Richard I Duke of Normandy ^{1 2 3 4 5}

   Other names for Richard were Richard I "Sans Peur" de Normandie Princeps Nortmannorum, Richard I "Sans Peur" Duke of Normandy and Richard I "the Fearless" Duke of Normandy.

  Research Notes:

From http://cybergata.com/roots/441.htm :
Background Information. 220
Richard Fitz Gilbert, styled from his possession "de Bienfaite," "de Clare" and "de Tonbride," was son of Gilbert, comté de Brionne in Normandy, which Gilbert was son and heir of Godfrey, comté de Brionne, illegitimate son of Richard, Duc de Normandie.

~Cokayne's Complete Peerage, 2nd Edition, (Clare), Vol. III, p. 242
• Background Information. 732
When Richard's father, William Longsword, was assassinated in 942, his Uncle, Bernard the Dane, brought Richard from Bayeyx, age ten years at the time, so that he might be solemnly invested with ducal sword and mantle and to receive homage of the Normans. He received the acknowledgement the Norman chiefs. King Louis captured and imprisoned the young Richard under the pretense of providing Richard with an education at Motleon. Richard, with the help of Osmon the Dane who had accompanied Richard to the king's court, was able to escape and return to Normandy. Louis, with the aid of Hugh the Great, attacked the Normans. The Kings of Denmark came to the assistance of the Normans and Louis was defeated.

Richard married Esmé, daughter of Hugh the Great, who died young and childless. Richard married his mistress, Gunnora, who was said to be the sister of Herfaste, a Dane of noble birth. According to Guillaume de Jumièges, Richard had three sons. One was Richard, the second Duke of Normandy, Robert, who became the Archbishop of Rouen, and Mauger or Maugis, who married in 1012 Germaine, the daughter and heiress of Count Bouchard, and because of this marriage, he became Earl of Corbeil. Richard's daughter, Emma, was twice crowned Queen of England having first married King Ethelred in 1002, and then King Canute. She and Ethelred were the parents of Edward "the Confessor. By her other husband, she mothered King Hardicanute. Richard also was known to have at least three illegitimate children

~The Peshale Family, 870-1913, pg. 30-41, Much of this may be more myth than truth!
• Web Reference: Richard I of Nomandy by Steward Baldwin, whose information is based on hard evidence.

~Weis' Ancestral Roots . . ., 1:18, 118:23. 119::24, 119A:22, 121E:20 - son of William I "Longsword" and Sporta, m. 1st to Emma, daughter of Hugh Capet, m. 2nd to Gunnora to make his children with her legitimate, 177:3, 184:1, 214:22m 235:19, 250:20

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From Wikipedia - Richard I, Duke of Normandy :

Richard I of Normandy (born 28 August 933 , in Fécamp Normandy , France died November 20 , 996 , in Fécamp) was the Duke of Normandy from 942 to 996; he is considered the first to actually have held that title. He was called Richard the Fearless (French, Sans Peur).

Birth
He was born to William I of Normandy , ruler of Normandy, and his wife, Sprota . He was still a boy when his father died in 942. His mother was a Breton concubine captured in war and bound to William by a Danish marriage. After William died, Sprota became the wife of Esperleng, a wealthy miller; Rodulf of Ivry was their son and Richard's half-brother.

Life
Richard was still a boy when his father died, and so he was powerless to stop Louis IV of France when he seized Normandy. Louis kept him in confinement in his youth at Lâon, but he escaped with the assistance of Osmond de Centville , Bernard de Senlis (who had been a companion of Rollo of Normandy ), Ivo de Bellèsme , and Bernard the Dane (ancestor of families of Harcourt and Beaumont ). In 968, Richard agreed to "commend" himself to Hugh, Count of Paris. He then allied himself with the Norman and Viking leaders, drove Louis out of Rouen, and took back Normandy by 947. He later quarrelled with Ethelred II of England regarding Viking invasions of England because Normandy had been buying up much of the stolen booty.

Richard was bilingual, having been well educated at Bayeux. He was more partial to his Danish subjects than to the French. During his reign, Normandy became completely Gallicized and Christianized. He introduced the feudal system and Normandy became one of the most thoroughly feudalized states on the continent. He carried out a major reorganization of the Norman military system, based on heavy cavalry. He also became guardian of the young Hugh, Count of Paris, on the elder Hugh's death in 956.

Marriages
He married 1st (960) Emma (not to be confused with Emma of France ), daughter of Hugh "The Great" of France , and Hedwiga de Sachsen . They were betrothed when both were very young. She died 19 Mar 968, with no issue.
According to Robert of Torigni , not long after Emma's death, Duke Richard went out hunting and stopped at the house of a local forester. He became enamoured of the forester's wife, Seinfreda, but she being a virtuous woman, suggested he court her unmarried sister, Gunnor , instead. Gunnor became his mistress, and her family rose to prominence. Her brother, Herefast de Crepon , may have been involved in a controversial heresy trial. Gunnor was, like Richard, of Norse descent, being a Dane by blood. Richard finally married her to legitimize their children:
Richard II "the Good", Duke of Normandy (966)
Robert , Archbishop of Rouen , Count of Evreux , died 1037.
Geoffrey, Count of Eu, b. abt 962 died abt 1015. (Parentage [mother] not certain)
Mauger, Earl of Corbeil , died after 1033; his alleged grandson (or perhaps great-grandson) was Robert Fitzhamon , an important Anglo-Norman baron.
Robert Danus, died between 985 and 989
Emma of Normandy (c.985-1052) wife of two kings of England.
Maud of Normandy, wife of Odo II of Blois , Count of Blois, Champagne and Chartres
Hawise of Normandy (b. ca. 978), d. 21 February 1034 . m. Geoffrey I, Duke of Brittany
Beatrice of Normandy , Abbess of Montvilliers d.1034 m. Ebles of Turenne (d.1030 (divorced)
Papia m. Gilbert de St Valery.
Fressenda (ca. 995-ca. 1057), m. Tancred of Hauteville .
Muriella m. Tancred of Hauteville .

Mistresses
Richard was known to have had several other mistresses and produced children with many of them. Known children are:
Geoffrey, Count of Brionne , (b. ca. 970)
William, Count of Eu (ca. 972 -26 January 1057/58) m. Leseline de Turqueville (d. 26 January 1057/58).

Death
He died in Fecamp , France on November 20 , 996 of natural causes.

  Birth Notes:

Ancestral Roots has b. abt 933 in Fecamp, France.

  Noted events in his life were:

• Named: his father's heir, 29 May 942.

Richard married Gunnora de Crepon. (Gunnora de Crepon was born about 936 in <Normandy, France> and died about 1031 in France.)

Richard next had a relationship with < > [Mistress(es) of Richard I].

Richard next married Emma of Paris, daughter of Hugh Capet King of France and Unknown, in 960. (Emma of Paris died about 968.)

  Marriage Notes:

Betrothed about 945 and married 960