Ralph de Gacé († 1051) (a.k.a. Raoul de Gacé)

Seigneur ''Seigneur'' is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. A seigneur refers to the person or collective who owned a ''seigneurie'' (or ...

Gacé Gacé () is a commune in the Orne department in Lower-Normandy, north-western France. Population Heraldry Administration Twin towns * Kinross, Perth & Kinross, Scotland See also * Communes of the Orne department The following is a ...

and other estates in

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 ...

, was a member of the

House of Normandy The House of Normandy ( nrf, Maison de Nouormandie ) designates the noble family which originates from the Duchy of Normandy and whose members were counts of Rouen, dukes of Normandy, as well as kings of England following the Norman conquest o ...

Ralph de Gacé was a first cousin of Robert I, Duke of Normandy making him the cousin once removed 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 House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...

. See: '' Europäische Stammtafeln'', Band II (1984), Tafel 79. who played a significant role during the minority of

Life

RalphRalph was jokingly called ''Tète d'Ane'' or 'Ass-head' due to his large head and shaggy hair. See: William M. Aird, ''Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy: C. 1050-1134'' (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2008), p. 128 n. 130. was the middle son of Robert, Archbishop of Rouen and his wife Herlevea, and, as such, a member of the royal house of Normandy.Detlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 79. While his older brother Richard received the

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

ship of Évreux, Ralph was given the seigneury of Gacé in Lower Normandy. He also held Bavent, Noyon-sur-Andelle (now Charleval), Gravençon (near Lillebonne) and Écouché. After the death of Robert I, Duke of Normandy 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 ...

, Archbishop Robert assumed the regency of Normandy for the duke's young illegitimate son William. The

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

was able to keep order in Normandy but at his death in 1037, rebellions and private wars erupted. One of the rebellious lords was Ralph de Gacé.David C. Douglas, ''William the Conqueror'' (Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1964), p. 41 In 1040, assassins acting under the orders of Ralph de Gacé murdered the chief tutor of young duke William, Gilbert, Count of Brionne, while he was riding near Eschafour. In 1043,

Duke William ''Duke William'' was a full-rigged ship, ship which served as a troop transport at the Siege of Louisbourg (1758), Siege of Louisbourg and as a deportation ship in the Île Saint-Jean Campaign of the Expulsion of the Acadians during the Seven Year ...

and his advisors William, Count of Talou and Archbishop Mauger decided to convince Ralph de Gacé to support the duke.David Crouch, ''The Normans; The History of a Dynasty'' (London & New York: Hambledon Continuum, 2007), p. 63 Ralph, now in command of the duke's army next campaigned against Thurstan le Goz who, along with the king of France, had occupied

Falaise Falaise may refer to: Places * Falaise, Ardennes, France * Falaise, Calvados, France ** The Falaise pocket was the site of a battle in the Second World War * La Falaise, in the Yvelines ''département'', France * The Falaise escarpment in Quebec ...

. Ralph captured Falaise, forced Thurstan into exile, and King Henry I of France to withdraw from Normandy. While Ralph remained a key member of Duke William's inner circle, Ralph was known to have made large donations to the abbey of Jumièges.Anselme de Sainte-Marie, ''Histoire de la Maison Royale de France, et des grands officiers'' (Paris: Compagnie des Libraires, 1726), p. 478 Ralph died in 1051.

Family

Ralph married Basilla, daughter of

Gerard Flaitel Gerard Flaitel († ) was a Norman knight and a '' ' most powerful lord in Normandy at the time of the Richards' '' according to Orderic Vitalis. Life Gerard was a Norman baron with substantial estates in the Pays de Caux, the Hiemois, the Evrec ...

. They had a son, Robert de Gacé, who died without heirs.Surrey Archaeological Society, ''Surrey archaeological collections, relating to the history and antiquities of the county'' (London : Lovell Reeve & Co., 1858), p. 38 After Ralph's death, Basilla married, secondly, to Hugh de Gournay.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gace, Ralph de 1051 deaths Year of birth unknown Ralph Norman warriors