Gisela (french: Gisèle; fl. 911) was a French princess who was married to

Rollo Rollo ( nrf, Rou, ''Rolloun''; non, Hrólfr; french: Rollon; died between 928 and 933) was a Viking who became the first ruler of Normandy, today a region in northern France. He emerged as the outstanding warrior among the Norsemen who had se ...

, Duke of Normandy. According to limited early records, Rollo was betrothed to Gisela, daughter to the king of

West Francia In medieval history, West Francia (Medieval Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the West Franks () refers to the western part of the Frankish Empire established by Charlemagne. It represents the earliest stage of the Kingdom of France, lasting from about ...

Charles the Simple Charles III (17 September 879 – 7 October 929), called the Simple or the Straightforward (from the Latin ''Carolus Simplex''), was the king of West Francia from 898 until 922 and the king of Lotharingia from 911 until 919–923. He was a mem ...

, after Rollo's conversion to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

upon his ascension as ruler of

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

in 911. The marriage and the existence of Gisela are not independently confirmed, allowing for a legendary character of Gisela. There is some debate whether, if she did exist, she was a legitimate or an illegitimate daughter of Charles. Norman chronicler William of Jumieges refers to Rollo having two relationships: a captive taken at Bayeux Poppa to whom he joined himself to her by marriage

more danico The phrase ''more danico'' is a Medieval Latin legal expression which may be translated as "according to Danish custom", i.e. under Medieval Scandinavian customary law. It designates a type of traditional marriage practiced in northern Europe ...

("according to Norse custom"). She was mother of his son

William Longsword William Longsword (french: Guillaume Longue-Épée, nrf, Willâome de lon Espee, la, Willermus Longa Spata, on, Vilhjálmr Langaspjót; c. 893 – 17 December 942) was the second ruler of Normandy, from 927 until his assassination in 942.Det ...

. He relates that he put Poppa aside to marry Gisela ''more Cristiano'' ("according to Christian custom") at the time of the

Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte The treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte (911) is the foundational document of the Duchy of Normandy, establishing Rollo, a Norse warlord and Viking leader, as the first Duke of Normandy in exchange for his loyalty to the king of West Francia, followi ...

, and that when Gisela died, he returned to Poppa. However, the absence of any record of this royal princess or her marriage in Frankish sources suggests the entire supposed marriage to Gisela may be apocryphal. If Gisela existed and bore Rollo children within a legal Christian marriage, it is unlikely that Poppa's son William would have been seen as legitimate by Christian Franks. Philip Lyndon Reynolds: Marriage in the Western Church: the Christianization of marriage during the Patristic and Early Medieval Periods (2001)
/ref> A character named Gisla (presented as a daughter of

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (french: Charles le Chauve; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as Charles II, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), king of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a ...

rather than his grandson

, and as the mother of Rollo's children) is portrayed in the TV series ''

Vikings Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and ...

'' by

Morgane Polanski Morgane Polanski (born 20 January 1993) is a French-Polish actress, best known for portraying Princess Gisla in the History Channel series ''Vikings''. Early life and education Polanski is the daughter of Polish filmmaker Roman Polanski and F ...

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* * 10th-century French people 10th-century French women 10th-century Normans 10th-century Norman women Carolingian dynasty Duchesses of Normandy People whose existence is disputed Rollo Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Legendary French people Daughters of kings {{Normandy-stub