Medieval Kings
King John of England
Step back into history get Medieval facts and information about the famous people, life and
events of Medieval Times via the
Medieval Life and Times Sitemap
|
 |
|
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Kings of Medieval Times....
This is a really cools site I found with all kinds of information on Medieval Times .... Found HERE .......
Step back into history get Medieval facts and information about the famous people, life and
events of Medieval Times via the
Medieval Life and Times Sitemap
Step back into history get Medieval facts and information about the famous people, life and
events of Medieval Times via the
Medieval Life and Times Sitemap
The Story of King John (the first) Plantagenet
(Ancestor says he's my 24 x Great Grandfather - by my calculations, he's my 26 x Great Grandfather, at least on this particular line I am looking at, but I know he's in my tree more than once.)
When John, the last child of the great Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine was born on Christmas Eve, 1167 at Beaumont Palace in Oxfordshire, his father jokingly nick-named him Sans Terre or Lackland, as there was no land left to give him. It seems ironic then, that John Lackland was eventually to inherit the entire Angevin Empire.
John incurred further opposition through his infatuation with Isabella of Angouleme, the twelve year old daughter of Count Aymer of Angouleme and Alix de Courtenay. She had been betrothed to Hugh de Lusignan, although the marriage had been delayed because of her extreme youth. The unprincipled John stole the enchanting Isabella from under Hugh's very nose.
The King turned his attention to administration and justice in England, having inherited some of his famous father's administrative ability and restless energy. Pope Innocent III was annoyed at John's interference in the election of an Archbishop of Canterbury in 1205, a quarrel ensued, resulting in England being placed under an interdict, no church services could be held for six years. In 1209, the difficult John himself was excommunicated. The English barons were entering into plots against him, and John wisely made peace with the Pope. In May, 1213 he agreed to hold England as a fief of the papacy.
Faced with an armed revolt which may have cost him his kingdom, the king was forced into compliance. At Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15th June 1215, he signed the historic Magna Carta or Great Charter. The Charter curtailed royal power in matters of taxation, justice, religion and foreign policy.
King John
1199-1216
The Early Life of John
When John, the last child of the great Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine was born on Christmas Eve, 1167 at Beaumont Palace in Oxfordshire, his father jokingly nick-named him Sans Terre or Lackland, as there was no land left to give him. It seems ironic then, that John Lackland was eventually to inherit the entire Angevin Empire.
A born cynic, with a puckish sense of humour, feckless, treacherous and entirely without scruple, he was possessed of some of the restless energy of his father and was prone to the same violent rages but unlike his father, John was unstable and cruel and a thoroughly flawed character. His deep distrust of others sometimes verged on paranoia. After eight hundred years, John remains the maverick of the House of Plantagenet.
Originally brought up for a career in the church, he had been placed at the Abbey of Fontevrault in Anjou, as an oblate, while still in early childhood, to which the young John reacted rebeliously. He was educated by Ranulf de Glanvill, his father's Chief Justiciar. Henry II hoped to improve his youngest son's prospects, by betrothing him, at the age of nine, to a wealthy heiress, his second cousin, Isabella of Gloucester. Isabella was the granddaughter of Robert, Earl of Gloucester, the illegitimate son of Henry I. The couple were duly married when John was 21 but the marriage failed to produce children.
Henry II attempted to make his favourite son King of Ireland. The adolescent John and his companions alienated the Irish chieftains who came to pay him homage, mocking their clothes and pulling their beards, resulting in rebellion against his rule and he was forced to leave Ireland. A fickle character, in his youth John conspired against both his father and his brother Richard for his own gain. During Richard's absence on the Third Crusade, John had attempted to overthrow his justicar, William Longchamp. In the course of returning from his crusade, Richard was captured by Leopold V, Duke of Austria, and imprisoned by the Holy Roman Emperor, Henry VI. England had to raise a huge ransom for the return of its king. On his release in 1194, Richard readily forgave his younger brother for plotting his overthrow.
John's appearance
In appearance, John was nothing like his tall and majestic brother Richard. He was five feet five inches in height, as opposed to Richard's six feet four inches. Although his height may be considered short by modern standards, it was not considered so in his own time, when men were considerably shorter. He was stockily built as his father had been. He is reputed to have spent a fortune on rich clothing and jewels.
Reign
John succeeded to the throne at the age of thirty-two, on the death of Richard the Lionheart in 1199. Arthur of Brittany, the son of his deceased elder brother, Geoffrey, had an arguably better claim, but Richard was reported to have announced John his heir on his deathbed. John acted promptly, siezing the royal treasury at Chinon. His coronation took place on Ascension Day, 1199. The shrewd Phillip Augustus, in accordance with his policy of weakening the Angevin Empire by creating division amongst the Plantagenets, supported Arthur's claim and attacked Normandy.
John incurred further opposition through his infatuation with Isabella of Angouleme, the twelve year old daughter of Count Aymer of Angouleme and Alix de Courtenay. She had been betrothed to Hugh de Lusignan, although the marriage had been delayed because of her extreme youth. The unprincipled John stole the enchanting Isabella from under Hugh's very nose.
His first marriage to Isabella of Gloucester had been declared invalid, since they were related within the prohibited degrees. Hugh de Lusignan, incensed, joined forces with Phillip and Arthur, forming a coalition against the King of England. It was said that John was so besotted with his young bride that he refused to rise from bed until well after noon.
The Rebellion of Arthur of Britanny
True to his policy of causing dissension amongst the Angevins, Phillip Augustus recognised Arthur's claim in May 1200 Treaty of Le Goulet. In attempt to take Anjou and Maine, the teenage Arthur of Brittany besieged his octagenarian grandmother, Eleanor of Aquitaine, at Mirabeau. Eleanor sent an urgent message for aid to her son John and succeeded in drawing out the negotiations for as long as possible. John responded with uncharacteristic speed and came to her rescue, in the process taking both Arthur and Hugh prisoner. Arthur was imprisoned at Falaise Castle in Normandy.
