Ralph of Gacé (; died 1051) was a member of the House of Normandy who played an influential role during the minority of William the Bastard, prior to his conquest of England. Ralph was the lord of Gacé and other estates in Normandy.
Name Ralph was known to his contemporaries as "Ralph Asshead" or "the Ass-Headed" () for the supposed resemblance of his large and shaggy head to an ill-kept donkey.William M. Aird, Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy: c. 10501134 (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2008), pp. 127129. His name is also recorded as Raoul.
Life Ralph was the middle son of Robert, Archbishop of Rouen and his wife Herlevea,Ordericus Vitalis, The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy, Trans. Thomas Forester, Vol. II (, London: Henry G. Bohn, 1854), p.160 making him part of the ducal house of Normandy in 11th-century France.Detlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge, Band II (Marburg, Germany: Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, 1984), Tafel 79. He was the cousin of Robert I, duke of Normandy, and the first cousin once removed of Robert's son William the Bastard.Europäische Stammtafeln, Band II (1984), Tafel 79. Ralph's older brother Richard received the countship of Évreux, Ralph was given the lordship of Gacé in Lower Normandy.David C. Douglas, William the Conqueror (Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1964), p. 33 He also held Bavent, Noyon-sur-Andelle (now Charleval), Gravençon (near present-day Lillebonne), and Écouché.Francis Palgrave, The History of Normandy and of England till 1101, Vol. 4 (London: Macmillan & Co., 1864), p. 246
Upon the death of Duke Robert in 1035 while returning from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Ralph's father Robert acted as the regent for the duke's young illegitimate son William.The Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumièges, Orderic Vitalis, and Robert of Torigni, Ed. & Trans. Elizabeth M.C. Van Houts, Vol. I (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1992), pp. 80-5 The archbishop was able to maintain order in Normandy until his own death in 1037, whereupon rebellions and private wars erupted.David C. Douglas, William the Conqueror (Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1964), p. 64
Ralph was one of the rebellious lords.David C. Douglas, William the Conqueror (Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1964), p. 41 In 1040, assassins acting upon his orders murdered Gilbert, count of Brionne and the chief tutor of young duke William, while he was riding near Eschafour. In 1043, William and his advisors William of Talou and Archbishop Mauger enlisted Ralph's support and gave him command of the duchy's own forces.David Crouch, The Normans; The History of a Dynasty (London & New York: Hambledon Continuum, 2007), p. 63 Ralph then campaigned against Thurstan le Goz who, along with the French king Henry I, had occupied Falaise. Ralph captured Falaise, forced Thurstan into exile, and drove Henry's forces from Normandy. While Ralph remained a key member of Duke William's inner circle,David Crouch, The Normans; The History of a Dynasty (London & New York: Hambledon Continuum, 2007), p. 64 he made large donations to Jumièges Abbey.Anselme de Sainte-Marie, Histoire de la Maison Royale de France, et des grands officiers (Paris: Compagnie des Libraires, 1726), p. 478 Ralph died in 1051.
Family Ralph married Basilla, daughter of Gerard Flaitel. They had a son, Robert de Gacé, who died without heirs.Surrey Archaeological Society, Surrey archaeological collections, relating to the history and antiquities of the county (London : Lovell Reeve & Co., 1858), p. 38 After Ralph's death, Basilla remarried, wedding Hugh de Gournay.
Legacy Ralph Asshead's former lands were among those demanded by his nephew William, count of Évreux, in exchange for consenting to the marriage of his virgin niece and ward Bertrade to the repeatedly divorced Fulk the Rude of Anjou. This being necessary to Robert Curthose's suppression of a revolt by the Manceaux, Robert yielded and restored almost all of the lands to the family. Bertrade subsequently left Fulk or was abducted and became the queen consort of Philip I.
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