Complex sentence: William's origins have been variously claimed as English, French, German, or Italian; however, he rarely mentions Germany or German affairs, and does not know the names of many German crusaders, so he probably had no connection to that country.
Split into simpler sentences: William's origins have been variously claimed as English, French, German, or Italian. However, he rarely mentions Germany or German affairs, and does not know the names of many German crusaders, so he probably had no connection to that country.