Ralph de Gaël was born as a noble before 1042, most probably about 1040. He was the high-born son of an Earl Ralph who was English, or born in England, and lived at the time of the Confessor. Some sources believe this to be Ralph the Staller, while others argue that he was the son of Earl Ralph Mantes of Hereford, and who briefly held the Earldom of East Anglia.[4][5] Both English and French sources highlight that he had mixed ancestry, both English, and with a Breton parent, possibly his mother, that was 'Bryttisc' meaning 'British', a Breton.[6] Other sources state that it was his father who was of Breton ancestry (although born in Norfolk), and that his mother was English.[7] French sources state that he was a 'man of illustrious birth, descended from the Kings of the Bretons',[8] including warrior saint King Judicaël, the castle of Gaël being the traditional seat of the kings of Brittany.[8]
In the Domesday Book, an English Alsi,[9] is named as 'nephew of Earl Ralph',[10] and a Godwin,[11] English with Anglo-Saxon and possible Dutch connections,[12] is named as Earl Ralph's uncle. Other sources cite a possible relation (possibly a cousin), to rebel Hereward the Wake, also stated to be of noble birth. His wedding feast and associations highlight connections to both Anglo-Saxon and Danish nobles, as well as his vast inherited lands in Brittany.
Inheritances
Flag of Norfolk
He inherited the great Breton barony of Gaël, which comprised more than forty parishes. In England, he also inherited estates, but it is not known whether he obtained the earldom of Norfolk immediately on his father's death. Shortly after the Norman conquest, he held large estates in Norfolk,[13] as well as property in Suffolk, Essex, Hertford, and possibly other counties. He was named Earl of East Anglia by William I. Some accounts suggest that his service in the conquest restored lands that were already his by inheritance. This is mentioned in the Norman chronicler Wace's account of the conquest of 1066:
Next, the company of Neel rode Raol de Gael; he was himself a Breton, and led Bretons; he served for the land he had, but he held it short time enough, for he forfeited it, as they say.[14]
He fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and was known for his bravery and strength of character.[15] Later he is found in February or March 1068 at William the Conqueror's court.
It was likely this Ralph who on 13 April 1069 was with the king at Winchester and he witnessed, as Earl Ralph, a diploma in favour of St Denis of Paris and a grant in favour of the Bishop of Essex. He also attested a charter between 1068 and 1070[16] as "Comes", a hereditary count.
In 1075, he married, at the manor of Exning, Cambridgeshire, Emma, only daughter of William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford and his first wife Alice (or Adelise/Adelissa), daughter of Roger I of Tosny. Their marriage united two extremely large estates, as well as noble lines, including to the English Saxon kings and queens of old. Some writers have indicated that King William I may have seen the alliance as a threat to his reign.[19]
The king's refusal to sanction the marriage between Ralph and Emma, from two powerful families, caused a revolt in his absence. Ralph and Emma married in spite of the King's disapproval. At the Wedding Feast 'Bride Ale',[20] Ralph, his new brother-in-law Roger de Breteuil, 2nd Earl of Hereford, and Anglo-Saxon Earl Waltheof, 1st Earl of Northumberland planned a revolt against the king. Orderic Vitalis stated some of the grievances that led to the revolt.[3] These included William I's tendency to knock off any real or perceived threats to his crown.
Waltheof, Earl of Northumbria Croyland Abbey
... He who now bears the title of king is unworthy of it, as being a bastard, and it must be evident that it is displeasing to God such a master should govern the kingdom. He is involved in endless quarrels in his dominions over the sea, being at variance not only with strangers but with his own children, and in the midst of his difficulties his own creatures desert him. He has deserved this by the crimes which are openly tallied of all over the world. He disinherited and drove out of Normandy William Werlenc, Count de Mortain, for a single word. Walter, Count de Pontoise, nephew of King Edward, and Biota his wife, being his guests at Falaise, were both his victims by poison in one and the same night. Conan, also, was taken off by poison at William's instigation; that valiant count whose death was mourned through the whole of Brittany with unutterable grief on account of his great virtues. These, and other such crimes have been perpetrated by William in the case of his own kinsfolk and relations, and he is ever ready to act the same part towards us and our peers. He has impudently usurped the glorious crown of England, iniquitously murdering the rightful heirs, or driving them into cruel banishment. He has not even rewarded according to their merits his own adherents, those by whose valour he has been raised to a pitch of eminence exceeding that of all his race. Many of these who sired their blood in his service have been treated with ingratitude, and on slight pretests have been sentenced to death, as if they were his enemies. To his victorious soldiers, covered with wounds, were allotted barren farms and domains depopulated by the ravages of war; and even these his avarice subsequently compelled them to surrender in part or in whole. These things cause him to be generally hated, and his death would be the signal for universal joy.
