William of Montreuil
| William of Montreuil, Duke of Gaeta | |
|---|---|
| Spouse(s) | daughter of Richard I of Capua |
| Noble family | Giroie |
| Father | William fitz Giroie |
| Mother | Emma de Tannei |
| Died | aft. 1068 Rome |
William of Montreuil (French: Guillaume de Montreuil) ( aft. 1068), was an Italo-Norman of the mid-eleventh century who was briefly Duke of Gaeta. He was described by Amatus of Monte Cassino as "an exceptional knight, small in stature, who was very robust, strong, valiant" and by Orderic Vitalis as 'the good Norman' (Latin: le bon Normand).
He was a son of William fitz Giroie Lord of Échauffour and Montreuil-l'Argillé and Emma de Tannei, daughter of Walchelin de Tannei. By a charter to the Abbey of Saint-Evroul in 1050, William was still in Normandy at that time. Like his father and brother he granted all the monasteries he possessed, in return "for no small sum", to the abbey of Saint-Evroul. With his brother Arnold consenting, he granted the abbey his mills, farms and fisheries. Before leaving Normandy he also donated a farm of one plough, situated at Verneuces, to the abbey of Saint-Evroul "for the redemption of the soul of his mother Emma."
William left Normandy for Italy before 1056. At some point he joined forces with Richard I Drengot, who became Prince of Capua in 1058. Richard both adopted William as his son and gave him his daughter's hand in marriage. Richard granted his step-son the unconquered counties of Marsia, Campania, and Aquino as part of her dowry, giving William the title of Duke of Gaeta. The prince then ceded control of Gaeta to William, but he soon revolted and attempted to repudiate his wife after which he planned to marry Duchess Maria, widow of Atenulf I, the former Duke of Gaeta. He joined together with Count Atenulf of Aquino,Lando, Count of Traietto, and Lando's son Peter to free themselves of Prince Richard's control and keep their castles. William obtained some help from friends in Apulia consisting of donations and knights to support him and returned to hold Traetto against the prince. The prince in turn encamped near Traetto across the Garigliano river and for months the two sides engaged in small skirmishes. Finally, short of supplies William and his companions left Traetto for Aquino, where they parted each going his own way. William returned to the castle of Piedimonte trying to gather supplies but with little success.
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