Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: GVJW-SZ8

Notes:

geni.com
Adeliza de Normandie, comtesse de Bourgogne
Spanish: Da. Adelaida de Normandía, comtesse de Bourgogne, French: de Buonalbergo, comtesse de Bourgogne, Italian: de Buonalbergo, comtesse de Bourgogne
Also Known As: "Adeliza", "Alix", "Judith", "Alice", "Alisa", "Adelaide", "Adélaïde", "Adele", "Adela", "Aelis"
Birthdate: circa 1002
Birthplace: Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France
Death: July 07, 1037 (30-39)
Burgundy, Marne, Grand Est, France
Place of Burial: Bourgogne, France
Immediate Family:
Daughter of
Richard II "the Good", Duke of Normandy and
Judith of Brittany

Wife of Reginald I Ivrea, count palatine of Burgundy

Mother of
Guy of Brionne; William I "the Great" count of Burgundy;
Hugh de Bourgogne, Viscount of Lons-le-Saunier and Falcon of Burgundy
Sister of Robert I "the Magnificent", Duke of Normandy;
Richard III, duke of Normandy;
William of Normandy, de Fecamp;
Eleanor of Normandy and
Matilda of Normandy

Half sister of Mauger, Archbishop of Rouen; William of Normandy, Count Of Talou & Arques and Papia de Normandie, Daughter of Richard II

Family/Spouse: de Bourgogne, Renaud I. Renaud (son of de Bourgogne, Otto William I and de Roucy, Ermentrude) was born in 986 in Nevers, Nièvre, Bourgogne, France; died on 4 Sep 1057 in Marne, Champagne-Ardenne, France; was buried in 1057 in Besançon, Doubs, Franche-Comté, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. of Burgundy, William I was born in 1020 in Bourgogne, Marne, Champagne-Ardenne, France; died on 12 Nov 1087 in Besançon, Doubs, Franche-Comté, France; was buried after 12 Nov 1087 in Cathedrale Saint-Jean De Besancon, Besançon, Doubs, Franche-Comté, France.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Nickname: The Good
• FSID: KDQW-JTJ
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1 Jan 996 and 28 Aug 1026, Normandy, France; 3rd Duke of Normandie

Notes:

Richard II, Duke of Normandy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Richard II "the Good"
Richard the Good as part of the "Six Dukes of Normandy" statue in the town square of Falaise.
Duke of Normandy
Reign 996–1026
Predecessor Richard I
Successor Richard III
Born 23 August 963
Normandy
Died 28 August 1026 (aged 63)
Normandy
Spouse Judith of Brittany
(unsure if married) Poppa of Envermeu
Issue Richard III of Normandy
Robert I of Normandy
and more.
House House of Normandy
Father Richard I, Duke of Normandy
Mother Gunnora, Duchess of Normandy
Richard II (23 August 963 – 28 August 1026), called the Good (French: Le Bon), was the eldest son and heir of Richard I the Fearless and Gunnora. He was a Norman nobleman of the House of Normandy.

Contents

[hide]
1 Life
2 Marriages and children
3 Genealogy
4 Notes
5 References
Life

Richard succeeded his father as Duke of Normandy in 996. During his minority, the first five years of his reign, his regent was Count Rodulf of Ivry, his uncle, who wielded the power and put down a peasant insurrection at the beginning of Richard's reign.

Richard had deep religious interests and found he had much in common with Robert II of France, who he helped militarily against the duchy of Burgundy. He forged a marriage alliance with Brittany by marrying his sister Hawise to Geoffrey I, Duke of Brittany and by his own marriage to Geoffrey's sister, Judith of Brittany.

In 1000-1001, Richard repelled an English attack on the Cotentin Peninsula that was led by Ethelred II of England. Ethelred had given orders that Richard be captured, bound and brought to England. But the English had not been prepared for the rapid response of the Norman cavalry and were utterly defeated.

Richard attempted to improve relations with England through his sister Emma of Normandy's marriage to King Ethelred. This marriage was significant in that it later gave his grandson, William the Conqueror, the basis of his claim to the throne of England. The improved relations proved to be beneficial to Ethelred when in 1013 Sweyn Forkbeard invaded England. Emma with her two sons Edward and Alfred fled to Normandy followed shortly thereafter by her husband king Ethelred. Soon after the death of Ethelred, Cnut, King of England forced Emma to marry him while Richard was forced to recognize the new regime as his sister was again Queen. Richard had contacts with Scandinavian Vikings throughout his reign. He employed Viking mercenaries and concluded a treaty with Sweyn Forkbeard who was en route to England.

Richard II commissioned his clerk and confessor, Dudo of Saint-Quentin, to portray his ducal ancestors as morally upright Christian leaders who built Normandy despite the treachery of their overlords and neighboring principalities. It was clearly a work of propaganda designed to legitimize the Norman settlement, and while it contains numerous historically unreliable legends, as respects the reigns of his father and grandfather, Richard I and William I it is basically reliable.