— Ordericus Vitalis, History of England and Normandy by Thomas Forester[3]
Work began to prepare the revolt; however, the plan was discovered by William after Waltheof lost heart and confessed the conspiracy to Lanfranc, the Archbishop of Canterbury, who urged Earl Roger to return to his allegiance, and finally excommunicated him and his adherents. Waltheof was imprisoned for a year, and later executed by William. Many believed that this action cursed William I for the rest of his life.[21] The last of the Anglo-Saxon earls, Waltheof had been known in his life as kind and pious. A cult later developed around Waltheof, who became a martyr to the oppressed English. His body is believed to have moved after death, he appeared in visions, and healing miracles were reported at his tomb,[22][23] and many pilgrims began to visit his grave.[24] The Norse poet Þorkell Skallason composed a memorial poem for Waltheof—"Valþjófsflokkr".[25]
Immediately after the confession of Waltheof, the Revolt now had inadequate time to prepare. Ralph retreated from the force led by warrior bishops Odo of Bayeux and Geoffrey de Montbray (the latter ordered that all rebels should have their right foot cut off) near Cambridge and retreated hurriedly to Norwich, hotly pursued by the royal army. Emma stayed to defend Norwich Castle, while Ralph sailed for Denmark in search of help (which may indicate familial ties), and returned to England with a fleet of 200 ships under Knud, son of King Svend, and Jarl Hakon,[26] which arrived too late, and instead sacked the Norman Cathedral St Peter's Minster[27] in York, where a previous Saxon church had been destroyed.[20]
Holding the fort
Meanwhile, Countess Emma bravely held the fort at Norwich Castle until she had negotiated terms for herself and the safe escape of her followers, who were deprived of their lands, but allowed forty days to leave the realm. Countess Emma escaped to Brittany, where she was rejoined by her husband. Ralph was deprived of all his lands and of his earldom. Roger was captured, and despite being much more involved in the revolt than Waltheof, was merely imprisoned, and released on William I's death in 1087.
Ralph and Emma both safely escaped England to Ralph's vast inherited lands in Brittany.[28]
Baron of Brittany
Following Ralph and Emma's escape from England, they settled at their inherited lands in Brittany.[28] As well as Gaël, these lands included 40 parishes,[29] including Gauder Castle and Montfort castle,[29][30] located at the confluence of the Meu river.[8] Ralph and Emma then lived as great Barons of Brittany.
Montfort-sur-Meu – Tour du Papegault
In 1076, William I summoned an army, crossed the sea to France, and attempted to attack Ralph who was stationed at his Castle of Dol. William had enlisted Hoël II, Duke of Brittany in the conflict.[31] William met with a humiliating defeat. His forces were overwhelmed and resoundingly defeated as the King of France, with a large army, roared to the defence of the Bretons;[32] whereupon William departed thence, having lost there both men and horses, and many of his treasures'.[33] This resulted in such great losses for King William, that he conceded defeat, and "with so great loss of men, horses, and money, that the next year he was glad to make peace with him; and thus ended the whole affair, in the year 1077".[34] Peace was made.
William being dead, Ralph appears in Normandy c. 1093 as a witness in the record of a suit between the abbots of Lonlay-l'Abbaye and Saint-Florent de Besneville.
Children
Arms of the lords of Montfort: Argent a cross Gules gringollée Or
William (Guillame) de Gael, succeeded his father as Seigneur de Gael. He claimed Breteuil after the death of his uncle William de Breteuil in 1103,[35] but died shortly thereafter, according to Orderic Vitalis.
Alain de Gael, who went with his parents on the First Crusade.[36][37][38]
Raoul II de Gael, seigneur of Gaël and Montfort. Like his father, he was an extremely skilled warrior and fighter.[39] He was the youngest, but inherited his father's estates.[40] By 1119, he had obtained the honour of Breteuil in Normandy (his uncle William de Breteuil died 1103 without any legitimate issue). He had several children by his wife,[8] including a daughter named Amice (Amicia). Amice was initially betrothed to Richard, a highly regarded son of Henry I by his mistress Ansfrida, but her betrothed died on the White Ship disaster in November 1120.[41][42] She was then married, in 1121, to the king's ward, Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester, second (twin) son of Robert de Beaumont, Count of Meulan.
