Gerard Flaitel († ) was a Norman knight and a '' ' most powerful lord in Normandy at the time of the Richards' '' according to

Orderic Vitalis Orderic Vitalis ( la, Ordericus Vitalis; 16 February 1075 – ) was an English chronicler and Benedictine monk who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th- and 12th-century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England. Modern historia ...

Life

Gerard was a Norman baron with substantial estates in the

Pays de Caux The Pays de Caux (, , literally ''Land of Caux'') is an area in Normandy occupying the greater part of the French ''département'' of Seine Maritime in Normandy. It is a chalk plateau to the north of the Seine Estuary and extending to the cliffs ...

, the Hiemois, the Evrecin and Risle valley. He was a

vassal A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzerain. W ...

William of Talou William of Talou, Count of Talou ( Arques) (before 1035–1086) was a powerful member of the Norman ducal family who exerted his influence during the early reign of William the Conqueror Duke of Normandy. Background William was the son of duke R ...

in Arques. In 1035, when

Robert I, Duke of Normandy Robert the Magnificent (french: le Magnifique;He was also, although erroneously, said to have been called 'Robert the Devil' (french: le Diable). Robert I was never known by the nickname 'the devil' in his lifetime. 'Robert the Devil' was a fic ...

left on a pilgrimage to

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, Gerard Flaitel was one of his companions.David Crouch, ''The Normans'' (London: Hambledon Continuum, 2007), p. 54 In the spring of 1035 the group left Normandy probably taking the favored route through the

Danube The Danube ( ; ) is a river that was once a long-standing frontier of the Roman Empire and today connects 10 European countries, running through their territories or being a border. Originating in Germany, the Danube flows southeast for , pa ...

river basin to

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

.David Crouch, ''The Normans'' (London: Hambledon Continuum, 2007), p. 53 Duke Robert obtained permission for him and his retinue to continue on to Muslim-controlled Jerusalem. In Turkey Robert paid the required ''mussella'' (pilgrim tax). They arrived in time to spend

Holy Week Holy Week ( la, Hebdomada Sancta or , ; grc, Ἁγία καὶ Μεγάλη Ἑβδομάς, translit=Hagia kai Megale Hebdomas, lit=Holy and Great Week) is the most sacred week in the liturgical year in Christianity. In Eastern Churches, w ...

in Jerusalem. On their return through

Asia Minor Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

, Duke Robert fell ill while they were in

Nicaea Nicaea, also known as Nicea or Nikaia (; ; grc-gre, Νίκαια, ) was an ancient Greek city in Bithynia, where located in northwestern Anatolia and is primarily known as the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea (the first and seve ...

, and died there about 2 July. As he lay dying, Gerard was asked to take possession of a

Holy relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

which Robert had acquired in Jerusalem, reputedly a finger-bone of

Saint Stephen Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...

, and to make a gift of it to the abbey or monastery of his choosing. Gerard returned to Normandy and became a monk at the Abbey of St. Wandrille taking the relic with him. He died after 1047.

Family

While the name of his wife (or wives) is not known Gerard Flaitel had at least the following children: * William Flaitel,

Bishop of Évreux A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

(† 1066).Detlev Schwennicke, '' Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten'', Neue Folge, Band III, Tielband 4 (Marburg, Germany: J. A. Stargardt, 1989), Tafel 695 * Ermengarde, wife of

Walter Giffard, Lord of Longueville Walter Gautier Giffard, Lord of Longueville, Normandy (a.k.a. 'Giffard of Barbastre'), was a Norman baron, a Tenant-in-chief in England, a Christian knight who fought against the Saracens in Spain during the Reconquista and was one of the 15 or ...

. * Basilla, wife of Ralph de Gacé, son of Robert, Archbishop of Rouen and secondly of Hugh de Gournay. * AnscheriusT.J. Pettigrew, 'On the House of Gournay', ''Collectanea Archæologica: Communications made to the British Archaeological Association'', Vol. II (1871). p. 184

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flaitel, Gerard 1047 deaths 11th-century Normans Year of birth unknown