Rollo of Estmere
Rollo of Estmere | |||||
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King of Estmere | |||||
Reign | 1226 – 1244 | ||||
Predecessor | Robert IV | ||||
Successor | Robert V | ||||
Born | c. 1198/1202 | ||||
Died | 1244 (aged 42–46) | ||||
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House | de Harcourt-Soign | ||||
Father | Robert IV | ||||
Mother | Maria of Twofords | ||||
Religion | Solarian Catholicism Ezekielianism |
Rollo (Verique: Rollon; c. 1198/1202 – 1244), known as Rollo the Bastard (Rollon de Bastart), was the King of Estmere from 1226 until his assassination in 1244.
Rollo was born to Robert IV and Maria of Twofords, one of Robert's many mistresses. He spent much of his early life with his mother, but eventually left her to seek out his father. On his father's deathbed, he was legitimised, and created a cadet branch of the ruling dynasty known as the House de Harcourt-Soign. He emerged as a contender in the election for Robert's successor chiefly because Robert's trueborn sons had alienated large chunks of the voting nobility. Rollo's early reign was dominated by the ramifications of the War of Estmerish Independence, as he set about securing the peace with the Verliquoian Empire.
Later in his reign, Rollo began to embrace the doctrine of Ezekielianism. This was unpopular at court, and Rollo was assassinated in 1244.
Rollo's gender and sexuality has been subject to debate among historians. Rollo never married, was surrounded by rumours that he had been born as a woman or intersex, and forbade courtiers and doctors from viewing him naked. This has given rise to the view that Rollo was a transgender man. Due to his remains having been scattered, and a lack of contemporary reports, some academics dispute this view.