Gunnora, Duchess of Normandy
Encyclopedia
Gunnora (c. 936 – 1031) was the wife and consort of Richard I of Normandy
. Her parentage is unknown, earliest sources reporting solely that she was of Danish ancestry and naming siblings including brother Herfast de Crepon who is sometimes erroneously given as her father.
She was living with her sister Seinfreda, the wife of a local forester, when Richard, hunting nearby, heard of the beauty of the forester's wife. He is said to have ordered Seinfreda to come to his bed, but the lady substituted her unmarried sister, Gunnora. Richard, it is said, was pleased that by this subterfuge he had been saved from committing adultery, and the two became lovers. Gunnora long acted as Richard's mistress or wife by more danico
, but when Richard was prevented from nominating their son Robert
to be Archbishop of Rouen
, the two were married, making their children legitimate in the eyes of the church.
Gunnora, both as mistress and duchess, was able to use her influence to see her kin favored, and several of the most prominent Conquest-era Norman magnates, including the Montgomery
, Warenne
, Mortimer
, Vernon/Redvers
, and Fitz Osbern
families, were descendants of her brother and sisters.
Richard and Gunnora were parents to several children:
Richard I of Normandy
Richard I of Normandy , also known as Richard the Fearless , was the Duke of Normandy from 942 to 996; he is considered the first to have held that title.-Birth:He was born to William I of Normandy, ruler of Normandy, and Sprota...
. Her parentage is unknown, earliest sources reporting solely that she was of Danish ancestry and naming siblings including brother Herfast de Crepon who is sometimes erroneously given as her father.
She was living with her sister Seinfreda, the wife of a local forester, when Richard, hunting nearby, heard of the beauty of the forester's wife. He is said to have ordered Seinfreda to come to his bed, but the lady substituted her unmarried sister, Gunnora. Richard, it is said, was pleased that by this subterfuge he had been saved from committing adultery, and the two became lovers. Gunnora long acted as Richard's mistress or wife by more danico
More danico
The phrase more danico is a Mediaeval Latin legalistic expression which may be translated as "in the Danish manner" or "by Norse customary law". It designates a type of traditional Germanic marriage practiced in northern Europe during the Middle Ages....
, but when Richard was prevented from nominating their son Robert
Robert II, Archbishop of Rouen
Robert II was son of duke Richard I of Normandy and his second wife, Gunnora. He was a younger brother of duke Richard II and uncle of duke Robert I...
to be Archbishop of Rouen
Archbishop of Rouen
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen is an Archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the ecclesiastical province of the archdiocese comprises the majority of Normandy....
, the two were married, making their children legitimate in the eyes of the church.
Gunnora, both as mistress and duchess, was able to use her influence to see her kin favored, and several of the most prominent Conquest-era Norman magnates, including the Montgomery
Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury
Roger de Montgomerie , also known as Roger the Great de Montgomery, was the first Earl of Shrewsbury. His father was also Roger de Montgomerie, and was a relative, probably a grandnephew, of the Duchess Gunnor, wife of Duke Richard I of Normandy...
, Warenne
William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey
William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey, Seigneur de Varennes is one of the very few proven Companions of William the Conqueror known to have fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066...
, Mortimer
Ranulph de Mortimer
Ranulph I de Mortimer of Mortemer-sur-Eaulne, was a Marcher Lord from the Montgomery lands in the Welsh Marches. In England, he was Lord of Wigmore in Herefordshire. In Normandy, he was the Seigneur of St. Victor-en-Caux. Ranulph was the founder of the English House of Mortimer of Wigmore...
, Vernon/Redvers
Richard de Redvers
Richard de Redvers was a Norman nobleman, from Reviers in Normandy, who may have been one of the companions of William the Conqueror during the Norman conquest of England from 1066...
, and Fitz Osbern
William Fitzosbern, 1st Earl of Hereford
William FitzOsbern , Lord of Breteuil, in Normandy, was a relative and close counsellor of William the Conqueror and one of the great magnates of early Norman England...
families, were descendants of her brother and sisters.
Richard and Gunnora were parents to several children:
- Richard IIRichard II, Duke of NormandyRichard II , called the Good , was the eldest son and heir of Richard I the Fearless and Gunnora.-Biography:...
"the Good", Duke of Normandy (966) - RobertRobert II, Archbishop of RouenRobert II was son of duke Richard I of Normandy and his second wife, Gunnora. He was a younger brother of duke Richard II and uncle of duke Robert I...
, Archbishop of RouenArchbishop of RouenThe Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen is an Archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the ecclesiastical province of the archdiocese comprises the majority of Normandy....
, Count of EvreuxÉvreuxÉvreux is a commune in the Eure department, of which it is the capital, in Haute Normandie in northern France.-History:In late Antiquity, the town, attested in the fourth century CE, was named Mediolanum Aulercorum, "the central town of the Aulerci", the Gallic tribe then inhabiting the area...
, died 1037. - Mauger, Earl of CorbeilCorbeil- Places :* Corbeil, Ontario, Canada* Corbeil-Essonnes, Essonne, France, a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris* The Corbeil Cathedral* Corbeil, Marne, France, a commune in north-eastern France...
, died after 1033. - Robert Danus, died between 985 and 989
- Emma of NormandyEmma of NormandyEmma , was a daughter of Richard the Fearless, Duke of Normandy, by his second wife Gunnora. She was Queen consort of England twice, by successive marriages: first as second wife to Æthelred the Unready of England ; and then second wife to Cnut the Great of Denmark...
(c. 985–1052) wife of two kings of England. - Maud of NormandyMaud of NormandyMaud of Normandy, she was the daughter of Richard the Fearless and Gunnora, sister of Richard II "the Good", Duke of Normandy, Robert, Archbishop of Rouen, Count of Evreux, died 1037,Mauger, Earl of Corbeil, Robert Danus, Emma of Normandy and Hawise of Normandy.Maud was married to Odo II, Count of...
, wife of Odo II of Blois, Count of Blois, Champagne and Chartres - Hawise of NormandyHawise of NormandyHawise of Normandy was the daughter of Richard the Fearless and Gunnora. She was sister of:* Richard II "the Good", Duke of Normandy* Robert, Archbishop of Rouen, Count of Evreux, died 1037* Mauger, Earl of Corbeil...
, wife of Geoffrey I of Brittany