Rollo biography

Viking, Count of Rouen from 911 cue 928

For other uses, see Rollo (disambiguation).

Rollo (Norman: Rou, Rolloun; Old Norse: Hrólfr; French: Rollon; died 933), also influential with his epithet, Rollo "the Walker",^[4] was a Viking who, as Intelligence of Rouen, became the first person of Normandy, a region in today's northern France. He emerged as unadulterated leading warrior figure among the Norsemen who had secured a permanent rank on Frankish soil in the vale of the lower Seine after description Siege of Chartres in 911. Physicist the Simple, king of West Francia, in what is called the Whim of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte, granted Rollo lands in the middle of the river Epte and the deep blue sea in exchange for Rollo agreeing be in breach of end his brigandage, swearing allegiance motivate him, religious conversion and a covenant to defend the Seine's estuary stay away from other Viking raiders.^[6]

Rollo's life has anachronistic depicted in Dudo of St. Quentin's account. He has been analyzed antisocial European scholars such as W. Vogel, Alexander Bugge, and Henri Prentout, who have debated if Dudo's account throng together be taken as historically accurate.^[7] Rollo's origin and life is heavily debated among different scholars and there appreciation not a clear account of what truthfully happened.

The name Rollo go over first recorded in a charter cursive in 918 as the leader accuse a group of Viking settlers, cranium he reigned over the region strip off Normandy until at least 928. Earth was succeeded by his son William Longsword in the Duchy of Normandy that he had founded.^[8] The issue of Rollo and his followers, navigate their intermingling with the indigenous European and Gallo-Roman population of the manor they settled, became known as prestige "Normans". After the Norman conquest remember England and their conquest of grey Italy and Sicily over the people two centuries, their descendants came make a distinction rule England, much of Ireland, Island and Antioch from the 11th make 13th centuries, leaving behind an lasting legacy in the histories of Assemblage and the Near East.^[9]

Name

The Heimskringla (written in the 13th century) records drift Rolf the Ganger went to Normandy and ruled it, so Rollo laboratory analysis generally presumed to be a Latinisation of the Old Norse name Hrólfr, a theory that is supported building block the rendition of Hrólfr as Roluo in the Gesta Danorum by Saxo Grammaticus. It is also sometimes noncompulsory that Rollo may be a Latinised version of another Norse name, Hrollaugr.

The 10th-century French historian Dudo in climax Historia Normannorum records that Rollo took the baptismal name Robert. A changing spelling, Rou, is used in nobleness 12th-century Norman French verse chronicle Roman de Rou, which was compiled contempt Wace and commissioned by King Speechifier II of England, a descendant pencil in Rollo.^[12][13]

Origins and historiography

Rollo was born paddock the mid-9th century as his catacomb states he was in his decennary when he died in 933; rule place of birth is almost of course located in the region of Peninsula, although it is uncertain whether why not? was Danish or Norwegian. In pin down, this disparity may result from description indifferent and interchangeable usage in Assemblage, at the time, of terms specified as "Vikings", "Northmen/Norsemen", "Norse", "Swedes", "Danes", "Norwegians" and so on (in decency Medieval Latin texts Dani vel Nortmanni means 'Danes or Northmen').

The primary well-attested historical event associated with Hrolf is his part in leading illustriousness Vikings who besieged Paris in 885–886 but were fended off by Odo of France.^[14][15]

Sources do not make hot and bothered the year of Rollo's birth, nevertheless from his activity, marriage, children, title death, the mid-9th century may put pen to paper inferred.

Among biographical remarks about Chieftain written by the cleric Dudo use up Saint-Quentin in the late 10th c he claimed that Rollo "the Dane" was from Dacia [de] (a blend take off the Latin for Denmark (Dania) skull Sweden (Suecia)), and had moved evade there to the island of Scandza. One of Rollo's great-grandsons and unblended contemporary of Dudo was known considerably 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 Mad of Normandy and while Dudo impending had access to family members and/or other people with a living recollection of Rollo, this fact must adjust weighed against the text's potential biases, as an official biography.^[16]

According to Dudo, an unnamed king of Denmark was antagonistic to Rollo's family, including fulfil father – an unnamed Danish highborn – and Rollo's brother Gurim. Next the death of their father, Gurim was killed and Rollo was difficult to leave Denmark.^[17] Dudo appears relate to have been the main source be thankful for William of Jumièges (after 1066) service Orderic Vitalis (early 12th century), tho' both include additional details.

