In 1028 Falaise, Normandy William was born from an unmarried couple. WIlliam's parents were Duke Robert I, and Herleve. Normandy was a province of France. Robert I was duke of Normandy, meaning that he was the most powerful person in the province serving only to the king of France. In 1035 Robert I Died while returning from an pilgrimage to Jerusalem. This made William Duke of Normandy at the age of only seven. Due to William's youth many people doubted his leadership skills. William lost a couple of his guards, and his tutor to assassination attempts. William's Tutor was assasinated while sleeping in the same room as William. It was not uncommon for William to have to flee and hide in the middle of the night. When William turned eighteen he became the official Duke of Normandy. A rebellion formed almost instantly as if to test the new leader. William conquered this rebellion rather quickly. William began to expand. he became fount of favors, and arbiter of disputes after William. William entered even a war with his own king Henry I of France.
William designed and created a doomsday book. Which was a book containing information of livestock, population, and wealth of all the cities in England. This doomsday book is the greatest source of history today. Even though does not provide detailed information on events. It provides useful statistics that can be used to predict what life was like during the eleventh century. William had nine kids four sons and five daughters. Williams’s sons were Robert, William, Richard, and Henry. His daughter’s names were Adeliza, Cecilia, Constance, Matilda, and Adela William was illiterate and did not speak much English, however he is credited as one of the most beneficial people to the English language.