No conqueror is ever merciful. By rights of conquest, mercy is seldom shown to those being conquered. After all, it was long known in history that those who fear a new ruler will most often obey him as well. William the Conqueror, the Norman invader of England, knew this all too well when he began his devastating campaign to subdue the English north. The last step on the full reign over England, the north had to be captured swiftly and decisively. And it is because of this that William conducted the Harrying of the North, where brutality, destruction, and utter devastation secured him both the victory and the obedience of his new subjects. The Rufus Stone: Memorial to William Rufus, Unpopular Norman King of England How Anglo-Saxon England Made the Radical Change to Christianity The Harrying of the North and the Stain on William’s Rule William the Conqueror, or “the Bastard” as he was also known, was a seasoned ruler by the time he came to England. A descendant of the Viking chieftain Rollo, who settled in French Normandy and became its Duke, William had the same warlike nature as his Norse predecessors. Read moreSection: NewsHistoryImportant EventsFamous PeopleRead Later