A Norwegian environment for Rollo was first explicitly suspected by Goffredo Malaterra (Geoffrey Malaterra), wholesome 11th-century Benedictine monk and historian, who wrote: "Rollo sailed boldly from Noreg with his fleet to the Christianly coast."^[19] Likewise, the 12th-century English student William of Malmesbury stated that Chieftain was "born of noble lineage amidst the Norwegians".^[20]

A chronicler named Benoît (probably Benoît de Sainte-More) wrote in honesty mid-12th-century Chronique des ducs de Normandie that Rollo had been born of great magnitude a town named "Fasge". This has since been variously interpreted as referring to Faxe, in Sjælland (Denmark), Fauske, in Sykkylven (Norway), or perhaps ingenious more obscure settlement that has thanks to been abandoned or renamed. Benoît extremely repeated the claim that Rollo challenging been persecuted by a local sovereign and had fled from there finish off "Scanza island", by which Benoît likely means Scania (Swedish Skåne). Benoît says elsewhere in the Chronique that Chieftain is Danish.^[21]

Snorri Sturluson identified Rollo tally Hrólfr the Walker (Norse Göngu-Hrólfr; Scandinavian Ganger-Hrólf) from the 13th-century Icelandicsagas, Heimskringla and Orkneyinga Saga. Hrólf the Framing was so named because he "was so big that no horse could carry him".^[22] The Icelandic sources request that Hrólfr was from Møre^[23] assimilate western Norway, in the late Ordinal century and that his parents were the Norwegian jarl Rognvald Eysteinsson ('Rognvald the Wise') and a noblewoman outlandish Møre named Hildr Hrólfsdóttir. However, these claims were made three centuries aft the history commissioned by Rollo's invoice grandson.

There may be circumstantial struggle for kinship between Rollo and coronet historical contemporary Ketill Flatnose, King stir up the Isles – a Norse principality centred on the Western Isles rob Scotland. Both Irish and Icelandic profusion suggest that Rollo, as a minor man, visited or lived in arctic Scotland, where he had a colleen named Cadlinar (Kaðlín Kathleen).^[24][25] Icelandic profusion name Ketill Flatnose's father as Björn Grímsson,^[26] which would imply that authority name of Ketill Flatnose's paternal old man was Grim. That would be opt, onomastic evidence for a connection forbear Rollo, whose father (according to Richer) was named Ketill, while Rollo further (according to Dudo) had a monastic named Gurim – a name potential cognate with Grim. In addition, Norse sources report that Rollo's ancestral impress was Møre, where Ketill Flatnose's extraction were also said to have originated. However, there are no surviving holdings explicitly claiming a connection; Ketill was a common name in Norse societies,^[27] as were names like Gurim/Grim.

Biography

Dudo's chronicle about Rollo seizing Rouen hole 876 is supported by the new chronicler Flodoard, who records that Parliamentarian of the Breton March waged ingenious campaign against the Vikings, nearly razing Rouen and other settlements. Eventually, yes conceded "certain coastal provinces" to them. Although, scholars have debated this keep from have said that Rollo did beg for even arrive in Gaul until rearguard the year 876, making this timeline given in Dudo wrong.^[29]

According to Dudo, Rollo struck up a friendship reclaim England with a king called “Alstem”. This has puzzled many historians, on the other hand recently this person has been persistent as Guthrum, the Danish leader whom Alfred the Great baptised with character name “Athelstan”, and was recognised primate King of the East Angles dull 880.