King John attempted to make peace with his young nephew, on a visit to Rouen in 1203, he promised Arthur honours if he would separate himself from Phillip Augustus and adopt his uncle's cause. Arthur, proud, indignant and unbowed by his imprisonment, responded by demanding his rightful inheritance and unwisely warned John that he would never give him a moments peace for the rest of his life.
John "much troubled", responded by ordered him to be blinded and castrated, an order which Hubert de Burgh, Arthur's custodian, refused to carry out. By late 1203 rumours were circulating that the young Duke was dead. Phillip, seeing an opportunity to create further trouble, demanded that Arthur be produced. It appears that by this time Arthur was already dead, said to have been killed by John himself in a drunken rage. A contemporary chronicler states 'After King John had captured Arthur and kept him alive in prison in the castle of Rouen....When John was drunk and possessed by the devil, he slew (Arthur) with his own hand and tying a heavy stone to the body, cast it into the Seine.'
John also imprisoned Arthur's sister, Eleanor, known as the Fair Maid of Brittany. She was to remain a prisoner for the rest of her life. She died in 1241, during the long reign of John's son, Henry III.
The Loss of the Angevin Empire
Hugh de Lusignan, the slighted fiancee of Isabella of Angouleme had sought redress from his overlord Phillip Augustus, who promptly summoned John to the French court to answer for his actions. John refused to comply and accordingly, Phillip, acting under feudal law, claimed those territories ruled by John as Count of Poitou and declaring all John's French territories except Gascony forfeit, he invadedNormandy. Chateau Gaillard, Richard's impregnable castle, fell to the French after a long siege in 1203, it was followed by the rest of Normandy. John, his resources exhausted, was forced to flee the smoking rubble of his father's once great French Empire.
Eleanor of Aquitaine entered the Abbey of Fontevrault, where she took the veil. She died there on 1st April, 1204, aged eighty-two, a remarkable age for the time. Eleanor had slipped into a coma, according to the annals of Fontevrault she 'existed as one already dead to the world'. She was buried at Fontevrault beside the tombs of the husband who had imprisoned her and whom she had hated and her beloved and favourite son, Richard.
Welsh Affairs
In 1205 whilst he was fighting to recover his French territories, the King married his illegitimate daughter, Joan, then aged around fifteen, to Llywelyn the Great, or Llywelyn ap Iorwerth, Prince of Gwynedd (circa 1173-1240) An astute political manipulator, Llywelyn then did homage to John for all his Welsh possesions. Joan was John's daughter by a mistress known only as Clemence.
In 1209 Prince Llywelyn accompanied John on his campaign into Scotland. Llywelyn went on to steadily increase his influence in Wales and conquered southern Powys in 1208. John became concerned at the growth of his son-in-law's power and viewed it as a theat to his own authority in the province. When Llywelyn attacked the lands of the Earl of Chester in 1210, John threw his support behind the latter.
The king marched into Wales with an army, receiving the support of many of the other Welsh princes, he marched toward Deganwy. Llywelyn's army employed the classic guerilla tactic of retreating to the hills, and taking the supplies with them. John had made no provision for supplying Deganwy Castle by sea, and was therefore forced to return to England or face starvation.
John returned to Wales within three months, with a well provisioned army, crossing the River Conway, he encamped on the Menai Strait, penetrating deep into the heart of Gwynedd. Llywellyn sent his wife, Joan, John's daughter, to sue for peace. The king imposed humiliating terms on his son-in-law, and annexed the area of North Wales known as the Four Cantrefs, installing Gerard d'Athée and two other mercenary captains into the southern marches.
Llywelyn capitalized on growing Welsh resentment against John, and led a revolt against him, which received the blessing of Pope Innocent III. By 1212 Llywelyn had regained the Perfeddwlad and burned a castle erected by John at Ystwyth.
Llywelyn's revolt delayed John's planned invasion of France, Llywelyn formed an alliance with John's enemy, King Phillip Augustus of France, later allying himself himself with the discontented English barons who were in rebellion against him. In 1215 he marched on Shrewsbury and captured the town with little resistance. Over the following three years Llywelyn extended his power base into South Wales, becoming without doubt the single most powerful figure in Wales.
John's daughter, Joan died in 1237 at Garth Celyn and Llywelyn suffered a paralytic stroke later in the same year. He died at the Cistercian Abbey of Aberconwy, his own foundation, on 11th April, 1240 and was buried there. His stone coffin was later removed to the parish church of Llanwrst, where it can still be seen.
Magna Carta
The King turned his attention to administration and justice in England, having inherited some of his famous father's administrative ability and restless energy. Pope Innocent III was annoyed at John's interference in the election of an Archbishop of Canterbury in 1205, a quarrel ensued, resulting in England being placed under an interdict, no church services could be held for six years. In 1209, the difficult John himself was excommunicated. The English barons were entering into plots against him, and John wisely made peace with the Pope. In May, 1213 he agreed to hold England as a fief of the papacy.
Eventually, John was met with the full force of his baron's grievances, they demanded their "ancient liberties" and the renewal of Henry I's Coronation Charter.
Faced with an armed revolt which may have cost him his kingdom, the king was forced into compliance. At Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15th June 1215, he signed the historic Magna Carta or Great Charter. The Charter curtailed royal power in matters of taxation, justice, religion and foreign policy.The Death of John
Disputes with the barons, however, continued and they again rose in rebellion, they incurred the aid of Phillip Augustus of France, who sent his son, the Dauphin Louis (later Louis VIII), to attack England in support of the barons. While retreating before this incursion, King John attempted to avoid East Anglia, which was rebel territory and safely negotiated a route around the Wash, his baggage train, however, famously lost his treasure, including the Crown Jewels, in The Wash, due to an unexpected incoming tide.
Aggrieved and depressed at the loss, mourning his ill fortune and suffering severely from dysentery, he was carried to Newark Castle in a litter and a physician was sent for. He consoled himself with a "surfeit of peaches". John's condition worsened rapidly and he died at Newark on the wild stormy night of 18th October, 1216, leaving England in a state of anarchy and civil war. Rumours abounded at the time that the king had been poisoned. Matthew Paris was later to comment that "Foul as it is, Hell itself is defiled by the presence of John". Despite his obvious failings, evidence exists that John was not as bad as his posthumous reputation would seem to suggest.
