Richard I of Normandy
Encyclopedia
Richard I of Normandy (born 28 August 933, in Fécamp
Normandy
, France
died 20 November 996, in Fécamp), also known as Richard the Fearless (French, Sans Peur), was the Duke of Normandy
from 942 to 996; he is considered the first to have held that title.
, ruler of Normandy, and Sprota. He was 10 years old when his father died on 17 December 942. His mother was a Breton concubine captured in war and bound to William by a Danish
marriage. After William died, Sprota became the wife of Esperleng, a wealthy miller; Rodulf of Ivry
was their son and Richard's half-brother.
seized Normandy and split the lands, giving lands in lower Normandy to Hugh the Great
. Louis kept Richard in confinement at Lâon, but he escaped with the assistance of Osmond de Centville, Bernard de Senlis (who had been a companion of Rollo of Normandy
), Ivo de Bellèsme
, and Bernard the Dane
(ancestor of families of Harcourt
and Beaumont
).
In 946, Richard agreed to "commend" himself to Hugh, Count of Paris. He then allied himself with the Norman and Viking leaders, drove Louis out of Rouen, and took back Normandy by 947. The rest of his reign was mainly peaceful, apart from conflict with Theobald I, Count of Blois marked by the restoration of Church lands and monasteries.
Richard cemented his alliance with Hugh by marrying his daughter Emma. When Hugh died, Richard became vassal to his son Hugh Capet who became king in 987. Although married to Emma, they produced no offspring. His children were from his relationship with Gonnor, a woman of Danish origin who gave him an heir, Richard
.
He quarrelled with Ethelred II of England regarding Danish invasions of England because Normandy had been buying up much of the stolen booty.
Richard was bilingual, having been well educated at Bayeux. He was more partial to his Danish subjects than to the Franks. During his reign, Normandy became completely Gallicized and Christianized. He introduced the feudal system
and Normandy became one of the most thoroughly feudalized states on the continent. He carried out a major reorganization of the Norman military system, based on heavy cavalry.
, and Hedwiga de Sachsen
. (She is not to be confused with Emma of France
.) They were betrothed when both were very young. She died 19 March 968, with no issue.
According to Robert of Torigni
, not long after Emma's death, Duke Richard went out hunting and stopped at the house of a local forester. He became enamoured of the forester's wife, Seinfreda, but she being a virtuous woman, suggested he court her unmarried sister, Gunnor
, instead. Gunnor became his mistress, and her family rose to prominence. Her brother, Herefast de Crepon, may have been involved in a controversial heresy trial. Gunnor was, like Richard, of Norse descent, being a Dane by blood. Richard finally married her to legitimize their children:
Known children are:
by different mothers, this would mean that both of Tancred's wives had been sisters of a Duke Richard, and by chronology, of Richard II, although this is not backed up by contemporary source. If true, Richard would have had at least two more illegitimate children:
is a fictionalized account of Richard's boyhood and early struggles.
Fécamp
Fécamp is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:Fécamp is situated in the valley of the river Valmont, at the heart of the Pays de Caux, on the Albaster Coast...
Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
died 20 November 996, in Fécamp), also known as Richard the Fearless (French, Sans Peur), was the Duke of Normandy
Duke of Normandy
The Duke of Normandy is the title of the reigning monarch of the British Crown Dependancies of the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey. The title traces its roots to the Duchy of Normandy . Whether the reigning sovereign is a male or female, they are always titled as the "Duke of...
from 942 to 996; he is considered the first to have held that title.
Birth
He was born to William I of NormandyWilliam I of Normandy
William I Longsword was the second Duke of Normandy from his father's death until his own assassination. The title dux was not in use at the time and has been applied to early Norman rulers retroactively. William actually used the title comes .-Biography:Little is known about his early years...
, ruler of Normandy, and Sprota. He was 10 years old when his father died on 17 December 942. His mother was a Breton concubine captured in war and bound to William by a Danish
More danico
The phrase more danico is a Mediaeval Latin legalistic expression which may be translated as "in the Danish manner" or "by Norse customary law". It designates a type of traditional Germanic marriage practiced in northern Europe during the Middle Ages....
marriage. After William died, Sprota became the wife of Esperleng, a wealthy miller; Rodulf of Ivry
Rodulf of Ivry
Rodulf of Ivry was a Norman noble, half-brother of Richard I of Normandy.- Regent in Normandy :Duke Richard I died in 996...
was their son and Richard's half-brother.
Life
When his father died, Louis IV of FranceLouis IV of France
Louis IV , called d'Outremer or Transmarinus , reigned as King of Western Francia from 936 to 954...
seized Normandy and split the lands, giving lands in lower Normandy to Hugh the Great
Hugh the Great
Hugh the Great or Hugues le Grand was duke of the Franks and count of Paris, son of King Robert I of France and nephew of King Odo. He was born in Paris, Île-de-France, France. His eldest son was Hugh Capet who became King of France in 987...
