thumb|right|120px|Coat of arms of Richard d'AvranchesRichard d'Avranches, 2nd Earl of Chester (1094–
25 November 1120), was the son of
Hugh, 1st Earl of Chester and
Ermentrude of Clermont.
Early life
He was seven years old when his father, known as Hugh the Fat, was killed. He probably came into his inheritance in 1107. He married
Lucia-Mahaut, daughter of
Stephen, Count of Blois.
Military career
At the age of twenty, in 1114, Richard was on military campaign and was styled the Earl of Chester. Together with
King Alexander of Scotland, he led an Anglo-Norman army into
Gwynedd as part of a three-pronged campaign organised by
Henry I of England against Gwynedd, and
Gruffydd ap Cynan. Gruffydd, rather than risk battle, satisfied the King with an oath of
homage and a suitable fine. The campaign soon fizzled out, and Richard returned to
Chester.
White Ship
The line of the d'Avranches as Earls of Chester failed when Richard, with his illegitimate half-brother
Ottuel, joined the young
William Adelin, heir to the English King Henry aboard the doomed
White Ship. The ship went down, drowning all but one boy, in the year 1120. Richard died aged twenty-six, leaving no issue.
The earldom then passed through his father Hugh's sister Maud to Richard's first cousin
Ranulph I, in 1121.
Category:1094 birthsCategory:1120 deathsCategory:Anglo-Normans in WalesCategory:Deaths on the White ShipCategory:Earls in the Peerage of Englandcy:Richard d'Avranches, 2il Iarll Caerde:Richard d’Avranches, 2. Earl of Chesterru:Ричард д'Авранш