King John was buried at Worcester Cathedral by the shrine of his favourite saint, the Saxon, St. Wulfstan, becoming the first of the Angevin kings to be buried in England. He was succeeded by his nine year old son who became Henry III. King Henry III later raised an effigy over his father's tomb.
When John's body was exhumed in 1797, he was found to have been buried in a damask robe and wearing gloves with a sword in his hands. The skeleton was measured at five feet, six inches and a half inches.
Isabella of Angouleme
Three years after his death, King John's widow, Isabella of Angouleme, married the fiancee of her youth, Hugh de Lusignan and they produced a large family.
The tomb of Isabella of Angouleme at Fontevrault Abbey
Isabella died in 1246 and as an act of contrition for misdeeds, was buried, of her own violition, in the churchyard at Fontevrault. Her son, King Henry III, on a later visit to Fontevrault, was shocked that she had been buried outside the Abbey. He ordered that her body be translated into the Abbey itself, where she was finally laid to rest by his grandparents, Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Copied from HERE ....
DNA Project on ROLLO ....
So there is a company Explico, that is trying to do a DNA project on Rollo to discover which of the two stories (Denmark's & Norway's) is true ....
The latest news is .....
- In Normandy, in our search for famous historical figures, closed in the lead on the patriach of William the Conqueror, the great Viking giant Rollo, in order to solve a close to thousand year old riddle about his origin. To be continued..
Prior to that the announced they were opening his grave ....
November 2012
We are currently planning our goals and projects for 2013. They include DNA collections in the Caucasus mountains, the opening of graves in Normandy (Rollo) and Italy (Hauteville family), and more research done on our projects on the Black Sea shore, the Easter Island, the search for the lost Greenland Vikings and their settlements in America, and several interesting projects in Spain.
April 2012
Here is an update on our Rollo project: After a long awaited meeting with the French Cultural Department in Paris, we have received confirmation to go on with the project but we are looking still at some more months of processing.
This project has been going on now for a few years. It'll be interesting to find out what they discover!
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Vikings (the series) on History Channel
The History channel has a series that started this year called VIKINGS ... finding out more about my Viking heritage, I'm interested. I managed to get ahold of the first season... I checked to say if they are replaying any episodes, and I didn't see any. It has been picked up for a 10 episode Second Season... The first season had 9 episodes.
Vikings is a Canadian-Irish historical drama television series, written and created by Michael Hirst for the television channel History.[1] It premiered on March 3, 2013 in the United States and Canada.
Filmed in Ireland, Vikings is inspired by the tales about the Viking Ragnar Lodbrok, one of the best-known Norse heroes and notorious as the scourge of France and England. It portrays Ragnar as a Viking farmer who pioneers the first daring raids into England with the support of fellow warriors, his brother Rollo, and his wife, the shieldmaiden Lagertha.
On April 5, 2013, History renewed Vikings for a ten-episode second season.[2]
(wikipedia)I'm going to watch it and check it out. When I get the chance....
The House of Normandy
My line is as follows Rollo & Poppa to William I "Long Sword" and Sprota, to Richard I "the Fearless" and Gunnora, to Richard II "the Good" and Judith de Rennes, Robert "the Magnificent" and Herleve Falaise, to William "the Conqueror" and Matilda Flanders, to his son Henry "Beauclerc" King of England and Matilda, to their daughter Matilda and her husband Geoffrey V Plantagenet, to their son Henry II King of England and his wife Eleanor (whom two of her sisters are in other lines as my whatever Great Grandmothers) ... to their son John "Lackland" King of England and his wife Isabella of Angouleme.... ... so almost everyone ...
ROLLO OR ROLF THE GANGER (r. 911-925)
The ancestors of William the Conqueror and England's line of Norman kings had Norwegian Viking roots. The founder of the line, Rollo or Rolf the Ganger, was a Viking raider chief, who was born in 850, at Maer, Nord-Trondelag, Norway, the son of Ragnvald 'the Wise' Eysteinson and his second wife, Hiltrude (Ragnhild) Hrolfsdottir.
Rolf was granted the region of Normandy by Charles the Simple, King of France, in 911, at the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte, in exchange for feudal alliegiance and conversion to Christianity at which he took the baptismal name of Robert. He was baptized in a fountain fed by a spring named in honor of Saint Clair. Rolf took as his second wife Popee, the daughter of the Berengar of Rennes, the previous Lord of Normandy, the marriage produced six children:-
(1) William I 'Longsword' ( 901-0942)
(2) Robert (c. 903-)
(3) Crespina (c. 905-)
(4) Gerlatta (c.907-)
(5) Kathlin (c.909-)
(6) Adela (c.911-962)
Rolf died at Notre Dame at Rouen, Normandy in 925.
WILLIAM LONGWORD (925-942)
William succeeded his father as ruler of Normandy in around 928. He was faced with opposition early in his reign. He was married twice, firstly to Sprota (Adela) of Senlis, a daughter of Hubert, Count of Senlis and Vermandois which produced issue:-
(1) Richard "the Fearless" of Normandy
(2) Raoul D'Ivry
He was married for a second time in 935 to Luitgarda of Vermandois, a niece of his first wife Sprota.
<
In 939 William Longsword became involved in a conflict with Arnulf I of Flanders. He was killed on December 17, 942 by Arnulf's supporters in the course of a meeting to discuss the conflict. An anonymous poet wrote the Planctus , lamenting his death.
RICHARD I, THE FEARLESS (r. 942- 996)
Richard, the eldest son of William Longsword was born at Fecamp in France in 933. He was still a young boy when he succeeded as ruler of Normandy on the death of his father in 942. Richard's mother was a Breton concubine bound to William Longsword by a Danish marriage. After William died, Sprota became the wife of Esperleng, a wealthy miller. Normandy was siezed by Louis IV of France and Richard taken into confinement, from which he eventually escaped and regained Normandy. He was responsible for introducing the feudal system into his domains.
