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{{Short description|Medieval ruler of the Duchy of Normandy}}
{{about||the messenger pigeon|Duke of Normandy (pigeon)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
[[File:Chronological tree of William I.svg|thumb|500px|Family tree of the early dukes of Normandy and Norman kings of England]]
In the [[Middle Ages]], the '''duke of Normandy''' was the ruler of the [[Duchy of Normandy]] in north-western [[Kingdom of France|France]]. The duchy arose out of a grant of land to the [[Viking]] leader [[Rollo]] by the French king [[Charles the Simple]] in 911. In 924 and again in 933, Normandy was expanded by royal grant. Rollo's male-line descendants continued to rule it until 1135, and cognatic descendants ruled it until 1204. In 1202 the French king [[Philip Augustus|Philip II]] declared Normandy a forfeited fief and by 1204 his army had conquered it. It remained a French [[Provinces of France|royal province]] thereafter, still called the Duchy of Normandy, but only occasionally granted to a duke of the royal house as an [[appanage]].

Despite both the 13th century loss of mainland Normandy, the renunciation of the title by [[Henry III of England]] in the [[Treaty of Paris (1259)]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dhi.ac.uk/normans/history.html |title=The historical background and the 'Lands of the Normans' |website=The Digital Humanities Institute |publisher=University of Sheffield}}</ref> and the extinction of the duchy itself in modern-day France, the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|monarch of the United Kingdom]] is regardless still often informally referred to by the title "Duke of Normandy." This is the title used whether the monarch is a king or a queen.

==History of the title==
There is no record of Rollo holding or using any title. His son and grandson, [[William Longsword|Duke William I]] and [[Richard I of Normandy|Duke Richard I]], used the titles "count" (Latin ''comes'' or ''consul'') and "prince" (''princeps'').<ref name=Chibnall>[[Marjorie Chibnall]], ''The Normans'' (Blackwell, 2006), pp. 15–16. According to her, "it is even doubtful if Rollo had any title."</ref> Prior to 1066, the most common title of the ruler of Normandy was "Count of Normandy" (''comes Normanniae'') or "Count of the Normans" (''comes Normannorum'').<ref name=Crouch>David Crouch, ''The Image of Aristocracy in Britain, 1000–1300'' (Taylor and Francis, 1992), pp. 40–41.</ref> The title '''Count of Rouen''' (''comes Rotomagensis'') was never used in any official document, but it was used of William I and his son by the anonymous author of a lament (''[[planctus]]'') on his death.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Foley |first=Liam |date=2021-12-17 |title=December 17, 942: Death of William I Longsword of Normandy |url=https://europeanroyalhistory.wordpress.com/tag/william-ii-of-normandy/ |access-date=2024-01-07 |website=European Royal History ~ Exploring the Monarchs of Europe}}</ref> Defying Norman pretensions to the ducal title, [[Adémar de Chabannes|Adhemar de Chabannes]] was still referring to the Norman ruler as "Count of Rouen" as late as the 1020s. In the 12th century, the Icelandic historian [[Ari Thorgilsson]] in his ''[[Landnámabók]]'' referred to Rollo as ''Ruðu jarl'' (earl of Rouen), the only attested form in [[Old Norse]], although too late to be evidence for 10th-century practice.<ref>David C. Douglas, "The Earliest Norman Counts", ''The English Historical Review'', 61, 240 (1946): 129–56.</ref> The late 11th-century Norman historian [[William of Poitiers]] used the title "Count of Rouen" for the Norman rulers down to Richard II.{{cn|date=January 2024}} According to David C. Douglas, the title "Count of Rouen"  (comes Rotomagensis) was never used in any official document.<ref> David C. Douglas, "The Earliest Norman Counts", ''The English Historical Review'', 61, 240 (1946):130</ref> Charters are usually a source of information about titles, but none exist for Normandy in the middle of the tenth century.<ref>Elizabeth van Houts (ed.), ''The Normans in Europe'' (Manchester University Press, 2000), p. 41, n. 58.</ref>

