The biography begins in France in about 1038, as the aptly named Robert the Devil, Duke of Normandy, addresses his vassal lords. A successful leader who has maintained a relatively violence-free state, Robert is now determined to go on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, presumably to atone for the sins that earned him his nickname "the Devil." Robert's nobles are aghast at the plan because they know that few people survive such a journey; the country needs a strong leader, and the nobles ask Robert to designate an heir. His choice of William—a young boy born illegitimately—shocks the company, but slowly and reluctantly they swear allegiance to their boy-lord.

At this time in history, nations as we know them really did not exist. Under the feudal system only the most powerful nobles could hope to rule. Normandy was really a confederation of smaller baronies...