In 1025 and 1026 Richard confirmed gifts of his great-grandfather Rollo to Saint-Ouen at Rouen. His other numerous grants to monastic houses tends to indicate the areas over which Richard had ducal control, namely Caen, the Éverecin, the Cotentin, the Pays de Caux and Rouen.

Richard II died 28 Aug 1026. his eldest son, Richard becoming the new Duke.

Richard II (right), with the Abbot of Mont Saint-Michel (middle) and Lothair of France (left)
Marriages and children

He married firstly, c.1000, Judith (982–1017), daughter of Conan I of Brittany, by whom he had the following issue:

Richard (c. 1002/4), duke of Normandy
Alice of Normandy (c. 1003/5), married Renaud I, Count of Burgundy
Robert (c. 1005/7), duke of Normandy
William (c. 1007/9), monk at Fécamp, d. 1025, buried at Fécamp Abbey
Eleanor (c. 1011/3), married to Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders
Matilda (c. 1013/5), nun at Fecamp, d. 1033. She died young and unmarried.[16]
Secondly he married Poppa of Envermeu, by whom he had the following issue:

Mauger (c. 1019), Archbishop of Rouen
William (c. 1020/5), count of Arques

Richard married de Bretagne, Lady Judith in 1000 in Normandy, France. Judith (daughter of of Berenger, Sir Conan I and d'Anjou, Lady Ermangarde) was born on 21 Mar 982 in Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France; was christened after 22 Mar 982 in Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France; died on 16 Jun 1017 in Bernay, Eure, Haute-Normandie, France; was buried on 16 Jun 1017 in Bernay, Eure, Haute-Normandie, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Duchess of Normandy
• Appointments / Titles: Princess of Brittany
• FSID: LDS9-GGV
• Appointments / Titles: Between 1000 and 1017, Normandy, France; Duchess of Normandy

Notes:

Judith of Brittany
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Judith of Brittany

Sarcophage de Judith de Bretagne.jpg
Leaden sarcophagus of Judith of Brittany a.k.a. Judith de Conan (982–1017). The sarcophagus was made in the 11th century and found in the 19th century in the foundations of the church of the abbey Notre-Dame in Bernay. The skeleton in the sarcophagus was that of an important woman of small body height with a congenital deformation of the haunch. Deformations of this kind were common among women of Brittany, sometimes, but not always, making it impossible for them to give birth to children.

Spouse(s) Richard II, Duke of Normandy
Noble family House of Rennes
Father Conan I, Duke of Brittany
Mother Ermengarde of Anjou
Born 982
Died 1017
Buried Abbey of Bernay
Judith of Brittany also called Judith of Rennes (982–1017) Duchess of Normandy from c. 1000 until her death.

Life

Judith, born in 982, was the daughter of Conan I, Duke of Brittany and Ermengarde-Gerberga of Anjou. She was the mother of Robert I, Duke of Normandy and paternal grandmother of William the Conqueror.

She was a part of an important double marriage alliance between Normandy and Brittany first recorded by William of Jumièges. In 996 her brother Geoffrey I, Duke of Brittany married Hawise of Normandy, daughter of Richard I, Duke of Normandy while in c. 1000 Judith married Richard II, Duke of Normandy, Hawise's brother. The duchess Judith died on 28 August 1017 and was buried in the abbey of Bernay, which she had founded in 1013.

Family

Judith married Richard II, Duke of Normandy c. 1000. They had six children:

Richard (c. 1002/4), duke of Normandy.
Alice of Normandy (c. 1003/5), married Renaud I, Count of Burgundy.
Robert (c. 1005/7), duke of Normandy.
William (c. 1007/9), monk at Fécamp, d. 1025.
Eleanor (c. 1011/3), married to Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders.
Matilda (c. 1013/5), nun at Fecamp, d. 1033. She died young and unmarried.

From Life Sketch:

