As for this problem, I believe that the first sentence, or probably believed to be as a clue in answering the problem, would be a misleading part and is actually quite tricky. The word commit usually pertains to two things and that is to do it or to be held responsible. What was just stated in the previous statement may not be the most accurate representation or definition of the word commit, but basically the idea of how it is usually used and what it represents in a sentence is there. So in the given sentence, the word committing would most probably mean holding.
William the conqueror was a Norman king of England, and he was known among his own people as WIlliame I (Normans did not use surnames, so he was known as William the Bastar d, but rather to the Saxons).
