Rollo

'Rollo (c.860 - c.932) was the Frankish-Latin name probably taken by Hrolf Ganger (Hrolf the Walker; Old Norse: Hrólfr Rögnvaldsson and Göngu-Hrólfr, Norwegian: Gange-Rolf, Swedish: Gångerolf). His nickname came from being so big that no horse could carry him. He has also been called "Rollo the Gangler" in some works, or occasionally "Robert".

Historical evidence

Rollo was a Viking leader, probably (based on Icelandic sources) from Norway, the son of Ragnvald, Earl of Moer; sagas mention a Hrolf, son of Ragnvald jarl of Moer. However, the latinization Rollo has in no other known instance been applied to a Hrolf, and in the texts which speak of him, numerous latinized Hrolfs are included. Dudo of St. Quentin (by most accounts a more reliable source, and at least more recent and living nearer the regions concerned), in his Gesta Normannorum Ducum, tells of a powerful Danish nobleman at loggerheads with the king of Denmark, who then died and left his two sons, Gurim and Rollo, leaving Rollo to be expelled and Gurim killed. Wace, writing some 300 years after the event, also mentions him, as does the Orkneyinga Saga.

It should be noted that for Franks, Scandinavians were called Danes irrespective of their precise origin in Scandinavia. This happened for instance in the case of Hygelac, a king of the Geats, who is called Danish, something that has caused many a Danish scholar to state that he is the first historical "king of Denmark". That Dane was confused with Dacia does not make the sources less confusing, and likewise the Geat Hygelac was not only called Danish but also Gothic and Getic depending on the manuscript.

Invasion of France

In 885, he was one of the lesser leaders of the Viking fleet which besieged Paris under Sigfred. In 886, when Sigfred retreated in return for tribute, Rollo stayed behind and was eventually bought off and sent to harry Burgundy.

Later, he returned to the Seine with his followers (known as Norse, or Northmen). He invaded the area of northern France now known as Normandy.

Unlike most Vikings whose intentions were to plunder Frankish lands, Rollo's true intentions were to look for lands to settle. Upon arrival in France, and after many battles with the Vikings, the French King Charles the Simple understood that he could no longer hold back their advances, and decided as a tempory measure to give Rollo land around Rouen under the condition that he would convert to Christianity and defend the Seine River from other raiding Vikings.

In the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte (911) with King Charles, Rollo pledged feudal allegiance to the king, changed his name to the Frankish version, and converted to Christianity, probably with the baptismal name Robert. In return, and in admission of defeat, King Charles granted Rollo the lower Seine area (today's upper Normandy) and the titular rulership of Normandy, centred around the city of Rouen. There exists some argument among historians as to whether Rollo was a "duke" (dux) or whether his position was equivalent to that of a "count" under Charlemagne. According to legend, when required, in conformity with general usage, to kiss the foot of King Charles, he refused to stoop to what he considered so great a degradation; yet as the homage could not be dispensed with, he ordered one of his warriors to perform it for him. The latter, as proud as his chief, instead of stooping to the royal foot, raised it so high, that the King fell to the ground.

Settlement

Rollo stayed true to his word of defending the shores of the Seine river in accordance to the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte, but in time he and his followers had very different ideas. Rollo began to divide the land between the Epte and Risle rivers among his chieftains and settled there with a de facto capital in Rouen. With these settlements, Rollo began to further raid other Frankish lands, now from the security of a settled homeland, rather than a mobile fleet. Eventually, however, Rollo's men intermarried with the local women, and became more settled as Frenchmen. At the time of his death, Rollo's expansion of his territory had extended as far west as the Vire River.

Death

Sometime around 927, Rollo passed the Duchy of Normandy to his son, William Longsword. Rollo may have lived for a few years after that, but certainly died before 933. According to the historian Adhemar, 'As Rollo's death drew near, he went mad and had a hundred Christian prisoners beheaded in front of him in honour of the gods whom he had worshipped, and in the end distributed a hundred pounds of gold around the churches in honour of the true god in whose name he had accepted baptism.' Even though Rollo had converted to Christianity, some of his pagan roots surfaced at the end.

Legacy

He is a direct ancestor of William the Conqueror. Through William, he is a direct ancestor of the present-day British royal family, including Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The "Clameur de Haro" in the Channel Islands is, supposedly, an appeal to Rollo.

Genealogy

References and external links

D.C. Douglas, "Rollo of Normandy", English Historical Review, Vol. 57 (1942), pp. 414-436
Robert Helmerichs, [Rollo as Historical Figure]
Rosamond McKitterick, The Frankish Kingdom under the Carolingians, 751-987, (Longman) 1983
Dudonis gesta Normannorum - Dudo of St. Quentin Gesta Normannorum latin version at Bibliotheca Augustana
Dudo of St. Quentin's Gesta Normannorum - An English Translation
Gwyn Jones. Second edition: A History of the Vikings. Oxford University Press. (1984).
William W. Fitzhugh and Elizabeth Ward. Vikings: The North Atlantic Saga. Smithsonian Institute Press. (2000)
Eric Christiansen. The Norsemen in the Viking Age. Blackwell Publishers Ltd. (2002)
Agnus Konstam. Historical Atlas of the Viking World. Checkmark Books. (2002)
Holgar Arbman. Ancient People and Places: The Vikings. Thames and Husdson. (1961)
Eric Oxenstierna. The Norsemen, New York Graphics Society Publishers, Ltd. (1965)

Preceded by:
—

Duke of Normandy

Succeeded by:
William I