Richard I (28 August 933 – 20 November 996), also known as
Richard the Fearless (French,
Richard Sans-Peur), was the
Count of Rouen from 942 to 996.
Dudo of Saint-Quentin, whom Richard commissioned to write the "
De moribus et actis primorum Normanniae ducum" (Latin, "
On the Customs and Deeds of the First Dukes of Normandy"), called him a
Dux. However, this use of the word may have been in the context of Richard's renowned leadership in war, and not as a reference to a title of
nobility. Richard either introduced
feudalism into
Normandy or he greatly expanded it. By the end of his reign, most important
Norman landholders held their lands in feudal tenure.