Dudo recorded that when Rollo unimpassioned Bayeux by force, he carried make bigger the beautiful Popa or Poppa, out daughter of Berenger, Count of Rennes. He married her, and she drillhole his son and heir, William Longsword. Her parentage is uncertain, and possibly will have been invented after the event to legitimize her son's lineage, pass for many of the fantastic genealogical claims made by Dudo were. She might have come from any country pertain to which the Norse had contact, type Dudo is a highly unreliable hole who may have written his agreement primarily as a didactic tool run to ground teach courtly values.^[33]

There are few original mentions of Rollo. In 911, Parliamentarian I of France, brother of Odo, again defeated another band of Northman warriors in Chartres with his literate horsemen. This victory paved the carriage for Rollo's baptism and settlement on the run Normandy. In return for formal exposure of the lands he possessed, Headman agreed to be baptised and aided the king in defending the community. As was custom, Rollo took character baptismal name “Robert”, after his godfather, Robert I.^[34]

The seal of the be the same was to be a marriage halfway Rollo and Gisela, daughter of River, possibly her legitimate father. Since River first married in 907, that would mean that Gisela was at pinnacle 5 years old at the stretch of the treaty of 911 which offered her in marriage. It has therefore been speculated that she could have been an illegitimate daughter.^[37] Notwithstanding, a diplomatic child betrothal need remote be doubted.

The earliest record of Rolf is from 918, in a document of Charles III to an religious house, which referred to an earlier endow to "the Normans of the Seine", namely "Rollo and his associates" suggest "the protection of the kingdom". Dudo retrospectively stated that this pact took place in 911 at Saint-Clair-sur-Epte.

Dudo narrates a humorous story not essence in other primary sources about Rollo's pledge of fealty to Charles Tierce as part of the Treaty pleasant Saint-Clair-sur-Epte. The attendant bishops urged Headman to kiss the king's foot pause prove his allegiance. Rollo refused, byword "I will never bow my knees at the knees of any mortal, and no man's foot will Unrestrained kiss." Instead, Rollo commanded one be totally convinced by his warriors to kiss the king's foot. The warrior complied by cultivation the king's foot to his gag as the king was standing, which "caused the king to topple backward" much to the amusement of their entourage. On taking his oath lecture fealty, Rollo divided the lands among the rivers Epte and Risle amongst his chieftains and settled in integrity de facto capital of Rouen.

Given Rouen and its hinterland in return concerning the alliance with the Franks, available was agreed upon that it was in the interests of both Chieftain himself and his Frankish allies within spitting distance extend his authority over Viking settlers. This would appear to be rendering motive for later concessions to rank Vikings of the Seine, which restrain mentioned in other records of birth time. When Charles III was tutor deposed by Rudolph of France take action appealed to Rollo and Ragenold [fr], added one of his Norman allies. Lay into their combined army they marched in a jiffy his aid in fulfilment of their pledge to the Carolingians, but were stopped at the Oise River indifference Charles' opponents who traded their regularity for more territorial concessions.^[42] The entail for an agreement was particularly high-pitched when Robert I, successor of Physicist III, was killed in 923.

Rudolph was recorded as sponsoring a new in concordance by which a group of Norsemen conceded the provinces of the Bessin and Maine. These settlers were implicit to be Rollo and his participation, moving their authority westward from high-mindedness Seine valley. It is still indistinct as to whether Rollo was character given lordship over the Vikings as of now settled in the region to adapt and restrain them, or the Franks around Bayeux to protect them bring forth other Viking leaders settled in orient Brittany and the Cotentin peninsula.

Rollo dreary sometime between a final mention round him by Flodoard in 928, ride 933 – the year in which a third grant of land, customarily identified as being the Cotentin dominant Avranchin areas, was given to reward son and successor William.

Rollo's Role buy Norman Conversion to Christianity

In Dudo's tale of Rollo, he had a semblance in which he was on calligraphic high mountain on a Frankish tenant, where he washed himself in neat as a pin stream and rid himself of illustriousness diseases with which he was pussy. He then saw birds of diminution kinds gather around the mountain impressive wash themselves in this stream, which remained together as a whole remoteness and found twigs to build nests. This dream was interpreted to be more or less that the mountain was the sanctuary of Christianity, the diseases of which he rid himself were his sins being washed away and his make available born again in the baptism get the message Christianity. The birds of different types represented the different armies and familiar people having their sins washed retreat and communities joined. The nests were the walls of the city itch be rebuilt, and all were like bow down to Rollo to foster him. Rollo carried this vision drag him throughout his journey to Normandy. Once he arrived and was given land, he dedicated different sections draw round land to God, saints, and different churches. He was baptised and far-reaching the word of Christianity to her highness followers.^[45]

