He was a son of William of Bellême and Mathilde of Condé-sur-Noireau. He had married a Hildeburg, daughter of a nobleman named Arnulf, but he had his wife strangled on her way to church, according to Orderic, because she loved God and would not support his wickedness. William married secondly a daughter of Ralf de Beaumont, Viscount of Le Mans.
According to Orderic Vitalis his nickname Talvas meaning shield, presumably alluded to his hardness or callousness like that of a shield. While as treacherous and self-serving as any of his family before him he surpassed them in wickedness and cruelty. Among the private feuds going on during the minority of Duke William was one that erupted between William Talvas and William fitz Giroie.
William fitz Giroie himself had greatly assisted William Talvas in obtaining his own lands, apparently by force.
But William fitz Giroie was also a vassal of Geoffrey de Mayenne, an adherent, in turn, of the Count of Maine. Unable to defeat the castle William Talvas captured Geoffrey de Mayenne and held him prisoner until William Fitz Giroie destroyed the castle of Montaigu.
William fitz Giroie immediately razed his own castle to free his lord and in return Geoffrey de Mayenne built fitz Giroie a new castle at Saint Cenery on the river Sarthe. This apparently caused great resentment in William Talvas.
On the occasion of his second wedding, William Talvas invited William fitz Giroie to attend.
Suspecting nothing fitz Giroie while a guest at the festivities was suddenly seized by Talvas" men and imprisoned, then according to Orderic horribly mutilated and blinded before being released. Somehow William Giroie survived his torture and mutilation and retired to Bec Abbey to live out the remainder of his life as a monk. To avenge this atrocity the sons and kinsmen of William fitz Giroie sacked and destroyed the lands of William Talvas who would not face them in the field
Finally, Talvas" son Arnulf rebelled and exiled his father, now reviled by everyone.
lieutenant seems certain that after the death of Arnulf the following year, that William Talvas recovered his lands. Arnulf de Bellême, who deprived his father of his estates and wealth and was dead by 1049.
Mabel de Bellême, who married Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and was murdered 2 December 1079
Oliver who after long service in the wars, became a monk at Bec. William Talvas is said to have cursed the infant William, later to become William the Conqueror, in his cradle predicting the child would be the downfall of the house of Bellêmedical
About 1044 William Talvas attacked the castle of Montaigu which was being defended by William fitz Giroie.
He was a member of the House of Bellêmedical
