Duke William was born in Normandy about 1028, and was the son of Robert 1, Duke of Normandy, and Herleve, a girl of Falaise of uncertain parentage. He married Mathilda, daughter of Count Baldwin V of Flanders.
Although illegitimate, he was nevertheless a direct descendant of Rolf the Viking and had a good claim to the throne. His claim was all the stronger when his father went on a pilgrimage in 1034 and died on the return trip, making William duke in 1035 at the age of 7. Before leaving, Robert brought forward William and had him recognized as his heir.
Upon hearing of Robert's death, a number of notables, including the Archbishop of Rouen (who was Roberts brother), moved to protect and defend the young boy. His minority was a period of grim disorder. Several of those close to William were assassinated. His tutor took to sleeping in the same room with the boy in order to protect him. A number of times William had to flee in the night and hide out in peasent cottages.
When William was 18 he became duke officially, with no tutor or regent. This led immediately to a rebellion as the barons sought to test their new lord's strength. He crushed the rebellion and firmly established himself as being of age and in charge.
William returned to Normandy after Salisbury, for he was at war with the King of France again. He fell ill and was taken to a monastery at Saint-Gervais, where he died on Sept. 9, 1087.
After William's death, all the great lords, including his son William Rufus, hurried back to their estates to better guard them, leaving the body of William to be guarded by lesser attendants, The chronicler Orderic Vitalis says, "Observing that their masters had disappeared, they laid hands on the arms, the plate, the linin, and the royal furniture, and hastened away, leaving the corpse almost naked on the floor of the cell". Williams body was then brought to Caen. The funeral procession was interrupted when a fire broke out in the town. Those carrying the coffin put it down to go and fight the fire, then returned when the fire was out and continued the procession.
The procession finally arrived at the abbey church. A lovely service was held. The eulogies were disrupted, however, when Ascelin, a local man, rose to protest that he was the owner of the ground in which the king was to be buried. He complained that he had not been paid and loudly demanded his rights. Someone came and settled him down, paid him, and the services resumed.
As the body was being placed in the stone coffin, the attendants accidentally broke one of the limbs, releasing such a foul stench that the priests had to hurry the services to an undignified close. The Cathedral quickly emptied.
Williams memorial was beautiful, at least. Chroniclers tell us this, In 1562, Calvinists (Huguenots) completely ruined it, looting the tomb. The body disappeared at this time. Eighty years later, a new monument was built, likewise beautiful. In it was re-buried what was left of William; a thigh bone that a priest claimed had been rescued from the Calvinist sack.
The new monument was destroyed in its turn during the revolutionary riots of 1793. Today, William has only a stone slab to commerorate him. Local tradition asserts that the thigh bone is still under the slab.