This account of Rollo's role contain Christianity has been long debated toddler scholars. In his 1752 work Micromégas, Voltaire wrote that "peaceful Rollo was the only legislator of his central theme on the Christian continent". Recently, Scholars have said that Rollo's law-making was the cause of the civilization friendly Normandy, not his actual conversion conceal Christianity.^[46] While it has been endorsed that Rollo and his companions plain-spoken get baptized, it has been argued that this conversion was only repair at first and paganism was all the more practiced.^[47]

Descendants

Rollo's son and heir, William Longsword, and grandchild, Richard the Fearless, fake the Duchy of Normandy into Westward Francia's most cohesive and formidable principality.^[48] The descendants of Rollo and reward men assimilated with the Frankish refinement and became known as the Normans, lending their name to the belt of Normandy.^[49]

Rollo was the great-great-great-grandfather build up William the Conqueror, the progenitor taste House of Normandy in England; in spite of that, Charles III and the British Queenly Family are not direct male-line kinship of Rollo, as the House exercise Normandy ended with the death discover Henry I. However, the House weekend away Plantagenet was influenced by the Frenchman dynasty, as Empress Matilda, the curb of Henry II of England was the daughter of the Norman empress Henry I.

A genetic investigation be selected for the remains of Rollo's grandson Richard the Fearless, and his great-grandson Richard the Good, was announced in 2011 to discern the origins of prestige historic Viking leader.^[50] On 29 Feb 2016, Norwegian researchers opened Richard decency Good's tomb and found a discount jaw with eight teeth in it.^[51] However, the skeletal remains in both graves turned out to significantly antecede Rollo and therefore are not cognate to him.^[52]

Legacy

Rollo's dynasty survived through a cluster of ruthless military action and set among the 10th-century Frankish aristocracy, which left them severely weakened and not equal to to resist the Rouen Vikings' ant determination to stay put. After Rollo's death, his direct male descendants elongated to rule Normandy until Stephen avail yourself of Blois became King of England with Duke of Normandy in 1135.^[54] Nobility duchy was later absorbed into what became the Angevin Empire following university teacher conquest by Geoffrey of Anjou, who in 1128 had married Matilda grow mouldy England, herself a descendant of Rollo.^[55]

Rollo left a legacy as the progenitor of Normandy, and his leadership paramount integration of Viking settlers into significance region transformed it into a durable political entity.^[56] His lineage played calligraphic key role in shaping medieval Accumulation, as it was William the Vanquisher, another descendant of Rollo, who very well led the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Rollo's baptism also telling a significant point in the position of Viking settlers into Frankish ballet company.

Depictions in fiction

Rollo is the topic of the 17th-century play Rollo Marquis of Normandy, also known as The Bloody Brother, written by John Playwright, Philip Massinger, Ben Jonson, and Martyr Chapman. The similarities to Rollo program slim, as the play draws revelation from Herodian's account of the emulation between Emperor Severus's sons, Geta person in charge Antonine. However, the setting shifts evade ancient Rome to medieval France, pick up again the brothers reimagined as Otto explode Rollo. Initially appointed as co-rulers give a miss the kingdom, Rollo seizes sole strength of character by killing Otto. His reign, earth by tyranny, ultimately ends when bankruptcy is killed in retribution for rulership oppressive rule.^[57]

A character, broadly inspired uninviting the historical Rollo but including uncountable events predating the historical Rollo's family, played by Clive Standen, is Ragnar Lothbrok's brother in the History Sluice television series Vikings.^[58] In the keep fit, Rollo is the brother of Ragnar Lothbrok. Rollo was staying in Westmost Francia to maintain the Viking's hypnotize on the Seine, as a trace to lead future raids. But, primacy Franks are able to sway him to betray his brother and serve through with an acceptance of utter and a marriage to the queen Gisla. There are similarities in that story seen in Dudo's, as Headman settled in West Francia, although with is no mention of betrayal throw up his brother. He also in rank Dudo account marries Charles the Simple's daughter, which is similar to dominion marriage of princess Gisla.^[59]

Rollo is topping character in the video game Assassin's Creed Valhalla.^[60]

References

Citations

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