The first official recorded use of the title duke (''dux'') is in an act in favour of the [[Fécamp Abbey|Abbey of Fécamp]] in 1006 by [[Richard II, Duke of Normandy]]. Earlier, the writer [[Richerus|Richer of Reims]] had called Richard I a ''dux pyratorum'', but which only means "leader of pirates" and was not a title. During the reign of Richard II, the French king's chancery began to call the Norman ruler "Duke of the Normans" (''dux Normannorum'') for the first time.<ref name=Chibnall/> As late as the reign of [[William the Conqueror|Duke William II]] (1035–87), the ruler of Normandy could style himself "prince and duke, count of Normandy" as if unsure what his title should be.<ref name=Crouch/> The literal Latin equivalent of "Duke of Normandy", ''dux Normanniae'', was in use by 1066,<ref>George Beech, "The Participation of Aquitanians in the Conquest of England 1066–1100", in R. Allen Brown, ed., ''Anglo-Norman Studies IX: Proceedings of the Battle Conference, 1986'' (Boydell Press, 1987), p. 16.</ref> but it did not supplant ''dux Normannorum'' until the [[Angevin Empire|Angevin period]] (1144–1204), at a time when [[Normans|Norman identity]] was fading.<ref>Nick Webber, ''The Evolution of Norman Identity, 911–1154'' (Boydell Press, 2005), p. 178.</ref>

Richard I experimented with the title "marquis" (''marchio'') as early as 966, when it was also used in a diploma of King [[Lothair of France|Lothair]].<ref>David Crouch, ''The Normans: The History of a Dynasty'' (Hambledon Continuum, 2002), p. 19.</ref> Richard II occasionally used it, but he seems to have preferred the title duke. It is his preference for the ducal title in his own charters that has led historians to believe that it was the chosen title of the Norman rulers. Certainly it was not granted to them by the French king. In the twelfth century, the Abbey of Fécamp spread the legend that it had been granted to Richard II by [[Pope Benedict VIII]] (ruled 1012–24). The French chancery did not regularly employ it until after 1204, when the duchy had been seized by the crown and Normandy lost its autonomy and its native rulers.<ref name=Crouch/>

The actual reason for the adoption of a higher title than that of count was that the rulers of Normandy began to grant the comital title to members of their own family. The creation of Norman counts subject to the ruler of Normandy necessitated the latter taking a higher title. The same process was at work in other principalities of France in the eleventh century, as the comital title came into wider use and thus depreciated. The Normans nevertheless kept the title of count for the ducal family and no non-family member was granted a county until [[Helias of Saint-Saëns]] was made Count of Arques by [[Henry I of England|Henry I]] in 1106.<ref name=Crouch/>

From 1066, when William II [[Norman Conquest|conquered England]], becoming King William I, the title Duke of Normandy was often held by the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom#English monarchy|King of England]]. In 1087, William died and the title passed to his eldest son, [[Robert Curthose]], while his second surviving son, [[William II of England|William Rufus]], inherited England. In 1096, Robert mortgaged Normandy to William, who was succeeded by another brother, [[Henry I of England|Henry I]], in 1100. In 1106, Henry conquered Normandy. It remained with the King of England down to 1144, when, during the civil war known as [[the Anarchy]], it was conquered by [[Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou|Geoffrey Plantagenet]], the [[Counts and dukes of Anjou|Count of Anjou]]. Geoffrey's son, [[Henry II of England|Henry II]], inherited Normandy (1150) and then England (1154), reuniting the two titles. In 1202, King [[Philip II of France]], as feudal suzerain, declared Normandy forfeit and by 1204 his armies had conquered it. [[Henry III of England|Henry III]] finally renounced the English claim in the [[Treaty of Paris (1259)]].

Thereafter, the duchy formed an integral part of the [[Crown lands of France|French royal demesne]]. The kings of the [[House of Valois]] started a tradition of granting the title to their heirs apparent. The title was granted four times (1332, 1350, 1465, 1785) between the French conquest of Normandy and the dissolution of the French monarchy in 1792. The [[French Revolution]] brought an end to the Duchy of Normandy as a political entity, by then a [[Provinces of France|province of France]], and it was replaced by several ''[[Departments of France|départements]]''.

