▁from ▁around ▁the ▁year ▁ 1 0 0 0 ; ▁Rod ulf ▁is ▁the ▁first ▁whose ▁title ▁can ▁be ▁att ested ▁by ▁a ▁document ▁( of ▁ 1 0 1 1 ). ▁Pierre ▁Baud u in ▁following ▁David ▁B ates ▁states ▁that ▁territorial ▁design ations ▁for ▁these ▁titles ▁came ▁in ▁only ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 0 4 0 s . ▁Contempor ary ▁sources , ▁and ▁D ud on ▁de ▁Saint - Qu entin , ▁speak ▁only ▁of ▁Rod ulf ▁as ▁" count ", ▁never ▁" of ▁I v ry "; ▁this ▁is ▁found ▁only ▁in ▁later ▁writers . ▁Order icus ▁V ital is , ▁for ▁example , ▁calls ▁him ▁count ▁of ▁Bay e ux . ▁Histor ians ▁now ▁consider ▁this ▁err one ous , ▁following ▁the ▁later ▁Robert ▁de ▁Tor ign i , ▁who ▁makes ▁Rod ulf ▁count ▁of ▁I v ry . ▁ ▁In ▁strateg ic ▁terms , ▁I v ry ▁was ▁on ▁the ▁boundary ▁of ▁the ▁du chy ▁of ▁Norm andy , ▁by ▁an ▁important ▁cross ro ads ▁on ▁a ▁Roman ▁road , ▁by ▁the ▁valley ▁of ▁the ▁River ▁E ure . ▁Over ▁some ▁dec ades ▁the ▁Norm ans ▁had ▁strugg led ▁there ▁against ▁the ▁forces ▁of ▁the ▁county ▁of ▁Blo is , ▁after ▁its ▁control ▁had ▁reached ▁Dre ux . ▁This ▁position ▁matter ed ▁for ▁the ▁assertion ▁of ▁dom ination ▁of ▁the ▁south - east ▁of ▁the ▁É v rec in . ▁ ▁Cons ist ently , ▁the ▁du chy ▁may ▁have ▁conced ed ▁to ▁the ▁county ▁in ▁the ▁direction