Judith de Bretagne ([982] -16 Jun 1017) . Guillaume of Jumièges records the marriage of " the leader of Richard " and " ... the sister of the count of the Britons ... goiffredus Judith " at " the threshold of the Archangel Michael " [130] . Orderic Vitalis records that " the Britons Richard Gunnorides ... Geoffrey, earl of his wife, sister, and Judith " founded " in honor of the Holy Virgin and of Mary cœnobium with Bernaïcum " [131] . An agreement between the abbots of Jumieges and Bougeuil concerning an exchange of land in Poitou, by charter dated [13 Apr / May 4] 1012, is subscribed by " the prince of the great son of Richard ... Richard ... Judith ... " [132] . The Chronicle of Saint-Etienne Caen records the death in 1017 of " Judita countess " [133] . M (Mont Saint-Michel [1000]) as his first wife, Richard 2 "Le Bon / l'Irascible" Comte de Normandie , son of Richard 1 "Sans-Peur" Comte [de France] & his second wife Gunnora (-28 Dec 1027).
[130] William Gemmetencis history (Du Chesne, 1619), The Book of 5, 13, p. 255.
[131] Le Prevost, A. (1845) Orderici Vitalis historiae Ecclesiasticæ (Paris) ( "Orderic Vitalis (Prévost)"), Vol. 2, Book 3, 1, p. 10.
[132] Vernier, JJ (Ed.) (1916) Charles de l'abbaye de Jumièges, Tome 1 c 825-1169 (Rouen, Paris), 7, p. 16.
[133] Giles, IA (ed.) (1845) Scriptores rerum achievements of William the Conqueror (London) The history of a short suve Chronica of the monastery of St. Stephen in Caen book of his Annals , p. 165.
http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/BRITTANY.htm#_ftn130 [Latin translated to English]

Buried:
Bernay Abbley

Other Events and Attributes:

• House: House of Normandy
• Nickname: The Fearless
• FSID: 9HTX-2CD
• Occupation: Peerage of Normandy
• Appointments / Titles: Between 17 Dec 942 and 20 Nov 996, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France; Count of Rouen
• Appointments / Titles: Between 943 and 996, Normandy, France; 3rd Duke of Normandie

Notes:

Richard I of Normandy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Richard I "the Fearless"
Richard FitzWilliam
Count of Rouen
Reign 17 December 942 – 20 November 996
Predecessor William Longsword
Successor Richard II
Born 28 August 933
Fécamp Normandy, France
Died 20 November 996 (aged 63)
Fécamp Normandy, France
Spouse Emma of Paris
Gunnor
Issue Richard II of Normandy
Robert II (Archbishop of Rouen)
Mauger, Count of Corbeil
Robert Danus
Willam?
Emma of Normandy
Maud of Normandy
Hawise of Normandy
Geoffrey, Count of Eu (illegitimate)
William, Count of Eu (illegitimate)
Beatrice of Normandy (illegitimate)
Robert (illegitimate)
Papia (illegitimate)
House House of Normandy
Father William I Longsword
Mother Sprota
Richard I (28 August 933 – 20 November 996), also known as Richard the Fearless (French, Richard Sans-Peur)(Old Norse,"Jarl Richart) was the Count of Rouen or Jarl of Rouen from 942 to 996. 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. Richard either introduced feudalism into Normandy or he greatly expanded it. By the end of his reign, most important Norman landholders held their lands in feudal tenure.

Contents

[hide]
1 Birth
2 Life
2.1 Relationships with France, England and the Church
3 Marriages
4 Illegitimate children
4.1 Possible children
5 Death
6 Depictions in fiction
7 Genealogy
8 Notes
9 References
10 External links
Birth

Richard was born to William Longsword, princeps (chieftain or ruler) of Normandy, and Sprota. His mother was a Breton concubine captured in war and bound to William by a more danico marriage. 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. Richard was about ten years old when his father was killed on 17 December 942. After William was killed, Sprota became the wife of Esperleng, a wealthy miller. Rodulf of Ivry was their son and Richard's half-brother.

Life

With the death of Richard's father in 942, King Louis IV of France installed the boy, Richard, in his father's office. Under the influence of Arnulf I, Count of Flanders the King took him into Frankish territory:32–4 and placing him in the custody of the count of Ponthieu before the King reneged and seized the lands of the Duchy of Normandy. 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, but the youth escaped from imprisonment:36–7 with 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 to the families of Harcourt and Beaumont).[a]

In 946, at the age of 14, Richard allied himself with the Norman and Viking leaders in France and with men sent by King Harold of Denmark. 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.: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 just a child, as a bride, the marriage would take place in 960.:41–2

Louis IV working with Arnulf I, Count of Flanders persuaded Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor to attack Richard and Hugh. The combined armies of Otto, Arnulf and Louis IV were driven from the gates of Rouen, fleeing to Amiens and being decisively defeated in 947.:41–2 A period of peace ensued, Louis IV 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.:44

In 962, Theobald I, Count 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. 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.[16] In 987 Hugh Capet became King of the Franks.

For the last 30 years until his death in 996 in Fécamp, 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.[17]

Richard was succeeded in November 996 by his 33-year-old son, Richard II, Duke of Normandy.

Relationships with France, England and the Church

Richard used marriage to build strong alliances. His marriage to Emma of Paris connected him directly to the House of Capet. His second wife, Gunnora, 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.[18]

His daughters forged valuable marriage alliances with powerful neighboring counts as well as to the king of England.[18] Emma marrying firstly Æthelred the Unready and after his death in 1016, the invader, Cnut the Great. Her children included three English kings, 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 the future William the Conqueror to the throne of England.