== List of dukes of Normandy (911–1204) ==

=== [[House of Normandy]] (911–1135) ===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:95%; text-align:center;"
!Portrait
!Name
{{Small|Lifespan}}
!Reign
!Marriage(s)
!Relation to predecessor(s)
!Other titles
|-
| align="center" |[[File:RolloA.jpg|200x200px]]
| align="center" |[[Rollo]]
(Rollon)

{{circa|835/870}} – 928/933
| align="center" |911–928
|(1) [[Poppa of Bayeux]]
{{Small|[[more danico]]}}

one son and one daughter

(2) [[Gisela of France]]

{{Small|existence uncertain}}
|Granted by the [[Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte]]
|No official title(s).<ref name=Chibnall>[[Marjorie Chibnall]], ''The Normans'' (Blackwell, 2006), pp. 15–16. According to her, "it is even doubtful if Rollo had any title."</ref>
|-
| align="center" |[[File:WilliamLongsword.png|200x200px]]
| align="center" |[[William Longsword|William I]]
{{Small|Longsword}}

(Gllâome I)

893 – 17 December 942
| align="center" |927–17 December 942
|(1) [[Sprota]]
{{Small|[[more danico]]}}

one son

(2) [[Luitgarde of Vermandois]]

''no issue''

(m. before 940)
| align="center" |Son of [[Rollo]]
|
|-
| align="center" |[[File:Richard_the_Fearless_of_Normandy.png|200x200px]]
| align="center" |[[Richard I of Normandy|Richard I]]
{{Small|the Fearless}}

(R'chard Sans-Peur)

28 August 932 – 20 November 996
| align="center" |17 December 942 – 20 November 996
|(1) [[Emma of Paris, Duchess of Normandy|Emma of Paris]]
''no issue''

(m.960; died 968)

(2) [[Gunnor]]

seven children

(m. {{Ca|989}})
| align="center" |Son of [[William I, Duke of Normandy|William I]]
|Called ''Count of Normandy'' in primary sources<ref>David C. Douglas, "The Earliest Norman Counts", ''The English Historical Review'', 61, 240 (1946):130</ref>
|-
|[[File:Richard the Good of Normandy.png|200x200px]]
|[[Richard II, Duke of Normandy|Richard II]]
{{Small|the Good}}

(R'chard le Bouon)

978 – 28 August 1026
|996–1026
|(1) [[Judith of Brittany]]
six children

(m.1000; died 1017)

(2) [[Papia of Envermeu|Popia of Envermeu]]

two children

(m.1017)
|Son of [[Richard I of Normandy|Richard I]]
|
|-
|[[File:Richard III of Normandy.png|200x200px]]
|[[Richard III, Duke of Normandy|Richard III]]
(R'chard III)

997/1001 – 6 August 1027
|28 August 1026 – 6 August 1027
|''never married''
|Son of [[Richard II, Duke of Normandy|Richard II]]
|
|-
|[[File:Robert the Magnificent of Normandy.png|200x200px]]
|[[Robert I, Duke of Normandy|Robert I]]
{{Small|the Magnificent}}

(Robèrt le Magnifique)

22 June 1000 – 1–3 July 1035
|1027–1035
|''never married''
Had extramarital relationship to [[Herleva]]

one son and one daughter
|Brother of [[Richard III, Duke of Normandy|Richard III]]
|
|-
|[[File:William the Conqueror Illumination.png|200x200px]]
|[[William the Conqueror|William II]]
{{Small|the Conqueror}}

(Gllâome le Contchérant)

{{circa|1028}} – 9 September 1087
|{{circa|at least 1036 }} – 9 September 1087
|[[Matilda of Flanders]]
ten children

