Emma de Guader, Countess of Norfolk

Last updated

Emma de Guader
Countess of Norfolk, Lady of Gaël and Montfort (Seigneur de Gaël et Montfort).
Personal details
Born
Emma de Breteuil

c. 1059
Died1099 (1100)
NationalityEnglish
Spouse Ralph de Gael
Relations
Children
OccupationCountess, lady, revolutionary, crusader

Emma Fitz-Osborn or Emma de Breteuil, and later Emma de Guader (died after 1096), was a Norman noblewoman, the wife of Ralph de Guader and the daughter of William FitzOsbern, Lord of Breteuil and later first Earl of Hereford of a new creation, who was a cousin and close adviser of William the Conqueror. [1] William's opposition to their marriage led to the unsuccessful Revolt of the Earls.

Contents

Norwich Castle keep, 2009 Norwich Castle keep, 2009.jpg
Norwich Castle keep, 2009

Life

Emma was first named Emma de Breteuil, born to William Fitz-Osbern and his wife Adeliza, the daughter of Roger I of Tosny and his wife Adelaide [2] (the daughter of Ermesinde of Carcassonne, regent-countess of Barcelona). [3] She was born in or around 1059 in Breteuil in Normandy. [4] [ unreliable source? ]

Marriage

At Exning in Cambridge, at 1075 Emma married Ralph de Gael [5] [6] the earl of East Anglia, after his father. King William I is believed to have opposed the match. [7] Some writers believe that William's opposition was possibly due to the fact that uniting two huge estates and royal lines could be perceived as a threat, [8] noting that he had previously poisoned relatives that stood in his way to the throne. [9]

Defence of Norwich Castle

At the "brides ale" or wedding feast, Emma's brother and husband planned a rebellion against William the Conqueror but were betrayed. [9] Her brother was captured and then imprisoned for many years by William but her husband escaped to Denmark to raise help. [6] Others who had supported the rebellion were subjected to violence. [10] Emma stayed to defend Norwich Castle which was besieged by William. Despite the odds against her, and those at the castle, she bravely refused to give in to the king's men. She organised the defense of the town for so long that William eventually had to compromise with her to restore peace. Part of the settlement included a safe passage for herself and her troops in exchange for her castle. [11] The Countess left for Brittany, where she was joined by her husband. [10]

Life in Brittany

Emma went to live in Brittany with her husband, at their vast inherited estates, including the castles of Wader and Montfort. [12] They had at least three children, and her son Raoul II inherited their estates. [13]

Crusades

Emma was an active participant in the First Crusade, [3] [14] which she joined in 1096 along with her husband and her son Alan; they served under Robert Curthose. [15] [16] Emma died some time after 1096 on the road to the Holy Land. [17]

Emma's granddaughter Amice, the daughter of her son Raoul II, married Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford</span> Norman earl (c. 1011–1071)

William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford, Lord of Breteuil, was a relative and close counsellor of William the Conqueror and one of the great magnates of early Norman England. FitzOsbern was created Earl of Hereford in 1067, one of the first peerage titles in the English peerage. He is one of the very few proven companions of William the Conqueror known to have fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. His chief residence was Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight, one of many castles he built in England.

Robert de Bellême, seigneur de Bellême, seigneur de Montgomery, viscount of the Hiémois, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury and Count of Ponthieu, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, and one of the most prominent figures in the competition for the succession to England and Normandy between the sons of William the Conqueror. He was a member of the powerful House of Bellême.

Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester was Justiciar of England 1155–1168.

The Revolt of the Earls in 1075 was a rebellion of three earls against William I of England. It was the last serious act of resistance against William in the Norman Conquest.

Gilbertde Brionne, Count of Eu and of Brionne, was an influential nobleman in the Duchy of Normandy in Northern France. He was one of the early guardians of Duke William II in his minority, and a first cousin to William's father Duke Robert. Had Lord Brionne not been murdered, the senior house of de Clare would probably have been titled de Brionne. Lord Brionne was the first to be known by the cognomen Crispin because of his hair style which stood up like the branches of a pine tree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ralph de Gael</span> 11th-century earl of East Anglia

Ralph de Gaël was the Earl of East Anglia and Lord of Gaël and Montfort. He was the leading figure in the Revolt of the Earls, the last serious revolt against William the Conqueror.

Roger de Breteuil, 2nd Earl of Hereford, succeeded in 1071 to the earldom of Hereford and the English estate of his father, William Fitz-Osbern. He is known to history for his role in the Revolt of the Earls.

Amaury III de Montfort was a French nobleman, the Seigneur of Montfort-l'Amaury, Épernon, and Houdan in the Île-de-France and Count of Évreux in Normandy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clifford Castle</span>

Clifford Castle is a ruined castle in the village of Clifford which lies 2.5 miles to the north-east of Hay-on-Wye in the Wye Valley in Herefordshire, England. It was the caput of the feudal barony of Clifford, a Marcher Lordship. The castle stands in the grounds of a private house and is only open to the public on certain days of the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Companions of William the Conqueror</span> People who were with William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066

William the Conqueror had men of diverse standing and origins under his command at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. With these and other men he went on in the five succeeding years to conduct the Harrying of the North and complete the Norman conquest of England.

Robert de Grantmesnil also known as Robert II, was a Norman nobleman; a member of a prominent Norman family. He first became a monk, then abbot at the Abbey of Saint-Evroul in Normandy and later Bishop of Troina in the Norman Kingdom of Sicily.