He was married firstly in 960 to Emma of Paris (died 962), the daughter of Hugh Capet, King of France, from which marriage there was no issue and secondly to his mistress Gunnor of Crêpon, to legitimate their 8 children:-
The Dukes of Normandy
(1) Richard II "the Good", Duke of Normandy (966)
(2) Robert, Archbishop of Rouen, Count of Evreux, died 1037.
(3) Mauger, Earl of Corbeil, died after 1033
(4) Robert Danus, died c.989
(5)Emma of Normandy (c.985-1052) married(i)Ethelred II of England (ii)King Canute
(6)Maud of Normandy, married Odo II, Count of Blois, Champagne and Chartres
(7)Hawise of Normandy (b. ca. 978), d. 21 February 1034. m. Geoffrey I, Duke of Brittany
(8)Beatrice of Normandy
Richard 'the Fearless' died at Fecamp on 20 November, 996 of natural causes.
RICHARD II THE GOOD (r. 966-1027)
Richard II of Normandy was born on 23 August, 963, the eldest son of Richard I and Gunnor de Crepon. He suceedded his father in 966. His reign saw a peasant revolt and major reform of the monasteries. Following an English attack on the Cotentin, Richard attempted to improve Normandy's relations with England through marrying his siter Emma to King Ethelred II of England.
Richard marrried twice, firstly in 996 to Judith (982-1017), daughter of Conan I of Brittany, this marriage produced six children:-
(1) Richard (c. 997), Duke of Normandy
(2) Robert (999), Duke of Normandy
(3) William, a monk d. 1025
(4) Adélaide, m. Renaud I, Count of Burgundy
(5) Eleanor or Judith m. Count Baldwin IV of Flanders
(6) Matilda, d. 1033
He was married secondly to Poppa of Envermeu, by whom he had two sons:-
(1) Mauger, Archbishop of Rouen
(2) William , count of Arques
Richard died on 28 Aug, 1027 of natural causes.
RICHARD III(r.1027)
Richard III was born in 997 and suceeded his father as Duke of Normandy in 1027. He was married to Adela of Contenance (1009-1063) daughter of Robert II of France. The marriage produced two daughters:-
(1) Alice of Normandy
(2) Agnes d'Evreux
After a short reign of only a few months he died in mysterious circumstances, some suspected his brother Robert to be responsible for his death.
ROBERT II THE DEVIL
Robert the Magnificent otherwise known as Robert the Devil was born around the year 1000, the second son of Richard the Good of Normandy and Judith of Brittany. Robert gave aid to both the French King Henry I, and the his English royal relatives of the Saxon House of Wessex. He gave refuge to his cousins Edward (later Edward 'the Confessor') and Alfred, when they where exiled under the Danish Kings of England.
Robert had two children by his mistress Herleva or Arlette, the daughter of Fulbert a tanner of Falaise:-
(1) William the Conqueror (1028-1087)
(2) Adelaide of Normandy (1030-c. 1083),m. (i)Enguerrand II, Count of Ponthieu (ii)Lambert II, Count of Lens (iii)Odo II of Champagne
Although they had a long relationship, the gap in their social standing rendered marriage out of the question and Herleve was married off to one of Robert's vassals, Herluin, a knight. From this marriage, Herleve produced two further sons, Robert, who later became Count of Mortain and Odo, destined to become Bishop of Bayeux
Duke Robert embarked on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem early in 1035 and died at Nicaea on the return journey. Robert II was succeeded by his illegitimate son William, who was to go down in history as William the Conqueror.
William the Conqueror
ROBERT II CURTHOSE (r.1089- 1106)
Robert was the oldest son of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders and was born circa 1051. His nick-name of Curthose, meaning short clothing was apparently acquired when his father teased him as a child for having short legs. Although he rebelled against his father in his lifetime, he succeeded to the Dukedom of Normandy on the Conqueror's death in 1087. England was left to the third son, William Rufus. Robert was married to Sybilla, daughter of Geoffrey of Brindisi, Count of Conversano, by whom he had a son:-
(1) William Clito, Count of Flanders, (born October 25, 1102)
Robert Curthose took part in the First Crusade, to finance his involvement, he pawned Normandy to his brother. On the death of William II in 1100, the English throne was siezed by the youngest of the Conqueror's sons, Henry I, leading Robert to launch an unsuccessful invasion of England to retake the crown. Henry invaded Normandy in 1105, capturing it from his brother. Robert was taken captive at the Battle of Tinchebrai in 1106 and was to spend the rest of his life as Henry's prisoner. Willliam Clito died as a result of wounds acquired at the Siege of Aalst in 1128, marking the end of Robert's line. Robert himself died at Cardiff Castle in 1134 in his eighties.
William Rufus
Henry I
Matilda
Henry II
Richard IV of Normandy, I of England, 'the Lionheart'
John
Source: HERE
ROLLO OR ROLF THE GANGER (r. 911-925)
The ancestors of William the Conqueror and England's line of Norman kings had Norwegian Viking roots. The founder of the line, Rollo or Rolf the Ganger, was a Viking raider chief, who was born in 850, at Maer, Nord-Trondelag, Norway, the son of Ragnvald 'the Wise' Eysteinson and his second wife, Hiltrude (Ragnhild) Hrolfsdottir.
Rolf was granted the region of Normandy by Charles the Simple, King of France, in 911, at the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte, in exchange for feudal alliegiance and conversion to Christianity at which he took the baptismal name of Robert. He was baptized in a fountain fed by a spring named in honor of Saint Clair. Rolf took as his second wife Popee, the daughter of the Berengar of Rennes, the previous Lord of Normandy, the marriage produced six children:-
(1) William I 'Longsword' ( 901-0942)
(2) Robert (c. 903-)
(3) Crespina (c. 905-)
(4) Gerlatta (c.907-)
(5) Kathlin (c.909-)
(6) Adela (c.911-962)
Rolf died at Notre Dame at Rouen, Normandy in 925.
WILLIAM LONGWORD (925-942)
William succeeded his father as ruler of Normandy in around 928. He was faced with opposition early in his reign. He was married twice, firstly to Sprota (Adela) of Senlis, a daughter of Hubert, Count of Senlis and Vermandois which produced issue:-
(1) Richard "the Fearless" of Normandy
(2) Raoul D'Ivry
He was married for a second time in 935 to Luitgarda of Vermandois, a niece of his first wife Sprota.
