William Long Sword is the second Duke of Normandy or second Jarl of the Normans of the Seine. He succeeded his father Rollo around 927. He was the natural son of Rollo and Poppa, his concubine, Danish-style wife of the Viking. The young woman gave Rollo two children. A girl with the Scandinavian name Gerloc, who took the Christian name of Adèle when she married Guillaume Tête d'Etoupe, Count of Poitiers. A son Guillaume, who succeeded his father as Duke of Normandy and was born "overseas" as stated in "the lament on the assassination of Guillaume Long Sword", an anonymous poem from the 10th century.
Guillaume Longue-Epée, a Christian lord integrated into the Franks
Baptized at birth and brought up by his mother in the Christian religion, he was a very pious man who raised the abbey of Jumièges from its ruins and installed twelve monks there. Saint-Cyprien, sent by his sister Adèle, who became Countess of Poitou.
On this occasion, he expresses the desire to become a monk in this place, but the abbot dissuades him.
Although he is a Christian, he does not deny his origins. He speaks Norse, a language spoken by the Scandinavian peoples, receives former compatriots in his duchy and marries in Danish fashion, Sprota, a young Breton girl, perhaps daughter of the Count of Brittany Judicaël.
But he is also very well integrated into the Frankish Empire and he is in contact with the greatest lords of it. He thus marries in a Christian way Ligarde, daughter of Herbert II, Count of Vermandois. But, this union is without descendants. Sprota, his concubine, gave him a son named Richard who succeeded him in 943.
His sister Gerloc married Guillaume Tête d'Etoupe, Count of Poitiers. Their daughter Adélaïde marries Hugues Capet.
When Guillaume died, Sprota remarried a man named Esperleng, a farmer at the Vaudreuil mills. From this union are born several daughters and a son, Raoul d'Ivry who will protect Duke Richard I, still a minor at the death of his father. , to whom she gives four children, Thibaud, Hugues archbishop of Bourges, Eudes count of Blois, and Emma.
The main events of his principality
According to the chronicle that Canon Dudon de Saint-Quentin (960, †1043) wrote in the 11th century at the request of Duke Richard I, " Des mœurs et des actions des premiers dukes of Normandy", Rollo associated his son with his government during the last years of his life, at the request of the Norman chiefs, from 927 to 931.
The fight against the Bretons
Faithful to his promise to King Charles the Simple (879, †929), Rollo defends access to the lands he received by the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte to his compatriots. The Viking mercenaries then direct their raids on Brittany which, following the successive disappearances of Kings Alain the Great (†907) and Gourmaëlon (†913), is defenseless. Brittany is plundered and devastated; the religious elites flee. Alain Barbetorte (900, †952), grandson and legitimate heir of Alain the Great, went into exile around 920 with his godfather, the English king Athelstan (894, †939). In 921, the strong man of Brittany was Rögnvaldr who occupied Nantes. Duke Robert, brother of the King of West Francia Eudes, besieged this city, but after five months, he capitulated and Brittany was conceded to the Viking, in the same sense as the Norman territories had been to Rollo, ten years earlier. But, Rögnvaldr dies in 927 without having managed to form a real state. Incon succeeded him in 931.
During the solemnities of the feast of Saint-Michel (September 29), the Bretons of Cornwall revolt and massacre the Scandinavian occupiers as well as their leader. The revolt seems to be led by Alain Barbetorte, who has returned from exile, and Count Bérenger of Rennes.
William Long Sword then raises an army, enters Brittany and, assisted by the Viking leader Incon, suppresses the revolt. Count Bérenger is forgiven, but Alain must flee and he returns to his godfather. It seems that it was on this occasion that Guillaume made Sprota his concubine. La Bretonne is perhaps " a gain " from the Brittany campaign.
In 933, when he renewed his homage for the lands held by King Raoul (890, †936), William also received the lands conquered to the west during this expedition, the Avranchin and the Cotentin The Duke then had coins minted in his name bearing the title of " Duke of the Bretons".
Rioulf's revolt
In 934, Guillaume Longue Epée had to face an uprising by some of the Scandinavian leaders settled in Normandy, a revolt led by a certain Rioulf. It seems that this revolt brings together leaders who have remained faithful to their old beliefs and who refuse the growing power of their jarl and his cooperation with the Franks. Rioulf and his companions claim the session of Bessin and Cotentin as far as La Risle, territories which they no doubt occupy. The rebels, not obtaining satisfaction, head for Rouen and besiege the duke in this city.
Bernard the Dane then enters the scene, former companion of Rollo, at the origin of two great Anglo-Norman families, the Beaumonts and the Harcourts. While the duke is thinking of fleeing, he dissuades him. The duke gathered three hundred men and attacked the conspirators by surprise in a meadow named since then "battle meadow". Rioulf is taken prisoner and the duke orders that his eyes be gouged out.
Perhaps it was on this occasion that William would have earned his nickname, because no enemy could resist his sword.
The Return of King Louis from Overseas
In June 922, the nobles of West Francia pronounced the forfeiture of King Charles the Simple and elected Robert, brother of the Count of Paris and King Eudes (860, †888). On June 15, 923, not far from Soissons, the troops of Charles confronted those of Robert. The latter is killed; Charles flees and it is Raoul of Burgundy, the brother-in-law of Duke Hugh the Great, who is chosen as king. During the summer, Charles the Simple was captured by Herbert II de Vermandois (880, †943) ; he died in Péronnes on October 7, 929. As soon as he was imprisoned, his wife Edwige fled with her son Louis and found refuge in Wessex with her father Edward the Elder, King of England, then with his brother Althestan who succeeds.
