Marching through history – Cathie introduces the forgotten Poppa

Some years ago, I read Cathie Dunne’s book, Ascent and was quite fascinated by how she’d described the, to me, unknown Poppa and her marriage to Hrolf. In Sweden, we call him Gångar-Rolf “Walking Rolf” because he went to so many places, but that is neither here nor there. Given how fascinated I was by poppa, I was delighted when Cathie offered to write a post about this woman who has been reduced to the shadows of history. So, Cathie, take it away!

Who was Poppa of Bayeux? And why has she been forgotten? After all, the powerful medieval dukes of Normandy and subsequent kings of England would not have existed without her.

Well, many fans of history and historical fiction know the man she shared her life with: Rollo the Viking! But while Vikings, the popular TV series, gave him a major role – in a different time, mind – with a focus on his marriage to Gisela, a king’s daughter. But what about his first wife, Poppa? With her children attributed to Gisela in the series, Poppa was – again – written out of history.

So I took up her cause!

Little is known about Poppa’s origins. She was apparently the daughter of Berengar, count of Rennes and Bayeux, a minor lord in an area that was then called Neustria. However, this assumption is based on later records by Dudo de Saint-Quentin, who then wanted to establish legitimacy to Rollo’s bloodline (and who wasn’t shy of inventing things!), and its veracity cannot be confirmed. Other options of parentage include Guy de Senlis, and even links to the important West Frankish county of Vermandois through a female line.

Neustria (today’s Normandy) was a coastal area with access to the strategic mouth of the Seine river, which flowed to the heart of the West Frankish kingdom – Paris. The region was attacked repeatedly by Norsemen, who soon began to settle in their conquered, fertile lands. But whilst conquering had been easy, retaining the land was a constant fight.

During one such raid on her home settlement of Bayeux, Poppa was captured by Rollo. This much is certain, according to sources.

The actual date / year of this ‘Viking’ attack is unknown, but it could have been around 889, following the ill-fated siege of Paris in which Rollo appears to have taken part.

Rollo was clearly still Pagan at the time of the series of attacks on Neustria in the last two decades of the 9^th century, which explains the ‘more danico’ style wedding to Poppa – a Norse handfasting wedding, rather than a formal Church ceremony (which was also done by handfasting at that time, still, but with a priest’s blessing either on the doorstep or inside a church).

It is only in the last decade of the 9^th century that Poppa had her son, William – later called Longsword (not to be confused with a later English knight called William Longsword). Seemingly, over a decade later, she gave birth to Gerloc / Geirlaug, a daughter whose name was changed to Adela following her baptism likely in 911/2, at the same time as her father’s.

The birth years of Poppa’s children are not recorded, and there may or may not have been such a huge gap between them. We can only assume that Rollo’s frequent absences were the cause, or perhaps children who never survived, and thus were not deemed worthy of being recorded.

Under attack from the Franks, Rollo and Poppa had to flee Neustria in the late 9^th century (890s are likely), possibly ending up in East Anglia, where one or both of their children were born.

Following their return and consolidation of Rollo’s growing role in Neustria, Poppa likely spent much time in Bayeux, even during their marriage, but also at his official base in Rouen later in life. With Rollo frequently away from home, she would have been in charge of her own household, raising her son to become his father’s heir after Rollo’s elevation to Lord of the Normands and later, Count of Rouen.

Whilst Poppa’s existence is proven through her children, we know nothing about her supposed adversary, Gisela, rumoured daughter of King Charles (the Simple) of the West Franks. Whilst there are references to a wedding between her and Rollo as part of the Treaty of Saint-Clair-sur-Epte, making her his lawful wife in the eyes of the Church, there is no record of her birth, and they had no surviving offspring. So did Gisela exist at all? It’s likely we’ll never know.

Putting those few pieces together, in my novel, Ascent, I created Poppa as a young teenage girl when Rollo (Hrólfr in the novel) and his men attack Bayeux. He was a man in his prime, a battle-hardened warrior, and far away from his home or Denmark or Norway. As her real birthday year is uncertain, I shifted it for the sake of the plot.

In the novel, I deemed it important to show her attachment to Bayeux, even after her father’s death, and I used her own manor there as her base during Rollo’s marriage to Gisela (in the 910s, when his base was in Rouen), whom I made Poppa’s jealous adversary.

The real Poppa would have raised her children in difficult, ever-shifting circumstances whilst Franks and Norsemen vied for supremacy in Neustria. The strategic region was a major place of upheaval, and whilst Rollo – as her husband – was responsible for her safety, including their temporary exile in Anglo-Saxon England, it was Poppa who held everything together. She got his back. And what did the ungrateful man do? Marry another! Or did he?

‘My’ Poppa is loyal to her husband, despite his actions, but she is also fiercely protective of her children. Her awareness of Rollo’s growing importance shines through in her pride for her son, William, Rollo’s heir. Following Rollo’s death, William had a hard time holding on to the lands his father had been granted by the Frankish kings, with Frankish nobles vying to unseat this upstart family.

I think Poppa raising William to become a man who was fully aware of his responsibilities, but also knew how to understand shifting political loyalties, was her great achievement. He was no Pagan warrior like his father had been, although he knew very well how to fight. But the constant challenges to his domain, the constant need for defence in response to unabating Frankish raids, led to William eventually pursuing a truce – which ultimately cost him his life.

