Rollo was a Viking who, as Count of Rouen, became the first ruler of Normandy, today a region in northern France.
16 Facts About Rollo
2.
Rollo emerged as the outstanding warrior among the Norsemen who had secured a permanent foothold on Frankish soil in the valley of the lower Seine.
3.
The name Rollo is first recorded as the leader of these Viking settlers in a charter of 918, and he continued to reign over the region of Normandy until at least 928.
4.
Rollo was succeeded by his son William Longsword in the Duchy of Normandy that he had founded.
5.
The 10th-century French historian Dudo in his Historia Normannorum records that Rollo took the baptismal name Robert.
6.
Rollo was born in the mid-9th century; his place of birth is almost definitely located in the region of Scandinavia, although it is uncertain whether he is Danish or Norwegian.
7.
Medieval sources contradict each other regarding whether Rollo's family was Norwegian or Danish in origin.
8.
Benoit repeated the claim that Rollo had been persecuted by a local ruler and had fled from there to "Scanza island", by which Benoit probably means Scania.
9.
Dudo recorded that when Rollo controlled Bayeux by force, he carried off with him the beautiful Popa or Poppa, a daughter of Berenger, Count of Rennes.
10.
Rollo married her and she gave birth to his son and heir, William Longsword.
11.
In return for formal recognition of the lands he possessed, Rollo agreed to be baptised and assisted the king in defending the realm.
12.
On taking his oath of fealty, Rollo divided the lands between the rivers Epte and Risle among his chieftains, and settled in the de facto capital Rouen.
13.
Rollo died sometime between a final mention of him by Flodoard in 928, and 933, the year in which a third grant of land, usually identified as being the Cotentin and Avranchin areas, was given to his son and successor William.
14.
Rollo's dynasty was able to survive through a combination of ruthless military actions and infighting among the Frankish aristocracy, which left them severely weakened and unable to combat the Rouen Vikings' growing determination to stay put.
15.
Rollo is the subject of the 17th-century play Rollo Duke of Normandy, written by John Fletcher, Philip Massinger, Ben Jonson, and George Chapman.
16.
Rollo is a character in the video game Assassin's Creed Valhalla.