Richard also built on his relationship with the church, undertaking acts of piety,[19]: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.[18][20]

Marriages

Richard & his children
His first marriage in 960 was to Emma, daughter of Hugh "The Great" of France,[21] and Hedwig von Sachsen.[21] They were betrothed when both were very young. She died after 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 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, Herefast de Crepon, may have been involved in a controversial heresy trial. Gunnor was, like Richard, of Viking descent, being a Dane by blood. Richard finally married her to legitimize their children:[b]

Richard II "the Good", Duke of Normandy
Robert, Archbishop of Rouen, Count of Evreux
Mauger, Count of Corbeil
Emma of Normandy, wife of two kings of England
Maud of Normandy, wife of Odo II of Blois, Count of Blois, Champagne and Chartres
Hawise of Normandy m. Geoffrey I, Duke of Brittany
Papia of Normandy
Orielda (963-1031) wife of Fulk Seigneur de Guernanville, Dean of Evreax [22][23]
Illegitimate children

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

Geoffrey, Count of Eu[24]
William, Count of Eu (ca. 972-26 January 1057/58),[24] m. Lasceline de Turqueville (d. 26 January 1057/58).
Beatrice of Normandy, Abbess of Montvilliers d.1034 m. Ebles of Turenne (d.1030 (divorced)
Possible children

Muriella, married Tancred de Hauteville[25][26]
Fressenda or Fredesenda (ca. 995-ca. 1057), second wife of Tancred de Hauteville.[26][27]
Guimara (Wimarc(a)) (b. circa 986), Wife of Ansfred (Ansfroi) II "le Dane" le Goz, vicomte d'Exmes et de Falaise, Mother of Robert FitzWimarc, Death:Abbey of Montivilliers, Seine-Inferieure, Normandy[28]
Death

Richard died of natural causes in Fecamp, France, on 20 November 996.[29]

Depictions in fiction

The Little Duke, a Victorian Juvenile novel by Charlotte Mary Yonge is a fictionalized account of Richard's boyhood and early struggles.

Richard married de Crepon, Gunnora in 964 in Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France. Gunnora (daughter of de Crepon, Herfast) was born on 26 Nov 936 in La Bataille, Deux-Sèvres, Poitou-Charentes, France; died on 29 Sep 1031 in Fécamp, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France; was buried in 1031 in Normandy, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Duchess
• Appointments / Titles: Duchess of Normandy
• Alternate Birth: 936, Fécamp, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France

Notes:

Gunnora
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gunnora

Duchess consort of Normandy
Tenure 989–996
Born c.  936.[a]
Rouen, Haute-Normandy, France
Died 5 Jan 1031 (not verified)
Normandy, France
Spouse Richard I, Duke of Normandy
Issue Richard II
Robert II, Archbishop of Rouen, Count of Evreux
Mauger, Count of Corbeil
Emma, Queen consort of England
Hawise, Duchess consort of Brittany
Maud, Countess of Blois
House House of Normandy (by marriage)
Gunnora (or Gunnor) (circa 936 – 5 Jan 1031) was a Duchess of Normandy and the wife of Richard I of Normandy.

Life
The names of Gunnora's parents are unknown, but Robert of Torigni wrote that her father was a forester from the Pays de Caux and according to Dudo of Saint-Quentin she was of noble Danish origin. Gunnora was probably born c.  950. Her family held sway in western Normandy and Gunnora herself was said to be very wealthy. Her marriage to Richard I was of great political importance, both to her husband[b] and her progeny. Her brother, Herfast de Crepon, was progenitor of a great Norman family. Her sisters and nieces[c] married some of the most important nobles in Normandy.

Robert of Torigni recounts a story of how Richard met Gunnora. She was living with her sister Seinfreda, the wife of a local forester, when Richard, hunting nearby, heard of the beauty of the forester's wife. He is said to have ordered Seinfreda to come to his bed, but the lady substituted her unmarried sister, Gunnora. Richard, it is said, was pleased that by this subterfuge he had been saved from committing adultery and together they had three sons and three daughters.[d] Unlike other territorial rulers, the Normans recognized marriage by cohabitation or more danico. But when Richard was prevented from nominating their son Robert to be Archbishop of Rouen, the two were married, "according to the Christian custom", making their children legitimate in the eyes of the church.

Gunnora attested ducal charters up into the 1020s, was skilled in languages and was said to have had an excellent memory. She was one of the most important sources of information on Norman history for Dudo of St. Quentin. As Richard's widow she is mentioned accompanying her sons on numerous occasions. That her husband depended on her is shown in the couple's charters where she is variously regent of Normandy, a mediator and judge, and in the typical role of a medieval aristocratic mother, an arbitrator between her husband and their oldest son Richard II.

