The House of Tosny was an important noble family in 10th and 11th century Normandy,
though it did not include any comtes or vicomtes.
Its founder was Raoul I of Tosny.
Determining the origins of the Tosny family is difficult since the records of that time
are rare and often written a century or more after the events.
Among the most accepted historical accounts of this period and region is that of Orderic
Vitallis who wrote in the early 12th Century.
In his works, Orderic Vitallis relates the story of the origins of the Tosny family as
being Scandinavian.
In fact, he is quite clear as to who their relations are: the Dukes of Normandy.
In clarifying the ancestry of the family it is stated that Roger de Tosny, then Lord of
Tosny and Conches, was "de stirpe Malahulcii qui Rollonis ducis patruus...".
This claim is corroborated by the unknown monk who wrote the Acta Archiepisc Rotomag
who states that the Archbishop Hugo was the son of Hugo de Calvacamp who was "vero fuit
prosapia clarus..." of Malahulc.
Considering that no one at the time contested this claim, including the Dukes of Normandy
it is hard to imagine there could be any other origin.
It appears as though the earliest challenges to this story come in the 19th century; about
a millennium after it first appears.
None of the early references were commissioned by the Tosny family and in fact they do not
paint a flattering picture of the founders of the family.
Malahulc's son who is the father of the first Tosny is called "Hugonis de Calvacamp."
The appellation is somewhat troublesome because it does not appear to be a real word in any
language of the region.
The simplest explanation for the word is that it was simply a scribe's error and the word
should have been of the masculine gender instead of the feminine: Calvocampo.
Calvocampo is an actual word and means bare field; not a terribly flattering appellation.
There have been other suggestions as to the origin of this name, but they all require
quite special linguistic gymnastics and never firmly settle on any concrete answer.
I choose to accept the simplest answer; however, as none of the answers actually imply a national
origin for "Hugonis" the name seems to simply imply that this man was not very wealthy.
So how could it be that this man, the descendant of the uncle of the Duke of Normandy could
be so poor.
The answer would seem to lie in Hugo's reported ancestor and the uncle of Hrolfr/Rollo/Robert
the first Duke of Normandy, Malahulcii or Malahulc.
Again, a unique name written by an author who wrote two centuries after his subject
lived.
Nowhere in the historical record do we find the name Malahulc in any of the cultures even
remotely close to Normandy: not French nor Scandinavian.
However, there is a very simple, possible explanation: Mael is the Breton word for chief
or prince and Hulc was a very common Norwegian name at the time, if you put the two of them
together you would have Maelhulc.
This would be similar to someone being called Duke Richard or King Louis.
Being written down for the first time about two centuries after the subject lived it would
not be surprising for the two words to be pressed together.
This would mean that Hulc or Prince Hulc or Mael Hulc would have had to have some connection
to Brittany.
Although there is not nearly as much history about the Vikings in Brittany as there is
about their exploits in Normandy it is reasonably well documented.
Many documents have been lost over the years; there will be no Breton equivalent to the
French Treaty of St. Clair-sur-Epte from 911 between King Charles of France and Hrolfr,
who Orderic Vitallis tells us was the nephew of Mael Hulc.
However, it is known that such treaties were made in Brittany as well as at other places
and with other Vikings in France.
It is also well known that many Vikings assimilated into the societies they sought to rule and
like Hrolfr would take local titles and occasionally local names as well: in Hrolfr's case he became
Duke Robert.
It would not be too long of a stretch to see a Viking chief named Hulc taking the title
Mael and becoming Mael Hulc.