Roger I of Tosny
Encyclopedia
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
nobleman of the House of Tosny
House of Tosny
The House of Tosny was an important noble family in 10th and 11th century Normandy, though it did not include any comtes or vicomtes. Its founder was Raoul I of Tosny .-Notable members:...
who took part in the Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
of Iberia
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
. He was the son of Raoul I of Tosny.
In 1013, Roger and his father Raoul I guarded the castle at Tillières
Tillières
Tillières is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France....
for Richard II, Duke of Normandy
Richard II, Duke of Normandy
Richard II , called the Good , was the eldest son and heir of Richard I the Fearless and Gunnora.-Biography:...
. A few years later, for an unknown reason, the pair were forced into exile. While his father gained a reputation for himself in Apulia
Apulia
Apulia is a region in Southern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east, the Ionian Sea to the southeast, and the Strait of Òtranto and Gulf of Taranto in the south. Its most southern portion, known as Salento peninsula, forms a high heel on the "boot" of Italy. The region comprises , and...
, Roger did the same in fighting the Muslims in Iberia. The small Christian states of Northern Iberia welcomed volunteers and adventurers who they could use to mount a strong force for the Reconquista. Roger was summoned by Ermesinde of Carcassonne
Ermesinde of Carcassonne
Ermesinde of Carcassonne was a noblewoman in southern France, the daughter of Roger I of Carcassonne. She married to Ramon Borrell, Count of Barcelona....
, regent-countess of Barcelona after the death of her husband Ramon Borrell
Ramon Borrell, Count of Barcelona
Raymond Borrel , was count of Barcelona, Girona, and Ausona from 992. Son of Borrell II of Barcelona and Letgarda de Rouergue. He was associated with his father from 988....
, to help her against the Muslim threat to her power. Roger rushed to help, marrying Ermesende's daughter, terrorising the Saracens and capturing several towns and castles. Adémar de Chabannes
Adémar de Chabannes
Adémar de Chabannes was an eleventh-century French monk, a historian who wrote the first annals to have been compiled in Aquitaine since Late Antiquity, a musical composer and a successful literary forger....
gives an echo of the more or less legendary deeds of Roger in Iberia. He gained the nickname Mangeur de Maures (Moor-Eater). Adémar recounts that Roger took his captured Saracens each day and, in front of them, cut one of their number in two, boiling the first half and giving it to the other Muslims to eat, and pretending to take the other half into his own tent for him and his companions to eat. Then Roger allowed some of these prisoners to escape, to spread these horrific rumours..
Before 1024, Roger and his father gained permission from Richard II to return to Normandy, and Raoul died soon afterwards.
Roger de Tosny founded Conches-en-Ouche
Conches-en-Ouche
Conches-en-Ouches is a commune in the Eure department in northern France.-Geography:It is located by the Rouloir river, southwest of Évreux in the Haute-Normandie region. The town is located on a plateau known as the Pays d'Ouche.-Population:-References:...
. He built its church of Sainte-Foy (before 1026) then the abbey of Saint-Pierre de Castillon (c. 1035) where monks from Fécamp Abbey
Fécamp Abbey
Fécamp Abbey is a Benedictine abbey in Normandy, northern France.The abbey was the first producer of Bénédictine, a herbal liqueur, based on brandy.-First foundation:...
were installed. This monastery was one of the first baronial foundations in Normandy The foundation charter reveals that the lord of Tosny gave it a small possession around Conches and his forest.
In 1035, Robert I's death began a troubled period in the duchy of Normandy. Civil wars multiplied and Roger (whose relations with his neighbours was already argumentative) was one of the main players in them. According to the Norman chroniclers, the lord of Tosny refused to serve the new duke, the future William the Conqueror, due to his being a bastard. He especially took advantage of the weakness of the duke's power by ravaging his neighbours' lands, notably those of Humphrey of Vieilles. Humphrey sent his son Roger to face Roger of Tosny, and around 1040 the latter was killed in battle, and his two eldest sons died a few weeks later of their wounds.
Peace was re-established between the Tosny family and the neighbouring families. The widow Gotelina/Godehildis was forced to marry Richard
Richard, Count of Évreux
Richard, Count of Évreux was the son of Robert II the Archbishop of Rouen and Count of Évreux and Harleve of Rouen.He married Godehildis the widow of Roger I of Tosny, and had the following issue:*Guillaume...
, Count of Évreux
Count of Évreux
The Count of Évreux was a French noble title and was named after the town of Évreux in Normandy. It was successibly used by the Norman dynasty, the Montfort-l'Amaury family, the Capetian's as well as the House of La Tour d'Auvergne...
.
Family and descendants
Married :- Adelaide, daughter of Ermesinde of CarcassonneErmesinde of CarcassonneErmesinde of Carcassonne was a noblewoman in southern France, the daughter of Roger I of Carcassonne. She married to Ramon Borrell, Count of Barcelona....
, countess of Barcelona - Gotelina/Godehildis who married, after the death of Roger count of Évreux, Richard, Count of ÉvreuxRichard, Count of ÉvreuxRichard, Count of Évreux was the son of Robert II the Archbishop of Rouen and Count of Évreux and Harleve of Rouen.He married Godehildis the widow of Roger I of Tosny, and had the following issue:*Guillaume...
Children :
- Helbert (died 1040 with his father),
- Elinand, (idem),
- Raoul II of TosnyRaoul II of TosnyRaoul II de Tosny seigneur de Conches-en-Ouche was a Norman nobleman of the house of Tosny, son of Roger I of Tosny. He was active in Normandy, England and Wales.-Victor at Hastings in 1066:...
, successor of his father - Robert of Tosny, lord of Stafford
- Béranger l'Espagnol,
- Adelise, married Guillaume Fils Osbern
- Berthe, married Guy de LavalGuy de LavalGuy de Laval may refer to:* Guy XIII de Laval * Guy XIV de Laval * Guy XVI de Laval * Guy XX de Laval...
- One other son