(m.1051/2; died 1083)
|Son of [[Robert I, Duke of Normandy|Robert I]]
|[[King of England]]
|-
|[[File:Robert Curthose - MS Royal 14 B VI.png|217x217px]]
|[[Robert Curthose|Robert II]]
{{Small|Curthose}}

(Robèrt Courtheuse)

{{circa|1051}} – 3 February 1134
|9 September 1087 – 1106
|[[Sibylla of Conversano|Sybilla of Conversano]]
one son

(m.1100; died 18 March 1103)
|Oldest son of [[William the Conqueror|William II]]
|
|-
|[[File:Beauclerc1.jpg|200x200px]]
|[[Henry I of England|Henry I]]
{{Small|Beauclerc}}

(Henri I Beauclerc)

{{circa|1068}} – 1 December 1135
|1106 – 1 December 1135
|(1) [[Matilda of Scotland]]
one son and one daughter

(m.1100; died 1118)

(2) [[Adeliza of Louvain]]

''no issue''

(m. 1121)
|Brother of [[Robert Curthose|Robert II]]
Son of [[William the Conqueror|William II]]
|[[King of England]]
|-
|bgcolor="#FBDDBD" |[[File:Guillaume Flan.jpg|200x200px]]
|bgcolor="#FBDDBD" |[[William Clito|William]] (III)
{{Small|Clito}}

(Gllâome Cliton)

25 October 1102 – 28 July 1128

{{Small|(Claimant)}}
|bgcolor="#FBDDBD" |1106–1128
|bgcolor="#FBDDBD" |(1) [[Sibylla of Anjou]]
''no issue''

(m. 1123; annulled 1124)

(2) [[Joanna of Montferrat]]

''no issue''

(m. 1127; died 1128)
|bgcolor="#FBDDBD" |Eldest son of Robert Curthose
|bgcolor="#FBDDBD" |[[Count of Flanders]]
|}

=== [[House of Blois]] (1135–1144) ===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:95%; text-align:center;"
!Portrait
!Name
{{Small|Lifespan}}
!Reign
!Marriage(s)
!Relationship with predecessor(s)
!Other titles
|-
|[[File:Stephen - MS Royal 14 B VI.png|200x200px]]
|[[Stephen, King of England|Stephen]]

(Étienne)

1092/1096 – 25 October 1154
||1135–1144
|[[Matilda I, Countess of Boulogne]]<br>five children
(m. 1136; died 1152)
|Grandson of [[William the Conqueror|William II]] through [[Adela of Normandy]]
Nephew of [[Henry I of England|Henry I]]
|[[King of England]]
|}

=== [[House of Plantagenet]] (1144–1204) ===
{| class="wikitable" style="width:95%; text-align:center;"
!Portrait
!Name
{{Small|Lifespan}}
!Reign
!Marriage(s)
!Relationship with predecessor(s)
!Other titles
!Other Details
|-
|[[File:Geoffrey of Anjou Monument Cropped.png|200x200px]]
|[[Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou|Geoffrey]]<br/><small>the Handsome</small><br/>(Geffrai le Biau)
24 August 1113 – 7 September 1151
||1144–1150
|[[Empress Matilda|Matilda of England]]<br/>three children
(m. 1128)
|[[Jure uxoris|Son-in-law]] of [[Henry I of England|Henry I]]
|[[Count of Anjou]]
|Conquered Normandy from [[Stephen, King of England|Stephen I]].
|-
|[[File:Henry Curtmantle Illumination.png|200x200px]]
|[[Henry II of England|Henry II]]<br/>{{Small|Curtmantle}}<br/>(Henri Court-manté)
5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189
|1150 – 6 July 1189
|[[Eleanor of Aquitaine]]<br/>eight children
(m. 1152)
|Son of [[Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou|Geoffrey]]
First cousin, once removed of [[Stephen of England|Stephen]]
|[[King of England]]
|
|-
| colspan="7" |Henry II named his son, '''[[Henry the Young King]]''' (1155–1183), as co-ruler with him but this was a Norman custom of designating an heir, and the younger Henry did not outlive his father and rule in his own right, so he is not counted as a duke on lists of dukes.
|-
|[[File:Richard the Lionheart Illumination.png|200x200px]]
|[[Richard I of England|Richard IV]]<br/>{{Small|the Lionheart}}<br/>(R'chard le Quor de Lion)
8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199
|3 September 1189 – 6 April 1199
|[[Berengaria of Navarre]]<br/>''no issue''
(m. 1191)
|Son of [[Henry II of England|Henry II]]
|[[King of England]]
|
|-
|[[File:John Lackland Illumination.png|200x200px]]
|[[John, King of England|John]]<br/>{{Small|Lackland}}<br/>(Jean sans Terre)
24 December 1166 – 1204
|1199 – 1204
|(1) [[Isabella, Countess of Gloucester]]
''no issue''

