William the Conqueror eldest son. William was the son of the unmarried Robert I, Duke of Normandy, by Robert's mistress Herleva. His illegitimate status and his youth caused some difficulties for him after he succeeded his father, as did the anarchy that plagued the first years of his rule. During his childhood and adolescence, members of the Norman aristocracy battled each other, both for control of the child duke and for their own ends. In 1047 William was able to quash a rebellion and begin to establish his authority over the duchy, a process that was not complete until about 1060. His marriage
William the Conqueror (film) We then see a long sequence with William as a fugitive. Finally, as a young man, he persuades the King of France to lend him an army. He wins a crucial battle and becomes Duke. During the 1066 sections of the film, William tells a friend that it isn't the weather that is delaying him. And at the end, he gets a messenger from Norway. Presumably this tells him that Harold Hardrada is invading England, which will pull Harold Godwinson north and make the conquest much more likely to succeed. William the Conqueror (film) William the Conqueror () is a