General Notes

Rollo of Norway = Robert Ragnvaldsson = Rolf the Granger = 1st D uke of Normandy.

Ganger Rolf, "the Viking" (or Rollo), banished from Norway to the Hebrides  California. 876, 890 participated in Viking attack on Bayeux , where Count Berenger of Bayeux was killed , and his dau. Popp a captured and taken, 886, by Rollo (now called Count of Rouen ) as his "Danish" wife. Under Treaty of St. Claire, 911, rec'd t he Duchy of Normandy from Charles III, "the Simple" (148-17); d .  California. 927 (Isenburg says 921), bur. Notre Dame, Rouen. (Isenbur g (1976 ed.) table 36 (see note following); Onslow, The Dukes o f Normamdy, 15-46). Note Isenburg inserts a Robert between Roll o and William I, and makes Robert the conqueror of Bayeux, husb . of Poppa, and 1st Duke. Chronology favors the descent given by Moriary and Onslow. It seems probable that Robert was anothe r name for Rollo. If there really was a Robert as 1st Duke, the n No. 23 would be Robert II, which is not the case. For addition al data on William II of Normandy and I of England the reader  Massachusetts y consult David C. Douglas, William the Conqueror (1964). Beside s a daughter Gerloc (or Adela) who m. 935 William I (144A-19), C ount of Poitou, Ganger Rolf had William I, "Longsword".

Norwegian Viking settled at the mouth of the Seine. After fighting many battles made an agreement with King Charles The Simple- Received land in Normandy and became the 1st Duke of Normandy. He had to become a Christian, but at his death he ordered the sacrifice of 100 slaves(Showing that he still held to his Pagan beliefs)
Rollo The Dane, First Duke of Normandy, Also called Rolf the Walker because, being so tall, he preferred to go a foot rather than ride the little Norwegain horses. Originally a Norse Viking, he was noted for strength and martial prowess.[myfamtree.ged]

Rollo the Dane, also known as Hrolf or Rollon, 1st Duke Of Normandy from 911 to 927, called also Rolf the Walker, because, being so tall, he preferred to go afoot rather than ride the little Norwegian horses. Also shown as Rollon, Row, or Robert. Originally a Norse Viking, he was noted for strength and martial prowess. In the reign of Charles II, the Bald, he sailed up the Seine River and took Rouen, which he kept as a base of operations. He gained a number of victories over the Franks, and extorted the cession of the province since called Normandy. By the famous treaty which Charles the Bald and Rollo signed the latter agreed to adopt Christianity. He was born in 846 and died in 932, and was buried in the Cathedral at Rouen. He married (1) Gisla, daughter of Charles the Simple, King of France, no issue; (2) Lady Poppa De Valois, (means puppet or little doll), daughter of Pepin De Senlis De Valois, Count Berenger (Berenarius) of Bretagne, Count of Bayeux, and sister of Bernard of St. Liz (Senlis), also recorded as Berenger, Count of Bayeux. Rollo lived with her for some time before the marriage.
Vol I File 8: The Paternal Ancestry of Homer Beers James
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~pmcbride/james/f008.htm#T23

"Robert I" was the Viking who established the Norse men in France and thus created "Normandy." It's said he was called Marching Rolf because he was too large to be carried by a horse, and so marched everywhere. (With that, I picture the small Icelandic horses; but don't know what mount was common in those days in Norway and Denmark.) His descendants include many of William the Conqueror's companions who were to become major landholders in England. Thus the families here are anchored on both sides of the Channel. Note the number of instances where "see above" is noted it shows how many times this chart "collapses, " or doubles upon itself, through the marriage of two who share ancestry. It is striking how this Scandinavian bloodline ran to so many later kings and counts.

The account Jean Mabire gives of Rolf runs like this: Rolf, son of Jarl Ragnwald of Alesund in Norway (whom Harald had sent to hold the Orkney & Shetland islands) led the life of a roaming Viking, raiding the French coast with his band. Problem was that at home he carried on the same way, still pillaging; he was stormy and battle-prone; and got himself banned from Norway. Seems everyone else who had a problem with authority joined his fleet, spent a winter in England, went on to Zeeland and finally wandered on into the Seine. The people of Rouen negotiated with him to be their protector. There had already been Norwegian and Danish settlers in the area. King Charles "the Simple" of France made an effort to chase away the Vikings, but Rolf's men triumphed at Pont-De-L'Arche, then went on to raid Melun, where the French again tried to beat them off and lost. So the Vikings ruled the area from their seat at Rouen, and mostly turned to colonization instead of pillaging. But Rolf looked beyond the Seine valley; he extended his holdings across the Risle, then the Orne, then took Bayeux in 900, killing Count Béreanger who had held it; Rolf married the count's daughter Popa. And, finally, in 911, Charles "the Simple" recognized Rolf's holdings.
The town of Fakse in Denmark (southern Sjælland) claims him as a local resident before he left for France
Descendancy Chart For Rollo
http://www.patpnyc.com/hrolf-De.shtml[348559.ged]

Note:
Supposedly he was from Maer,Norway, but this is unproven, as well as the parental links. He was known in the north as Hrolf the Ganger, because he was so huge that no horse could carry him and he must follow gang afoot. A pirate at home, he was driven into exile by the anger of King Harold,
whereupon he followed his trade in the Western Isles and in Gaul, and rose to be a great Jarl among his people. Originally a part of Charlemagne's empire, Normandy was fairly wealthy, with lots of monasteries and small towns. Lying on the northern coast of France, it became a favorite and easy target for Vikings in the 9th C. It lost most of its monasteries and was not much of a prize when a Viking
came to the King Charles III "the simple" of the West Franks in 911 with a proposal. The Viking was Rolf (claimed byNorway, Denmark and Sweden, but probably from Norway) with many men at his command. He offered to defend the coast against other Vikings in return for a title. And, naturally, he and his people would convert to Christianity. So, Rolf the Viking became Count of Normandy (later the Duchy of Normandy), and the King of the West Franks breathed a deep sigh of relief.
The title "Duke of Normandy", by the way, seems never to have been used before the end of the 10th century, and to have been official only with the accession of William II (the Conqueror). The title granted by Charles the Simple was Count, usually taken to mean of Rouen.The territory given to Rollo comprised the town of Rouen and a few 'pagi' situated on the sea-coast was ceded to the latter; but the terms of the treaty are ill-defined, and it is consequently almost impossible to find out the exact extent of this territory or to know whether Brittany was at this time made a feudal dependency of Normandy.
Source: Alabama Myers[JamesLinage.GED]