Richard Ier of Normandy

A difficult minority (942-946)

He probably a little more than 10 years with died of his father, assassinated in December 942, and sees himself allotting a council of regency including/understanding four high-ranking persons of the Norman duchy: Bernard the Danish, Raoul known as Taisson Old the , Anslech of Bricquebec and Osmond of Conteville. But the Carolingian king Louis d' Outremer, under pretext of make its education, makes transport the teenager with one of his regents, Osmond, at his court of Laon. It seems to have remained there of 943 with 945 and to be themselves finally fled with the assistance of Osmond which would have organized its escape with complicity from Yves de Bellême and Bernard, count of vassal Senlis and of Hugues Large the, Duc of the Francs.

During the time interval, Herluin, count de Montreuil, is named by the king governor of Normandy into 943 before being killed by Normands into 945. However, meanwhile, Louis d' Outremer joined Hugues Large the, his vassal main thing, to cut up the young person and fragile Norman duchy. The king invades the Pays of Caux, while the duke of the Francs takes Gacé, Évreux and will besiege Bayeux. In reaction, the Norman ones of the Seine call upon the Scandinavian troop of the “ king of the mer ” Sigtrygg, undoubtedly Norwegian and partly of Iceland but it is beaten. According to the account of Dudon of Saint-Quentin, one of the “ régents ”, Bernard the Dane, exploits the competition between the king and Hugues the Large one. Initially, it suggests with the king that the Norman ones are resigned to be subjected. It obtains the end of the hostilities thus. Then, contacting Hugues the Large one, it convinces it that it was misled by the king. And to finish envenimer the relations between the old allies, he promises the assistance of Norman in Hugues against the king, leading Hugues to make the error to launch out to shift against the king.

In addition Bernard the Dane obtains the intervention of another chief Harald Viking, recently unloaded or for a long time installed in Normandy. The king hastens to intervene but it is beaten the July 13rd 945 on the Dives, perhaps with Corbon. Herluin II of Ponthieu dies in the battle while Louis d' Outremer is captured. It is transmitted to Hugues the Large one who keeps it captive until July 946. That allows Richard, now adolescent and returned to Normandy, to make recognize the independence of Normandy by the Large ones (Noble) of the frankly Carolingian kingdom.

In 946, fearing the alliance of Richard Ier with Hugues the Large one, king Louis d' Outremer forms a coalition against them with Otton de Germanie, Arnoul I {{er}}, count de Flandre, Conrad the Pacific, king of Burgundy transjurane, and Alain Barbetorte, duke of Brittany. The allies cross the Epte and move towards Rouen. The attack of the city is a failure. The kings frank and Germanic then undergo a counter-attack which oblige them to beat a retreat until in Amiénois.

The Duché of Normandy succeeded in surviving “ the great crisis which, about the same time, had been fatal in the two States the closest Vikings, the kingdom of York and Norman establishment of Nantes ”.

Administration of Richard Ier

We have little information on this subject before the first years 11th century, i.e. under the reign of Richard II. Moreover, we do not have almost a any act written between 968 and 989/990. The historian François Neveux however advances that 1= the principat of Richard Ier, from 945 to 996, was one period of strengthening and of consolidation which lasted one half-century, that is to say two generations. It is during this time that Normandy was formed truly, that it acquired its original personality and its specific characters, being distinguished at once from the other principalities of the kingdom in the process of formation .

Some indices of restored Normandy and mast

Like his/her father Guillaume Long Sword, Richard works for the restoration of the Church. In 960, it installs new monks with Saint-Wandrille to raise the abbey destroyed by its ancestors Vikings. Some monks of this house are then sent to the Mount-Saint-Michel to replace the canons. With Fécamp, city where was born Richard, the count creates a ducal residence of first importance and emits the project to install a monastery in the vicinity. It calls upon the abbot of Cluny Maïeul, which refuses to come to Normandy. Proof of a still tough bad reputation of the Norman ones?

The re-establishment of the episcopal hierarchy in Normandy brings a credit to the will restorer of Richard. After the cut related on the Scandinavian invasions and the installation of Rollon, all the évêchés Norman ones again have a holder towards 990.

Some historians advance that Richard installs the first counts in Normandy but there is no evidence.

At the end of the 10th century, after a score of years of indigence of the sources, one perceives however the political maturity of the principality Norman: Richard Ier makes of Fécamp a dynastic sanctuary (as the Robertiens Saint-Denis make) and orders with the canon Dudon of Saint-Quentin a history of the first dukes of Normandy which will become the De Gestis Normanniae ducum seu of moribus and actis primorum Normanniae ducum .

Union of Normandy?

It is surely one of the theses the most interesting developed these last years by certain historians. It leaves the idea of Karl-Ferdinand Werner according to which we do not have a certainty on the domination of the Norman counts on the western part of Normandy. In spite of the transfers of 924 and 933, the Norman ones of Rouen probably did not control the new acquired territories. It is not before 966, in other words under the reign of Richard Ier, that the historians find proof in the charters of an intervention comtale in these Western areas. The principat of the son of Guillaume Long Sword appears one key moment.

In a provocative thesis, the American historian Eleanor Searle imagines Normandy of the 10th century like an area shared between several Scandinavian bands. That of Rouen is richest. Sometimes allied, sometimes rival, these bands develop independently a strategy of survival based on the predation. Until the day when the chief of Rouen, in fact Richard Ier, undertakes to constitute a network of fidelity with his Scandinavian neighbors. N the other hand of a tender to its capacity and baptism, it guarantees to the other chiefs the organization of predatory forwardings which will ensure the enrichment of all, the union making the force. The future Duché of Normandy is thus born, according to Eleanor Searle, of the recognition by regional Scandinavian chiefs of the higher authority of the count de Rouen. Alliances are concretized by the conclusion of marriages between the local leaders and the comtale family. The union of Richard with Gunnor would be the symbol.