Poppa’s daughter Adela’s marriage to the young Count of Poitiers (and Duke of Aquitaine later in his life) was also part of her family’s rise in power, which led to vital connections with that important family, and to Aquitaine.

Poppa of Bayeux is the sadly forgotten matriarch of the House of Normandy. It is likely her grandson, Richard (the Fearless) was created the first Duke of Normandy, and through the bloodline, she is the ancestor of future dukes, and subsequent kings of England. And whilst Rollo has featured in historical fiction and on TV screens, poor Poppa has been written out of her own history.

Ascent tries to redress the balance.

Extract from Chapter One. The residents of Bayeux are attending Easter Mass, which takes hours. Fourteen-year-old Poppa is bored, and her mind wanders. Then something happens that breaks the tranquillity of the sermon…

The celebration of the Easter feast – the most important event of the Christian year – was always a solemn occasion, as befitted Christ’s death and resurrection. She knew that. But after the third of the nine Kyrie Eleisons that opened the mass, Poppa’s thoughts had begun to drift. Like everyone else, she recited and intoned when prompted, but she much rather wanted to meet with her friend, Landina, by the water mill on the edge of town. The stream and the meadows were like heaven, unlike this crowded church where not even the cloying incense could not hide the stench of so many unwashed bodies.

Where were they, anyway? She cast glances to either side of her, but saw neither her friends nor their father, the miller. Perhaps they were behind her. Briefly, she considered turning around, but Father’s rigid stance changed her mind. Huffing, she shifted her weight to the other foot and winced at the tingling in her toes.

“Shh!” Father sent her a dark glance through lowered eyelids. He took sermons seriously, and his strong faith was the main reason she studied boring Latin with Father Peter.

Poppa knew Father was in part fulfilling Mother’s dying wish by providing her with a religious education. Mother had wanted for her to join a convent. But Poppa also knew that she – as the only daughter of Count Bérengar of Bayeux – would soon become an important marriage pawn. The notion filled her with trepidation. On her fourteenth birthday, Father broached the subject for the first time, indicating there were several potential suitors for her in mind. She’d been praying Ranulf was amongst them, but his family were far below her own in station. Her hopes faltered, even though Father had promised to heed her opinion.

He indulged her, that was all. Then he would follow through with his plans. Much to her annoyance, he’d mentioned names of several men at the Frankish court. Men or boys of noble birth, all of them. Resigned, Poppa’s heart had sunk.

Her childish snort at his pledge was drowned out by a loud “Alleluia!” from the gathered crowd. Swiftly, she followed Father’s lead and crossed herself, else he would chide her for her straying mind.

Biting her lip, Poppa focused on Father Peter’s ramblings, trying to identify words she recognised, and their meaning. It whiled away the time. Surreptitiously, she changed her weight again.

Moments later, as everyone watched the priest who had paused in his sermon, his head cocked to the side like a bird’s, a sound of raised voices reached her ears. It came from outside. Shouts, which grew steadily closer. But with most of the inhabitants of Bayeux attending church, what could make such a growing noise?

Father exchanged glances with several men in the crowd. An imperceptible nod from him, and they slowly edged closer to him. He spoke in a hushed tone, but Poppa could not hear his words.

More urgent shouting reached Poppa’s ears, followed by screams that pierced the silence.

Ascent – The Story of Poppa of Bayeux

A brutal Viking raid heralds the dawn of a new, powerful dynasty – the House of Normandy

 Neustria, Kingdom of the West Franks
AD 890

Fourteen-year-old Poppa’s life changes when Northmen land near Bayeux. Count Bérengar, her father, submits to them, and she is handfasted to Hrólfr, the Northmen’s heathen leader, as part of their agreement.

To her relief, Hrólfr leaves immediately in search of further conquest, only returning to claim her years later. In the face of retaliating Franks, they flee to East Anglia, where she gives birth to their son and daughter.

When Hrólfr and Poppa return to reclaim Bayeux, his new campaign strikes at the heart of Frankish power, and King Charles of the West Franks offers him a pact he cannot refuse. In exchange for vast tracts of land in Neustria, Hrólfr must convert to Christianity and accept marriage to Gisela, the king’s illegitimate daughter.

Poppa’s world shatters. She remains in Bayeux, with her daughter, Adela. When Gisela arrives one day, demanding she hand over Adela, to be raised in Rouen, Poppa’s patience is at an end. But Gisela makes for a dangerous enemy, and only one woman will survive their confrontation high up on the cliffs.

Will Poppa live to witness the dawn of a new era? 

Universal Buy Link: https://mybook.to/NormandyAscent

Cathie Dunn writes historical fiction, mystery, and romance. The focus ofher latest historical series, House of Normandy, is on strong women in early Normandy. She loves researching for her novels, delving into history books, and visiting castles and historic sites.

Cathie’s stories have garnered awards and praise from reviewers and readers for their authentic description of the past.

She is a member of the Historical Novel Society, the Alliance of Independent Authors, and the Richard III Society.

After many years in Scotland, Cathie now lives in south of France with her husband, and rescued pets, Charlie Cat and Ellie Dog.

Website: www.cathiedunn.com

Blog: https://ruinsandreading.blogspot.com/

Twitter / X: https://x.com/cathiedunn  (NOTE! Despite the strike-through the link works… Weird, huh?)

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/cathiedunn.bsky.social

Check out the previous Marching Through History post HERE!