Hawise of Normandy (died 21 February 1034) was Countess of Rennes, Duchess of Brittany and Regent to her son Alan III, Duke of Brittany from 1008 until 1026.Her husband, Geoffrey, Count of Rennes, assumed the title Duke of Brittany in 992 but it was never recognized by the French king at the time and was not formerly legitimized until 1213. See: ''The New international Encyclopædia'', Volume 3 (1918), p. 789.

Life

Hawise was the daughter of

Richard I of Normandy Richard I (28 August 932 – 20 November 996), also known as Richard the Fearless (French: ''Richard Sans-Peur''; Old Norse: ''Jarl Rikard''), was the count of Rouen from 942 to 996.Detlev Schwennicke, '' Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln ...

and Gunnor, and was sister of Richard II "the Good", Duke of Normandy as well as

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 Arch ...

, Count of Evreux.

Duchess of Brittany

Hawise and her two sisters all formed important dynastic alliances.David Crouch, ''The Normans; The History of a Dynasty''(London: Hambledon Continuum, 2007), p. 27

Emma of Normandy Emma of Normandy (referred to as Ælfgifu in royal documents; c. 984 – 6 March 1052) was a Norman-born noblewoman who became the English, Danish, and Norwegian queen through her marriages to the Anglo-Saxon king Æthelred the Unready and the ...

was twice Queen consort of England marrying firstly

Æthelred the Unready Æthelred II ( ang, Æþelræd, ;Different spellings of this king’s name most commonly found in modern texts are "Ethelred" and "Æthelred" (or "Aethelred"), the latter being closer to the original Old English form . Compare the modern diale ...

and secondly

Cnut the Great Cnut (; ang, Cnut cyning; non, Knútr inn ríki ; or , no, Knut den mektige, sv, Knut den Store. died 12 November 1035), also known as Cnut the Great and Canute, was King of England from 1016, King of Denmark from 1018, and King of Norwa ...

. Maud of Normandy married

Odo II, Count of Blois Odo II () (983 – 15 November 1037) was the count of Blois, Chartres, Châteaudun, Beauvais and Tours from 1004 and count of Troyes (as Odo IV) and Meaux (as Odo I) from 1022. He twice tried to make himself a king: first in Italy after 1024 a ...

. And Hawise was a part of an important dynastic double marriage for in 996, she married

Geoffrey I, Duke of Brittany Geoffrey I (c. 980 – 20 November 1008), also known as Geoffrey of Rennes and Geoffrey Berengar, was the eldest son of Duke Conan I of Brittany. He was Count of Rennes (ruler of the Romano-Frankish ''civitas'' of Rennes), by right of successio ...

, while her brother

Richard II, Duke of Normandy Richard II (died 28 August 1026), called the Good (French: ''Le Bon''), was the duke of Normandy from 996 until 1026. Life Richard was the eldest surviving son and heir of Richard the Fearless and Gunnor. He succeeded his father as the ruler of D ...

shortly afterwards married Geoffrey's sister Judith of Brittany.David C. Douglas, ''William the Conqueror'' (Berkeley; Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1964), p. 29 This double alliance between Normandy and Brittany, probably designed to safeguard both families, certainly functioned as such regarding Brittany.

Regency

In 1008 when Geoffrey died leaving two young sons, Alan III and Eudo, Richard stepped in to protect them and played a major role in governing Brittany during their minority. Hawise acted as regent of Brittany during the minority of her son Alan III. In 1010 her regency and the reign of her young son Alan III was seriously challenged by the peasant revolts that had spread from Normandy into Brittany. Alan, encouraged by his mother, led the nobles to quash the rebellion. Hawise died on 21 February 1034.

Issue

She had four children: * Alan III of Brittany (997-1040).Detlev Schwennicke, ''Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten'', Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany, J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 75 * Evenus (c. 998 - aft. 1037). *

Odo, Count of Penthièvre Odo of Rennes (Medieval Breton: ''Eudon Pentevr'', Modern Breton: ''Eozen Penteur'', Latin: ''Eudo'', French: ''Eudes/Éon de Penthièvre'') (c. 999–1079), Count of Penthièvre, was the youngest of the three sons of Duke Geoffrey I of Britt ...

(d. 1079). * Adela, Abbess of St. Georges.George Edward Cokayne, ''The Complete Peerage; or, A History of the House of Lords and all its Members from the Earliest Times'', Vol. X, eds. H. A. Doubleday; Geoffrey H. White; Howard de Walden (London: The St. Catherine Press, Ltd., 1945), p. 780

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hawise Of Normandy 970s births 1034 deaths House of Normandy 11th-century women rulers Regents of Brittany Duchesses of Brittany 10th-century Breton people 10th-century French women 11th-century Breton people 11th-century French women