Ralph De Guader
RALPH DE GUADER, earl of Norfolk (fl. 1070), was the son of a Norman who had held high positions in East Anglia, perhaps that of earl, in the reign of Edward the Confessor (c. 1055). His son Ralphfought on the Norman side at Hastings, and was made earl of Norfolk by William the Conqueror. In 1075 the king's refusal to sanction his marriage with the sister of Roger, earl of Hereford, caused the two earls to revolt. They were easily defeated, though Ralph sent to Denmark for ships and went there himself to fetch them. Ralph forfeited his English lands, and took refuge in Brittany on his wife's estate. In 1076, having plotted against Duke Hoel of Brittany, he was besieged at Dol, and the Conqueror came to Hoel's aid; but Ralph finally made his peace. Both he and his wife took part in the first crusade (1099), and died on the road to Palestine.
Note - this article incorporates content from Encyclopaedia Britannica, Eleventh Edition, (1910-1911)
