William Fitzempress, also known as William of Anjou, was born in 1136, the third and youngest son of Count
Geoffrey V of Anjou and his wife,
Empress Matilda, the daughter of the late English King
Henry I of England. He was born in the time known as
The Anarchy, an 18-year civil war that disputed the succession of the English crown between his mother Matilda, the late king's daughter, and her cousin
Stephen of Blois. William would have seen little of either of his parents, for, while his father fought in Normandy, his mother campaigned in England. William's eldest brother, Prince
Henry Curtmantle, would also join the campaign at age 14 in 1147 (when William was still 11). Henry would later be made Duke of Normandy in 1150 by their father, after the latter had subdued the duchy. In 1151, Count Geoffrey died suddenly at age 38, leaving his wife and three teenage sons, with Henry becoming the new head of the Angevin Dynasty. According to the deceased Count's will, Anjou would go to Henry until he became King of England, upon which the second brother,
Geoffrey, Count of Nantes, would receive Anjou. The war continued until 1153, when the aging Stephen, now around 61 years old, came to an agreement with William's eldest brother Henry that respected Stephen's right to reign for the rest of his life but on the condition that the young Henry be his successor. Stephen died a year later, in 1154, and William's brother became King Henry II of England. ==Career==