William I, Duke of Normandy

Abt 900 - 943  (43 years)

• Name	William I
  Nickname	Longsword
  Birth	Abt 900	Normandy, France   [1]
  History	He was also known as Guillaume Longue-espee, in French. In 927, he succeeded as the Duke of Normandy, upon the death of his father. Most of William's career was spent in relative obscurity, but in the late 930s he suddenly emerged onto the stage of Frankish royal politics, first because of his war with Arnulf of Flanders, and then because of his support for King Louis IV (d'Outremer) at a time when Louis' star seemed to be fading. In December 942, at the peak of his good relations with Louis, Arnulf called for a peace conference with William. At the conference, William was murdered (traditionally, Arnulf is said to have arranged the murder). [see picture below] A Planctus (mourning poem) was composed probably shortly after William's death. Jules Lair suggests plausibly if not definitively that it was in 943. This poem, although it survives only in corrupt and incomplete versions and is largely hagiographic in content, nevertheless is a critical source for early Norman history. It is by far the earliest work written about the Normans from a Norman point of view, and some historical nuggets can be gleaned from it. [see picture below]  [2, 3, 4]
  Death	17 Dec 943	France   [1, 2, 3]
  Burial	Rouen Cathedral, Rouen, Normandy, France
  	Tomb effigy of William Longsword in the cathedral of Rouen, dating to the 14th century
  Siblings	1 brother and 3 sisters
  + 1. William I, Duke of Normandy,   b. Abt 900, Normandy, France d. 17 Dec 943, France  (Age 43 years) ▻ Sporte de Bretagne,  m. Abt 932 ;   Luitgarde de Vermandois,  m. 940   2. Robert, Count of Corbeil   3. Crespina   4. Kathlin + 5. Gerloc of Normandy,   b. Abt 920   d. 14 Oct 962  (Age 42 years) ▻ William I, Count of Poitou,  m. 935
  Half siblings	1 half brother (family of Rolf Ragnvaldsson and unknown wife )
  + 1. Mainfred de Percy
  Patriarch & Matriarch	Halfdan   (3 x Great Grandfather)  Adelheid  (Grandmother)
  Person ID, Branch	I3052	Roy Line, Boudreau Line
  Last Modified	5 Sep 2019

  
  

  Father	Rolf Ragnvaldsson, Duke of Normandy,   b. Abt 870, Mære, Norway d. 927 - 932, Normandy, France (Age 62 years)
  Relationship	Birth
  Mother	Poppa de Bayeux,   b. Abt 872, Bayeux, Calvados, Normandy, France
  Relationship	Birth
  Family ID	F2457	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Spouse / Partner 1	Sporte de Bretagne  [1, 2, 3]
  Marriage	Abt 932  [2]
  The were married under pagan rites.
  Age at Marriage	He : ~ 32 years - She : ??.
  Children	2 sons
  +   1. Richard I, Duke of Normandy,   b. 933, Fécamp, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France d. 20 Nov 996, Fécamp, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France (Age 63 years)  [Father: Birth]  [Mother: Birth] ▻ Emma of Paris  m. 960;   Gunnor of Crêpon  m. About 978     2. Raoul D'Ivry  [Father: Birth]  [Mother: Birth]
  Family ID	F2454	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	6 Sep 2019

  
  

  Spouse / Partner 2	Luitgarde de Vermandois,   b. Between 915 and 920   d. 943 (Age 28 years)  [1, 3, 5]  Other Partners: Theobald II, Count of Blois  m. 943/44
  Marriage	940  [1]
  Age at Marriage	He : ~ 40 years - She : ~ 25 years.
  Notes	Sewell gives their marriage year as 935. [3]
  Family ID	F2456	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	3 Dec 2019

  
  

• Pedigree

  ← Click to display 1William I, Duke of Normandy(Abt 900 – 943) 2Rolf Ragnvaldsson, Duke of Normandy(Abt 870 – 932) 4Rognvald Eysteinsson the Wise, Jarl of Moer(Abt 830 – Abt 890) 8Eystein Ivarsson, Jarl of Hedemarken(Abt 830 – ) 16Ivar Oplaendinge, Jarl of Uplanders of Norway 17daughter of Throndheim 9Aseda Rognvaldsdotter(Abt 812 – ) 18Rognvald Olafsson(Abt 790 – 850) 19Tora Sigurdsdottir(Abt 806 – ) 5Rognhild Hrolfsdotter(Abt 848 – ) 10Hrolf 20 21 11 22 23 3Poppa de Bayeux(Abt 872 – ) 6Berenger, Margrave of Neustria( – 896) 12Berenger, Count of Hessengau 24Gebhard, Count in the Lahngau( – 879) 25Sister of Ernst, Duke of the Bohemians 13daughter 26Liutold, Count of Berthold-Baar 27 7Adelheid 14Heinrich, Duke of the Austrasians( – 886) 28 29 15 30 31

  
  

• Event Map		Birth - Abt 900 - Normandy, France Death - 17 Dec 943 - France Burial - - Rouen Cathedral, Rouen, Normandy, France  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Photos » Slide Show

  
  

• Sources 🟢 Primary Evidence 🟡 Secondary Evidence 🟠 Tertiary Evidence 🔴 Unreliable Evidence

  [S60] Stuart, Roderick W., Royalty for Commoners, The Complete Known Lineage of John of Gaunt, Son of Edward III, King of England, and Queen Philippa Fourth Edition, (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2002). [S1460] Norr, Vernon M. Some Early English Pedigrees , (Washington DC: by author, 1968). [S65] Sewell, Robert James. Sewell: A History of the Sewell Family from the Earliest Times, (unknown: manuscript, March 2008). [S1500] Planctus for William Longsword, (Online http://www.ukans.edu/carrie/Planctus/Planctus/index.html). [S59] Weis, Frederick Lewis. Ancestral Roots of Sixty Colonists Who Came to New England Between 1623 and 1650 Fifth Editionif, (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1982).