<
In 939 William Longsword became involved in a conflict with Arnulf I of Flanders. He was killed on December 17, 942 by Arnulf's supporters in the course of a meeting to discuss the conflict. An anonymous poet wrote the Planctus , lamenting his death.
RICHARD I, THE FEARLESS (r. 942- 996)
Richard, the eldest son of William Longsword was born at Fecamp in France in 933. He was still a young boy when he succeeded as ruler of Normandy on the death of his father in 942. Richard's mother was a Breton concubine bound to William Longsword by a Danish marriage. After William died, Sprota became the wife of Esperleng, a wealthy miller. Normandy was siezed by Louis IV of France and Richard taken into confinement, from which he eventually escaped and regained Normandy. He was responsible for introducing the feudal system into his domains.
He was married firstly in 960 to Emma of Paris (died 962), the daughter of Hugh Capet, King of France, from which marriage there was no issue and secondly to his mistress Gunnor of Crêpon, to legitimate their 8 children:-
The Dukes of Normandy
(1) Richard II "the Good", Duke of Normandy (966)
(2) Robert, Archbishop of Rouen, Count of Evreux, died 1037.
(3) Mauger, Earl of Corbeil, died after 1033
(4) Robert Danus, died c.989
(5)Emma of Normandy (c.985-1052) married(i)Ethelred II of England (ii)King Canute
(6)Maud of Normandy, married Odo II, Count of Blois, Champagne and Chartres
(7)Hawise of Normandy (b. ca. 978), d. 21 February 1034. m. Geoffrey I, Duke of Brittany
(8)Beatrice of Normandy
Richard 'the Fearless' died at Fecamp on 20 November, 996 of natural causes.
RICHARD II THE GOOD (r. 966-1027)
Richard II of Normandy was born on 23 August, 963, the eldest son of Richard I and Gunnor de Crepon. He suceedded his father in 966. His reign saw a peasant revolt and major reform of the monasteries. Following an English attack on the Cotentin, Richard attempted to improve Normandy's relations with England through marrying his siter Emma to King Ethelred II of England.
Richard marrried twice, firstly in 996 to Judith (982-1017), daughter of Conan I of Brittany, this marriage produced six children:-
(1) Richard (c. 997), Duke of Normandy
(2) Robert (999), Duke of Normandy
(3) William, a monk d. 1025
(4) Adélaide, m. Renaud I, Count of Burgundy
(5) Eleanor or Judith m. Count Baldwin IV of Flanders
(6) Matilda, d. 1033
He was married secondly to Poppa of Envermeu, by whom he had two sons:-
(1) Mauger, Archbishop of Rouen
(2) William , count of Arques
Richard died on 28 Aug, 1027 of natural causes.
RICHARD III(r.1027)
Richard III was born in 997 and suceeded his father as Duke of Normandy in 1027. He was married to Adela of Contenance (1009-1063) daughter of Robert II of France. The marriage produced two daughters:-
(1) Alice of Normandy
(2) Agnes d'Evreux
After a short reign of only a few months he died in mysterious circumstances, some suspected his brother Robert to be responsible for his death.
ROBERT II THE DEVIL
Robert the Magnificent otherwise known as Robert the Devil was born around the year 1000, the second son of Richard the Good of Normandy and Judith of Brittany. Robert gave aid to both the French King Henry I, and the his English royal relatives of the Saxon House of Wessex. He gave refuge to his cousins Edward (later Edward 'the Confessor') and Alfred, when they where exiled under the Danish Kings of England.
Robert had two children by his mistress Herleva or Arlette, the daughter of Fulbert a tanner of Falaise:-
(1) William the Conqueror (1028-1087)
(2) Adelaide of Normandy (1030-c. 1083),m. (i)Enguerrand II, Count of Ponthieu (ii)Lambert II, Count of Lens (iii)Odo II of Champagne
Although they had a long relationship, the gap in their social standing rendered marriage out of the question and Herleve was married off to one of Robert's vassals, Herluin, a knight. From this marriage, Herleve produced two further sons, Robert, who later became Count of Mortain and Odo, destined to become Bishop of Bayeux
Duke Robert embarked on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem early in 1035 and died at Nicaea on the return journey. Robert II was succeeded by his illegitimate son William, who was to go down in history as William the Conqueror.
William the Conqueror
ROBERT II CURTHOSE (r.1089- 1106)
Robert was the oldest son of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders and was born circa 1051. His nick-name of Curthose, meaning short clothing was apparently acquired when his father teased him as a child for having short legs. Although he rebelled against his father in his lifetime, he succeeded to the Dukedom of Normandy on the Conqueror's death in 1087. England was left to the third son, William Rufus. Robert was married to Sybilla, daughter of Geoffrey of Brindisi, Count of Conversano, by whom he had a son:-
(1) William Clito, Count of Flanders, (born October 25, 1102)
Robert Curthose took part in the First Crusade, to finance his involvement, he pawned Normandy to his brother. On the death of William II in 1100, the English throne was siezed by the youngest of the Conqueror's sons, Henry I, leading Robert to launch an unsuccessful invasion of England to retake the crown. Henry invaded Normandy in 1105, capturing it from his brother. Robert was taken captive at the Battle of Tinchebrai in 1106 and was to spend the rest of his life as Henry's prisoner. Willliam Clito died as a result of wounds acquired at the Siege of Aalst in 1128, marking the end of Robert's line. Robert himself died at Cardiff Castle in 1134 in his eighties.
