William of Normandy, called "The Bastard" by the understandably disgruntled Anglo-Saxon chronicle, was the illegitimate son of Duke Robert I of Normandy and a relatively obscure woman simply known as Herleva of Falaise.
The Dukes of Normandy traced their ancestry back to a man named in historical records as Rollo, a viking who began attacks on what is now Normandy and was appeased by the King of Western Francia (a part of modern day France) when he was given land to settle in, hence the word Normandy comes from "North men" or "those who came from the north". William's father, Duke Robert I, remained unmarried in his lifetime but had two illegitimate children by different mothers. A daughter, Adelaide of Normandy, married three times, and of course William became Duke after the untimely death of his father. There is a very romantic story concerning Robert and Herleva which has no historical foundation and also which appears through physical evidence to be impossible.
It's said that when the young Duke Robert was at a castle in Falaise he spotted Herleva in the dyeing trenches in the courtyard (her father is thought to have been a tanner) and ordered her brought to him immediately (that's right, the good old days of men picking up women literally with a snap of their fingers). According to a written source instead of being snuck in through the backdoor she demanded she be led in on horse though the front door, effectively telling everyone that she was his mistress. I doubt this story because if that were true then surely she would have had more recorded children? Not to mention surely some pious chronicler of the day would have written more about her? Let's just say I'm only a romantic when I want to be.
William is reported to have been born in either 1027 or 1028 but because his mother and father were not married, his birth was not official, and so was't contemporaneously recorded. Little is known about his early childhood as well because he was illegitimate. It can probably be safely assumed he remained with his mother as would have been customary at the time.
Poor little William's harsh reality begins with his father's death in 1035. Shortly before Duke Robert I left for Jerusalem as a sort of repentance, he named William, who would have been between 7 and 8, his heir. The other nobles and important people must have thought this a precaution. The Duke was 35, not young but not an old man by the time, and perhaps they held hope of him properly marrying on his return from Jerusalem. It's always interesting to think what would have happened if things had turned out differently, if the Duke had returned from his journey. William, illegitimate son, may have faded into anonymity, or have been an ally to any legitimate siblings he may have had, or perhaps even an enemy in hindsight of what we know of his temper and will.
As we all know by now this was not to be. Duke Robert I of Normandy died in Nicaea in 1035 on the return journey of an illness of some kind. William the Bastard was now Duke of Normandy and still a boy.
I think I can safely say that 11th Century Europe was a dangerous and somewhat barbaric place. England may have been setttled for a few decades, but Scotland at this time was four separate kingdoms (a post about that later), and certainly France as we know it today was a dream of fools. Normandy, as I've stated before, was given to Rollo and his descendants by the Kings of West Francia. France, at this time, was split into Duchys and one Kingdom. The names are still used today to identify provinces of France; Normandy was flanked by the Duchy of Brittany to the West, the Counts of Anjou to the south and the Kingdom of France to the East. There were more southern Duchys that belonged to Dukes but I don't like over-complicating things.It was a volatile mix and the Dukes of Normandy had a tempestuous relationship with their neighbours, and at times their own subordinates. Wars were a thing of constancy, diplomacy and negotiation seemed to be a secondary tactic seldom used. On the death of Duke Robert, a child inherited a dangerous Duchy, and of course what happens when a child inherits anything? Greedy adults put their hands in as well. What was the easiest way to claim Normandy? Killing the helpless child and invading with your own armies.
I cannot imagine, however hard I try, what it must have been like for the young William constantly having to escape assassination attempts, observing as his loyal body guards, family members and retainers were all murdered in order to save his life.
When he ascended at first he had the support of a few powerful French men such as his great-uncle the Archbishop Robert of Rouen, and King Henry of France. Unfortunately with the death of the Archbishop in 1037 there began a cycle of guardians being killed in quick succession.
1047 is the first time that the Duke is recorded fighting for his rights in Normandy. Three powerful nobles in Normandy rebelled against the Duke, causing him to flee to the French Court and King Henry of France. They came back together and quashed the rebellion. This was to be the first of many rigorous battles that the Duke would partake in during his tenure as Duke of Normandy and later King of England.
William's story will continue in part II, out next Sunday.