Gunnora was a founder and supporter of Coutances Cathedral and laid its first stone. In one of her own charters after Richard's death she gave two alods to the abbey of Mont Saint-Michel, namely Britavilla and Domjean, given to her by her husband in dower, which she gave for the soul of her husband, and the weal of her own soul and that of her sons "count Richard, archbishop Robert, and others..." She also attested a charter, c. 1024–26, to that same abbey by her son, Richard II, shown as Gonnor matris comitis (mother of the count). Gunnora, both as wife and countess,[e] was able to use her influence to see her kin favored, and several of the most prominent Anglo-Norman families on both sides of the English Channel are descended from her, her sisters and nieces. Gunnora died c. 1031.

Family
Richard and Gunnora were parents to several children:

Richard II "the Good", Duke of Normandy
Robert, Archbishop of Rouen, Count of Evreux, died 1037
Mauger, Count of Corbeil
Emma of Normandy (c. 985–1052), married first to Æthelred, King of England and secondly Cnut the Great, King of England.
Hawise of Normandy, wife of Geoffrey I, Duke of Brittany
Maud of Normandy, wife of Odo II of Blois, Count of Blois, Champagne and Chartres
Notes
Jump up ^ According to "Burke's Peerage,#102173"
Jump up ^ Richard's marriage to Gunnora seems to have been a deliberate political move to consolidate his position by allying himself with a powerful rival family in the Cotentin. See: D. Crouch, The Normans (2007), pp. 26 & 42;A companion to the Anglo-Norman world, eds. C. Harper-Bill; E. van Houts (2007), p. 27.
Jump up ^ Her sisters, Senfrie, Aveline and Wevie as well as their daughters are discussed in detail in G.H. White, 'The Sisters and Nieces of Gunnor, Duchess of Normandy, The Genealogist, New Series, vol. 37 (1920-21), pp. 57-65 & 128-132. Also see: Elisabeth van Houts, 'Robert of Torigni as Genealogist', Studies in Medieval History Presented to R. Allen Brown, ed. Christopher Harper-Bill, Christopher J. Holdsworth, Janet L. Nelson (The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, 1989), pp. 215-233; K.S.B. Keats-Rohan, 'Aspects of Torigny's Genealogy Revisited', Nottingham Medieval Studies, Vol. 37 (1993), pp. 21-28.
Jump up ^ Geoffrey H. White is among those historians who question the authenticity of this story. See: G.H. White, 'The Sisters and Nieces of Gunnor, Duchess of Normandy, The Genealogist, New Series, vol. 37 (1920-21), p. 58.
Jump up ^ At the time Gunnora lived, there were no dukes or duchesses of Normandy. Her husband Richard I, used the title of count of Rouen, to which Richard added the style of "count and consul", and after 960, marquis (count over other counts). Gunnora would have never used the title of duchess, her title was countess and she is so styled in an original deed to the abbey of St. Ouen, Rouen (1057–17) given by her son Richard II. For the present, despite being historically incorrect, duchess remains her title of convenience. See: Bates, Normandy before 1066 (Longman, 1982), pp. 148–50; Douglas, 'The Earliest Norman Counts', The English Historical Review, Vol. 61, No. 240 (May, 1946), pp. 130–31; David Crouch, The Normans: The History of a Dynasty (London: Hambledon Continuum, 2007), pp. 18-19 and Dudo of Saint-Quentin; Eric Christiansen, History of the Normans (Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 1998). p. xxiv.

From Life Sketch:

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, Herefast de Crepon, may have been involved in a controversial heresy trial. Gunnor was, like Richard, of Viking descent, being a Dane by blood. Richard finally married her to legitimize their children:[b]
Richard II "the Good", Duke of Normandy
Robert, Archbishop of Rouen, Count of Evreux
Mauger, Count of Corbeil
Emma of Normandy, wife of two kings of England
Maud of Normandy, wife of Odo II of Blois, Count of Blois, Champagne and Chartres
Hawise of Normandy m. Geoffrey I, Duke of Brittany
Papia of Normandy
William, Count of Eu
Orielda (963-1031) wife of Fulk Seigneur de Guernanville, Dean of Evreax

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Count of Rennes
• Appointments / Titles: Duke of Crepon
• FSID: KZ9H-3LQ
• Appointments / Titles: 990, Bretagne, France; Duke of Bretagne
• Military: 27 Jun 992; died fighting his brother-in-law Fulk Nerra, Count of Anjou at the Battle of Conquereuil

Notes:

