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Rollo (Norman: Rou, Rolloun; Old Norse: Hrólfr; French: Rollon; died in 9 3 3 ) w a s a V iking who, as Count of Rouen, became the first ruler of Norm a n d y , a r egion in today's northern France. He emerged as a leading warr i o r f i g ure among the Norsemen who had secured a permanent foothold on F r a n k i sh soil in the valley of the lower Seine after the Siege of Chartr e s i n 9 1 1 . Charles the Simple, king of West Francia, granted them lands b e t w e e n the mouth of the Seine and what is now Rouen in exchange for Rol l o a g r e eing to end his brigandage, swearing allegiance to him, religiou s c o n v e rsion and a pledge to defend the Seine's estuary from other Viki ng r a i d e rs.
The name Rollo is first recorded in a charter written in 918 as the lea d e r o f a g r oup of Viking settlers, and he reigned over the region of No r m a ndy u n til at least 928. He was succeeded by his son William Longswor d i n t h e D u chy of Normandy that he had founded. The offspring of Rollo a n d h i s f o llowers, through their intermingling with the indigenous Frank i s h a n d G allo-Roman population of the lands they settled, became known a s t h e " N o rmans". After the Norman conquest of England and their conques t o f s o u t hern Italy and Sicily over the following two centuries, their d e sc e n d ants came to rule England, much of Ireland, Sicily and Antioch fr o m t h e 1 1 th to 13th centuries, leaving behind an enduring legacy in the h i s t o r ies of Europe and the Near East.
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853 - 931 (87 years)
