William the Conqueror: 1061 to 1066
You get quite a lot of money out of this famous ransom. But that is all that you get. When your cousin Edward dies a couple of years later, you find out that the witan elects Harold as their king, not you. His election is legally recognized, and his cooperation with the pope in church reforms makes any excuse on the issue of schismatic tendencies in England a moot point. In fact, other than the promise to you of a dead man, you have nothing to offer to justify your desire to invade England. Harold's complete defeat of a Norse invader army later in the year cements his reputation: you could not get any army of invasion together if your life depended on it after that. History remembers you as a strong duke and competent warrior, but the epithet "the Conqueror" (which some of your more sychophantic courtiers have begun to call you by) does not outlive you.
