Emma Fitz-Osborn or Emma de Breteuil, and later Emma de Guader (died after 1096), was a Norman noblewoman, the wife of Ralph de Guader and the daughter of William FitzOsbern, Lord of Breteuil and later first Earl of Hereford of a new creation, who was a cousin and close adviser of William the Conqueror. William's opposition to their marriage led to the unsuccessful Revolt of the Earls.
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Life
Emma was first named Emma de Breteuil, born to William Fitz-Osbern and his wife Adeliza, the daughter of Roger I of Tosny and his wife Adelaide (the daughter of Ermesinde of Carcassonne, regent-countess of Barcelona). She was born in or around 1059 in Breteuil in Normandy.
Marriage
At Exning near Cambridge, at 1075 Emma married Ralph de Gael the Earl of East Anglia, after his father. King William is believed to have opposed the match. Some writers believe that William's opposition was possibly due to the fact that uniting two huge estates and royal lines could be perceived as a threat, noting that he had previously poisoned relatives that stood in his way to the throne.