Conan I, nicknamed Le Tort, was the Duke of Brittany from 990 to his death. He was the son of Judicael Berengar and Gerberga, and succeeded his father as Count of Rennes in 970.
He assumed the title of Duke of Brittany in the spring of 990 following his attack on Nantes and the subsequent death of Count Alan. As duke his rule succeeded the Regency that governed Brittany during the life of Drogo and the fractured rule of Brittany after Drogo's death by his brothers Hoël and Guerech . The fractured rule over Brittany resulted in a short vacancy in the title Duke of Brittany; Conan I had to ally himself with the Count of Blois in order to defeat Judicael Berengar before he could assume the title of Duke.
In a charter dated 28 July 990, Conan gave the lands of Villamée, Lillele and Passille to Mont Saint-Michel, all of which later became part of the seigneury of Fougères.
Conan married Ermengarde-Gerberga of Anjou, in 973, daughter of Geoffrey I, Count of Anjou and Adele of Vermandois.
Conan's alliance with the Count of Blois had helped him defeat Judicael Berengar, he later needed to "rid himself of influence from Blois, [which he accomplished by signing] a pact with Richard I of Normandy; [this pact] established firm Breton-Norman links for the first time." Richard I had married the daughter of Hugh I the Great, and after this marriage had re-asserted his father's claim as Overlord of the Breton duchy. Conan I's pact with him strengthened that assertion but the historical documentation for that Overlordship claim remains doubtful because it largely appears only in the less than authoritative writings of Dudo of Saint-Quentin.
Conan died fighting against Geoffrey I and his brother-in-law Fulk Nerra, Count of Anjou at the Battle of Conquereuil on 27 June 992. Conan is buried at Mont Saint-Michel Abb
Per Wikitree.com--Conan de Bretagne (abt. 0950 - 0992).

He assumed the title of Duke of Brittany in the spring of 990 following his attack on Nantes and the subsequent death of Count Alan. As duke his rule succeeded the Regency that governed Brittany during the life of Drogo and the fractured rule of Brittany after Drogo's death by his brothers Hoël and Guerech . The fractured rule over Brittany resulted in a short vacancy in the title Duke of Brittany; Conan I had to ally himself with the Count of Blois in order to defeat Judicael Berengar before he could assume the title of Duke.

Mont Saint-Michel, endowed by Conan I, and his final resting place
In a charter dated 28 July 990, Conan gave the lands of Villamée, Lillele and Passille to Mont Saint-Michel, all of which later became part of the seigneury of Fougères.

Conan married Ermengarde-Gerberga of Anjou,[a] in 973, daughter of Geoffrey I, Count of Anjou and Adele of Vermandois.

Conan's alliance with the Count of Blois had helped him defeat Judicael Berengar. However the alliance with Blois became troublesome and he later needed to "rid himself of influence from Blois, [which he accomplished by signing] a pact with Richard I of Normandy; [this pact] established firm Breton-Norman links for the first time." Richard I had married the daughter of Hugh I the Great, and after this marriage had re-asserted his father's claim as Overlord of the Breton duchy. Conan I's pact with Normandy strengthened that assertion but the historical documentation for that Overlordship claim remains doubtful because it largely appears only in the less than authoritative writings of Dudo of Saint-Quentin. [b]

Conan died fighting his brother-in-law Fulk Nerra, Count of Anjou at the Battle of Conquereuil on 27 June 992. Conan is buried at Mont Saint-Michel Abbey. [8

Conan married d'Anjou, Lady Ermangarde in 973 in Bretagne, France. Ermangarde (daughter of d'Anjou, Sir Geoffroy and de Vermandois, Countess Adelaide, daughter of d'Anjou, Sir Geoffroy) was born in 956 in Anjou, Isère, Rhône-Alpes, France; died on 27 Jun 1002 in Anjou, Isère, Rhône-Alpes, France; was buried after 27 Jun 1002 in Anjou, Isère, Rhône-Alpes, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: LHWS-BFW
• Birth: 11 Nov 956, Anjou, Isère, Rhône-Alpes, France
• Appointments / Titles: 973; Countess of Rennes
• Appointments / Titles: 990; Duchess of Bretagne
• Burial: 1024, Anjou, Isère, Rhône-Alpes, France
• Death: 1024, Bretagne, France

Notes:

Ermengarde of Anjou may refer to:

Ermengarde-Gerberga of Anjou, Duchess of Brittany, daughter of Geoffrey I, Count of Anjou, wife first of Conan I of Rennes; secondly of William II of Angoulême
Ermengarde of Anjou, Duchess of Burgundy (1018–1076), daughter of Count Fulk III, wife of Geoffrey, Count of Gâtinais and Robert I, Duke of Burgundy
Ermengarde de Bourbon-Dampierre (fl. 1070), Countess of Anjou, third wife of Fulk IV, Count of Anjou
Ermengarde of Anjou (d. 1146) (1068–1146), Duchess of Aquitaine and Brittany, daughter of Count Fulk IV, wife of William IX, Duke of Aquitaine and Alan IV, Duke of Brittany
Ermengarde, Countess of Maine (1096-1126), Countess of Anjou, first wife of Fulk V

