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53-504: Rollo ( Norman : Rou , Rolloun ; Old Norse : Hrólfr ; French : Rollon ; died 933), also known with his epithet, Rollo "the Walker" , was a Viking who, as Count of Rouen , became the first ruler of Normandy , a region in today's northern France. He emerged as a leading warrior figure among the Norsemen who had secured a permanent foothold on Frankish soil in the valley of

106-597: A pilgrimage to Jerusalem . After making his illegitimate son, the future William the Conqueror his heir and arranging for the archbishop to watch over and protect young William, Duke Robert set out on his pilgrimage never to return to Normandy. Archbishop Robert fulfilled his promise and effectively ruled Normandy as regent for William until Robert's death in 1037, which almost immediately caused an increase in lawlessness in Normandy. His title of Archbishop of Rouen

159-494: A Norse realm centred on the Western Isles of Scotland. Both Irish and Icelandic sources suggest that Rollo, as a young man, visited or lived in northern Scotland, where he had a daughter named Cadlinar ( Kaðlín Kathleen). Icelandic sources name Ketill Flatnose's father as Björn Grímsson, which would imply that the name of Ketill Flatnose's paternal grandfather was Grim . That would be limited, onomastic evidence for

212-410: A connection to Rollo, whose father (according to Richer) was named Ketill, while Rollo also (according to Dudo) had a brother named Gurim – a name likely cognate with Grim . In addition, Icelandic sources report that Rollo's ancestral home was Møre , where Ketill Flatnose's ancestors were also said to have originated. However, there are no surviving sources explicitly claiming a connection; Ketill

265-490: A descendant of Rollo. Rollo is the subject of the 17th-century play Rollo Duke of Normandy , written by John Fletcher , Philip Massinger , Ben Jonson , and George Chapman . A character, broadly inspired by the historical Rollo but including many events predating the historical Rollo's birth, played by Clive Standen , is Ragnar Lothbrok 's brother in the History Channel television series Vikings . Rollo

318-728: A friendship in England with a king called “ Alstem ”. This has puzzled many historians, but recently this person has been identified as Guthrum , the Danish leader whom Alfred the Great baptised with the name “ Athelstan”, and was recognised as King of the East Angles in 880. Dudo recorded that when Rollo controlled Bayeux by force, he carried off the beautiful Popa or Poppa, a daughter of Berenger, Count of Rennes. He married her, and she bore his son and heir, William Longsword . Her parentage

371-508: A great deal of trouble restraining the new duke. In 1028 he found himself besieged and then banished by his young nephew. Duke Robert I then besieged Hugh d'Ivry, Bishop of Bayeux who, along with Archbishop Robert had apparently questioned his authority as duke. From exile in France, Archbishop Robert excommunicated his nephew Duke Robert and placed Normandy under an interdict . The Archbishop and Duke finally came to terms and to facilitate

424-572: A living memory of Rollo, this fact must be weighed against the text's potential biases, as an official biography. According to Dudo, an unnamed king of Denmark was antagonistic to Rollo's family, including his father – an unnamed Danish nobleman – and Rollo's brother Gurim. Following the death of their father, Gurim was killed and Rollo was forced to leave Denmark. Dudo appears to have been the main source for William of Jumièges (after 1066) and Orderic Vitalis (early 12th century), although both include additional details. A Norwegian background for Rollo

477-747: A number of Old French words which have been lost in Modern French. Examples of Norman French words of Old French origin: en anc. fr. : pétale Examples of Norman French words with -ei instead of -oi in Standard French words Examples of Norman French words with c- / qu- and g- instead of ch- and j in Standard French Examples of Norman words of Norse origin: In some cases, Norse words adopted in Norman have been borrowed into French – and more recently some of

530-494: Is a character in the video game Assassin's Creed Valhalla . Norman language Previously used: Norman or Norman French ( Normaund , French : Normand [nɔʁmɑ̃] , Guernésiais : Normand , Jèrriais : Nouormand ) is a langue d'oïl . The name "Norman French" is sometimes also used to describe the administrative languages of Anglo-Norman and Law French used in England . For

