by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2022

Cecilia of Normandy; Credit – WIkipedia

Cecilia of Normandy was born circa 1055 – 1056 in the Duchy of Normandy, now part of France. She was the daughter of William III, Duke of Normandy and Matilda of Flanders. In 1066, Cecilia’s father, William III, Duke of Normandy, invaded England and defeated the last Anglo-Saxon King, Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings. The Duke of Normandy was then also King William I of England, known as “the Conqueror”. Cecilia’s paternal grandparents were Robert I the Magnificent, Duke of Normandy and his mistress Herleva of Falaise. His maternal grandparents were Baldwin V, Count of Flanders and Adèle of France, daughter of King Robert II of France.

Cecilia had at least nine siblings. The birth order of the boys is clear, but that of the girls is not. The list below is not in birth order. It lists Cecilia’s brothers first in their birth order and then his sisters in their probable birth order.

• Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy (1051-1054 – 1134), married Sybil of Conversano, had one son
• Richard of Normandy (circa 1054 – circa 1070), died in a hunting accident in the New Forest
• William II Rufus, King of England (1056-1060 – 1100), unmarried, killed in the New Forest
• Henry I, King of England (1068 – 1135), married (1) Matilda of Scotland, had one son and one daughter (2) Adeliza of Louvain, no children
• Agatha of Normandy died before 1074, unmarried
• Adeliza of Normandy (circa 1055 – before 1113), probably a nun at the Abbey of St Léger in Préaux, Duchy of Normandy
• Matilda of Normandy (circa 1061 – circa 1086)
• Constance of Normandy (1057-1061 – 1090, married Alan IV, Duke of Brittany, no issue
• Adela of Normandy (circa 1067 – 1137), married Stephen II, Count of Blois, had ten children including King Stephen of England

The Abbey of the Holy Trinity as it looked in 1702 before parts of it were demolished and rebuilt and other parts restored; Credit – Wikipedia

The marriage of Cecilia’s parents occurred without the required papal dispensation as William and Matilda were regarded within the prohibited degree of kinship. Finally, in 1059 papal approval was received, but as a penance, William and Matilda were each required to found an abbey in Caen, Duchy of Normandy as penance, William founded the Abbey of St. Stephen (also called the Abbaye-aux-Hommes, Abbey of the Men), and Matilda founded the Abbey of the Holy Trinity (also called the Abbaye-aux-Dames, Abbey of the Women). In early childhood, Cecilia was promised as a nun to the abbey her mother founded.

Before Cecilia entered the abbey, she was educated by the scholar Arnulf of Chocques who taught her Latin, rhetoric, and logic. Cecilia accompanied her mother to England in 1068 and returned to Normandy in 1074 when she entered the Abbey of the Holy Trinity as a novice. On Easter Day, April 5, 1075, Cecilia took her vows as a nun.

Tomb of Cecilia’s mother Matilda of Flanders; Credit – Wikipedia

Cecilia had a successful career at the abbey. She was likely the only child to be present at her mother’s funeral in 1083. The funeral took place at the Abbey of the Holy Trinity and Cecilia’s mother Matilda of Flanders was then buried under a black slab at the abbey she had founded. Cecilia was the Coadjutor of the abbey, the assistant of her relative Abbess Matilda. Upon the death in 1112 of Abbess Matilda, Cecilia became the Abbess of the Abbey of the Holy Trinity.

Cecilia died on July 30, 1126, at the Abbey of the Holy Trinity and was buried at the abbey in the choir of the nuns, on the main axis of the church, opposite the choir of the laypeople where her mother Matilda of Flanders was buried. However, Cecilia’s grave is no longer accessible. Cecilia was succeeded as Abbess by her great-niece Elizabeth of Blois, the granddaughter of Cecilia’s sister Adele who married Stephen II, Count of Blois.

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Works Cited

• En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Abbey of Sainte-Trinité, Caen – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_of_Sainte-Trinit%C3%A9,_Caen> [Accessed 6 July 2022].
• En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Cecilia of Normandy – Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecilia_of_Normandy> [Accessed 6 July 2022].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2016. Matilda of Flanders, Queen of England. [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/matilda-of-flanders-queen-of-england/> [Accessed 6 July 2022].
• Flantzer, Susan, 2016. King William I of England (the Conqueror). [online] Unofficial Royalty. Available at: <https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-william-i-of-england-the-conqueror/> [Accessed 6  July 2022].
• Fr.wikipedia.org. 2022. Cécile de Normandie — Wikipédia. [online] Available at: <https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A9cile_de_Normandie> [Accessed 6 July 2022].
• Ru.wikipedia.org. 2022. Сесилия Нормандская — Википедия. [online] Available at: <https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A1%D0%B5%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%BB%D0%B8%D1%8F_%D0%9D%D0%BE%D1%80%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BD%D0%B4%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F> [Accessed 6 July 2022].
• Williamson, David, 1996. Brewer’s British Royalty. London: Cassell.