Bernhard the Dane

Bernard the Dane ( Bernard le Danois ) is a Norman nobleman from the first half of the 10th century.

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The person Bernhard is known from the Chronicle of the Dudo by Saint-Quentin , De moribus et actis primorum Normanniae ducum , of which, however, some passages should be viewed with caution. The Gesta Normannorum ducum by Wilhelm von Jumièges and the Roman de Rou by Wace also mention him, but they again rely largely on Dudo.

• Dudo by Saint-Quentin, De moribus et actis primorum Normanniae ducum , Éd. Jules Lair, Caen, F. Le Blanc-Hardel, 1865
• Wilhelm von Jumièges, Histoire des Normands , Éd. Guizot, Brière, 1826, Book IV (French translation of the Gesta Normannorum ducum ).

biography

Its epithet indicates its origin from Denmark . He is one of the followers of Rollos , the founder of the Norman rule, and could not have settled in Normandy until 900 at the earliest with his compatriots.

At the beginning of the 930s he was able to convince Rollos' son and successor, William I, of the point of failure when the Viking Riouf from western Normandy attacked Rouen : Riouf was defeated outside the city walls. Bernhard's influence grew after the assassination of Wilhelm in December 942 as a member of the Regency Council for the underage successor Richard I. Dudo von Saint-Quentin describes him as an omnipresent actor in the years 942 to 946 at the side of Anslech , Osmond de Conteville and Raoul Taisson . During this time he showed a tactical intelligence that - according to Dudo - enabled Normandy to survive as a unit the claims to power of the Carolingian King Ludwig IV and Duke Hugo the Great .

Bernhard receives the king twice in Rouen and guarantees him the loyalty of the Normans. French military are stationed in Normandy while the young Jarl is brought to France for education. In secret, however, Bernhard contacts the Danish King Harald Blauzahn in order to regain power. With the help of the Danes, Bernhard can seize the king, a pledge with which Richard's return to Normandy can be negotiated. The king will not be released until Richard is back in his country.

Then Bernhard the Dane disappears from Dudo's chronicle.

progeny

Bernhard the Dane is seen as the father of peat and thus the progenitor of two large Norman families, the House of Beaumont and the House of Harcourt . Even if there is no proof of the filiation between Bernhard and Torf, it is mentioned in numerous genealogies and also recognized by the French kings, for example by Louis XIV. In his patent letter from 1700 for the establishment of the Duchy of Harcourt : see above maison tire son origine de Bernard le Danois, un des seigneurs de Danemark, qui vinrent en Normandie avec Rollon, qui en fut le premier duc, en l'an 876, de qui Bernard le Danois eut la seigneurie d'Harcourt et plusieurs autres terres ; il fut aussi fait gouverneur de Normandie et tuteur de Richard Ier, petit-fils du duc Rollon, et les descendants de ce Bernard ont été revêtus des premières charges et alliances fort illustres.

Footnotes

1. ↑ Dudo von Saint-Quentin, De gestis Normanniae ducum seu de moribus et actis primorum Normanniae ducum , J. Lair (ed.), Mémoire de la Société des Antiquaires de Normandie , Volume XXIII, 1865, pp. 189-190. The list of companion roller blinds is controversial, but its mention by Dudo adds some credibility to Bernhard's appearance on that list.
2. ^ Wilhelm von Jumièges, Histoire des Normands , ed. Guizot, Brière, 1826, Volume IV, p. 79 (French translation of the Gesta Normannorum ducum )
3. ↑ Wilhelm von Jumièges, ibid , p. 88. Flodoard von Reims depicts him here as a Norman leader from the Bayeux region
4. ^ Gilles-André de La Roque, Histoire Généalogique de la Maison de Harcourt , 1662, Volumes I, III and IV
5. ^ In Père Anselme , Histoire généalogique et chronologique de la maison royale de France, des pairs, grands officiers de la Couronne, de la Maison du Roy et des anciens barons du royaume ... , 1726–1733