. Louis kept Richard in confinement at Lâon, but he escaped with the assistance of Osmond de Centville, Bernard de Senlis (who had been a companion of Rollo of Normandy
Rollo of Normandy
Rollo , baptised Robert and so sometimes numbered Robert I to distinguish him from his descendants, was a Norse nobleman of Norwegian or Danish descent and founder and first ruler of the Viking principality in what soon became known as Normandy...
), Ivo de Bellèsme
Ives I de Belesme
Ives I de Belesme was a powerful Norman Baron, controlling the lands and tower of Belesme, Normandy at the end of the 10th Century.In documents he goes by various names: Ives de Creil, Ives de Belesme, Evas, etc. Apparently, his original name was Ives de Creil, but because of his land holdings he...
, and Bernard the Dane
Bernard the Dane
Bernard the Dane was a Viking jarl of Danish origins. He put himself in the service of another jarl installed at the mouth of the Seine, Rollo...
(ancestor of families of Harcourt
House of Harcourt
The House of Harcourt is a Norman family, descended from the Viking Bernard the Dane and named after its seigneurie of Harcourt in Normandy. Its mottos were "Gesta verbis praeveniant" , "Gesta verbis praevenient" , and "Le bon temps viendra .....
and Beaumont
House of Beaumont
The Norman family of Beaumont was one of the great baronial Anglo-Norman families which became rooted in England after the Norman conquest.Roger de Beaumont, lord of Pont-Audemer, of Beaumont-le-Roger, of Brionne and of Vatteville, was too old to fight at Hastings, staying in Normandy to govern...
).
In 946, Richard agreed to "commend" himself to Hugh, Count of Paris. He then allied himself with the Norman and Viking leaders, drove Louis out of Rouen, and took back Normandy by 947. The rest of his reign was mainly peaceful, apart from conflict with Theobald I, Count of Blois marked by the restoration of Church lands and monasteries.
Richard cemented his alliance with Hugh by marrying his daughter Emma. When Hugh died, Richard became vassal to his son Hugh Capet who became king in 987. Although married to Emma, they produced no offspring. His children were from his relationship with Gonnor, a woman of Danish origin who gave him an heir, Richard
Richard II, Duke of Normandy
Richard II , called the Good , was the eldest son and heir of Richard I the Fearless and Gunnora.-Biography:...
.
He quarrelled with Ethelred II of England regarding Danish invasions of England because Normandy had been buying up much of the stolen booty.
Richard was bilingual, having been well educated at Bayeux. He was more partial to his Danish subjects than to the Franks. During his reign, Normandy became completely Gallicized and Christianized. He introduced the feudal system
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
and Normandy became one of the most thoroughly feudalized states on the continent. He carried out a major reorganization of the Norman military system, based on heavy cavalry.
Marriages
His first marriage (960) was to Emma, daughter of Hugh "The Great" of FranceHugh the Great
Hugh the Great or Hugues le Grand was duke of the Franks and count of Paris, son of King Robert I of France and nephew of King Odo. He was born in Paris, Île-de-France, France. His eldest son was Hugh Capet who became King of France in 987...
, and Hedwiga de Sachsen
Hedwige of Saxony
Hedwige of Saxony was a daughter of Henry I the Fowler, and his wife Matilda of Ringelheim.She was a sister of Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor; Henry I, Duke of Bavaria; Gerberga of Saxony; and Bruno I, Archbishop of Cologne....
. (She is not to be confused with Emma of France
Emma of France
Emma of France was daughter of Robert I of France and Aelis. In 921 she married Duke Rudolph of Burgundy who was crowned king 13 July 923, at Saint-Médard de Soissons. She was very politically active and an army leader. The marriage produced a son, who died young. She died in 934, after having...
.) They were betrothed when both were very young. She died 19 March 968, with no issue.
According to Robert of Torigni
Robert of Torigni
Robert of Torigni was a Norman monk and chronicler. He was born at Torigni-sur-Vire in central Normandy, at an unknown date. He entered the monastery of Le Bec in 1128 and became prior there about 1149. He was elected abbot of Mont-Saint-Michel in 1154, and served there until his death.Robert was...
, not long after Emma's death, Duke Richard went out hunting and stopped at the house of a local forester. He became enamoured of the forester's wife, Seinfreda, but she being a virtuous woman, suggested he court her unmarried sister, Gunnor
Gunnora, Duchess of Normandy
Gunnora was the wife and consort of Richard I of Normandy. Her parentage is unknown, earliest sources reporting solely that she was of Danish ancestry and naming siblings including brother Herfast de Crepon who is sometimes erroneously given as her father.She was living with her sister Seinfreda,...
