Nicolas of Normandy

Nicolas of Normandy (or Nicholaus; –1092) was the fourth abbot of Saint-Ouen Abbey, Rouen. Origins Nicolas of Normandy was born in 1026–1027, the legitimate or natural son of Richard III, Duke of Normandy. He is nicknamed Nicolas the Levite by Orderic Vitalis. The first names of the Norman princes are generally William, Robert and Richard. Véronique Gazeau suggests that the first name Nicolas is not the one given by his father, but one assigned to him by the abbot Isembert. Abbot There is uncertainty about the date Nicolas became abbot. Orderic Vitalis says that he was chosen “in adolescentia” a few years after being sent as an oblate to Fécamp, appointed by his uncle Robert the Magnificent. It seems possible that his cousin William the Conqueror sought to establish his authority by appointing Nicolas abbot of Saint-Ouen and thus preventing factions which were hostile to him from claiming the duchy in Nicolas's name. Nicolas provided William with 15 ships and 100 soldiers for the conquest of England.