Spring 1027
They call me William the bastard!
I hate that nickname and I dream that one day I will have a more glorious title! But what can I do? My father, Robert, Duke of Normandy, and my mother, Arlette, a tanner's daughter from Falaise, form an illegitimate couple and many disapprove of their union. They say that my father was a brave, cultivated and generous man, and such qualities earned him the title of ‘Robert the Magnificent’ after his death and mine. As his only son and heir, I have been bequeathed with the immense honour of wearing the ducal crown. However, I do hope that my illegitimacy will not bring undue misfortune. Whilst awaiting my destiny, I am growing up in Falaise, the town where I was born.