The Viking Age Codexery

Rollo

First ruler of Normandy, Viking leader who secured lands through the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte.

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Rollo

Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0

The first ruler of Normandy, a region in what is now northern France, was a Viking leader named Rollo.[1] Among the Norsemen who had established a permanent presence in the lower Seine valley, Rollo rose to become a war leader.[2] The cleric Dudo of St. Quentin recorded Rollo's life.[3]

Effigy of Rollo of Normandy, Notre-Dame de Rouen-8542
Effigy of Rollo of Normandy, Notre-Dame de Rouen-8542. Image: Raimond Spekking · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

What happened

In exchange, Rollo agreed to end his brigandage, swear allegiance, convert to Christianity, and defend the Seine estuary.[2] He reigned over Normandy until at least 928.[4] The earliest surviving record of Rollo appears in a charter from 918, where he is named as the head of Viking settlers.[4] William Longsword, Rollo's son, succeeded him as ruler of the Duchy of Normandy.[4]

Rollo Sociable
Rollo Sociable. Image: Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

From the 11th to the 13th centuries, descendants of Rollo's followers, after the Norman conquest of England and of southern Italy and Sicily, came to rule England, much of Ireland, Sicily, and Antioch.[5]

Adolfo Rollo
Adolfo Rollo. Image: Lorenzo Mansueto · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

What the cited sources add

The same source notes that a lively debate about Rollo's identity arose at the end of the 19th century.[6] The question of Rollo's nationality remains unresolved.[6] A statue of Rollo was unveiled in the city park of Ålesund on 25 September 1911.[6]

Friedrich Hottenroth - Charles the Fat and Count Rollo during the siege of Paris, c.
Friedrich Hottenroth - Charles the Fat and Count Rollo during the siege of Paris, c.. Image: Friedrich Hottenroth · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Earl Rollo Dean (1890-1972) with bottle casting machine
Earl Rollo Dean (1890-1972) with bottle casting machine. Image: Anonymous Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Death of Rollo Gillespie (Cassell's illustrated history of India)
Death of Rollo Gillespie (Cassell's illustrated history of India). Image: George Henry Thompson · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Rollo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Orkneyinga Saga", p. 26–27 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  2. Wikipedia, "Rollo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Bates 1982, p. 8–10; (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  3. Wikipedia, "Rollo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Douglas 1942 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  4. Wikipedia, "Rollo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Rollo", 28 August 2008 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  5. Wikipedia, "Rollo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Neveux, "A Brief History of the Normans: The Conquests that Changed the Face of Europe", Robinson, 2008 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
  6. Krag, "Gange-Rolv", Store norske leksikon, 2025-08-25. facts only, no text reused. snl.no

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Rollo (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Named in this entry

NormansIrish SeaFranciaBlack SeaScaniaSagaHinterlandMicromégas

More in The Viking Age

Ragnar LodbrokErik the RedHarald HardradaCnut the GreatIvar the BonelessBjorn IronsideThe longshipThe DanelawLindisfarneScandinavian YorkThe Varangian GuardBerserkers

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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