The legend said that Emperor Otto had conquered this island, while William was born, so the Emperor became his patron and he was educated as a monk and made his clerical career at Cluny Abbey during the reform of Abbot Majolus who continued the reform of his predecessor Odo and supported reforms connected with papal politics under influence of the Ottonic Emperors.
Cluny | Cluny Abbey | Odo the Great | Odo II of Champlitte | Odo II, Count of Blois | Odo, Earl of Kent | Odo of Cluny | Odo I, Margrave of the Saxon Ostmark | Odo I, Count of Blois | Odo I | Odo | Odilo of Cluny | Majolus of Cluny | Abbot of Cluny | Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny | Odo II | Hugh of Cluny | Ewen MacPherson of Cluny | Berno of Cluny | Bernard of Cluny |
An orderly succession of able and educated abbots, drawn from the highest aristocratic circles, led Cluny, and three were canonized: Saints Odo of Cluny, the second abbot (died 942); Hugh of Cluny, the sixth abbot (died 1109); and Odilo, the fifth abbot (died 1049).