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William of Poitiers (, ; 10201090) was a Norman priest. He served as the chaplain of Duke William II of Normandy (William the Conqueror), for whom he chronicled the Norman conquest of England in his Gesta Willelmi ducis Normannorum et regis Anglorum ("The Deeds of William, Duke of the Normans and King of the English").
Life
Most information about Poitiers comes from Orderic Vitalis in his Historia Ecclesiactica, written in 1114–1115 and 1125. He was apparently born in Les Préaux, France, near Pont-Audemer to an influential knightly Norman family, probably about 1020. According to Orderic, William originally trained as a knight, which gave him a much greater insight into the details of war than the typical medieval clerical writer. About 1049 he decided to enter the church, turning away from his knightly duties. Little is known about his old age. Moreover, Orderic, who used Gesta Guillelmi as his principal source in creating Ecclesiastical History, omitted or contradicted many of Poitiers' claims, including denial of King William's mercy to the conquered English; having been brought up in England from 1075–1085, Orderic knew better. However, panegyrical passages are easy to spot, and much of the material is accurate.
Influence and legacy
Anglo-Saxon society
William of Poitiers offers a few insights into pre-Conquest Anglo-Saxon society. For example, he reports that a Danish raiding party returned from England with 'great booty'. Furthermore, Harold is claimed to have had 'abundant treasure with which to tempt dukes'.