Hugh III, also known as Hugh of Saint-Denis, was archbishop of Rouen from 942 to 989. As archbishop, he was also the titular abbot of Saint-Ouen. Very little is known about his early life, except that he was a monk from Saint-Denis when chosen by William Longsword. He was heavily criticized by later chroniclers, who mention his inability to resist temptations of the flesh and his spoliation of cathedral property. [1] [2]
His arrival to Rouen coincided with the assassination of William by Arnulf of Flanders, and was followed by the minority of Duke Richard I. He developed an excellent relation with the Duke, attested by his right to strike money, the Duke's donations to his alma mater St. Denis and numerous donations by the Duke's family to the cathedral. [3]
In 966, Hugh assisted Richard in the reformation of the canons of Mont-Saint Michel into a regular Benedictine community. He also acquired a copy of the Vita of St. Romanus, Rouen's main saint, from Gerard de Brogne, and established the cults of St.Lo of Coutances and St. Taurin of Évreux. [3] [4]
Particularly important is his donation of lands around Tosny to his brother Ralph, which marks the beginning of the House of Tosny. [4]
Alan III of Rennes was Count of Rennes and duke of Brittany, by right of succession from 1008 to his death.
Richard I, also known as Richard the Fearless, was the count of Rouen from 942 to 996. Dudo of Saint-Quentin, whom Richard commissioned to write the "De moribus et actis primorum Normanniae ducum", called him a dux. However, this use of the word may have been in the context of Richard's renowned leadership in war, and not as a reference to a title of nobility. Richard either introduced feudalism into Normandy or he greatly expanded it. By the end of his reign, the most important Norman landholders held their lands in feudal tenure.
Walter de Coutances was a medieval Anglo-Norman bishop of Lincoln and archbishop of Rouen. He began his royal service in the government of Henry II, serving as a vice-chancellor. He also accumulated a number of ecclesiastical offices, becoming successively canon of Rouen Cathedral, treasurer of Rouen, and archdeacon of Oxford. King Henry sent him on a number of diplomatic missions and finally rewarded him with the bishopric of Lincoln in 1183. He did not remain there long, for he was translated to Rouen in late 1184.
Rouen Cathedral is a Catholic church in Rouen, Normandy, France. It is the see of the Archbishop of Rouen, Primate of Normandy. It is famous for its three towers, each in a different style. The cathedral, built and rebuilt over a period of more than eight hundred years, has features from Early Gothic to late Flamboyant and Renaissance architecture. It also has a place in art history as the subject of a series of impressionist paintings by Claude Monet, and in architecture history as from 1876 to 1880, it was the tallest building in the world.
Robert II, Archbishop of Rouen, and Count of Évreux was a powerful and influential prelate, and a family member of and supporter of five dukes of Normandy.
Theobald I, called the Trickster, was Count of Blois, Tours, Chartres and Châteaudun, as well as Lord of Vierzon and Provins. He was a loyal and potent vassal of Hugh the Great, duke of the Franks.
Gunnor or Gunnora was Duchess of Normandy by marriage to Richard I of Normandy, having previously been his long-time mistress. She functioned as regent of Normandy during the absence of her spouse, as well as the adviser to him and later to his successor, their son Richard II.
Roger I of Tosny or Roger of Hispania was a Norman nobleman of the House of Tosny who took part in the Reconquista of Iberia.
John of Avranches was bishop of Avranches from 1060 to 1067, and archbishop of Rouen from 1067 to 1079. He was a Norman churchman, son of Rodulf of Ivry, and brother of Hugh of Bayeux. He appears in the Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumièges, and may have been one of the sources William used.
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.
Richard, Count of Évreux (c.1015–1067) was a powerful Norman nobleman during the reign of William Duke of Normandy.
Papia of Envermeu, also called Poppa of Envermeu, was the second consort of Richard II, Duke of Normandy.
Maurilius was a Norman Archbishop of Rouen from 1055 to 1067.
Hagrold, also known as Hagroldus, Harold, and Harald, was a powerful tenth-century Viking chieftain who ruled Bayeux. He was apparently a pagan from Scandinavia, and seems to have seized power in Normandy at about the time of the death of William, Count of Rouen. His career can be interpreted in the context of aiding the Normans against the intrusion of Frankish authority, or conversely in the context of taking advantage of the Normans.
Michael of Avranches was bishop of Avranches from 1068 to 1094. He was an Italian churchman, about whom very little is known before he became a bishop, only that he was a ducal chaplain of William II. According to Orderic Vitalis, he was 'a man of considerable learning and piety'.
Norgod was bishop of Avranches from 990 to 1017-c.1022. Almost nothing is known about him, and his first appearance as bishop dates from the foundation of Fécamp, on 15 June 990. After that, he appears c. 1015 witnessing two charters with donations to Mont Saint-Michel, by Robert, Count of Mortain, and Gunnor, wife or Richard I. Finally, in 1017, he witnessed a charter by William of Volpiano concerning the privileges of the monks of Fruttuaria. He removed himself to Mont Saint-Michel soon after, where he finished his days as a monk. He died either on 14 October, either on 1026 or 1036.
Hugh was bishop of Avranches from 1028-c.1060. He was responsible for completing the most important parts of the cathedral, and took steps to reconstitute its holdings, securing donations from Robert I and William II.
Ivo (Yves) de Bellême, was simultaneously Bishop of Séez and lord of Bellême from c.1047/8 to c.1071. He was the son of William of Bellême and brother of William I Talvas.
Warner of Rouen was a Norman poet who wrote in Latin in the first quarter of the 11th century.
Raoul I of Tosny was Lord of Conches, and probably an heir of Raoul, brother of Archbishop Hugh of Rouen.
