Richard I of Normandy (original) (raw)

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Duke of Normandy from 942 to 996

Richard I
Count of Rouen
Reign 17 December 942 – 20 November 996
Predecessor William Longsword
Successor Richard II
Born 28 August 932Fécamp, Duchy of Normandy
Died 20 November 996 (aged 64)Fécamp, Duchy of Normandy
Spouses Emma of Paris Gunnor
Issuemore... Richard II of Normandy Robert II (Archbishop of Rouen) Mauger, Count of Corbeil Emma of Normandy Maud of Normandy Hawise of Normandy Geoffrey, Count of Eu William I, Count of Eu
House House of Normandy
Father William Longsword
Mother Sprota

Richard I (28 August 932 – 20 November 996), also known as Richard the Fearless (French: Richard Sans-Peur; Old Norse: Jarl Rikard), was the count of Rouen from 942 to 996.[1] Dudo of Saint-Quentin, whom Richard commissioned to write the "De moribus et actis primorum Normanniae ducum" (Latin, "On the Customs and Deeds of the First Dukes of Normandy"), called him a dux. However, this use of the word may have been in the context of Richard's renowned leadership in war, and not as a reference to a title of nobility.[2][3] Richard either introduced feudalism into Normandy or he greatly expanded it. By the end of his reign, the most important Norman landholders held their lands in feudal tenure.[4]

Richard was born to William Longsword, princeps (chieftain or ruler)[5] of Normandy, and Sprota,[1] a Breton mistress bound to William by a more danico marriage.[6] He was also the grandson of the famous Rollo. William was told of the birth of a son after the battle with Riouf and other Viking rebels, but his existence was kept secret until a few years later when William Longsword first met his son Richard. After kissing the boy and declaring him his heir, William sent Richard to be raised in Bayeux.[7] Richard was about ten years old when his father was killed on 17 December 942.[1] After William was killed, Sprota became the wife of Esperleng, a wealthy miller. Rodulf of Ivry was their son and Richard's half-brother.[8]

Coin of Richard I

With the death of Richard's father in 942, King Louis IV of West Francia installed the boy, Richard, in his father's office. Under the influence of Count Arnulf I of Flanders, the king took him into Frankish territory[9]: 32–4 to place him in the custody of the count of Ponthieu. However, the king reneged and seized the lands of the Duchy of Normandy.[10] He then split up the duchy, giving its lands in lower Normandy to Hugh the Great. Louis IV thereafter kept Richard in close confinement at Lâon.[11] Upon hearing that Richard was being held in captivity, the boy's foster Osmond de Centville and Bernard the Dane formed a mob of knights and peasants across town and marched to the King's palace. They threatened the king to force him to return Richard.[12] Louis protested that he had kept Richard in his domain to train him in courtliness.[12] He subsequently appeased the mob by holding Richard up in his arms for the crowd to see and returning him.[13] Bernard de Senlis and Ivo de Bellèsme also assisted in Richard's release, along with pagan Norse forces led by Harald of Bayeux.[14][15]

In 946, at the age of 14, Richard allied himself with the Norman and Viking leaders in France and with men sent by Harald Bluetooth. A battle was fought after which Louis IV was captured. Hostages were taken and held until King Louis recognised Richard as duke, returning Normandy to him.[9]: 37–41 Richard agreed to "commend" himself to Hugh, the count of Paris, Hugh resolved to form a permanent alliance with Richard and promised his daughter Emma, who was little more than a girl, as a bride; the marriage would take place in 960.[9]: 41–2

Louis, working with Arnulf, persuaded Emperor Otto I to attack Richard and Hugh. The combined armies of Otto, Arnulf, and Louis were driven from the gates of Rouen, fleeing to Amiens and being decisively defeated in 947.[9]: 41–2 [16] A period of peace ensued, Louis dying in 954, 13 year old Lothair becoming king. The middle-aged Hugh appointed Richard as guardian of his 15-year-old son, Hugh Capet in 955.[9]: 44

In 962, Count Theobald I of Blois attempted a renewed invasion of Rouen, Richard's stronghold, but his troops were summarily routed by Normans under Richard's command, and forced to retreat before ever having crossed the Seine river.[17][18] Lothair, the king of the West Franks, was fearful that Richard's retaliation could destabilize a large part of West Francia so he stepped in to prevent any further war between the two.[19] In 987, Hugh Capet became King of the Franks.

