Hrolf Ganger

Hrolf Ganger (Old Norse: Göngu-Hrólfr or Hrólfr Rögnvaldsson; Norwegian: Gange-Rolf; Swedish: Gångerolf; Jersey and Guernsey: Rou; in English: Rollo; Norway, 846-France, 932 or 933), better known by the nickname Rollón the Walker (or the Wanderer, since there was no mount capable of supporting his more than 140 kg and his imposing height of more than 2 meters) or as Rodrigo I the Rich, he was a Norwegian Viking leader, according to Icelandic historical sources. The ruins of his castle are located south of Ålesund. ^{[ citation needed ] He was the son of Rognvald Eysteinsson, jarl of Møre. Rollón is considered the first duke of Normandy.}

Biography

Exiled from the kingdom of Norway in 874, he led a group of Vikings, mostly Danes, who dedicated themselves to plundering the coasts of the North Sea and the English Channel, serving several times as a mercenary in England. Unlike other Viking chieftains, whose only intention was to plunder the lands they went to, Rollón's true objective was to find lands to settle on. Hrolfr was a víkingr mikill, a powerful Viking misfit in search for new settlements.

Invasion of France

He established his camp at the mouth of the Seine in 896 and went up the river several times, eventually taking Rouen and threatening Paris, which he besieged in vain in the year 910.

After arriving in France and fighting several battles with the Vikings, the king of the Carolingian dynasty Charles the Simple understood that he could not contain their advances for much longer, so he decided to reach an agreement with Rollón. In this way, after Rollo had besieged Chartres in the year 911 and by virtue of the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte, Charles the Simple gave him a part of Neustria that included the County of Rouen and which was the base of the future Normandy. In exchange, Rollón promised to prevent other groups of Vikings from sacking Neustria.

He swore loyalty to the king, had to convert to Christianity and married Gisela, one of the king's six daughters from his first marriage. When, following tradition, he was required to kneel and kiss the king's feet, Rollón refused to do so, according to legend, since he considered it a humiliation, so he ordered one of his warriors to do it for him. This one - as haughty as his boss - instead of kissing the king's feet, raised him so high that he ended up falling. In 912 Rollo had himself baptized in the Rouen Cathedral, abandoning his pagan beliefs.

Rollón appears for the first time as leader of these Viking settlers in a charter of 918, and continued to reign over the Normandy region until at least 928. He succeeded him as head of the Duchy of Normandy that his son William had founded.

There is some controversy between historians who claim that Rollón was a duke and those who defend the idea that his position was the equivalent of a count during the reign of Charlemagne. He may never have held the title of Duke of Normandy, but only that of 'jarl of the Normans', the Nordic equivalent of count and the title of count of Rouen.

It should be noted that he fulfilled his promise to defend the banks of the Seine, but he began to distribute the lands limited by the Epte and Risle rivers among his military leaders and to build settlements with a de facto capital located in Rouen. These settlements allowed raids on Frankish lands further inland, now with the security provided by a stable settlement against a mobile fleet.

He took as his wife more danico - that is, the Danish woman (a Latin expression used by the first evangelizers to refer to polygamy, practiced by the Vikings) - Poppa of Bayeux, daughter of Frankish Count Berenguer of Bayeux, whom he himself killed during the taking of the city.

Death

Rollón expanded his territory westward until he reached the River Vire, and around 927 he ceded the duchy of Normandy to his son William Longsword—born of Poppa—who exercised the name of William I of Normandy (not to be confused with William I, king of England). His daughter Gerloc (Adela of Normandy)—born Gisela—married William Stuffhead, Count of Poitiers and Duke of Aquitaine. It is likely that Rollón lived a few more years after handing over power to his son. According to the sources consulted, he died in 932 in Rouen or in 933 in Eu.

According to Pierre de Guibours (1625-1694), called Father Anselm de Sainte-Marie, French historian and genealogist, he was buried in the cathedral of Rouen and later transferred to the abbey of Fécamp by order of Richard Fearless, grandson of Rollon. The historian Adhemar stated that "when Rollón's death was near, he went crazy and ordered the beheading of a hundred Christian prisoners in honor of the gods that he had once worshiped; He subsequently distributed one hundred pounds of gold among the churches to honor the true god of whom he had accepted baptism." So, although Rollón had converted to Christianity, his pagan roots resurfaced at the end of his days.

Legacy

He was a direct ancestor of William the Conqueror and, through him, also ancestor of the current British royal family.

He married Poppa of Bayeux in 904, in a more danico condition, with whom he had two children:

• William I of Normandy.
• Gerloc (Adèle).

He married Gisela, daughter of Charles III of France, in 912 after repudiating Poppa, but he had no children. However, some sources cite a daughter from that marriage, Griselle, wife of Thorbard av Møre (who changed to Herbert de la Mare, becoming the first lord of Sainte-Opportune-la-Mare).

With a Hiberno-Norse lady, possibly from Orkney, whose name is unknown, with whom he had two daughters:

• Kadline (Kaðlin, n. 890), who was the wife of Bjolan, a Scottish king.
• Niederga (Niðbj,rg, n. 892).

After Gisela died, he remarried his first wife.

Genealogy

Descendants of Rollón who were dukes of Normandy (shaded in pale green) and kings of England (in yellow, with a generic crown). William I and Henry I were both kings of England and dukes of Normandy (in a line below (in bold and small caps) several dates appear in parentheses indicating: year of birth-years of government/reign (in bold)-year of death; e.g., "(?-925-926-932)", refers to a person born on an unknown date, who was a ruler between 925-926 and who died in 932)):

Roll (846-911-931/32)

Guillermo I (910-931-942)

Ricardo I (938-942-996)

Ricardo II (963-996-1026/27)

Roberto I (1004-1027-1035)

Ricardo III (997-1027)

Guillermo I (1028)1035/66-1087)

Enrique I (1068-1100-1135)

William II (1056-1087-1100)

Roberto II 1087-1106

Adela

Esteban de Blois

Matilde 1135-50

Godofredo V Plantagenet

Stephen I (1092/96-1135-1154)

Henry II (1133-1150/54-1189)