583-538: Is due to Norse influence. Norman is spoken in mainland Normandy in France , where it has no official status, but is classed as a regional language . It is taught in a few colleges near Cherbourg-Octeville . In the Channel Islands , the Norman language has developed separately, but not in isolation, to form: The British and Irish governments recognize Jèrriais and Guernésiais as regional languages within

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636-469: Is first recorded in a charter written in 918 as the leader of a group of Viking settlers, and he reigned over the region of Normandy until at least 928. He was succeeded by his son William Longsword in the Duchy of Normandy that he had founded. The offspring of Rollo and his followers, through their intermingling with the indigenous Frankish and Gallo-Roman population of the lands they settled, became known as

689-557: Is his part in leading the Vikings who besieged Paris in 885–886 but were fended off by Odo of France . Sources do not make clear the year of Rollo's birth, but from his activity, marriage, children, and death, the mid-9th century may be inferred. Among biographical remarks about Rollo written by the cleric Dudo of Saint-Quentin in the late 10th century, he claimed that Rollo "the Dane" was from Dacia  [ de ] (a blend of

742-520: Is uncertain whether he was Danish or Norwegian. In part, this disparity may result from the indifferent and interchangeable usage in Europe, at the time, of terms such as "Vikings", "Northmen/Norsemen", "Norse", "Swedes", "Danes", "Norwegians" and so on (in the Medieval Latin texts Dani vel Nortmanni means 'Danes or Northmen'). The earliest well-attested historical event associated with Rollo

795-660: Is uncertain, and may have been invented after the fact to legitimize her son's lineage, as many of the fantastic genealogical claims made by Dudo were. She may have come from any country with which the Norse had contact, as Dudo is a highly unreliable source who may have written his chronicle primarily as a didactic tool to teach courtly values. There are few contemporary mentions of Rollo. In 911, Robert I of France , brother of Odo, again defeated another band of Viking warriors in Chartres with his well-trained horsemen. This victory paved

848-661: The British Royal Family are not direct male-line descendants of Rollo, as the House of Normandy ended with the death of Henry I . However, the House of Plantagenet was influenced by the Norman dynasty, as Empress Matilda , the mother of Henry II of England was the daughter of the Norman king Henry I . A genetic investigation into the remains of Rollo's grandson Richard the Fearless, and his great-grandson Richard

901-456: The Chronique that Rollo is Danish. Snorri Sturluson identified Rollo with Hrólfr the Walker (Norse Göngu-Hrólfr ; Danish Ganger-Hrólf ) from the 13th-century Icelandic sagas , Heimskringla and Orkneyinga Saga . Hrólf the Walker was so named because he "was so big that no horse could carry him". The Icelandic sources claim that Hrólfr was from Møre in western Norway , in

954-584: The French language in Canada generally. Joual , a working class sociolect of Quebec , in particular exhibits a Norman influence. For example the word "placoter" can mean both to splash around or to chatter comes from the Normand French word "clapoter" which means the same thing. Robert II (archbishop of Rouen) Robert was a son of Richard I, Duke of Normandy and his second wife, Gunnor . He

1007-428: The baptismal name Robert. A variant spelling, Rou , is used in the 12th-century Norman French verse chronicle Roman de Rou , which was compiled by Wace and commissioned by King Henry II of England , a descendant of Rollo. Rollo was born in the mid-9th century as his tomb states he was in his eighties when he died in 933; his place of birth is almost definitely located in the region of Scandinavia , although it

1060-510: The de facto capital of Rouen. Given Rouen and its hinterland in return for the alliance with the Franks , it was agreed upon that it was in the interests of both Rollo himself and his Frankish allies to extend his authority over Viking settlers. This would appear to be the motive for later concessions to the Vikings of the Seine, which are mentioned in other records of the time. When Charles III

1113-517: The " Normans ". After the Norman conquest of England and their conquest of southern Italy and Sicily over the following two centuries, their descendants came to rule England , much of Ireland , Sicily and Antioch from the 11th to 13th centuries, leaving behind an enduring legacy in the histories of Europe and the Near East . The Heimskringla (written in the 13th century) records that Rolf

