William (bishop of Orange)

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William was the Bishop of Orange, a leading church figure from Provence in the 11th century, and a participant in the First Crusade. He attended the council of Piacenza in March 1095 and the council of Clermont in November 1095. In 1096, with Hugh of Châteauneuf, Bishop of Grenoble, he went to Genoa and preached at the church of San Siro to gather recruits for the Crusade. William then joined Raymond of Toulouse’s army as they crossed the Balkans and traveled through Anatolia. After Adhemar of Le Puy died in August 1098 in Antioch, he was recognized as the leader of the clergy until his own death six months later in December 1098 at Ma'arrat al-Nu'man.