Richard II of Normandy
| Richard II "The Good", Duke of Normandy |
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| Born | August 23, 966 Normandy, France |
| Died | 1027 Fécamp, France |
| Office | Duke of Normandy 996-1027 |
| Preceded by | Richard I |
| Succeeded by | Richard III |
Richard II, known as Richard The Good, (in French, "le Bon"), was the son and heir of Richard I the Fearless and the Duchess Gunnora. Succeeded his father as Duke of Normandy in 996. Richard held his own against a peasant insurrection, and helped Robert II of France against the duchy of Burgundy. He also repelled an English attack on the Cotentin Peninsula that was led by the Ethelred II of England. He pursued a reform of the Norman monasteries.
Richard attempted to improve relations with England through his sister's marriage to King Ethelred, but she was strongly disliked by the English. However, this connection later gave his grandson, William the Conqueror, his claim to the throne of England.
He married 1st (996) Judith of Brittany (982-1017), daughter of Conan I, Duke of Brittany, by whom he had the following issue:
- Richard (c.997), duke of Normandy
- Robert (999), duke of Normandy
- William, monk at Fécamp, died 1025
- Adélaide, married Renaud I, Count of Burgundy
- Eleanor (or perhaps Ainor or Judith), married Count Baldwin IV of Flanders
- Matilda, d.1033
He married 2nd Poppa, by whom he had the following issue:
- Mauger, Archbishop of Rouen
- William , count of Arques
Traditionally, Richard married 3rd Astrid (Estritha), daughter of Sweyn Forkbeard, King of England, Denmark, & Norway, and Gunhilde of Poland. This is extremely unlikely, however, given the political situation.
Genealogy
