Rollo of Normandy

What better way to kick off a blog about my ancestral heritage than with human sacrifice?

To summarize, Rollo was a prideful, barbarous Viking who invaded France, suffered an embarrassing defeat by someone actually named "Charles The Simple" but was granted the upper-coastal lands of the Seine. He converted from Norse Paganism to Christianity and was probably* baptized Robert. He was the first Viking ruler of the principality of Normandy under Charlemagne, although whether he was a Duke or a Count is disputed.

The baptism of Rollo

Rollo married Poppa, of whom little is known. Well, okay, let me put it this way. Poppa was captured in a raid and made to marry Rollo. Who knows whether or not her union was eventually consensual or not. She was a devout Christian and was the daughter of Berengar, Count of Rennes, the first bilingual Lord in Brittany (speaking both Breton and Gallo).

I'm still such a newb at this but I'm finding the word "probably" a lot. It's a frustrating word to run into. I like facts, markers, DNA. Speaking of DNA, there is a website called St. Clair Research that I highly recommend visiting. Not only does the author, Steve St. Clair, delve into geographical DNA haplogroup studies, he pays attention to stories, symbols, coats of arms, and entertains all possible theories.

The origin of Rollo is highly disputed and most historians have conceded that the his true line will never be veritably confirmed. FamilySearch.org, where I get most of my names from, suggests that he is of the line of Rognvald Eysteinsson, Earl of Møre, in Norway. This is consistent with Norwegian and Icelandic sagas as well as the Historia Norvigiae, written in Norway in the 12th century, hundreds of years after Rollo lived. A differing and very persuasive point of view, written by genealogy scholar Stewart Baldwin, can be found here.

Now, in my humble opinion, certain Vikings and Crusaders are no better than pirates; they were power hungry, violent savages seeking dominance and wealth rather than booze and booty. Those Norse Gods just take, take, take. Despite Rollo's Christian conversion, his original religious convictions manifested in his senior years.

According to the historian Adhemar de Chabanne, as Rollo's death grew near, he made a mass human sacrifice that can only be described as vicious and evil, and perhaps even theatrical. He had 100 Christian prisoners beheaded right in front of him in honor of the Norse Gods.

Why he isn't known as "Rollo the Hipocrit" or "Rollo the Son of a Bitch" is beyond me.

In a motion to reverse his karma, perhaps, he gave 100 pounds of gold to the needy at churches in honor of the Christian God.
In 927, he passed his fief to his son, William I Longsword.

The Grave of Rollo of Normandy