Sprota

Sprota was an early 10th century woman of obscure origin who became wife 'in the Viking fashion' (more danico) of William I, Duke of Normandy, by her becoming mother of his successor, Duke Richard I. After the death of William, she married a wealthy landowner, Esperleng, by him having another son, Norman nobleman Rodulf of Ivry.

Life
The first mention of Sprota is by her contemporary, Flodoard of Reims. Although he does not name her, he identifies her under the year [943] as the mother of "William’s son [Richard] born of a Breton concubine". Elisabeth van Houts wrote "on this reference rests the identification of Sprota, William Longsword’s wife 'according to the Danish custom', as of Breton origin", and this could apply to someone of native Breton, Scandinavian, or Frankish ethnicity, the latter being the most likely based on her name spelling. The first to provide her name was William of Jumièges, writing in the second half of the 11th century. The name Sprota seems to contain the same root as the anthroponym Sprot found in the Domesday Book and in various place-names both in England such as Sprotbrough (Sproteburg 1086) and in Normandy like the Eprevilles, such as Epreville (Sprovilla 1025), which is at the same time Anglo-Saxon as Sprota, Anglo-Scandinavian and Scandinavian (see Sproti ).

The non-Christian nature of her relationship with William became a source of ridicule for her son Richard. The French King Louis "abused the boy with bitter insults", calling him "the son of a whore who had seduced another woman's husband."

At the time of the birth of her first son Richard, Sprota was living in her own household at Bayeux, under William's protection. William, having just quashed a rebellion at Pré-de Bataille (c. 936), received the news by a messenger that Sprota had just given birth to a son; delighted at the news William ordered his son to be baptized and given the personal name of Richard. William's steward Boto became the boy's godfather.

After the death of William Longsword and the captivity of her son Richard, she had been "collected" from her dangerous situation by the "immensely wealthy" Esperleng. Robert of Torigni identified Sprota's second husband as Esperleng, a wealthy landowner who operated mills at Pîtres.

Family
By William I Longsword she was the mother of:


 * Richard I, Duke of Normandy

By Esperling of Vaudreuil she was the mother of:


 * Rodulf, Count of Ivry
 * several daughters who married Norman magnates