(m. 1189; annulled 1199)

(2) [[Isabella of Angoulême|Isabella, Countess of Angoulême]]

five children

(m. 1200)
|Brother of [[Richard I of England|Richard IV]]
Son of [[Henry II of England|Henry II]]
|[[King of England]]<br/>[[Lord of Ireland]]
|Lost mainland Normandy in 1204
|}

== French province (1204–1792) ==
In 1204, the King of France confiscated the Duchy of Normandy (with only the Channel Islands remaining under English control) and subsumed it into the [[crown lands of France]]. Thereafter, the ducal title was held by several French princes.

In 1332, King Philip VI gave the Duchy in [[appanage]] to his son John, who became king [[John II of France]] in 1350. He in turn gave the Duchy in appanage to his son Charles, who became king [[Charles V of France]] in 1364. In 1465, [[Louis XI]], under constraint, gave the Duchy to his brother [[Charles of Valois, Duke of Berry|Charles de Valois, Duke of Berry]]. Charles was unable to hold the Duchy and in 1466 it was again subsumed into the crown lands and remained a permanent part of them. The title was conferred on a few junior members of the French royal family before the abolition of the French monarchy in 1792.

* John (son of King Philip VI, later King [[John II of France]]), 1332–1350.
* Charles (son of John II of France, later King [[Charles V of France]]), 1350–1364
* [[Charles of Valois, Duke of Berry|Charles]] (brother of Louis XI of France, also Duke of Berry), 1465–1466
* [[James II of England|James, Duke of York]], later King James II of England. On 31 December 1660, a few months after the restoration of [[Charles II of England|Charles II]] to the thrones of England and Scotland, [[Louis XIV|King Louis XIV]] proclaimed Charles's younger brother, [[James II of England|James, Duke of York]], "Duke of Normandy". This was probably done as a political gesture of support.<ref name="weir">[[Alison Weir|Weir, Alison]] (1996). 258. ''Britain's Royal Families: The Complete Genealogy''. Revised Edition. Random House, London. {{ISBN|0-7126-7448-9}}.</ref>
* [[Louis XVII|Louis-Charles]] (son of Louis XVI, later Dauphin 1789–1791 and titular King Louis XVII 1792–1795), 1785–1792.

==Modern usage==
[[File:La Reine Notre Duc 2012.jpg|thumb|upright|"La Reine, Notre Duc" ''(The Queen, Our Duke)'': title of a Diamond Jubilee exhibition at the [[Jersey]] Arts Centre in the Channel Islands]]

In the [[Channel Islands]], the [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom|British monarch]] is known informally as the "Duke of Normandy", irrespective of whether or not the holder is male ([[Elizabeth II|Queen Elizabeth II]], for instance, was known by this title).<ref name=cds>{{cite web |url=https://www.royal.uk/crown-dependencies |title=Crown Dependencies|work=The Royal Household|access-date=10 July 2021 |archive-date=11 July 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210711004012/https://www.royal.uk/crown-dependencies}}</ref> The Channel Islands are the last remaining part of the former Duchy of Normandy to remain under the rule of the British monarch. Although the English monarchy relinquished claims to continental Normandy and other French claims in 1259 (in the [[Treaty of Paris (1259)|Treaty of Paris]]), the Channel Islands (except for [[Chausey]] under French sovereignty) remain Crown dependencies of the British throne.