William Rufus
Henry I
Matilda
Henry II
Richard IV of Normandy, I of England, 'the Lionheart'
John
Source: HERE
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Some Viking History
Vikings and Normans
A third German influence on Medieval Europe was the Vikings, and their successors the Normans . Actually, the word "Viking" refers to an occupation, that is slipping up little streams and creeks --viks-- to plunder unsuspecting villages. The people commonly called Vikings were the Norse, a Scandinavian sea faring people from Norway, Denmark, and Sweden. In effect, they were the Germans who stayed behind, as many of the German tribes can be traced back to Sweden and Denmark. The same population pressures that caused the tribes to leave Scandinavia several centuries before the birth of Christ, continued. In the meantime, the Scandinavians perfected their ship building technology and produced a light, swift sailing ship that could also use oars to good effect. This, the Viking long ship, was originally intended for trade. The Vikings were, basically, traders. But they were also fierce warriors and soon noted that many of the places they came upon in Europe were wealthy, and undefended. By the late 8th century, Viking ships came to raid first, and trade if the locals were too well armed. The 8th century was a period when Europe was still getting itself organized after the demise of Roman rule in the 5th century. While Charlemagne might control most of France and Germany, he did not have enough troops available to deal with the Vikings.
Indeed, it's questionable if the Romans would have been able to deal with the Vikings. Interestingly enough, the Romans did have, at times, serious problems with large scale piracy in the Meditteranean. In the 1st century BC, they launched a major military campaign to conquer the areas the pirates were using as bases. The Vikings were fiercer than any of the Meditteranean pirates and their home bases were far to the north in Norway and Denmark. No Roman army or fleet had ever attempted to operate that far north. The Romans did not like the north European Winters and generally did not try to occupy lands so afflicted. We'll never know how the Romans would have dealt with Vikings, but it's an interesting issue to speculate about.
What eventually stopped the Viking raids, in the early 10th century, was the unification of Norway, and the earlier establishment of Viking settlements in the lands that they had previously just plundered during the warm weather. The Vikings set up housekeeping in three main areas, the Normandy region of France, eastern England, and eastern Ireland. The Irish settlements had no impact on later European history, but the English, and particularly the French ones, did.
Britain (Britannia to the Romans) was one of the more thinly populated and distant Roman provinces. Less than a million Celts were romanized over three centuries before the last Roman legion left in the early 5th century The romanized Britons (who still spoke Celtic languages, as well as Latin ) continued to be raided by the Picts and Celts from Scotland and Ireland. Having depended on professional Roman soldiers for centuries, the Britions were unable to deal with these raids and in desperation called in Germans (Saxons, Jutes, and Angles, for the most part) from northwestern Germany and Denmark (areas still known as Saxony and Jutland, the Angles living in the '"angle" between the two) to help them out. This turned out to be a big mistake, because the Germans were so impressed by the place that they went back for their families (and more warriors) and came back to take Britain for their own. In the process, most of Brittania became England (from "Angleland"). The Germans drove out some of Celtic Britons (who fled to places like Cornwall, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and Brittany) and mixed in with the rest to produce the English, who spoke a German dialect that has evolved into modern English. The Germans were pagans, and the Christian Britons had little success in converting them. That would come later when missionaries from Rome arrived. The Jutes, Angles, and Saxons established seven kingdoms and proceeded to quarrel among themselves.
Just as the Germans were settling down in their new British homes, along came the Viking raids, from the late 7th century into the early 10th century. The Vikings soon found the area quite livable and Danish settlers moved into the northeastern areas and began carving out their own kingdom during the 9th century, a matter which greatly eased the Viking pressure on Britain, since the local Vikings objected to having their newfound lands devastated by the occasional visitors from Vikingland. During the 10th century, one king (a German-English fellow) named Alfred the Great (reigned 871-899) united most of England.
The Vikings also found Ireland easy pickings. Ireland, not a very prosperous or densely populated (about 300,000 people) place, received several thousand Viking settlers, who were soon absorbed into the native Celtic population.
While some Vikings were establishing themselves in Britain and Ireland, another group did the same in the coastal region of France, around the mouth of the river Seine. In effect, the Vikings in this region allowed themselves to be bought off by the king of France. These Vikings had quite a bit of leverage. Beginning in 896 they had sailed up the Seine and laid siege to Paris several times and were constantly expanding the area they pillaged. The French kings, even Charlemagne, were unable to stop the plundering. When the French noted the increasing number of Viking settlements along the coast, they feared the worst. But the Vikings were wearying of the raids. French defenses were becoming more effective and Viking losses were increasing. So a deal was struck in 912. The French would recognize the Vikings possession of the land they had already settled (plus a bit more) and make the Viking leader, one Rollo, a French noble. In return, the Viking duke would convert to Christianity, acknowledge the French king as his overlord and, protect France against wilder Vikings. Thus was born Normandy.
The Normans were quick to become French, particularly since they were a minority in their new dutchy and a disproportionate number of the new people were young male Vikings who took local women for wives. After a few generations, the Norwegian language and customs were fading fast and the Normans were French. But they were French with a difference. While their language and other habits may have changed, the Normans were still, like all Vikings, supreme opportunists. Then William, the duke of Normandy in the 1060s, talked his way into a claim on the English throne. The king of Norway was doing the same thing. An English noble, Harold, also thought he had a lock on the crown once the king died. When the king, Edward the Confessor did die, in 1066, Harold defeated the king of Norway's invading army, but was in turn defeated by duke William and his invading Normans.
Meanwhile, for several generations, some footloose Normans had been drifting into Italy. By the time duke William was taking England, other Norman lords were making their own conquests in southern Italy and Sicily, clearing out the Byzantines, Lombards, and Moslems. These Normans established a kingdom which would endure until the mid-19th century, covering southern Italy and called the kingdom of Naples and Sicily. This was done with papal encouragement, as the Normans not only subdued the Lombards and expelled the Greeks and Arabs from Italy, but served as a useful balance against the Italian nobles who had designs on the pope's lands. As with England, the Normans in Italy eventually went native and became Italians.
So it was the Vikings who settled in France who proved the most successful. Nowhere is this better illustrated than the manner in which the Norwegian-French William, duke of Normandy, conquered all of England and established a line of kings and queens that is still on the throne. This feat was carried off little more than a hundred years from the time that the first Viking settlements were established in France. The Vikings who had settled in France, now speaking French and called Normans, had come a long way from thinly populated (200,000 people) and rather poverty stricken Norway. They had carved out a nice piece of property for themselves in northwestern France early in the 10th century, taken England in the mid-11th century, and now they ruled some two million people in England and France, while some of them had gone to Italy in the 1th century and built yet another kingdom (with another million people) in southern Italy and Sicily. Not bad for a bunch of sea raiders.