Raoul II's other descendants continued to hold his estates in Brittany.[43] French sources state that his son, Guillame,[8] inherited the barony of Montfort after the death of Raoul II, who died at his castle in Montfort in 1142.[8] Guillame was of a more peaceful temperament than his father or grandfather. He married Alice de Porhoët, and lived peacefully at his castle.[8] He strengthened the fortifications around Montfort Castle and founded Abbeys nearby, which he later retired to, in old age.[8] The line of inheritance continued,[43] (sometimes with a female heiress as Lord[8]) acquiring Laval and Vitré in the 15th century with the marriage of the heiress of Montmorency-Laval.[8]
Crusade
In September 1096, accompanied by his wife[44] and son Alain,[36][37] and in the army of Robert Curthose (second son of William I), he went on the First Crusade[45] to the Holy Land. After wintering in Italy, crossed over to Epirus, where they joined Bohemond, and reached Nicaea early in June 1097, where Ralph was one of the Breton leaders who took part in the siege of Nicaea.[46] After this, they joined Bohemund I of Antioch's division of the army. Ralph is again mentioned as fighting at the Battle of Dorylaeum with his son Alan on 1 July 1097.[47] Ralph and Emma died in the holy land,[48] witnessing the capture of Jerusalem in 1099, but dying the following year on the road from Jerusalem.[8]
^"The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle : Eleventh Century". Translated by Ingram, James. 1823. Retrieved 7 December 2022 – via The Avalon Project, Lillian Goldman Law Library, Yale Law School. On þissan geare Wyllelm cyngc geaf Raulfe eorle Wyllelmes dohtor, Osbarnes sunu, 7 se ylca Raulf wæs Bryttisc on his modor healfe, 7 Rawulf his fæder wæs Englisc, 7 wæs geboren on Norðfolce, 7 se kyngc geaf for þi his suna þær þone eorldom, 7 Suðfolc eac. He þa lædde þæt wif to Norðwic, þær wæs þæt brydealo, þæt wæs manegra manna bealo. [A.D. 1075. This year King William gave Earl Ralph the daughter of William Fitz-Osborne to wife. This same Ralph was British on his mother's side; but his father, whose name was also Ralph, was English; and born in Norfolk. The king therefore gave his son the earldom of Norfolk and Suffolk; and he then led the bride to Norwich. There was that bride-ale The source of man's bale.]
^"Godwin Halden, by his name, seems to be an Old English Saxon, or Dane, and how he came to be in such favour, and to merit so much from the Conqueror, is not known; it is however worthy of our remark, and notice, that if he was an English Saxon, &c. he is the only one I have yet found in Norfolk, that was allowed to keep his land at the Conquest, and hold it at the survey."
An Essay Towards A Topographical History of the County of Norfolk: Volume 10. Originally published by W Miller, London, 1809.
^"At the latter end of the Confessor's time it began to be inhabited, and at the Conqueror's survey, all this land was owned and held by Ralf Waiet, or Guader, Earl of Norfolk, (fn. 2) in right of his castle, and he granted it to the King in common, to make a new-burgh between them; which burgh contained all this and St. Giles's parish; (fn. 3) and this Earl it was, that first founded the church of St. Peter and Paul at Mancroft, and gave it to his chaplains" An Essay Towards A Topographical History of the County of Norfolk: Volume 4, the History of the City and County of Norwich, Part II. Originally published by W Miller, London, 1806.
^"at the Conqueror's survey, all this land was owned and held by Ralf Waiet, or Guader, Earl of Norfolk, in right of his castle, and he granted it to the King in common, to make a new-burgh between them; which ... contained all this and St. Giles's parish; and this Earl it was, that first founded the church of St. Peter and Paul at Muncroft, and gave it to his chaplains." The History of the City and County of Norwich. 1833.
^"The death of Earl Waltheof was the cause of much censure on King William from many quarters, and numerous were the troubles, which by the righteous judgement of God he afterwards suffered from various attacks which never afterwards permitted him to enjoy any continuance of tranquility...In the thirteen years he afterwards lived, he never won a pitched battle, nor succeeded in taking a town he besieged. The Almighty Judge...suffering no crime to go unpunished". Oderic Vitalis
^Farmer, David (14 April 2011). The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, Fifth Edition Revised. Oxford University Press. ISBN978-0199596607. Retrieved 31 August 2017 – via Google Books.
^Gade, Kari Ellen (6 December 2009). "Þorkell Skallason, Valþjófsflokkr". Skaldic Poetry of the Scandinavian Middle Ages. 2: 382–384 – via skaldic.org.
^Anglo-Saxon Chronicle D, 1076 [1075], and E, 1076 [1075].
^ ab"Being banished the kingdom, he returned to Brittany with his wife and settled on his patrimonial estates which his attainder by the sovereign of England could not affect." Ordericus Vitalis History of England and Normandy by Thomas Forester. Volume 2. Book IV. George Bell and Sons 1854. Electronic edition prepared by Michael A. Linton. Date accessed 10 November 2022.
^ ab"In that province, he had on his domains two noble castles, Guader and Montfort, which his sons possess by hereditary right to the present day." Ordericus Vitalis History of England and Normandy by Thomas Forester. Volume 2. Book IV. George Bell and Sons 1854. Electronic edition prepared by Michael A. Linton. Date accessed 10 November 2022.
^ Orderic Vitalis. William's army was forced to hastily retreat to England, losing many men and horses, and leaving behind expensive military equipment and treasures.
^Between 1114 and 1141 Oderic Vitalis wrote that his sons had inherited his estates. Ordericus Vitalis History of England and Normandy by Thomas Forester. Volume 2. Book IV. George Bell and Sons 1854. Electronic edition prepared by Michael A. Linton. Date accessed 10 November 2022.