However, the king is customarily referred to as "The Duke of Normandy", the title used by the islanders, especially during their loyal toast, where they say, "The Duke of Normandy, our King", or "The King, our Duke", "''L'Rouai, nouotre Duc''" or "''L'Roué, note Du''" in [[Norman language|Norman]] ([[Jèrriais]] and [[Guernésiais]] respectively), or "''Le Roi, notre Duc''" in [[Standard French]], rather than simply "The King", as is the practice in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.debretts.com/forms-address/hierarchies/official-functions/loyal-toast |title=The Loyal Toast |work=[[Debrett's]] |year=2016 |access-date=25 January 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307234624/http://www.debretts.com/forms-address/hierarchies/official-functions/loyal-toast |archive-date=7 March 2016 |quote=In Jersey the toast of 'The Queen, our Duke' (i.e. Duke of Normandy) is local and unofficial, and used when only islanders are present. This toast is not used in the other Channel Islands.}}</ref><ref name=ChannelIslandsbook>{{Google books |id=UlY6unhtCEAC |page=11 |title=The Channel Islands |quote=...Queen Elizabeth II is often referred to by her traditional and conventional title of Duke of Normandy. However [...] she is not the Duke is a constitutional capacity and instead governs in her right as Queen [...] This notwithstanding, it is a matter of local pride for monarchists to treat the situation otherwise: the Loyal Toast at formal dinners is to 'The Queen, our Duke' similarly to [[The County Palatine, Lancashire]] with [[The Duke of Lancaster]], rather than 'Her Majesty, the Queen' as in the UK."}}</ref>

{{quote|...Queen Elizabeth II is often referred to by her traditional and conventional title of Duke of Normandy. However [...] she is not the Duke in a constitutional capacity and instead governs in her right as Queen [...] This notwithstanding, it is a matter of local pride for monarchists to treat the situation otherwise: the Loyal Toast at formal dinners is to 'The Queen, our Duke' rather than 'Her Majesty, the Queen' as in the UK."<ref name=ChannelIslandsbook/>}}

The title 'Duke of Normandy' is not used in formal government publications, and, as a matter of Channel Islands law, does not exist.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.jerseylaw.je/publications/jglr/PDF%20Documents/JLR9906_le_rouai.pdf |title=Lé Rouai, Nouot' Duc |first=Paul |last=Matthews |journal=Jersey and Guernsey Law Review |volume=1999 |issue=2 |date=1999}}</ref><ref name=ChannelIslandsbook/>

==Statue==
A [[Equestrian statue of William the Conqueror|statue of the first seven dukes]] was erected in [[Falaise, Calvados|Falaise]] in Normandy in the 19th century.<ref name="Monuments historiques">{{Base Mérimée|PA14000067|Statue de Guillaume le Conquérant}}</ref> It depicts [[William the Conqueror]], the Duke of Normandy and later [[Monarchy of the United Kingdom#English monarchy|King of England]], on a horse, and is surrounded by statues of his six predecessors.

==Family trees==
{{House of Normandy family tree}}
{{Clear}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*Helmerichs, Robert. "''Princeps, Comes, Dux Normannorum'': Early Rollonid Designators and their Significance". ''Haskins Society Journal'', 9 (2001): 57–77.

==External links==
*[http://www.normandie-heritage.com/spip.php?rubrique61 The Dukes of Normandy: From Rollo to William of Normandy]

{{Norman Dukes}}
{{British royal titles}}
{{Charles III}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duke of Normandy}}
[[Category:Dukes of Normandy| ]]
[[Category:Dukedoms of France|Normandy]]
[[Category:Duchy of Normandy| ]]
[[Category:Lists of dukes|Normandy]]
[[Category:Lists of French nobility|Normandy]]
[[Category:Viking Age in France]]
[[Category:Norman titles of nobility]]
[[Category:Style of the British sovereign]]