Ermengarde-Gerberga was born c. 956, the daughter of Geoffrey I, Count of Anjou and Adele of Meaux. She married Conan I of Rennes, Count of Rennes, in 973. Her husband Conan of Rennes opposed her father and brother Fulk even though the marriage was apparently designed to form a political alliance between Anjou and Brittany. Even after Conan had been killed by Fulk at the battle of Battle of Conquereuil in 992, and during the period 992-994 when Ermengarde was Regent for their son Geoffrey, she remained loyal to her brother Fulk III, Count of Anjou. In 992, following the interests of her brother, and functioning as Regent, she accepted Capetian over-lordship for Rennes while rejecting that of Odo I, Count of Blois.
About 1000 her brother Fulk III arranged his widowed sister to marry, secondly, William II of Angoulême, one of his close allies. Per http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com

Other Events and Attributes:

• Nickname: Longsword
• Occupation: Peerage of Normandy

Notes:

William I Longsword
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William I "Longsword"
William longsword statue in falaise.JPG
Statue of William Longsword, part of the "Six Dukes of Normandy" series in Falaise
Count of Rouen
Reign 927–942
Predecessor Rollo
Successor Richard I
Born c. 893
Bayeux or Rouen
Died 17 December 942
Picquigny on the Somme
Burial Rouen Cathedral
Spouse Luitgarde of Vermandois
Issue Richard I of Normandy
House House of Normandy
Father Rollo
Mother Poppa
William Longsword (French: Guillaume Longue-Épée, Latin: Willermus Longa Spata, Old Norse: Vilhjálmr Langaspjót), (c. 893 – 17 December 942) was the second ruler of Normandy, from 927 until his assassination in 942.

He is sometimes anachronistically dubbed "Duke of Normandy", even though the title duke (dux) did not come into common usage until the 11th century. Longsword was known at the time by the title Count (Latin comes) of Rouen. Flodoard—always detailed about titles—consistently referred to both Rollo and his son William as principes (chieftains) of the Norse.

Contents

[hide]
1 Birth
2 Life
3 Family
4 Notes
5 References
6 External links
Birth

William Longsword was born "overseas"[a] to the Viking Rollo (while he was still a pagan) and his Christian wife Poppa of Bayeux. Dudo of Saint-Quentin in his panegyric of the Norman dukes describes Poppa as the daughter of a Count Beranger, the dominant prince of that region. In the 11th century Annales Rouennaises (Annals of Rouen), she is called the daughter of Guy, Count of Senlis, otherwise unknown to history.[b] Despite the uncertainty of her parentage she was undoubtedly a member of the Frankish aristocracy. According to the Longsword's planctus, he was baptized a Christian probably at the same time as his father, which Orderic Vitalis stated was in 912, by Franco, Archbishop of Rouen.

Life

Longsword succeeded Rollo (who would continue to live for about another 5 years) in 927 and, early in his reign, faced a rebellion from Normans who felt he had become too Gallicised and too soft.[16] According to Orderic Vitalis, the leader was Riouf of Evreux,[16][17][18] who was besieging Longsword in Rouen. Sallying forth, Longsword won a decisive battle, proving his authority to be Duke.[19]:25-6 At the time of this 933 rebellion Longsword sent his pregnant wife by custom, Sprota, to Fécamp where their son Richard was born.[20]

In 933 Longsword recognized Raoul as King of Western Francia, who was struggling to assert his authority in Northern France. In turn Raoul gave him lordship over much of the lands of the Bretons including Avranches, the Cotentin Peninsula and the Channel Islands.[21][22][23]:lii The Bretons did not agree to these changes and resistance to the Normans was led by Alan Wrybeard, Duke of Brittany and Count Berenger of Rennes but ended shortly with great slaughter and Breton castles being razed to the ground.[19]:24 Alan fleeing to England and Beranger seeking reconciliation.[24]

In 935, Longsword married Luitgarde, daughter of Count Herbert II of Vermandois whose dowry gave him the lands of Longueville, Coudres and Illiers l'Eveque.[18] Longsword also contracted a marriage between his sister Adela (Gerloc was her Norse name) and William, Count of Poitou with the approval of Hugh the Great.[25] In addition to supporting King Raoul, he was now a loyal ally of his father-in-law, Herbert II, both of whom his father Rollo had opposed.[26] In January 936 King Raoul died and the 16 year old Louis IV, who was living in exile in England, was persuaded by a promise of loyalty by Longsword, to return and became King. The Bretons returned to recover the lands taken by the Normans, resulting in fighting in the expanded Norman lands.[23]:lii

The funerary monument of William Longsword in the cathedral of Rouen, France. The monument is from the 14th century.
The new King was not capable of controlling his Barons and after Longsword's brother in law, Herluin II, Count of Montreuil, was attacked by Flanders, Longsword went to their assistance in 939,[19]:28-9 Arnulf I, Count of Flanders retaliated by attacking Normandy. Arnulf captured the castle of Montreuil-sur-Mer expelling Herluin. Herluin and Longsword cooperated to retake the castle.[27][28] Longsword was excommunicated for his actions in attacking and destroying several estates belonging to Arnulf.[29]

