In the 980s the Vikings had been raiding England again. They would then cross the English Channel to Normandy to sell their plunder. Norman and Viking relations were good. Richard's father had hired Viking mercenaries in the 960s. He also allowed them safe haven in Normandy. This caused problems in England and with the Pope in Rome. In 990 representatives of the Pope negotiated a treaty between England and Normandy. Richard I agreed not to aid enemies of England (including Vikings). From 997 to 1000 a great Viking army attacked Wessex a number of times. In 1000 they came to Normandy and were allowed to land by Richard II. This broke the treaty between his father and the English king. In 1000-1001 the English attacked Normandy on the Cotentin Peninsula. The raid was led by king Ethelred the Unready of England. Ethelred had given orders that Richard be captured, shackled and brought to England. But the English were not prepared for the rapid response of the Norman cavalry and were quickly defeated.
Richard wanted to make peace with the English king. He gave his sister Emma of Normandy in marriage to King Ethelred. Ethelred gave Emma the city of Exeter as a dowry. This turned out to be an important marriage as it later gave Richard's grandson, William the Conqueror, a claim to the throne of England. In 1013 when Sweyn Forkbeard invaded England, Emma with her two sons Edward and Alfred fled to Normandy. After losing his throne King Ethelred followed shortly. Soon after the death of Ethelred, Cnut, King of England forced Emma to marry him. Duke Richard was forced to recognize the new regime as his sister was again Queen.
Richard II commissioned Dudo of Saint-Quentin, his clerk and priest, to write about his ancestors. He was to tell the story of the Norman dukes in a way that showed their Christian morals. He wanted them shown to be good and upright leaders who built Normandy despite the bad behavior of their Frankish neighbors. It has been called by some historians a work of propaganda. While it contains a number of stories and legends, nowhere did Dudo claim the stories to be facts. When he wrote his work on the Customs and Deeds of the First Dukes of the Normans, Dudo seems to have met his goal "to tell in the noblest style the story of a noble destiny."
In 1025 and 1026 Richard confirmed gifts of his ancestor Rollo to Saint-Ouen at Rouen. He gave many other gifts to Monasteries. Their names show the areas over which Richard had ducal control: Caen, the Éverecin, the Cotentin, the Pays de Caux and Rouen.
Richard II died 28 Aug 1026.
He married firstly, , Judith (992–1017), daughter of Conan I of Brittany, by whom he had the following issue:
Secondly he married Poppa of Envermeu. They had the following children:
The Sable Quean
The Sable Quean is a children's fantasy novel. It was written by Brian Jacques in 2010, and it's the twenty-first book in the Redwall series.
The evil Vilaya, who's a sable (that's a kind of animal) queen, wants to take over Redwall Abbey. To do this, she kidnaps children from the Abbey and the area around it, so that if the woodlanders want their kids back, they'll have to give her their abbey.
Luckily, several good guys come to the rescue. But will the good guys and the good Redwallers be able to win against the Sable Quean?
Saint Joachim
Saint Joachim was the father of the Virgin Mary and the grandfather of Jesus. Joachim means "Yahweh prepares".
According to tradition, Joachim wanted to pray in the temple but was turned away because of his childlessness. He went to a mountaintop to pray to God. An angel appeared to him and his wife, Anna. The angel told Joachim that the Lord heard their prayers and that Anna was with child.
It is believed that Anna and Joachim gave Mary to the service of the Temple when she was three years old.
St. Joachim and Saint Anna's feast day is July 26.
Ranked list of Spanish autonomous communities by area
This is a ranked list by area for Spain's autonomous communities, as well as for the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla.
Golden Gate (Jerusalem)
The Golden Gate (, ; Arabic: ) is one of the gates of the Old City of Jerusalem. It is in the western side of the walls and the main gate that was connected the Temple Mount to outside the old city. According to the Jewish tradition, the Messiah will come through this gate to the Temple. In the 16th century, the gate was blocked by the Ottoman Sultan and a Muslim cemetery was created to insure that Messiah will never come through this gate. According to the Christian tradition, Jesus came into this gate to Jerusalem.
The Hebrew name for the gate translates to the "Gate of Mercy". In ancient times the gate was known as the "Beautiful Gate".
Luhanka
Luhanka () is a municipality in Central Finland, Finland. About 765 people lived there in February 2014. The municipalities located next to Luhanka are Hartola, Joutsa, Jyväskylä, Jämsä, Kuhmoinen and Sysmä. Originally Luhanka was part of Sysmä. Later it was made into its own municipality in 1864. Luhanka is a popular place for summer cottages.
Laukaa
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Sahara Hotnights
Sahara Hotnights is a female rock band from Robertsfors in Sweden.
Uurainen
Uurainen is a municipality in central Finland. In 2013, about 3,554 people lived there. Nearby municipalities include Jyväskylä, Laukaa, Multia, Petäjävesi, Saarijärvi and Äänekoski.
Melody Club
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Takida
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Nastola
Nastola is a former municipality in Päijänne Tavastia, Finland. It was merged with the city of Lahti on 1 January 2016. In 2013, about 15,107 people lived there. Nearby municipalities include Asikkala, Heinola, Hollola, Iitti, Lahti and Orimattila.
Orimattila
Orimattila is a town in Päijänne Tavastia, Finland. As of 2010, about 16,350 people lived there. Nearby municipalities include Hollola, Iitti, Kärkölä, Lahti, Lapinjärvi, Myrskylä, Mäntsälä, Nastola and Pukkila.
The former municipality of Artjärvi was merged with Orimattila in 2011.
Hollola
Hollola is a municipality in Päijänne Tavastia, Finland. About 22,092 people lived there in 2013. Nearby municipalities include Asikkala, Hämeenkoski, Kärkölä, Lahti, Nastola and Orimattila. On 1 January 2016, Hämeenkoski is a part of Hollola.
Kärkölä
Kärkölä is a municipality in Päijänne Tavastia, Finland. In 2013, about 4,776 people lived there. Nearby municipalities include Hausjärvi, Hollola, Hämeenkoski, Hämeenlinna, Mäntsälä and Orimattila.
Järvelä, Hevonoja, Hongisto, Hähkäniemi, Iso-Sattiala, Karvala, Kirkonkylä, Lappila, Maavehmaa, Marttila, Uusikylä and Vähä-Sattiala.
Hämeenlinna
Hämeenlinna is a town in Finland. As of January 2014, about 67,750 people lived there. Nearby municipalities include Akaa, Asikkala, Hattula, Hausjärvi, Hämeenkoski, Janakkala, Kärkölä, Loppi, Padasjoki, Pälkäne, Tammela, Urjala and Valkeakoski.
The former municipalities of Hauho, Kalvola, Lammi, Renko and Tuulos were merged with Hämeenlinna in 2009.
Padasjoki
Padasjoki is a municipality in Päijänne Tavastia, Finland. About 3,319 people lived there as of 31 May 2013. Nearby municipalities include Asikkala, Hämeenlinna, Kangasala, Kuhmoinen, Pälkäne and Sysmä.
People lived in the area of Padasjoki during the Stone Age. There is hill fort around the town.
Kuhmoinen
Kuhmoinen is a municipality in Central Finland. Almost 2,400 people lived there as of January 2014. Nearby municipalities include Jämsä, Kangasala, Luhanka, Orivesi, Padasjoki and Sysmä.
Harjunsalmi, Harmoinen, Kirkonkylä, Kissakulma, Kylämä, Patavesi, Pihlajakoski, Poikkijärvi, Puukkoinen, Päijälä, Ruolahti amd Sappee.
Pori