The Vikings (Norwegians, Danes, and Swedes) had done much with little. Taking a unique boat design (their "long ships") and a lust for travel and combat, they laid waste to large areas of Ireland, England, France, Spain, Germany, and Russia, even raiding Persia and parts of North Africa. The total population of Scandinavia barely reached a million during this period, and only a few percent of these would be off raiding in any one year. Yet in the century or so of their raiding and pillaging, they ended up taking control of vast territories containing millions of people.
The Vikings went in all directions. They discovered Iceland in 860, and began colonizing it in 874. Their descendants are still there. Greenland was discovered in 982, and colonized in 1000. Shortly thereafter, North America was also discovered, but settlements did not last long. While Iceland was supporting some 50,000 people by 1000, Greenland's population never rose above 3,000 and the North American venture never panned out, the few settlers being largely drawn from the Iceland and Greenland settlements. When the Northern hemisphere's climate turned cold again beginning around 1300, the Greenland colony lost touch with the motherland and graducally died out. Only the Eskimos could survive in the arctic conditions which prevailed there, as the Vikings needed a longer warm season for their grain crops.
What is most ironic about this is that, a thousand years before the Viking raids began, the tribes that would become known as the Germans, also left Scandinavia (Denmark and Sweden) It was quite an exodus, both the first one and the later one. Europe was never the same after the Germans and Vikings went south.
Source of the entire article: HERE
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Back to Rollo and Poppa....
I first mentioned my 35 x Great Grandfather Rollo Rolf in this blog ..... Introduction to Rollo "Duke of Normandy" .......... and the confusing union of "more danico" of which he had with his wife/mistress/concubine Poppa de Bayeux.
Poppa de Bayeux, was the "captured" wife of Rollo. She was (thought to be) the daughter of a count named Berenger, captured at Bayeux by Rollo in 885 or 889. Speculation claims her as the daughter of Berengar II of Neustria.
(from Wikipedia) Poppa of Bayeux was the mistress or wife[1] (perhaps by more danico)[2] of Norman conqueror Rollo. She was the mother of William I, Duke of Normandy, and Gerloc. Chronicler Dudo of Saint-Quentin relates that she was the daughter of a count named Berenger, captured at Bayeux by Rollo in 885 or 889. This has led to speculation that she was the daughter of Berengar II of Neustria. A statue of Poppa stands at Place de Gaulle in Bayeux.
Statue of Rollo in Rouen. There are two bronze replicas of this statue : one at Ålesund (Norway) and the other one at Fargo, North Dakota
Now, Rollo has some questionable linage also, as I stated in the last blog about him. To make things more simple and less long winded .... this is the short version.
Rollo Rolf was baptized Robert. He is sometimes called "Robert I" to make it "less confusing" with his descendants. HOWEVER; his Great-Great Grandson is also known as "Robert I" so in serious less confusing fashion, I will just call him Rollo.
Rollo was of Norwegian and Danish descent. He was a Norse Nobleman. He is also known to be the founder and first ruler of the Viking principality.
There are two versions of this linage ...
Denmark claims Rollo was the son of a King of Denmark. This King had two sons, Rollo and Gurim. Upon the death of said King, Rollo was expelled and his brother Gurim was killed.
Norway fights that his name is Ganger Hrolf "Hrolf the Walker" ... the son of Rognvald Eysteinsson, Earl of More, in western Norway. Hrolf found "foul" of the Norwegian King, Harald Fairhair, and became Jarl in Norway. The nickname "the Walker" or "Ganger" in Norse, came from being so big that no horse could carry him.
I already talked about Poppa ... Rollo had another wife. He next married Gisela, daughter of Charles III "the Simple," King of France. They had no children.
This bit of information came from HERE ....
Vikings in France: 9th - 12th century
As elsewhere in northwest Europe, Viking raids on the coast of France gradually evolve into settlement. During the last decades of the 9th century, Danes are in possession of the territory round the lower reaches of the Seine. Early in the 10th century they are joined by a Norwegian who has already distinguished himself adventuring in Scotland and Ireland. His name is Hrölfr. He is known in western history as Rollo the Ganger.
Rollo becomes leader of the Seine Vikings and by 911 he is strong enough to besiege the French city of Chartres. The siege ends when the Frankish king, Charles III, agrees at St. Clair-sur-Epte to grant Rollo feudal rights over the territory round Rouen.
The Viking word for a Scandinavian is Northman, which in medieval French becomesNormand. Rollo the Viking and his successors, rapidly expanding their territory beyond his original feudal grant, are known therefore as Normans. Their dukedom, in its larger boundaries, becomes and remains Normandy.
Rollo's descendants rule Normandy for two centuries, until the male line dies out in 1135 with the death ofHenry I. Meanwhile they have become keen Christians (Rollo is baptized, though his son William I is the first Norman duke fully committed to the religion). But they lose nothing of their Viking restlessness, which finds expression inadventures outside Normandy.
Read more:http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?ParagraphID=eic#ixzz2giiUwQMo
And this from HERE ....
He is buried here .... at Rouen Cathedral ....
Grave of Rollo of Normandy, duke of Normandy, at the cathedral of Rouen, Seine-Maritime
Maps
Rouen
Poppa de Bayeux, was the "captured" wife of Rollo. She was (thought to be) the daughter of a count named Berenger, captured at Bayeux by Rollo in 885 or 889. Speculation claims her as the daughter of Berengar II of Neustria.
(from Wikipedia) Poppa of Bayeux was the mistress or wife[1] (perhaps by more danico)[2] of Norman conqueror Rollo. She was the mother of William I, Duke of Normandy, and Gerloc. Chronicler Dudo of Saint-Quentin relates that she was the daughter of a count named Berenger, captured at Bayeux by Rollo in 885 or 889. This has led to speculation that she was the daughter of Berengar II of Neustria. A statue of Poppa stands at Place de Gaulle in Bayeux.
 |
| ROLLO ROLF STATUE French: translation to English: WE REMAIN MASTERS AND LORDS - 25 July 885 |
Now, Rollo has some questionable linage also, as I stated in the last blog about him. To make things more simple and less long winded .... this is the short version.
