William the Conqueror's crossing of the Channel in 1066 is the stuff of legend, but can it also be seen as the last great Viking expedition? The story begins in 911 when, on the coast of the Northern France the French King gave the Viking chieftain, Rollo, the Earldom of Rouen. In 1066, his descendant, William the Bastard, seventh Duke of Normandy, united the two coasts of the Channel. Of all the achievements of the men of the North which took them as far as Russia to America, the conquest of England must stand as one of the greatest.