Mauger (or ''Malger'' according to the ''

Gesta Normannorum Ducum ''Gesta Normannorum Ducum'' (''Deeds of the Norman Dukes'') is a chronicle originally created by the monk William of Jumièges just before 1060. In 1070 William I had William of Jumièges extend the work to detail his rights to the throne of Engl ...

'') was born around 1019 near

Dieppe Dieppe (; Norman: ''Dgieppe'') is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to Newh ...

. He was the younger son of

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father die ...

Duke of Normandy In the Middle Ages, the duke of Normandy was the ruler of the Duchy of Normandy in north-western France. The duchy arose out of a grant of land to the Viking leader Rollo by the French king Charles III in 911. In 924 and again in 933, Normandy ...

, and his second wife,

Papia of Envermeu Papia of Envermeu, also called ''Poppa of Envermeu'', was the second consort of Richard II, Duke of Normandy. Papia belonged to the local Norman aristocracy as the daughter of Richeldis of Envermeu. She married Richard II after the death of his ...

. Mauger was brought up at the abbey of Fécamp as an eminent member of the ducal family, some of whom were later openly hostile to the accession of Duke William II. On the death of his uncle

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

Archbishop of Rouen The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Rouen (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Rothomagensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Rouen'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the Ar ...

in 1037, Mauger, who was only 18 was chosen to succeed him. Mauger was apparently slow to instill loyalty to the young Duke William. In particular, he was opposed to the marriage of Duke William 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 ...

in 1049. His full brother

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 ...

married a sister of the Count of Ponthieu and was appointed by William as Count of Arques, near Dieppe.

, Mauger's brother, was defeated in a failed rebellion against their nephew Duke William in battle near Arques in 1053, after which the former fled into exile at Boulogne. Because of a perceived connection to his brother's rebellion, Mauger was deposed from his archbishopric at the council of

Lisieux Lisieux () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. It is the capital of the Pays d'Auge area, which is characterised by valleys and hedged farmland. Name The name of the town derives from the ...

. Mauger was banished from Rouen to the Isle of

Guernsey Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency. It is the second largest of the Channel Islands, ...

; he landed at a bay on the south coast that was named "Saint's Bay" in his honour. Mauger's behaviour as a secular lord who had opposed papal authority enabled William to achieve his deposition on the grounds of inappropriate conduct at a provincial council held at

in 1054 or 1055, under the bishop Hugh of Lisieux (fl. 1049 - d. 17 July 1077). Stories relating to the end of Mauger's life in the Channel Islands were collected a century later by

Wace Wace ( 1110 – after 1174), sometimes referred to as Robert Wace, was a Medieval Norman poet, who was born in Jersey and brought up in mainland Normandy (he tells us in the ''Roman de Rou'' that he was taken as a child to Caen), ending his care ...

(1100-1174), himself a native of Jersey. According to Wace, Mauger had a common law wife, who had borne him many children, and Mauger had devoted himself to hawking and reading occult sciences. The dethroned bishop is alleged to have abandoned himself to a pact with the devil and, having gone mad, drowned about 1055; his body was buried in a church at

Cherbourg-Octeville Cherbourg-Octeville () is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France.

. At the time of his death, Mauger is assumed to be 36. He was succeeded by

Maurilius Maurilius (–1067) was a Norman Archbishop of Rouen from 1055 to 1067. Maurilius was originally from Reims, and was born about 1000. He trained as a priest at Liege and became a member of the cathedral chapter of Halberstadt.Douglas ''William t ...

References

Sources

* *de Boüard, Michel. ''Guillaume le Conquérant.''. Paris: Fayard, 1984. *Douglas, David C. ''William the Conqueror''. University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1964. *''Gesta Normannorum Ducum'' of

William of Jumièges William of Jumièges (born c. 1000 - died after 1070) (french: Guillaume de Jumièges) was a contemporary of the events of 1066, and one of the earliest writers on the subject of the Norman conquest of England. He is himself a shadowy figure, only ...

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 histor ...

, and

Robert of Torigni Robert of Torigni (also known as Roburtus de Monte) (c. 1110–1186) was a Norman monk, prior, abbot and twelfth century chronicler. Religious life Robert was born at Torigni-sur-Vire, Normandy c. 1110 most probably to an aristocratic family but ...

, edited and translated by Elisabeth M. C. Van Houts, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1995. *Neveux, François. ''La Normandie des ducs aux rois, Xe-XIIe s.'' Rennes: Ouest-France, 1998. {{authority control 11th-century Normans Archbishops of Rouen 11th-century archbishops Deaths by drowning