Cecilia of Normandy

Cecilia
Abbess of Holy Trinity[1]
Cecilia depicted on the family tree with her sisters
Born	c.1056 Normandy, France
Died	30 July 1126 ( 69 - 70 ) Caen, France
House	House of Normandy
Father	William the Conqueror
Mother	Matilda of Flanders

Cecilia of Normandy (or Cecily; c. 1056 – 30 July 1126) is thought to be the eldest daughter^[2][3] of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders.^[4][5] Her brothers were Kings William II of England^[6] and Henry I of England. She was very close to her other brother, Robert Curthose,^[7] and was educated by the abbess Matilda.^[8][9]

She was entered into the Abbey of Caen at a young age by her parents.^[10] She became Abbess of Holy Trinity in 1112.^[11]

Cecilia died on 30 July 1126 in Caen, France. She was buried within the abbey walls. Her tomb is walled up without any opening being left through which it can be discovered. Her father was also buried in Caen.

References

1. The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy, Volume 2. Page 115.
2. It is also possible that Princess Adeliza was William’s eldest daughter.
3. James Panton. Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy. Page 93.
4. Lives of the Princesses of England from the Norman Conquest by Mary Anne Everett Green. Pages 1–13.
5. Kenneth J. Panton: Historical Dictionary of the British Monarchy, Scarecrow Press, 2011, ISBN 978-0810857797
6. David C. Douglas: William the Conqueror, p. 395
7. William M. Aird. Robert `Curthose', Duke of Normandy (C. 1050-1134). The acclaimed biography of the eldest son of William the Conqueror, whose failure to secure the kingdom of England has overshadowed his role in capturing Jerusalem during the First Crusade.
8. Churches and Churchmen in Medieval Europe by C. N. L. Brooke
9. The history of Normandy and of England till 1101, Volume 3 by Francis Palgrave. Page 526.
10. Historia Ecclesiastica by Orderic Vitalis
11. Douglas: William the Conqueror, pp. 393–395

External links

• Cecilia at Find A Grave