Editing William the Conqueror (section)

=== William's preparations ===
[[File:BayeuxTapestryScene37.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.8|Scene from the [[Bayeux Tapestry]] showing the Normans provisioning armour and wine for the invasion of England]]

William of Poitiers describes a council called by Duke William, in which the writer gives an account of a debate between William's nobles and supporters over whether to risk an invasion of England. Although some sort of formal assembly probably was held, it is unlikely that any debate took place: the duke had by then established control over his nobles, and most of those assembled would have been anxious to secure their share of the rewards from the conquest of England.<ref name=Bates79>Bates ''William the Conqueror'' pp. 79–81</ref> William of Poitiers also relates that the duke obtained the consent of [[Pope Alexander II]] for the invasion, along with a papal banner. The chronicler also claimed that the duke secured the support of [[Henry IV, Holy Roman Emperor]], and King [[Sweyn II of Denmark]]. Henry was still a minor, however, and Sweyn was more likely to support Harold, who could then help Sweyn against the Norwegian king, so these claims should be treated with caution. Although Alexander gave papal approval to the conquest after it succeeded, no other source claims papal support prior to the invasion.{{efn|The [[Bayeux Tapestry]] may depict a papal banner carried by William's forces, but this is not named as such in the tapestry.<ref name=Huscroft120/>}}<ref name=Huscroft120>Huscroft ''Norman Conquest'' pp. 120–123</ref> Events after the invasion, which included the penance William performed and statements by later popes, lend circumstantial support to the claim of papal approval. To deal with Norman affairs, William put the government of Normandy into the hands of his wife for the duration of the invasion.<ref name=DNB/>

[[File:Þæt ƿyllelm bastard wolde hider.jpg|left|thumb|The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle records fear 'That William the Bastard would come hither']]
Throughout the summer, William assembled an army and an invasion fleet in Normandy. Although William of Jumièges's claim that the ducal fleet numbered 3,000 ships is clearly an exaggeration, it was probably large and mostly built from scratch. Although William of Poitiers and William of Jumièges disagree about where the fleet was built&nbsp;– Poitiers states it was constructed at the mouth of the [[River Dives]], while Jumièges states it was built at [[Saint-Valery-sur-Somme]]&nbsp;– both agree that it eventually sailed from Valery-sur-Somme. The fleet carried an invasion force that included, in addition to troops from William's territories of Normandy and Maine, large numbers of mercenaries, allies, and volunteers from [[Brittany]], northeastern France, and Flanders, together with smaller numbers from other parts of Europe. Although the army and fleet were ready by early August, adverse winds kept the ships in Normandy until late September. There were probably other reasons for William's delay, including intelligence reports from England revealing that Harold's forces were deployed along the coast. William would have preferred to delay the invasion until he could make an unopposed landing.<ref name=Huscroft120/> Harold kept his forces on alert throughout the summer, but with the arrival of the harvest season he disbanded his army on 8 September.<ref name=Carpenter72>Carpenter ''Struggle for Mastery'' p. 72</ref>