, instead. Gunnor became his mistress, and her family rose to prominence. Her brother, Herefast de Crepon, may have been involved in a controversial heresy trial. Gunnor was, like Richard, of Norse descent, being a Dane by blood. Richard finally married her to legitimize their children:
- Richard IIRichard II, Duke of NormandyRichard II , called the Good , was the eldest son and heir of Richard I the Fearless and Gunnora.-Biography:...
"the Good", Duke of Normandy (996), died 1026. - RobertRobert II, Archbishop of RouenRobert II was son of duke Richard I of Normandy and his second wife, Gunnora. He was a younger brother of duke Richard II and uncle of duke Robert I...
, Archbishop of RouenArchbishop of RouenThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen is an Archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the ecclesiastical province of the archdiocese comprises the majority of Normandy....
, Count of EvreuxÉvreuxÉvreux is a commune in the Eure department, of which it is the capital, in Haute Normandie in northern France.-History:In late Antiquity, the town, attested in the fourth century CE, was named Mediolanum Aulercorum, "the central town of the Aulerci", the Gallic tribe then inhabiting the area...
, died 1037. - Mauger, Earl of Corbeil, died after 1033
- Robert Danus, died between 985 and 989
- another son (On tapestry name looks like Lillam, Gillam, Willam)
- Emma of NormandyEmma of NormandyEmma , was a daughter of Richard the Fearless, Duke of Normandy, by his second wife Gunnora. She was Queen consort of England twice, by successive marriages: first as second wife to Æthelred the Unready of England ; and then second wife to Cnut the Great of Denmark...
(c.985-1052) wife of two kings of England. - Maud of NormandyMaud of NormandyMaud of Normandy, she was the daughter of Richard the Fearless and Gunnora, sister of Richard II "the Good", Duke of Normandy, Robert, Archbishop of Rouen, Count of Evreux, died 1037,Mauger, Earl of Corbeil, Robert Danus, Emma of Normandy and Hawise of Normandy.Maud was married to Odo II, Count of...
, wife of Odo II of Blois, Count of Blois, Champagne and Chartres - Hawise of NormandyHawise of NormandyHawise of Normandy was the daughter of Richard the Fearless and Gunnora. She was sister of:* Richard II "the Good", Duke of Normandy* Robert, Archbishop of Rouen, Count of Evreux, died 1037* Mauger, Earl of Corbeil...
(b. ca. 978), d. 21 February 1034. m. Geoffrey I, Duke of BrittanyGeoffrey I, Duke of BrittanyGeoffrey I of Rennes was duke of Brittany, from 992 to his death. He was son of Duke Conan I and Ermengarde of Anjou, whose parents were Geoffrey I of Anjou and Adele of Meaux....
Mistresses
Richard was known to have had several other mistresses and produced children with many of them.Known children are:
- Geoffrey, Count of EuGeoffrey, Count of EuGeoffrey of Brionne , was Count of Eu and Brionne in the early eleventh century.- Biography :Although he was an illegitimate son of Duke Richard I of Normandy, we know very little of his life. The name of his mother is unknown....
, (b. ca. 970) - William, Count of Eu (ca. 972-26 January 1057/58) m. Leseline de Turqueville (d. 26 January 1057/58).
- Beatrice of Normandy, Abbess of Montvilliers d.1034 m. Ebles of Turenne (d.1030 (divorced)
- Robert
- "Papia" m. Gilbert de St Valery (based on a claim his wife as a daughter of "Richard of Normandy" -- the only Richard who chronologically fits is Richard I. Name is not confirmed in any source. ref)
Possible other children
Late chroniclers claimed that two of the De Hautevilles of Naples/Sicily were nephews of "Duke Richard". As the two were children of Tancred of HautevilleTancred of Hauteville
Tancred of Hauteville was an 11th-century Norman petty lord about whom little is known. His historical importance comes entirely from the accomplishments of his sons and later descendants...
by different mothers, this would mean that both of Tancred's wives had been sisters of a Duke Richard, and by chronology, of Richard II, although this is not backed up by contemporary source. If true, Richard would have had at least two more illegitimate children:
- Fressenda (ca. 995-ca. 1057)
- Muriella
Depictions in Fiction
The Little Duke, a Victorian Juvenile novel by Charlotte Mary YongeCharlotte Mary Yonge
Charlotte Mary Yonge , was an English novelist, known for her huge output, now mostly out of print.- Life :Charlotte Mary Yonge was born in Otterbourne, Hampshire, England, on 11 August 1823 to William Yonge and Fanny Yonge, née Bargus. She was educated at home by her father, studying Latin, Greek,...
is a fictionalized account of Richard's boyhood and early struggles.
Genealogy
Sources
- McKitterick, Rosamund. The Frankish Kingdoms under the Carolingians 751-987, 1993.
- Searle, Eleanor. Predatory Kinship and the Creation of Norman Power, 840-1066, 1998.
- The Henry Project: Richard I of Normandy
- Genealogy of the Dukes of Normandy