maintain control in England was by building many Castles that had not been seen before in England. In 1076 William had started construction of the ‘White Tower’, the main keep of the ‘Tower of London’ and from where it gets its name. The White Tower, like all his castles, were full of men ready to crush any uprising against William by the people of the towns and cities. But his new Kingdom was vast and William needed help to control the entire nation. His answer was to first divide the country into sections and then assign someone he could trust to govern these areas and his subjects. William chose noblemen that had proved their allegiance and awarded them with titles and land. In return these noblemen had to collect taxes and supply men for the king’s foreign campaigns. In tern these noblemen divided their land up to be governed by those they felt worthy. These people would pledge allegiance to their noblemen and collect taxes on his behalf. This system was known as the Feudal System and it served many kings since very well. In 1085 William ordered the production of a book containing details of who owned what in England as well as who owed him tax and how much they owed. The book became known as the ‘Doomsday Book’ and allowed William the Conqueror to demand all taxes owed to him.
In 1087 William began a campaign in the Vexin county in France and became ill shortly after. He died at Saint Gervase Priory in Rouen where he was receiving medical attention, finally passing away on the 9th of September 1087. His third son William became William II of England on that day. William II was quick to anger and had a red complexion which led to his nick-name of William Rufus (meaning the red). William created many enemies during his short reign including the Church, Scotland and his own family. He died when he was shot with an arrow while hunting in the New Forest on the 2nd of August 1100. It is not clear if the event was accidental or an assassination attempt but with no children his brother Harold became the next King of England on that day.
In 9 CE (AD) the Battle of Teutoburg Forest took place.
When the Roman invasion forces attempted to conquer Germania, a union of six Germanic tribes attacked and defeated them. Although the Germanic forces were much smaller they killed or enslaved almost all the invading forces. The Roman Empire never tried to conquer Germania again.
