Life
William of Poitiers was born in Les Préaux, France, near Pont-Audemer to an influential Norman family, and Orderic Vitalis gives a short biography of him in his Historia ecclesiastica. Originally William trained as a soldier, which provided a much greater insight into the details of war than the typical medieval clerical writer. William studied at the renowned school of Saint Hilaire-le-Grand in Poitiers and was said by Orderic to have returned to Normandy 'more learned than all his friends and neighbours'. William was given positions of ecclesiastical authority, becoming chaplain to Duke William and archdeacon of Lisieux; but little is known about his old age, and he probably retired into a religious house, or possibly political disgrace Links between William of Poitiers and Duke William's rebellious son Robert can be found, and may explain the latter.
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