At the start of 936, King Raoul succumbed to illness. Hugues le Grand, son of King Robert, chose not to seek the crown and preferred to recall the young Louis, now 15 years old. He made this choice as much to avoid confronting his two great rivals, Herbert II of Vermandois and Hugues le Noir, the brother of King Raoul, who would not have accepted this election, as out of "fear" of divine vengeance. Thus, Richer of Reims lends him these words:
An embassy is dispatched by Hugh the Great to King Althestan, who demands oaths and hostages in order to guarantee the safety of his nephew, Louis d'Outremer. It is also possible that the English king sent envoys to Duke William to ask for his support. He then took the opportunity to ask Alain Barbetorte for forgiveness, which Guillaume granted, thus allowing the latter to return to Brittany.
Louis d'Outremer embarked and was welcomed by Hugh the Great and other great lords, including Duke William, at the port of Boulogne in the spring of 936. pay homage and King Louis was crowned on June 19, 936 by Archbishop Artaud of Reims, probably at the Abbey of Notre-Dame and Saint-Jean de Laon.
In fact, Hugh the Great was recognized as the young prince's tutor and began to govern in his place. But, from 937, Louis tried to free himself from this tutelage, which turned out to be not easy because in fact Louis only exercised direct power over a small portion of the territory of Francia, former Carolingian domains (Compiègne, Quierzy, Verberie), a few abbeys and the province of Reims. To thwart the king's plans, Hugh the Great made peace with Herbert de Vermandois and allied himself with him. The latter takes Château-Thierry; Louis, in retaliation, submits Laon. Other tensions arise with Otto I (912, †973) who reigns over East Francia, as Louis wishes to recover Lotharingia from his ancestors.
In the midst of this tumult which opposed the king to Herbert de Vermandois, Hugh the Great and Otto I, Guillaume Longue Epée stands out and remains faithful to Louis. In 940, he met the king in Amiémois and he paid homage to him, assuring him of his desire to restore him to the fullness of his power. The king asks him to be the godfather of his son Lothaire, born in 941.
The Duke's Assassination
On December 17, 942, Guillaume Long Sword was assassinated in Picquigny (Somme) during an ambush which was engineered by Count Arnoul of Flanders. Two facts are put forward to explain the setting up of this ambush.
The first is directly related to the Count of Flanders. In the troubled period between King Louis d'Outremer and Hugh the Great, a particular confrontation took place linked to the place of Montreuil. The square is held by Count Erluin. In 939, Count Arnoul of Flanders seized it by trickery. Count Erluin manages to flee, but Arnoul seizes his treasure, his wife and his children. It seems that Erluin seeks the help of Hugh the Great, but the latter rejects him, because he does not wish to enter into conflict with the Count of Flanders. Erluin then goes to Duke Guillaume Long Sword. This one listens to him and, sympathizing with his misfortune, he gives him troops to take back his city. Erluin manages to recapture Montreuil from Count Arnoul. This one keeps a strong resentment towards the Norman duke.
The second is related to Otto I. Richer reports the following facts:King Louis, Otton, Count Arnoul, Hugues le Grand, Herbert de Vermandois and Guillaume Longue Epée having reconciled, a conference is organized in Attigny. At a certain moment, the princes settle down and Louis finds himself installed on a bed, at the lowest end, while Otto occupies the highest end. Guillaume conceives a lively wrath. “King, he said, get up for a moment. The king stands up, he sits down himself, and says that it is indecent for the king to appear in an inferior place, and for anyone to rise above him; that it is necessary, consequently, that Otto leaves his place, and that the king takes it. Otto got up confused with shame, and yielded his place to the king. Otto obviously conceives a deep humiliation; he complains to Hugues and Arnoul, who "deliberate among themselves on the conduct they should have with regard to Guillaume; they thought that by killing him they would make all their plans easier...”
So the plot is organized. Arnoul sends messengers to Duke Guillaume to invite him to a conference, with a view to sealing peace between them. The site of the island of Picquigny in the Somme is chosen. Arnoul goes there by land and Guillaume comes by boat. The two men meet, promise friendship and fidelity. Then, two men separate. Count Arnoul leaves while Guillaume takes his place in the boat that brought him. As he walks away, Count Arnoul's men call him back, saying they have something precious with them that the Count forgot to give him. The duke turns the boat around and as it docks, Count Arnoul's men throw themselves on the duke and kill him with several sword strokes. They also injured the men accompanying the duke and the pilot of the boat.
The Duke's body was brought back to Normandy and he was buried in Notre Dame Cathedral in Rouen, opposite the tomb of his father Rollo. When washing the body, a key was found hanging from his neck. She was opening a chest, containing a monk's robe.
Guillaume leaves a son, Richard, son of his concubine Sprota, aged about ten.
Bibliography
- Jean Renaud, the Vikings and Normandy, Ouest France editions
- Annie Fettu, The first Dukes of Normandy, Orep Editions
- François Neveux, The adventure of the Normans, Perrin editions
- Jean Renaud, The Vikings in France, Editions Ouest France
- Lair Jules, Paris Gaston. Complaint about the assassination of Guillaume Longue-Epée, Duke of Normandy, unpublished poem from the 10th century. In:Library of the charter school. 1870, volume 31. pp. 389-406.
Sources
- Guillaume de Jumièges, Gesta Normannorum Ducum, History of the Normans, translation remacle.org
- Dudon de Saint-Quentin, De moribus et actis primorum Normanniae ducum, Ed. Jules Lair, Caen, F. Le Blanc-Hardel, 1865
- Richer, History in four books, published by the Imperial Academy of Reims, translation A.M. Poinsignon, source Gallica.
