[2] William IV resided in the chateaux of Nevers and of Clamecy (present day department of the Nièvre, Burgundy, France).
The next nearest town to the east of Clamecy is Vezelay, which, in the early medieval period, was the marshalling point for the start of several crusades to the Holy Land.
William IV had his provost Léthard force the monks to take flight and abandon the abbey.
In 1166, Louis VII of France arranged a reconciliation between William IV and Guillaume de Mello, abbot of Vézelay.
In atonement for his supposed crimes against the church, William set out for the Crusader states.