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Sprota (c898-c950)

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Sprota was born circa 898 in France and died circa 950 France of unspecified causes. She married William Longsword, 2nd Duke of Normandy (893-942) 932 JL .

Sprota was an early 10th century woman of obscure origin who became wife 'in the Viking fashion' (more danico)[1][2] of William I, Duke of Normandy, by her becoming mother of his successor, Duke Richard I. After the death of William, she married a wealthy landowner, Esperleng, by him having another son, Norman nobleman Rodulf of Ivry.[3][4][5]

Life

The first mention of Sprota is by her contemporary, Flodoard of Reims. Although he does not name her, he identifies her under the year [943] as the mother of "William’s son [Richard] born of a Breton concubine".[6] Elisabeth van Houts wrote "on this reference rests the identification of Sprota, William Longsword’s wife 'according to the Danish custom', as of Breton origin",[7] and this could apply to someone of native Breton, Scandinavian, or Frankish ethnicity, the latter being the most likely based on her name spelling.[8] The first to provide her name was William of Jumièges,[9][10] writing in the second half of the 11th century. The name Sprota seems to contain the same root as the anthroponym Sprot found in the Domesday Book and in various place-names both in England such as Sprotbrough (Sproteburg 1086) and in Normandy like the Eprevilles, such as Epreville (Sprovilla 1025),[11] which is at the same time Anglo-Saxon as Sprota,[12] Anglo-Scandinavian and Scandinavian (see Sproti[13]).

The non-Christian nature of her relationship with William became a source of ridicule for her son Richard. The French King Louis "abused the boy with bitter insults", calling him "the son of a whore who had seduced another woman's husband."[14][15]

At the time of the birth of her first son Richard, Sprota was living in her own household at Bayeux, under William's protection.[4] William, having just quashed a rebellion at Pré-de Bataille (c. 936),[lower-alpha 1] received the news by a messenger that Sprota had just given birth to a son; delighted at the news William ordered his son to be baptized and given the personal name of Richard.[10] William's steward Boto became the boy's godfather.[16]

After the death of William Longsword and the captivity of her son Richard, she had been "collected" from her dangerous situation by the "immensely wealthy" Esperleng.[3] Robert of Torigni identified Sprota's second husband[lower-alpha 2] as Esperleng, a wealthy landowner who operated mills at Pîtres.[4][17]

Family

By William Longsword, 2nd Duke of Normandy (893-942) she was the mother of:

  1. Richard I, Duke of Normandy (933-996)[18]

By Esperling of Vaudreuil (c900-c980) she was the mother of:

  1. Rodulf, Count of Ivry[19]
  2. several daughters who married Norman magnates




Children


Offspring of William Longsword, 2nd Duke of Normandy (893-942) and Sprota
Name Birth Death Joined with
Richard I, Duke of Normandy (933-996) 28 August 933 Fécamp, Upper Normandy, France 20 November 996 Fécamp, Upper Normandy, France Emma de France (c943-968)
Gunnora, Duchess of Normandy (c936-1031)



See Also

External Links

Ancestry Trees

Contemporary Resources

  1. "The Annals of Flodoard of Reims" - This is a chronicle written by the French chronicler Flodoard in the late 10th century. It mentions William Longsword's involvement in a rebellion against King Louis IV of France and his eventual reconciliation with the king.

References

  1. ^ Van Houts, Gesta Normannorum Ducum, 1994, 1:xxxviii
  2. ^ Reynolds, Marriage in the Western Church, 1992, 111
  3. ^ a b Philippe, La Normandie an xe siècle, 1845, 6
  4. ^ a b c Crouch, The Normans, 2007, 26
  5. ^ Van Houts, The Normans in Europe, 2000, 4
  6. ^ Fanning and Bachrach, The Annals of Flodoard of Reims, 2011, p. 37
  7. ^ Van Houts, The Normans in Europe, 2000, 47 n. 77
  8. ^ Van Houts, The Normans in Europe, 2000, p. 182
  9. ^ Keats-Rohan, 'Poppa of Bayeux and Her Family', 1997, 192
  10. ^ a b Van Houts, Gesta Normannorum Ducum, 1992, 1:78-9
  11. ^ de Beaurepaire, François (1981) (in fr). Les Noms des communes et anciennes paroisses de l'Eure. Paris. p. 104. ISBN 2-7084-0067-3. OCLC 9675154. .
  12. ^ A. D. Mills, A Dictionary of British Place Names, Oxford University PressPrint, 2011, ISBN 9780199609086, p. 619 [1]
  13. ^ Sproti on Nordic Names (online reading)
  14. ^ Van Houts, Gesta Normannorum Ducum, 1992, 1:102-3 n. 5
  15. ^ Albu, The Normans in their histories, 2001, 69.
  16. ^ Van Houts, Gesta Normannorum Ducum, 1992, 1:78-9 n. 3
  17. ^ Searle, Predatory Kinship, 1988, 108
  18. ^ Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln, 1984,
  19. ^ Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln, 1989, 694A


Footnotes (including sources)

MainTour
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