William I "Longsword" Duke of Normandy ^{1 2 3}

   Other names for William were Guillaume I "Longue Épée" Duke of Normandy and William I "Longsword."

  Research Notes:

When the Bretons rebelled about 930, he subdued them, taking Brittany, the Channel Islands, the Contentin, and the Averanchin.

From Wikipedia - William I, Duke of Normandy :

William I Longsword (French : Guillaume Longue-Épée, Latin : Willermus Longa Spata, Scandinavian : Vilhjálmr Langaspjót; 893 - 17 December 942) was the second Duke of Normandy from his father's death until his own assassination. The title dux (duke) was not in use at the time and has been applied to early Norman rulers retroactively; William actually used the title comes (count).

Little is known about his early years. He was born in Bayeux or Rouen to Rollo and his wife Poppa. All that is known of Poppa is that she was a Christian, and the daughter to Berengar of Rennes , the previous lord of Brittania Nova , which eventually became western Normandy. According to the William's planctus , he was baptised a Christian.

William succeeded Rollo sometime around 927. It appears that he faced a rebellion early in his reign, from Normans who felt he had become too Gallicised . Subsequent years are obscure. In 939 William became involved in a war with Arnulf I of Flanders , which soon became intertwined with the other conflicts troubling the reign of Louis IV . He was killed by followers of Arnulf while at a meeting to settle their conflict. His son Richard the Fearless , child of his first wife, Sprota, succeeded him. William also left a widow, Liègard (Liutgard), who died in 985.

  Birth Notes:

May have been born in Bayeux or Rouen.

From http://cybergata.com/roots/443.htm :
Web Reference: Guilliaume "Longue Épée" by Stewat Baldwin. 174
William's place of birth was probably not on the European mainland, but possibly in Britain, Ireland, Scandinavia, or one of the islands held by Vikings.

  Death Notes:

Killed in treacherous ambush by servants of Theobald of Blois and Arnulf of Flanders

  Noted events in his life were:

• Succeeded: to County of Normandy, Abt 927.

• Bretons rebelled, Abt 930.

William married Sprote de Bretagne à la Danoise, daughter of Hubert Count of Senlis and Unknown. (Sprote de Bretagne à la Danoise was born about 911 in Bretagne [Brittany], (France) and died about 972.)

William next married Luitgarde of Vermandois, daughter of Herbert II Count of Vermandois, Soissons and Troyes and Liegarde of France. (Luitgarde of Vermandois was born about 920 and died after 978.)