Longsword pledged his loyalty to King Louis IV when they met in 940 and, in return, he was confirmed in lands that had been given to his father, Rollo.[30] [23]:liii In 941 a peace treaty was signed between the Bretons and Normans, brokered in Rouen by King Louis IV which limited the Norman expansion into Breton lands.[23]:liii The following year, on 17 December 942 at Picquigny on an island on the Somme, Longsword was ambushed and killed by followers of Arnulf while at a peace conference to settle their differences.[18][28] Longsword's son, Richard becoming the next Duke of Normandy.

Family

Longsword had no children with his wife Luitgarde.[31] He fathered his son, Richard the Fearless, with Sprota [c] who was a Breton captive and his concubine.[32] Richard, then aged 10, succeeded him as Duke of Normandy in December 942.[31]

Notes

Neveux and other authorities believe this may have been in England, as Rollo left Neustria for several years, probably for England. See: Neveux, P. 62; Complainte sur l'assassinat de Guillaume Longue-Ėpée, duc de Normandie, poème inédit du Xe siècle, Gaston Paris; Jules Lair, Bibliothèque de l'école des chartes (1870), Volume 31, Issue 31, p. 397; Complainte de la mort de Guillaume Longue Ėpėe; and Prentout, Etude critique sur Dudon de Saint-Quentin, 178-9 [ns].
See Commentary: The origin of Poppa at: Stewart Baldwin, The Henry Project: "Poppa" for more detailed discussion and opinions.
Sprota married Esperling, a rich miller in the Pont-de-l’Arche-Louviers region. By her, he had a son, Count Rodulf of Ivry, who was one of the most trusted advisers of his half-brother, Richard I of Normandy. See Searle, p. 108 and The Normans in Europe, p. 57

William married N.N., Sprota. Sprota was born in UNKNOWN in France; died in 985 in France; was buried in France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Breton captive and concubine

Other Events and Attributes:

• FSID: LVXY-YMZ

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Count of Rennes
• Appointments / Titles: Duke of Bretagne
• Alternate Birth: Between 6 Jan 914 and 5 Jan 915, Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France

Notes:

Judicaël de Bayeux, comte de Rennes

Also Known As: "Judicael", "Juhel", "de Bayeux", "Juhel Berenger"
Birth:(date & pace unknown); Death: Died 970

Immediate Family:
Son of Pascweten de Rennes, II and Judith Name Berenger, Heirss Of Rennes
Husband of Ermengarde Gerberga De Anjou; Ermengard d'Anjou; REPEAT Wettin/Ringleheim and Gerberge de Nantes
Father of Conan I De Rennes De Bretagne; Martin I de Vitre, Seigneur de Vitre; Enoguen de Rennes; Meen I, seigneur de Fougères and Conan I le Fort, duc de Bretagne
Occupation:Count of Rennes ca. 944 - ca. 979, Count of Rennes, Comte de Rennes

Judicael Berengar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Judicael (or Juhel, Judhel, Judhael), thus called in Breton sources, alias Berengar (or Berengarius) his name in Frankish sources, and sometimes known as Judicael Berengar, with both names being used together, was a Count of Rennes in the 10th century.

There are conflicting accounts of his parentage, one popular solution making him the son and successor of a count Berengar (sometimes identified with Berengar of Rennes, sometimes with that man's supposed maternal grandson of the same name[1]) by a daughter of Gurvand, Duke of Brittany. However, an 11th-century collection of Angevin genealogies describes him as the son of Pascweten, son of Alan I, King of Brittany.

He is first documented as a Count in the year 944. He witnessed charters of Alan II, Duke of Brittany, and on the latter's death apparently fell under the control of Wicohen, Archbishop of Dol. Later sources report the rescue of Judicael and his (unnamed) wife by his son Conan I. He appears to have been dead by 979, when his son was at the court of Odo I, Count of Blois.

Judicael married Berenger, Countess Gerberge. Gerberge was born in UNKNOWN in France; died in DECEASED in France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Between 6 Jan 958 and 5 Jan 988; Comte d'Anjou

Geoffroy married de Vermandois, Countess Adelaide. Adelaide was born on 12 Dec 934 in Meaux, Seine-et-Marne, Île-de-France, France; died on 13 Apr 982 in Anjou, Isère, Rhône-Alpes, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Appointments / Titles: Countess of Anjou
• Appointments / Titles: Countess of Chalon
• FSID: G821-FYK
• Death: 12 Mar 976, Anjou, Isère, Rhône-Alpes, France
• Birth: 1018, Vermandois (Historical), Picardie, France