Emma de Breteuil, Countess of Norfolk

Female 1059 - Aft 1096  (~ 38 years)


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  • Name Emma de Breteuil 
    Suffix Countess of Norfolk 
    Born ca 1059  Breteuil, Normandy Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Female 
    Died Aft 1096  Holy Land Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Notes 
    • Wikipedia
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emma_de_Guader,_Countess_of_Norfolk

      She was the wife of Ralph de Guader and the daughter of William FitzOsbern, Lord of Breteuil and later first Earl of Hereford, who was a cousin and close adviser of William the Conqueror. William's opposition to their marriage led to the unsuccessful Revolt of the Earls.

      Born around 1059 in Breteuil in Normandy, Emma was born to William Fitz-Osbern and his wife Adeliza, the daughter of Roger I of Tosny and his wife Adelaide (the daughter of Ermesinde of Carcassonne, regent-countess of Barcelona).

      In 1075 at Exning, Cambridgeshire, she married Ralph de Gaël, Earl of East Anglia (Norfolk and Suffolk) and Lord of Gaël and Montfort. William I of England [William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy] refused to sanction this marriage between two powerful families which caused a revolt. The leaders were her husband, Ralph, her brother Roger de Breteuil, 2nd Earl of Hereford, and Waltheof, 1st Earl of Northumberland. The revolt was plagued by disaster. Her husband encountered a much superior force under the warrior bishops Odo of Bayeux and Geoffrey de Montbray (the latter ordered that all rebels should have their right foot cut off) near Cambridge and retreated hurriedly to Norwich, hotly pursued by the royal army. Leaving her to defend Norwich Castle, he sailed for Denmark in search of help, and eventually returned to England with a fleet of 200 ships under Cnut and Hakon, which failed to do anything effective.

      In 1075, Emma, Countess of Norfolk defended Norwich Castle when it was under siege. She eventually negotiated safe passage for herself and her troops in exchange for her castle. She retired to her estate in Brittany, where she was rejoined by her husband. Ralph was deprived of all his lands and of his Earldom in England. They retired to her Breton lands. The two joined Robert, Duke of Normandy, on the First Crusade. Emma died some time after 1096 on the road to the Holy Land, and Ralph died circa 1101 in the course of the crusade.

      They had three children who lived to adulthood:

      1. William de Gael, succeeded his father as Seigneur de Gael. He claimed Breteuil after the death of his uncle William de Breteuil, but died shortly thereafter, according to Orderic Vitalis.

      2. Raoul II de Gael, seigneur of Gael and Montfort. By 1119, he had obtained the honour of Breteuil in Normandy (his uncle William de Breteuil died 1103 without any legitimate issue). The Complete Peerage claims that his descendants in the male line continued to hold his estates in Brittany, acquiring Laval and Vitré in the 15th century with the marriage of the heiress of Montmorency-Laval, but such a male-line descent hasn't been traced. He had only one child by his wife, Amice (Amicia) (d. c. 31 August 1168) was initially betrothed to Richard, illegitimate son of Henry I and his mistress Ansfrida, but her betrothed died on the White Ship disaster in November 1120. She was then married to the King's ward Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester, second (twin) son of Robert de Beaumont, Count of Meulan.

      3. Alain de Gael, who went with his parents on the First Crusade and died in the Holy Land




    Person ID I36132  Master File
    Last Modified 22 Sep 2016 

    Father William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford,   b. ca 1020, Breteuil, Normandy Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 22 Feb 1071, Cassel, Flanders/France Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 51 years) 
    Mother Adeliza de Tosny 
    Family ID F14902  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Ralph de Gaël, Earl of East Anglia, Lord of Gaël and Montfort ,   b. Bef 1042, Hereford, Herefordshire, England Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. ca 1101, Holy Land Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age ~ 59 years) 
    Children 
     1. Raoul II de Montfort
    Last Modified 22 Sep 2016 
    Family ID F14901  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart