Norman Conquest Encyclopedia

Falaise was the birthplace of William the Bastard, son of Duke Robert the Magnificent and the beautiful Herleve. The magnificent castle may be visited and the room in which William is said to have been born can be seen. As the great donjon or keep in which this room is located was built in the 12th century, some doubt about the truth of the tale may be encountered, but the building may embrace an earlier structure.