Rollo Rolf was baptized Robert. He is sometimes called "Robert I" to make it "less confusing" with his descendants. HOWEVER; his Great-Great Grandson is also known as "Robert I" so in serious less confusing fashion, I will just call him Rollo.
Rollo was of Norwegian and Danish descent. He was a Norse Nobleman. He is also known to be the founder and first ruler of the Viking principality.
There are two versions of this linage ...
Denmark claims Rollo was the son of a King of Denmark. This King had two sons, Rollo and Gurim. Upon the death of said King, Rollo was expelled and his brother Gurim was killed.
Norway fights that his name is Ganger Hrolf "Hrolf the Walker" ... the son of Rognvald Eysteinsson, Earl of More, in western Norway. Hrolf found "foul" of the Norwegian King, Harald Fairhair, and became Jarl in Norway. The nickname "the Walker" or "Ganger" in Norse, came from being so big that no horse could carry him.
I already talked about Poppa ... Rollo had another wife. He next married Gisela, daughter of Charles III "the Simple," King of France. They had no children.
.jpg) |
| 14th century depiction of the marriage of Rollo and Gisela (2nd wife or first wife with Poppa as mistress) |
This bit of information came from HERE ....
Rollo, also called Rolf or Rou, French Rollon, Old Norse Hrólfr (born c. 860—died c. 932), Scandinavian rover who founded the duchy of Normandy.
According to later Scandinavian sagas, Rollo, making himself independent of King Harald I of Norway, sailed off to raid Scotland, England, Flanders, and France on pirating expeditions. Early in the 10th century, Rollo’s Danish army attacked France, and he established himself in an area along the Seine River. Charles III the Simple of France held off his siege of Paris, defeated him near Chartres, and negotiated the treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte, giving him the part of Neustria that came to be called Normandy; Rollo in return agreed to end his brigandage. He gave his son, William I Longsword, governance of the dukedom (927) before his death. Rollo was baptized in 912 but is said to have died a pagan.
And this came from HERE ....Vikings in France: 9th - 12th century
As elsewhere in northwest Europe, Viking raids on the coast of France gradually evolve into settlement. During the last decades of the 9th century, Danes are in possession of the territory round the lower reaches of the Seine. Early in the 10th century they are joined by a Norwegian who has already distinguished himself adventuring in Scotland and Ireland. His name is Hrölfr. He is known in western history as Rollo the Ganger.
Rollo becomes leader of the Seine Vikings and by 911 he is strong enough to besiege the French city of Chartres. The siege ends when the Frankish king, Charles III, agrees at St. Clair-sur-Epte to grant Rollo feudal rights over the territory round Rouen.
The Viking word for a Scandinavian is Northman, which in medieval French becomesNormand. Rollo the Viking and his successors, rapidly expanding their territory beyond his original feudal grant, are known therefore as Normans. Their dukedom, in its larger boundaries, becomes and remains Normandy.
Rollo's descendants rule Normandy for two centuries, until the male line dies out in 1135 with the death ofHenry I. Meanwhile they have become keen Christians (Rollo is baptized, though his son William I is the first Norman duke fully committed to the religion). But they lose nothing of their Viking restlessness, which finds expression inadventures outside Normandy.
Read more:http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?ParagraphID=eic#ixzz2giiUwQMo
And this from HERE ....
Raids along the Seine[edit]
In 885, Rollo was one of the lesser leaders of the Viking fleet which besieged Paris under Sigfred. Legend has it that an emissary was sent by the king to find the chieftain and negotiate terms. When he asked for this information, the Vikings replied that they were all chieftains in their own right. In 886, when Sigfred retreated in return for tribute, Rollo stayed behind and was eventually bought off and sent to harry Burgundy.[a]
Later, he returned to the Seine with his followers (known as Danes, or Norsemen). He invaded the area of northern France now known as Normandy. In 911 the Vikings under Rollo again launched an attack on Paris before laying siege toChartres. The Bishop of Chartres, Joseaume, appealed for help, which were answered by Robert, Marquis of Neustria, Richard, Duke of Burgundy and Manasses, Count of Dijon. On 20 July 911, at the Battle of Chartres, Frank forces defeated Rollo despite the absence of many French barons and also the absence of the French King Charles the Simple.[4]
The Principality of Normandy[edit]In the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte (911) with King Charles, Rollo pledged feudal allegiance to the king, changed his name to the Frankish version, and converted to Christianity, probably with the baptismal name Robert.[5] In return, King Charles granted Rollo land between the Epte and the sea as well as parts of Brittany [b] and according to Dudo of St. Quentin, the hand of the King's daughter, Gisela, although this marriage and Gisela herself are unknown to Frankish sources. He was also the titular ruler of Normandy, centered around the city of Rouen. There exists some argument among historians as to whether Rollo was a "duke" (dux) or whether his position was equivalent to that of a "count" under Charlemagne.
According to legend, when required to kiss the foot of King Charles, as a condition of the treaty, he refused to perform so great a humiliation, and when Charles extended his foot to Rollo, Rollo ordered one of his warriors to do so in his place. His warrior then lifted Charles' foot up to his mouth causing the king to fall to the ground.[6]
After 911, Rollo stayed true to his word of defending the shores of the Seine river in accordance to the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte. However, he also continued attacks on Flanders.
After Charles was deposed by Robert I in 922, Rollo considered his oath to the King of France at an end. It started a period of expansion westwards. Negotiations with French barons ended with Rollo being given Le Mans and Bayeux and continued with the seizure of Bessin in 924. The following year saw the Normans attack Picardy.
Rollo began to divide the land between the Epte and Risle rivers among his chieftains and settled there with a de facto capital in Rouen. Eventually[when?] Rollo's men intermarried with the local women, and became more settled as Normans.[clarification needed]
He is buried here .... at Rouen Cathedral ....
Grave of Rollo of Normandy, duke of Normandy, at the cathedral of Rouen, Seine-Maritime
Maps
Rouen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)