Richard I, Duke of Normandy

Who was Richard I, Duke of Normandy?

Richard I of Normandy, also known as Richard the Fearless, was the Duke of Normandy from 942 to 996. Dudo of Saint-Quentin, whom Richard commissioned to write his De moribus et actis primorum Normanniae ducum, called him a dux, but this use of the word may have been in the context of Richard's leadership in war, and not a reference to a title of nobility. Richard either introduced feudalism into Normandy, or he greatly expanded it. By the end of his reign, most important landholders held their lands in feudal tenure.