Richard and his neighbors: alliance or conflict

The war against the count of Blois (v. 960-965)

In 954, the king Louis IV of Overseas dies followed two years later by his principal rival the Duc of the Francs, Hugues Large the. The son of this last, Hugues Capet, being minor, one of his principal vassal, Thibaud the Cheater, Count de Blois, benefits from it for émanciper. Between 956 and 960, it seizes the counties of Chartres and Châteaudun. Normandy is found bordered in south-east by the new power thibaldienne.

The origin of the quarrel probably is not in this sector but rather in Brittany. Benefitting from died from Alain Barbetorte (952), Thibaud shares suzerainty on the Brittany with his/her brother-in-law Foulque the Good, Count d' Anjou. Richard Ier, that Dudon of Saint-Quentin describes regularly of prince or duke of Norman and the Breton ones, should not have appreciated this interference.

According to the account of Dudon of Saint-Quentin, the count of Blois scheme to make fall Richard. He draws the attention of the new king Lothaire, of his mother and of his/her uncle Brunon, Archevêque of Cologne, and involves them in its sights. If one follows to the Dudon letter, Brunon and the king invites the count of Norman twice but this one perceives in time that they are traps. In 961, Flodoard reports that the count of Normandy in vain tries to stop an assembly which the king held with Soissons.

Under the influence of Thibaud of Blois, king Lothaire gathers his Ost in the Drouais, and seizes Évreux. He leaves the city to his Thibaud ally. This one pushes its advantage and moves towards the capital Norman Rouen. Richard of Normandy the attack and beats it close to the city (962).

After this victory, the war continues a few years. The count of Norman does not hesitate to engage Scandinavian plunderers who returned from Spain to face his enemy. Chartres is burnt. Thibaud requires the peace which it obtains after having given up Évreux. King Lothaire signs in his turn an agreement with the Norman ones in 965 on the edges of the Epte (with Gisors?). This treaty recommends the renouncement of the king of any suzerainty on Normandy and n the other hand, the stop of any military action on behalf of the Norman ones.

Normandy from now on is not any more threatened until death of the duke. What does not prevent the Norman ones from going up in their turn of forwardings against their neighbors: in Flanders against the count Arnoul II of Flanders or against Albert Ier de Vermandois in the end of the years 980.

Richard and Robertiens

Richard seems to have precociously tied bonds with the Robertiens, Hugues Large the then his son Hugues Capet. The events of 945-946 let think that the duke of the Francs was favorable to the Norman ones. Then, the evidence accumulates on the good relationships between the two princes: in 948, a troop Norman helps Hugues the Large one in the seat of Soissons. In 960, the duke of Normandy marries the sister of Hugues Capet, Emma.

In a charter of 968, Richard recognizes vassal Hugues Capet. Guillaume de Jumièges implies that the Norman assistance the duke of the Francs to be reached the royalty. If it does not help it against Charles of Lorraine (in 988/91), it is its principal support, with the Count d' Anjou Foulque '' Nerra '', at the time of the seat of Melun into 991 - the lord of the manor passed to the service of Eudes I {{er}} of Blois while at the same time this last has just acquired Dreux while threatening the Norman duchy.

The next year, Richard reverses his alliances. The count of Anjou becomes a threat while intervening in the counties of Nantes and Rennes. However, since Rollon, the Brittany is an exclusive domain of the Norman ones. Consequently, Richard is combined with his former Eudes enemy of Blois and adheres to a coalition against Angevin including/understanding the Duc of Aquitaine, the Count de Flandre (undoubtedly) and the Count de Rennes. Richer of Rheims reports that in 992, of Norman take part in the sides of the Breton ones, to the battles of Conquereuil which Foulque gains. This Breton alliance brings a double marriage of the children of Richard and Conan.

Relations with England

Initially, they are not good. The king Ethelred II reproach in Richard to accommodate the same Danes who plunder his kingdom. The papal legate intervenes to prevent the war. In 991, Richard and Ethelred conclude a treaty in which they promise not to help their respective enemies. This peace contributes to the development of the commercial relations between Normandy and England.

Richard dies in 996 the same year as Hugues Capet, the first king capétien; the date of its death is given to us by Dudon Saint-Quentin, quite well informed on the Norman ones of the duchy. It is buried with Fécamp.

Richard restored peace and prosperity in the territory, temporarily disturbed by the disorders of its minority. It directed the province of an iron hand. In spite of his longevity, Richard left only one young heir, still unable to impose his own authority .

Family and descent

Richard marries Emma, girl D Hugues the Large one and sister of Hugues Capet, in 960. They do not have children. It of Gunnor, is married More danico that Richard has a descent:

Richard, his successor;

Robert, count d' Évreux and archbishop of Rouen;

Mauger, count de Corbeil;

Emma, future queen of the Anglo-Saxon , then of the Danes;

Havoise, wife of Geoffroy, Count de Rennes;

Mathilde († 1004), wife of Eudes II of Blois, count de Blois.

It is probable that the duke Richard had other concubines, bubbled , and of many bastard S of which:

Godefroi de Brionne († 1015), count of Have and Brionne ( cf family De Clare );

Guillaume de Brionne († 1058), count of Hiémois, which will succeed its nephew Gilbert de Brionne († 1040), to Have.

Robert, count of Avranchin (or Count de Mortain)

Papie

Beatrice

The many descendants of the duke Richard and his oldest son are called the Richardides.

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