William the Conqueror was not supposed to become king of England by having the title being passed down through direct family but he eventually did become the king. He was to become the Duke of Normandy since that is the title that his father owned. William the Conqueror was born in 1028 A.D. He was the older of two children of Robert of Normandy. .
During the years when William was young he was faced with many dangers from the people of Normandy. William took the title of Duke after his father died on a pilgrimage in 1035 while returning from Jerusalem. Robert of Normandy (his father) never married the woman that he had William with. When William became Duke, the barons did not want an illegitimate son as their leader. An attempt by these barons was made to try to kill William because of his illegitimate birth. This was unsuccessful, but they were able to kill William's guardians. With the guardians dead William had to appoint Ralph Wacy, who was a baron that was part of the plot to kill him. William began his rule of Normandy in 1045. In 1047 another rebellion broke out in the western region, but William successfully defeated them at Val-es-dunes.
When William's cousin Prince Edward the Confessor returned from his exile of England in 1041, William gave him support and they became good friends. Edward never had kids, because of this William believed he was the next rightful heir to the throne after Edward. In 1049 William negotiated with Baldwin of Flanders to marry his daughter Matilda. The first meeting between the two was when William forced his way into her bedroom and beat and kicked Matilda. She did not react the way a woman would react to a beating. This act of cruelty impressed her so much that she decided to marry him. Together they had nine children.
In 1064 Count Guy of Ponthieu captured Harold of Wessex. William demanded that Count Guy release him into his care. Guy agreed and Harold went with William.