For the last 30 years of his reign, Richard concentrated on Normandy itself, and participated less in Frankish politics and its petty wars. In lieu of building up the Norman Empire by expansion, he stabilized the realm and reunited the Normans, forging the reclaimed Duchy of his father and grandfather into West Francia's most cohesive and formidable principality.[20]

Richard's supposed tomb at Fécamp Abbey, but which was discovered in 2016 to not contain his remains

Richard died of natural causes in Fécamp on 20 November 996.[21] He was buried at Fécamp Abbey, which he had founded.[22] However, in 2016, what was believed to be his tomb was opened by Norwegian researchers who discovered that the interred remains could not have been those of Richard, as testing revealed that they were much older.[23][24] Although it is not in doubt that Richard was buried in the Abbey in 996, it is known that his remains were moved within the Abbey several times after his burial.[24]

Relationships with France, England and the Church

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Richard used marriage to build strong alliances. His marriage to Emma of Paris connected him directly to the House of Capet. His second wife, Gunnor, from a rival Viking group in the Cotentin, formed an alliance to that group, while her sisters formed the core group that were to provide loyal followers to him and his successors.[25]

His daughters forged valuable marriage alliances with powerful neighboring counts as well as to the king of England.[25] Emma married firstly Æthelred the Unready and after his death in 1016, the invader, Cnut the Great. Her children included Edward the Confessor, Alfred Aetheling and with Cnut, Harthacnut, so completing a major link between the Duke of Normandy and the Crown of England that would add validity to the claim by William the Conqueror to the throne of England.

Richard also built on his relationship with the church, undertaking acts of piety,[26]: lv restoring their lands and ensuring the great monasteries flourished in Normandy. His further reign was marked by an extended period of peace and tranquility.[25][27]

Marriages and issue

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Family tree

Richard and his children, from a 13th-century genealogical tree

Richard's first marriage in 960 was to Emma, daughter of Hugh the Great[1][28] and Hedwige of Saxony.[28] Richard and Emma were betrothed when both were very young. She died after 19 March 968, with no issue.[1]

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 enamored with the forester's wife, Seinfreda, but she was a virtuous woman and suggested he court her unmarried sister, Gunnor, instead. Gunnor became his mistress and her family rose to prominence. Her brother, Herfast de Crépon, may have been involved in a controversial heresy trial. Gunnor was, like Richard, of Viking descent, being part Danish by blood.[29] Richard finally married her to legitimize their children:[a]

Children outside marriage

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Richard was known to have had several other mistresses and had children with many of them. Known children are:

vte House of Normandy Family tree
Count of Rouen, 911 Rollod. between 928 and 9331st Norman count of Rouen r. 911–927House of Normandy William"Longsword"c. 893–9422nd Norman count of Rouen r. 927–942 Duke of Normandy, 942 Richard I"the Fearless"932–9961st Duke of Normandy r. 942–996 Richard II"the Good"d. 10262nd Duke of Normandy r. 996–1027RobertCount of Évreux, Archbishop of RouenMaugerc. 988–1032m. Germain, Countess of CorbeilGeoffreyd. c. 1010Count of EuWilliam I978–after 1057Count of Eu and Hiémois House of Clare Richard III997/1001–10273rd Duke of Normandy r. 1026–1027Robert I"the Magnificent"1000–10354th Duke of Normandy r. 1027–1035Richardc. 1015–1067Count of ÉvreuxRalph de Gacéd. 1051Lord of Gacé Illegitimate Nicolas of Normandyc. 1027–1092Abbot of Saint OuenWilliam II (of Normandy)"the Conqueror"c. 1028–10875th Duke of Normandy r. 1035–1087, King of England as "William I" r. 1066–1087Williamc. 1015–1067Count of Évreux Robert II"Curthose"c. 1051–11346th Duke of Normandy r. 1087–1106Richardc. 1054–1070Adelac. 1067–1137m. Stephen II, Count of BloisWilliam II (of England)"Rufus"c. 1057–1100King of England r. 1087–1100_Ducal Regent r. 1096–1100_Henry I"Beauclerc"c. 1068–1135King of England r. 1100–1135, 7th Duke of Normandy r. 1106–1135 Illegitimate→ William Clito1102–1128Count of FlandersDucal claimantStephen1092/1096–1154King of England r. 1135–1154, 8th Duke of Normandy r. 1135–1144Henry V1081/1086–1125King of Germany, Holy Roman EmperorMatilda Ic. 1102–1167Lady of the English "Empress Matilda"Geoffrey Plantagenet1113–1151Count of Anjou, 9th Duke of Normandy r. 1144–1150William III Adelin1103–1120Duke of Normandy 1120_in his father's lifetime_Robert Ic. 1090–11471st Earl of GloucesterRichard of Lincolnbefore 1101–1120Reginaldc. 1100–11751st Earl of CornwallRobert FitzEdith1093–1172m. Matilda d'Avranches, Baroness of OkehamptonGilbert FitzRoyHenry FitzRoyc. 1100/1104–1158Fulk FitzRoyc. 1092–1132Monk at Abingdon? House of BloisHouse of SaliansHouse of Plantagenet Illegitimate→ Henry II"Curtmantle"1133–118910th Duke of Normandy r. 1150–1189King of England r. 1154–1189William FitzRobert1116–11832nd Earl of GloucesterRoger of Worcesterc. 1134–1179Bishop of WorcesterRichardd. 1142Bishop of BayeuxMeiler Fitzhenryd. 1220Lord Chief Justice of Ireland Henry"the Young King"1155–1183Duke of Normandy r. 1170–1183 in his father's lifetimeRichard IV"Lionheart"1157–119911th Duke of Normandy, King of England as "Richard I" r. 1189–1199John"Lackland"1166–121612th Duke of Normandy, King of England r. 1199–1216 Henry III1207–127213th Duke of Normandy r. 1216–1259King of England r. 1216–1272 Duchy of Normandy renounced at Treaty of Paris, 1259

  1. ^ See the article by Todd A. Farmerie: Robert de Torigny and the family of Gunnora, Duchess of Normandy.

