Richard I "the Fearless" of Normandy (933-20 November 996) was Duke of Normandy from 17 December 942 to 20 November 996, succeeding William I Longsword and preceding Richard II of Normandy.
Biography[]
Richard was born in Fecamp, Normandy, France in 933, the son of William I Longsword and his wife Sprota. He succeeded his father following his assassination in 942, and King Louis IV of France installed Richard as the new Count of Rouen (Duke of Normandy). The King, backed by Arnulf I of Flanders, seized Normandy and divided it, giving lower Normandy to Hugh the Great. Richard I later escaped from Louis' captivity, and he allied with the Vikings and defeated and captured Louis in 946. Louis was forced to return Normandy to Richard, but Louis and Arnulf then allied with the Holy Roman Emperor Otto the Great. The allied army was defeated at Rouen by Richard in 947, and Richard became the guardian of Hugh the Great's grandson Hugh Capet. In 962, Richard defeated Theobald I of Blois' invasion. He proceeded to strengthen feudalism in Normandy, and he died in 996.