Raoul II de Tosny, lord of Conches-en-Ouche, was a Norman nobleman of the House of Tosny, son of Roger I of Tosny and older brother of Robert de Stafford / Tosny. He was active in Normandy, England and Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">House of Tosny</span>

The House of Tosny was an important noble family in 10th and 11th century Normandy, though it did not include any comtes or vicomtes. Its founder was Raoul I of Tosny.

Raoul III of Tosny (1079-1126), Lord of Conches-en-Ouche, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman of the House of Tosny.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William of Breteuil</span> French Roman Catholic saint

St William of Breteuil or William de Breteuil was a Norman abbot and magnate who held extensive lands in central Normandy as the lord of Breteuil at the end of the reign of King William I and during the chaotic period afterwards when William's eldest son Robert Curthose, duke of Normandy, contested with his younger brother William Rufus, king of England. Upon the death of William Rufus while hunting in the New Forest, Lord William attempted—but failed—to block Prince Henry seizing the crown jewels from the Winchester treasury and declaring himself king in preference to the crusading Robert. Lord William was later abducted and tortured by a French noble who wanted to marry his illegitimate daughter Isabel. He is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church.

William of Évreux or William d'Évreux was a member of the House of Normandy who played an influential role during the Norman conquest of England, one of the few Norman aristocrats documented to have been with William I at Hastings. He was the count of Évreux in Normandy as well as additional lands and expanded his holdings by consenting to the marriage of his young ward and niece Bertrade to Fulk the Rude of Anjou, whose support against the Manceaux rebels was important for William's liege Robert Curthose. A feud between William's wife Helvise or Heloise of Nevers and Isabel of Conches, the wife of Raoul II of Tosny, led to open war between the two men. Helvise also governed Évreux in William's infirm old age until her own death. Having no children of his own, William was succeeded at Évreux by his sister's son Amaury of Montfort.

Giroie, Lord of Echauffour and Montreuil-l'Argillé, was a knight from Brittany who became a Norman nobleman and the progenitor of a large family in Normandy, England, and Apulia.

William fitz Giroie, Lord of Échauffour and Montreuil-l'Argillé. A Norman nobleman and patriarch of a large and powerful family in Normandy and Apulia.

Juliane (Juliana) de Fontevrault, was a French noble, the illegitimate daughter of King Henry I of England. She is notorious for attempting to murder her father. An account of these events can be found in the Historia Ecclesiastica by Orderic Vitalis.

The Council of Lillebonne was a meeting of the nobles and clergy of Normandy where, among other things, the expedition of William the Conqueror, then Duke of Normandy, was approved. It was held at Lillebonne, in the northeast of Normandy. Wace, the 12th-century historian, wrote of the council, convened shortly before the actual invasion, likely in January 1066. William of Poitiers, a chronicler of the Norman invasion, claims that the duke also obtained the consent of Pope Alexander II for the invasion, along with a papal banner.

References

  1. ↑ Hume, David (1688). The History of England, From Early Times to King John. Vol. I, Part A – via Project Gutenberg.
  2. ↑ Ralph III and the House of Tosny. URL: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4863&context=masters_theses page 27.
  3. 1 2 Willelmi Gemmetencis Historiæ (Du Chesne, 1619), Liber VII, XXV, p. 281.
  4. ↑ "Emma FitzOsborne". Stevens Shurtleff Genealogy Index. Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  5. ↑ "Revue de Bretagne et de Vendée". July 1863.
  6. 1 2 Forester, Thomas (1854). Ordericus Vitalis History of England and Normandy. George Bell and Sons. Retrieved 10 November 2022 – via 1066 A Medieval Mosaic (1066.co.nz). An extract from Ordericus Vitalis, History of England and Normandy by Thomas Forester Volume 2. BOOK IV.
  7. ↑ Florentii Wigornensis Monachi Chronicon, p. 10.
  8. ↑ The Battle Abbey Roll. Vol. III. by the Duchess of Cleveland.Prepared by Michael A. Linton URL: http://1066.co.nz/Mosaic%20DVD/library/Battle%20Roll/Wate.html
  9. 1 2 Forester, Thomas (1854). Ordericus Vitalis History of England and Normandy. Vol. 2. Book IV. George Bell and Sons.
  10. 1 2 Anglo Saxon Chronicle Yale Law School. Lillian Goldman Law Library. Date accessed 12 December 2022. URL: https://avalon.law.yale.edu/medieval/ang11.asp
  11. ↑ Cathcart King 1983 , pp. 308, 312
  12. ↑ Ordericus Vitalis History of England and Normandy by Thomas Forester. Volume 2. Book IV. George Bell and Sons 1854. Electronic edition prepared by Michael A. Linton. Date accessed 10 November 2022.
  13. ↑ Edouard, Vigoland (1895). "Montfort-sur-Meu, son histoire et ses souvenirs" [Montfort-sur-Meu, its history and memories] (PDF). Ville de Montfort-sur-Meu (in French). Retrieved 6 December 2022.
  14. ↑ "Emma married of Hereford". A Database of Crusaders to the Holy Land, 1095–1149. The Digital Humanities Institute – via dhi.ac.uk.
  15. ↑ Orderic Vitalis, Vol. II, Book IV, p. 319.
  16. ↑ Orderic Vitalis, Vol. III, p. 507, cited in CP IX 574 footnote n.
  17. ↑ Rennes, Hyacinthe Caillière; Vigoland Edouard (1895). "Montfort-sur-Meu, son histoire et ses souvenirs" (PDF).
  18. ↑ Orderic Vitalis (Prévost), Vol. II, Liber IV, VIII, p. 236

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.