  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Detlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 79

  3. ^ Eleanor Searle, Predatory Kinship and the Creation of Norman Power, 840–1066 (University of California Press, Berkeley, 1988), pp. 125–6

  4. ^ For different meanings of Latin word dux (pl. duces).

  5. ^ Emily Zack Tabuteau, 'Ownership and Tenure in Eleventh-Century Normandy', The American Journal of Legal History, Vol. 21, No. 2, (April 1977), p. 99

  6. ^ The Annals of Flodoard of Reims; 916–966, ed. & trans. Steven Fanning and Bernard S. Bachrach (University of Toronto Press, 2011), p. 32

  7. ^ The Normans in Europe, edited and translated by Elisabeth van Houts (Manchester University Press, 2000), page 47 n. 77

  8. ^ Eleanor Searle, Predatory Kinship and the Creation of Norman Power, 840–1066 (University of California Press, Berkeley, 1988), p. 95

  9. ^ Detlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge, Band III Teilband 4 (Marburg, Germany: J. A. Stargardt, 1989), Tafel 694A

  10. ^ a b c d e Duncan, Jonathan (1839). The Dukes of Normandy from the time of King Rollo to the expulsion of King John. Joseph Rickerby and Harvey & Darton.

  11. ^ Pierre Riché, The Carolingians; A Family who Forged Europe, trans. Michael Idomir Allen (University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 1993) pp. 262–3

  12. ^ Eleanor Searle, Predatory Kinship and the Creation of Norman Power, 840–1066 (University of California Press, Berkeley, 1988), p. 80

  13. ^ a b The History of the Norman People: Wace's Roman de Rou. Boydell and Brewer Incorporated. 2006.

  14. ^ Dudo,Historia Normannorum

  15. ^ The Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumieges, Orderic Vatalis, and Robert of Torigni, Vol. I, ed. & trans. Elisabeth M.C. van Houts (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1992) pp. 103, 105

  16. ^ Flodoard, Annales, s.a. 943, p. 88.

  17. ^ Eleanor Searle, Predatory Kinship and the Creation of Norman Power, 840–1066 (University of California Press, Berkeley, 1988), pp. 85–6

  18. ^ Eleanor Searle, Predatory Kinship and the Creation of Norman Power, 840–1066 (University of California Press, Berkeley, 1988), p. 86

  19. ^ The Annals of Flodoard of Reims; 916–966, ed. & trans. Steven Fanning and Bernard S. Bachrach (University of Toronto Press, 2011), p. 66

  20. ^ Pierre Riché, The Carolingians; A Family who Forged Europe, trans. Michael Idomir Allen (University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia, 1993), p. 265

  21. ^ Eleanor Searle, Predatory Kinship and the Creation of Norman Power, 840–1066 (University of California Press, Berkeley, 1988), p. 89

  22. ^ François Neveux. A Brief History of The Normans (Constable & Robbinson, Ltd, London, 2008), p. 74

  23. ^ Hicks, Leonie V. (2007). Religious Life in Normandy, 1050-1300: Space, Gender, and Social Pressure. Boydell Press. p. 149. ISBN 978-1-84383-329-1.

  24. ^ "Skeletal shock for Norwegian researchers at Viking hunting". 23 November 2016.

  25. ^ a b "Fécamp : recherches sur la descendance de Rollon, "une désagréable surprise"". Le Courrier Cauchois. 25 November 2016. Retrieved 17 March 2024.

  26. ^ a b c A Companion to the Anglo-Norman World, ed. Christopher Harper-Bill, Elisabeth Van Houts (The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, 2007), p. 27

  27. ^ Stapleton, Thomas (1840). Magni rotuli scaccarii Normanniæ sub regibus Angliæ.

  28. ^ François Neveux. A Brief History of The Normans (Constable & Robbinson, Ltd, London, 2008), pp. 73. 74

  29. ^ a b Detlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 10

  30. ^ Gonnor (or Gunnor), name of Scandinavian origin (Gunnvör > Old Danish Gunnur, Norwegian Gonnor) well attested in ducal Normandy, notably in the genealogy of the dukes. It is also sometimes found in Norman toponymy, for example La Haie-Gonnor (or la Haie-Gonnord): Haia-Gonnor 1172; Haiam Gonnor 1199; le Haie-Gonnor 1762; La Haie-Gonnor 1953)

  31. ^ a b Elisabeth van Houts, The Normans in Europe, p. 191

  32. ^ a b David Douglas, 'The Earliest Norman Counts', The English Historical Review, Vol.61, No. 240 (May 1946), p. 140

  33. ^ K.S.B., Keats-Rohan. Domesday People: A Prosopography of Persons Occurring in English Documents 1066–1166 vol I. Boydell Press, 1999.

French nobility
Preceded byWilliam I Count of Rouen 942–996 Succeeded byRichard II