Richard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester

Richard came from the Norman family, which was founded by a certain Ansfried, who, according to Guillaume Jumiège , had Danish roots. His father was Hugo d'Avranche , a companion of William the Conqueror , who after the Norman Conquest received extensive possessions in England, as well as the title of Count Chester. Thanks to the active construction of fortresses, the distribution of flax to the Norman knights and the use of money and human resources of their Middle English possessions, Hugo turned Cheshire into a well-fortified border mark protecting the approaches from North Wales to the territory of England. In general, his possessions were located in 20 counties. According to the Doomsday Book , Hugo was one of the 11 richest tycoons in England, who got half of the land transferred by William to his comrades-in-arms, that is, almost a quarter of England. Hugo was also Viscount of Avranches, owning the lands that were located in in the western part of the Duchy of Normandy on the Cotantin Peninsula. It is known that Richard’s grandfather, Richard le Goz , owned a large estate in Avranches, and, according to some reports, he owned Krulli ^[1] . Avranches was considered one of the largest Viscountries in Normandy. Located between Brittany and the coast, along with Contantin and Bessin, Avranches was of great strategic importance. There was a hypothesis that the mother of Hugo d'Avranches was the uterine sister of William the Conqueror, the daughter of Gerlev and Erluin Kontwilsky , but it is currently assumed that a reference to the relationship of Hugo with William the Conqueror was added to increase his status and improve his reputation. According to another version, the mother could be the daughter of Robert de Grantmesnil ^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]} .

Richard's mother was Irmentrude de Clermont (d. After May 13, 1106), daughter of Hugo , Count de Clermont-en-Bovezi (in Picardy ). Perhaps this marriage of Richard's parents was associated with the desire to expand the influence of Normandy beyond the eastern border ^{[3] [4]} .

In addition to a legitimate son, Hugo had several illegitimate children from different mistresses. One of them, Ottivel Fitz-Earl (d. November 25, 1120), was one of the educators of the children of the English king Henry I ^[4] .

Richard was born around 1093 ^{[K 1]} . By the time his father died in 1101, Richard was only seven years old ^{[8] [9]} . He inherited extensive possessions in Central England, power over the Cheshire mark, guarding the approaches to North Wales, as well as the title of Earl of Chester. In addition, Richard received possession of southwest Normandy with the title of Viscount Avranches. Although Hugo d'Avranche previously also controlled most of Gwynedd , the Welsh mass uprising in 1094 and the ensuing defeat of the Anglo-Norman army in the Menai Strait in 1098 eliminated the British power in Gwynedd and threw back the Norman barons beyond Conwy. ^[3]

Since Richard was still small, he was probably under the tutelage of his mother, as evidenced by her seal on the charter dated May 13, 1106 ^{[4] [8]} . Richard Chester received a county investment in 1107. Sources describe him as a “handsome, loyal and amiable” youth ^[7] . In 1115, Richard married Maud de Blois ^{[K 2]} , the daughter of Count Blois Etienne II and Adela of Normandy , sister of King Henry I of England, thus intermarrying with the royal family ^{[4] [8] [9]} .

During the childhood of Richard in 1101-1114, the king of Gwynedd Grifid ap Keenan significantly increased. Although the king of England, Henry I, was quite kind to Griffid, in 1114 he decided to conduct a military campaign against the Welsh prince, in which Richard also participated. Agreeing to bring homage to the king of England and pay a sufficiently large tribute , Griffith made the British leave from North Wales. Over the next years, taking advantage of the employment of Henry I on the continent, Grifid consolidated his power in Gwynedd and pushed the Norman barons behind Cloid ^{[10] [11]} .

In 1119, the Orderler Vitaly mentioned Richard, Earl of Chester, and his relative, Ranulf of Brixard ( Ranulf le Meschen ), as outstanding representatives of the nobility among those who remained loyal to the king ^{[K 3] [13]} .

In 1120, Richard was in Normandy along with William Etheling , son and heir of Henry I. On November 21, 1120, Richard and Ranulf le Meschain witnessed a charter in Barfleur granting the . A few days later, King Henry I and his entourage gathered in November 1120 to go to England. To travel, he was offered to use the beautiful and high-speed ship - the White Ship, but the king had already agreed to travel on another ship. As a result, his heir, Wilhelm Etheling, sailed from Barfleur on the evening of November 25th on the White Ship. The heir was accompanied by many representatives of the nobility, including Richard and his wife. Warder Vitaliy reports that the team asked Wilhelm for wine, which he gave them in large quantities. By the time the ship left, more than 300 people were on board, apparently the crew, and the passengers were drunk. At the same time, some of the passengers, including the future king of England, Stephen de Blois , suffering from diarrhea, landed ashore before sailing, deciding to return to England later ^{[14] [15] [3] [12] [16]} ..

By the time the ship left, night had already descended. Having discovered that other ships had already sailed long ago, William ordered the captain of the ship to overtake the ship of the king, which had sailed earlier. The ship was fast enough, but in the dark he ran into a flooded rock and sank. Only a certain Berold, a butcher from Rouen, who told about the incident, managed to escape, the rest of the crew and passengers died. Among the dead were Richard, his wife Maud, his half-brother Ottivel, as well as , the husband of his sister Geva. The bodies of some of the dead were then found on the shore for several months. The body of Richard was found ^{[3] [4] [15] [16]} .

Richard did not leave children. His title and possessions passed to his cousin Ranulf le Meshen ^[13] .

Wife: Maud de Blois (d. November 25, 1120), daughter of Etienne II , Count de Blois , and Adela of Normandy , daughter of William the Conqueror . Mago died with her husband in the wreck of the White Ship . They did not have children ^[4] .

Comments

Sources

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• Lewis CP Avranches, Hugh d ', first earl of Chester (d. 1101) // Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. - Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004-2014.
• King E. Ranulf (I), third earl of Chester (d. 1129) // Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. - Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004-2014.
• Hunt W. Hugh (d.1101) // Dictionary of National Biography / Edited by Sidney Lee. - London: Elder Smith & Co, 1891. - Vol. Xxviii. Howard - Inglethorpe. - P. 161-162.
• Ormerod G. (Ed.). The history of the county palatine and city of Chester: compiled from original evidences in public offices, the Harleian and Cottonian mss., Parochial registers, private muniments, unpublished ms. collections of successive Cheshire antiquaries, and a personal survey of every township in the county; incorporated with a republication of King's Vale royal, and Leycester's Cheshire antiquities. - London: Printed for Lackington, Hughes. Harding, Mavor, and Jones, 1819. - 556 p.
• The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom / GE Cokayne, revised and edited by the Hon. Vicary Gibbs with the assistance of HA Doubleday. - 2nd edition revised. - 1913. - Vol. III. Canonteign to Cutts.
• Green JA Henry I: King of England and Duke of Normandy. - New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006 .-- 406 p. - ISBN 978-0521744522 .
• Aird WM Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy c. 1050-1134. - Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2008 .-- 328 p. - ISBN 9781843833109 .

• Richard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester . The Peerage. Date of treatment February 23, 2019.
• VICOMTES d'AVRANCHES (English) . Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Date of treatment February 23, 2019.