Normandy

Rollo

Rollo, "Duke of Normandy", ^[1] was born about 860. A Viking, he became the first ruler of Normandy, in northern France.  His Scandinavian name Rolf was extended to Gaange Rolf because he became too heavy as an adult for a horse to carry; therefore he had to walk.  He emerged as the outstanding personality among the Norsemen who had secured a permanent foothold on Frankish soil in the valley of the lower Seine.  He led these Viking settlers from 918 until at least 928 when he was succeeded by his son William Longsword.  When he took Bayeux by force he carried off with him the beautiful Popa or Poppa, a daughter of Berenger, Count of Rennes and with her they had William.  The offspring of Rollo and his followers became known as the Normans.

William Longsword

William Longsword, "Duke of Normandy, ^[1] son of the Viking Rollo and Poppa of Bayeux was born abt. 893.  He succeeded Rollo in 927.  He faced a rebellion from Normans early in his reign.  He fathered his son Richard with Sprota, a Breton captive and concubine.  William later married Luitgarde, daughter of Count Herbert II of Vermandois.  He died in December 942 following an ambush by followers of Arnulf while at a peace conference to settle their differerances.  His son Richard succeeded as Duke of Normandy.

Richard I, "The Fearless", of Normandy,  ^[1] (Aug 28, 932 - Nov 996) either introduced feudalism into Normandy or greatly expanded it.  By the end of his reign, the most important Norman landholders held their lands in feudal tenure.  He 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. 

Richard II, "The Good", "Duke of Normandy", ^[1] (-Aug 28, 1026) was the eldest son and heir of Richard I and Gunnor.  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. 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 defeated at the Battle of Val-de-Saire. Richard's first wife was Judith of Brittany, daughter of Conan I of Brittany of which they had 6 children.  His second wife was Poppa of Envermeu of which they had 2 children, Mauger and William.

William I "The Conquerer", 1st Norman King of England" ^[1]   (c1038 - Sep 9, 1087) was the first Norman King of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087.  His hold was secure on Normandy by 1060, following a long struggle to establish his throne, and he launched the Norman conquest of England six years later. The rest of his life was marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over England and his continental lands and by difficulties with his eldest son, Robert Curthose.  His illegitimate status and his youth caused some difficulties for him after he succeeded his father, as did the anarchy which plagued the first years of his rule. During his childhood and adolescence, members of the Norman aristocracy battled each other, both for control of the child duke and for their own ends. In 1047, William was able to quash a rebellion and begin to establish his authority over the duchy, a process that was not complete until about 1060. His marriage in the 1050s to Matilda of Flanders provided him with a powerful ally in the neighbouring county of Flanders. In the 1050s and early 1060s, William became a contender for the throne of England held by the childless Edward the Confessor, his first cousin once removed. There were other potential claimants, including the powerful English earl Harold Godwinson whom Edward named as king on his deathbed in January 1066. Arguing that Edward had previously promised the throne to him and that Harold had sworn to support his claim, William built a large fleet and invaded England in September 1066. He decisively defeated and killed Harold at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066. After further military efforts, William was crowned king on Christmas Day 1066 in London. He made arrangements for the governance of England in early 1067 before returning to Normandy. Several unsuccessful rebellions followed, but William's hold was mostly secure on England by 1075, allowing him to spend the majority of his reign on the continent.