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1166-595: The 10th-century Frankish aristocracy, which left them severely weakened and unable to resist the Rouen Vikings’ growing determination to stay put. After Rollo's death, his direct male descendants continued to rule Normandy until Stephen of Blois became King of England and Duke of Normandy in 1135. The duchy was later absorbed into what became the Angevin Empire following its conquest by Geoffrey of Anjou , who in 1128 had married Matilda of England , herself

1219-510: The English words used in French can be traced back to Norman origins. Following the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the Norman and other languages and dialects spoken by the new rulers of England were used during several hundred years, developing into the unique insular dialect now known as Anglo-Norman French , and leaving traces of specifically Norman words that can be distinguished from

1272-529: The Fearless , forged the Duchy of Normandy into West Francia 's most cohesive and formidable principality. The descendants of Rollo and his men assimilated with the Frankish culture and became known as the Normans , lending their name to the region of Normandy . Rollo was the great-great-great-grandfather of William the Conqueror , the progenitor of House of Normandy in England; however, Charles III and

1325-596: The Franks around Bayeux to protect them from other Viking leaders settled in eastern Brittany and the Cotentin peninsula . Rollo died sometime between a final mention of him by Flodoard in 928, and 933 – the year in which a third grant of land, usually identified as being the Cotentin and Avranchin areas, was given to his son and successor William . Rollo's son and heir, William Longsword , and grandchild, Richard

1378-611: The Ganger went to Normandy and ruled it, so Rollo is generally presumed to be a Latinisation of the Old Norse name Hrólfr , a theory that is supported by the rendition of Hrólfr as Roluo in the Gesta Danorum by Saxo Grammaticus. It is also sometimes suggested that Rollo may be a Latinised version of another Norse name, Hrollaugr . The 10th-century French historian Dudo in his Historia Normannorum records that Rollo took

1431-480: The Good , was announced in 2011 to discern the origins of the historic Viking leader. On 29 February 2016, Norwegian researchers opened Richard the Good's tomb and found a lower jaw with eight teeth in it. However, the skeletal remains in both graves turned out to significantly predate Rollo and therefore are not related to him. Rollo's dynasty survived through a combination of ruthless military action and infighting among

1484-492: The Latin for Denmark ( Dania ) and Sweden ( Suecia )), and had moved from there to the island of Scandza. One of Rollo's great-grandsons and a contemporary of Dudo was known as Robert the Dane . However, Dudo's Historia Normannorum (or Libri III de moribus et actis primorum Normanniae ducum ) was commissioned by Rollo's grandson, Richard I of Normandy and while Dudo likely had access to family members and/or other people with

1537-452: The Norman rulers in England would eventually assimilate, thereby adopting the speech of the local English. In both cases, the elites contributed elements of their own language to the newly enriched languages that developed in the territories. In Normandy, the Norman language inherited only some 150 words from Old Norse. The influence on phonology is disputed, although it is argued that the retention of aspirated / h / and / k / in Norman

1590-583: The area of south-east Ireland, where the Hiberno-Normans invaded in 1169. Norman remains in (limited) use for some very formal legal purposes in the UK, such as when the monarch gives royal assent to an Act of Parliament using the phrase, " Le Roy (la Reyne) le veult " ("The King (the Queen) wills it"). The Norman conquest of southern Italy in the 11th and 12th centuries brought the language to Sicily and

1643-459: The different developments and particular literary histories of the varieties of Norman. Norman may therefore be described as a pluricentric language . The Anglo-Norman dialect of Norman served as a language of administration in England following the Norman conquest of England in 1066. This left a legacy of Law French in the language of English courts (though it was also influenced by Parisian French ). In Ireland, Norman remained strongest in

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1696-604: The equivalent lexical items in French: Other borrowings, such as canvas , captain , cattle and kennel , exemplify how Norman retained Latin /k/ that was not retained in French. In the United Kingdom, Acts of Parliament are confirmed with the words " Le Roy le veult " ("The King wishes it") and other Norman phrases are used on formal occasions as legislation progresses. Norman immigrants to North America also introduced some "Normanisms" to Quebec French and

