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
Hoël II, Duke of Brittany in the east and the House of Cornouaille in the west may have further strengthened Brittany at a time when external interference was attempted by William the Conqueror. After Hawise's death in 1072, Hoël acted as regent for his son, Alan IV, until the latter reached his majority in 1084. During his reign he faced several rebellions from Breton nobles. Geoffrey Grenonat of Rennes (a natural son of Duke Alan III of Brittany and thus a half-brother of Hawise) led a revolt and was joined by Ralph de Gael who had returned to Brittany from England after the failure of