Espriota

Sprota was a woman from the early 10th century whose origins remain obscure. She became the wife of William I, Duke of Normandy, ‘in the Viking fashion’ (more danico), and was the mother of his successor, Duke Richard I. Following William’s death, Sprota married Esperleng, a wealthy landowner, and had another son, Rodulf of Ivry, a Norman nobleman.

Contemporary historian Flodoard of Reims first mentioned Sprota, albeit not by name, identifying her as the mother of William’s son Richard, born of a Breton concubine. It is suggested by Elisabeth van Houts that Sprota may have been of Breton, Scandinavian, or Frankish ethnicity, with the latter being more likely based on the spelling of her name. Sprota lived under William’s protection in Bayeux at the time of Richard’s birth. After William Longsword’s death and Richard’s captivity, she was taken into the care of Esperleng.