1749-607: The former Duchy of Normandy : the Channel Islands and the Cotentin Peninsula ( Cotentinais ) in the west, and the Pays de Caux ( Cauchois dialect ) in the east. Ease of access from Paris and the popularity of the coastal resorts of central Normandy, such as Deauville , in the 19th century led to a significant loss of distinctive Norman culture in the central low-lying areas of Normandy. Norman French preserves

1802-484: The framework of the British–Irish Council . Sercquiais is in fact a descendant of the 16th-century Jèrriais used by the original colonists from Jersey who settled the then uninhabited island. The last first-language speakers of Auregnais , the dialect of Norman spoken on Alderney , died during the 20th century, although some rememberers are still alive. The dialect of Herm also lapsed at an unknown date;

1855-451: The kingdom". Dudo retrospectively stated that this pact took place in 911 at Saint-Clair-sur-Epte . Dudo narrates a humorous story not found in other primary sources about Rollo's pledge of fealty to Charles III as part of the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte . The attendant bishops urged Rollo to kiss the king's foot to prove his allegiance. Rollo refused, saying "I will never bow my knees at

1908-423: The knees of any man, and no man's foot will I kiss." Instead, Rollo commanded one of his warriors to kiss the king's foot. The warrior complied by raising the king's foot to his mouth as the king was standing, which "caused the king to topple backward" much to the amusement of their entourage. On taking his oath of fealty, Rollo divided the lands between the rivers Epte and Risle among his chieftains and settled in

1961-567: The late 9th century and that his parents were the Norwegian jarl Rognvald Eysteinsson ('Rognvald the Wise') and a noblewoman from Møre named Hildr Hrólfsdóttir . However, these claims were made three centuries after the history commissioned by Rollo's own grandson. There may be circumstantial evidence for kinship between Rollo and his historical contemporary Ketill Flatnose , King of the Isles –

2014-462: The lifting of the interdict and excommunication, Duke Robert restored the Archbishop to his see, to his countship of Evereux, and returned all his properties. To further illustrate his change of heart towards the church, Duke Robert restored property that he or his vassals had confiscated, and by 1034 had returned all church properties including those taken from Fécamp Abbey . By 1033 Duke Robert

2067-510: The lower Seine after the Siege of Chartres in 911. Charles the Simple , king of West Francia , in what is called the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte , granted Rollo lands between the river Epte and the sea in exchange for Rollo agreeing to end his brigandage, swearing allegiance to him , religious conversion and a pledge to defend the Seine's estuary from other Viking raiders. The name Rollo

2120-630: The mid-12th-century Chronique des ducs de Normandie that Rollo had been born in a town named "Fasge". This has since been variously interpreted as referring to Faxe , in Sjælland (Denmark), Fauske, in Sykkylven (Norway), or perhaps a more obscure settlement that has since been abandoned or renamed. Benoît also repeated the claim that Rollo had been persecuted by a local ruler and had fled from there to "Scanza island", by which Benoît probably means Scania (Swedish Skåne ). Benoît says elsewhere in

2173-604: The most part, the written forms of Norman and modern French are mutually intelligible . The thirteenth-century philosopher Roger Bacon was the first to distinguish it along with other dialects such as Picard and Bourguignon . Today, although it does not enjoy any official status, some reports of the French Ministry of Culture have recognized it as one of the regional languages of France . When Norse Vikings from modern day Scandinavia arrived in Neustria , in

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2226-633: The patois spoken there was likely Guernésiais (Herm was not inhabited all year round in the Norman culture's heyday). An isogloss termed the " Joret line " ( ligne Joret ) separates the northern and southern dialects of the Norman language (the line runs from Granville, Manche to the French-speaking Belgian border in the province of Hainaut and Thiérache ). Dialectal differences also distinguish western and eastern dialects. Three different standardized spellings are used: continental Norman, Jèrriais, and Dgèrnésiais. These represent

