William of Talou William of Talou William of Talou, Count of Talou (a.k.a. Arques) was a powerful member of the Norman ducal family who exerted his influence during the early reign of William the Conqueror Duke of Normandy. He was the son of duke Richard II of Normandy by Papia of Envermeu. His brother was Mauger, who became archbishop of Rouen in or shortly after 1037. Their elder half-brothers were dukes of Normandy, Richard III from 1026 to 1027, and Robert I, Duke of Normandy from 1027 to 1035; Robert I being the father of William the Conqueror. In 1035, following the death
William, Duke of Brunswick the ruling duke permanently. William left most government business to his ministers, and he spent most of his time outside of his state at his possessions in Oels. While William joined the Prussian-led North German Confederation in 1866, his relationship to Prussia was strained, since Prussia refused to recognize Ernest Augustus, Crown Prince of Hanover, his nearest male-line relative, as his heir, because of the Duke of Cumberland's claim to the throne of Hanover. William died in 1884; he passed on his private possessions to the Duke of Cumberland. His death caused a constitutional crisis for Brunswick that lasted until