Cecilia of Normandy (or Cecily; c. 1056 – 30 July 1126) was a French abbess, thought to be the eldest daughter of
William the Conqueror
William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...
and
Matilda of Flanders
Matilda of Flanders (french: link=no, Mathilde; nl, Machteld) ( 1031 – 2 November 1083) was Queen of England and Duchess of Normandy by marriage to William the Conqueror, and regent of Normandy during his absences from the duchy. She was t ...
Henry I of England
Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in ...
. She was very close to her other brother,
Robert Curthose
Robert Curthose, or Robert II of Normandy ( 1051 – 3 February 1134, french: Robert Courteheuse / Robert II de Normandie), was the eldest son of William the Conqueror and succeeded his father as Duke of Normandy in 1087, reigning until 1106. ...
. She was given a high education in the arts, Latin, rhetoric and logic by the scholar
Arnulf of Chocques Arnulf of Chocques (died 1118) was a leading member of the clergy during the First Crusade, being made Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem in 1099 and again from 1112 to 1118. Sometimes referred to as Arnulf of Rœulx, presumably after the village of Rœu ...
.Tracy Joanne Borman: Queen of the Conqueror: The Life of Matilda, Wife of William I, Bantam Books, 2012
Cecilia was entered into the Abbey of the Holy Trinity of Caen at a young age by her parents. She was placed in the convent in June 1066, at the formal inauguration of the convent, which was founded by her mother as a penance for the marriage, which was initially regarded as a
prohibited degree of kinship In law, a prohibited degree of kinship refers to a degree of consanguinity (blood relatedness) and sometimes affinity (relation by marriage or sexual relationship) between persons that results in certain actions between them being illegal. Two major ...
, as well as during the preparations of the invasion of England.
To give a child to the church in this manner was common for parents during this time period, but a daughter of the nobility was often treated very well, and allowed her own household and confessor as well as allowed to receive guests in private in her rooms, which was more liberated than for most unmarried noblewomen not in convents. After having been placed in the convent, she was educated by the abbess Matilda.
In 1100, she was visited by her brother Robert Curthose on his return from the
First Crusade
The First Crusade (1096–1099) was the first of a series of religious wars, or Crusades, initiated, supported and at times directed by the Latin Church in the medieval period. The objective was the recovery of the Holy Land from Islamic ...
. He presented her and her abbey with a captured
Saracen
upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens
Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia ...
banner.
Cecilia had a successful career at the convent. Cecilia was possibly the only child to be present on the funeral of her mother in 1083, as it took place in her convent, and no other child is confirmed to have been present. She introduced a number of improvements to the convent and functioned as the coadjutor or deputy of the abbess, her relative Matilda. She succeeded her relative Matilda as Abbess of the Abbey of Sainte-Trinité in Caen in 1112.Douglas: ''William the Conqueror'', pp. 393–395
Her good reputation was described by
Baldric of Dol Baldric of Dol ( 10507 January 1130) was prior and then abbot of Bourgueil from 1077 to 1106, then made bishop of Dol-en-Bretagne in 1107 and archbishop in 1108 until his death. He fulfilled his monastic duties by travelling to attend Church counci ...
, archbishop of Dol, and the poet
Hildebert
Hildebert (c. 105518 December 1133) was a French ecclesiastic, hagiographer and theologian. From 1096–97 he was bishop of Le Mans, then from 1125 until his death archbishop of Tours. Sometimes called Hildebert of Lavardin, his name may also be s ...
of Le Mans, who referred to her as "a queen, a goddess and a royal virgin, who married a heavenly husband".
Cecilia died on 30 July 1126 in