2279-546: The southern part of the Italian Peninsula , where it may have left a few words in the Sicilian language . See: Norman and French influence on Sicilian . Literature in Norman ranges from early Anglo-Norman literature through the 19th-century Norman literary renaissance to modern writers ( see list of Norman-language writers ). As of 2017 , the Norman language remains strongest in the less accessible areas of

2332-471: The way for Rollo's baptism and settlement in Normandy. In return for formal recognition of the lands he possessed, Rollo agreed to be baptised and assisted the king in defending the realm. As was custom, Rollo took the baptismal name “Robert”, after his godfather, Robert I. The seal of the agreement was to be a marriage between Rollo and Gisela , daughter of Charles, possibly her legitimate father. Since Charles first married in 907, that would mean that Gisela

2385-586: The western part of the then Kingdom of the Franks , and settled the land that became known as Normandy, these North-Germanic –speaking people came to live among a local Gallo-Romance –speaking population. In time, the communities converged, so that Normandy continued to form the name of the region while the original Norsemen were largely assimilated by the Gallo-Romance people, adopting their speech but still contributing some elements from Old Norse language and Norse culture. Later, when conquering England,

2438-471: Was a common name in Norse societies, as were names like Gurim/ Grim . Dudo's chronicle about Rollo seizing Rouen in 876 is supported by the contemporary chronicler Flodoard , who records that Robert of the Breton March waged a campaign against the Vikings, nearly levelling Rouen and other settlements. Eventually, he conceded "certain coastal provinces" to them. According to Dudo, Rollo struck up

2491-421: Was a powerful adherent of the Norman dukes. Robert had proved himself a powerful ecclesiastical ally of his father, Richard I, as well as his brother, Richard II, and at the latter's death effectively became the senior male adviser to the ducal clan. But his nephew Richard III had a turbulent and short reign of just over a year and when replaced by his brother Robert I, as Duke of Normandy, the prelate Robert had

2544-405: Was a younger brother of duke Richard II and uncle of duke Robert I . Robert had been appointed Archbishop of Rouen by his father c.  989–990 and had been given the countship of Évreux at the same time. Robert was well aware he was destined for the church and seemingly accepted his role as both archbishop and count willingly. But he had always been involved in Norman politics and

2597-548: Was at most 5 years old at the time of the treaty of 911 which offered her in marriage. It has therefore been speculated that she could have been an illegitimate daughter. However, a diplomatic child betrothal need not be doubted. The earliest record of Rollo is from 918, in a charter of Charles III to an abbey, which referred to an earlier grant to "the Normans of the Seine ", namely "Rollo and his associates" for "the protection of

2650-568: Was being deposed by Rudolph of France he appealed to Rollo and Ragenold  [ fr ] , another one of his Norman allies. With their combined army they marched to his aid in fulfilment of their pledge to the Carolingians , but were stopped at the Oise River by Charles' opponents who traded their cooperation for more territorial concessions. The need for an agreement was particularly urgent when Robert I , successor of Charles III,

2703-533: Was first explicitly claimed by Goffredo Malaterra (Geoffrey Malaterra), an 11th-century Benedictine monk and historian, who wrote: "Rollo sailed boldly from Norway with his fleet to the Christian coast." Likewise, the 12th-century English historian William of Malmesbury stated that Rollo was "born of noble lineage among the Norwegians". A chronicler named Benoît (probably Benoît de Sainte-More ) wrote in

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2756-466: Was killed in 923. Rudolph was recorded as sponsoring a new agreement by which a group of Norsemen conceded the provinces of the Bessin and Maine. These settlers were presumed to be Rollo and his associates, moving their authority westward from the Seine valley. It is still unclear as to whether Rollo was being given lordship over the Vikings already settled in the region to domesticate and restrain them, or

2809-470: Was mounting a major campaign against his double cousin Alan III, Duke of Brittany . He and Alan had been raiding back and forth but finally a peace was negotiated between them by the returned Archbishop Robert, their mutual uncle. In his last years Robert, realizing his past mistakes, began giving freely to the poor and undertook to rebuild the cathedral church at Rouen. In 1035 Duke Robert had decided on

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