Robert Curthose

Template:Short description Template:Bots Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Moresources Template:Infobox royalty

Robert Curthose (Template:Circa – c.3 February 1134, Template:Langx), the eldest son of William the Conqueror, was Duke of Normandy as Robert II from 1087 to 1106.

Robert was also an unsuccessful pretender to the throne of the Kingdom of England. The epithet "Curthose" originated in the Norman French word courtheuse ("short stockings"). The chroniclers William of Malmesbury and Orderic Vitalis wrote that his father had derisively called him brevis-ocrea ("short boot").<ref>Keats-Rohan, K. S. B. (2006). "Robert Curthose (d. 1134)". In The Crusades – An Encyclopedia. pp. 1041–1042.</ref>

Robert's reign is noted for the discord with his brothers, the English kings William II and Henry I. He mortgaged his duchy to finance his participation in the First Crusade, where he was an important commander. In 1106, his disagreements with Henry led to defeat in the Battle of Tinchebray and lifelong captivity, with Normandy temporarily absorbed into England's possession.

Early life

Robert was the eldest son of William the Conqueror, the first Norman king of England and Matilda of Flanders.Template:Sfn Estimates of Robert's birth-date range between 1051 and 1053.Template:Sfn As a child he was betrothed to Margaret, the heiress of Maine, but she died before they could wed,Template:Sfn and Robert did not marry until his late forties. In his youth he was courageous and skilful in military exercises. He was also prone to laziness and weakness of character that discontented nobles and the King of France exploited to stir discord with his father. He was unsatisfied with the share of power allotted to him and quarrelled with his father and brothers fiercely. In 1063, his father made him the Count of Maine in view of his engagement to Margaret, and Robert may have ruled independently in Maine.Template:Sfn The county remained under Norman control until 1069, when the county revolted and reverted to Hugh V of Maine.Template:Sfn

In 1077, Robert instigated his first insurrection against his father as the result of a prank played by his younger brothers William Rufus and Henry, who had dumped a full chamber pot over his head. Robert was enraged and, urged on by his companions, started a brawl with his brothers that was only interrupted by the intercession of their father. Feeling that his dignity was wounded, Robert was further angered when King William failed to punish his brothers. The next day Robert and his followers attempted to seize the castle of Rouen. The siege failed, but, when King William ordered their arrest, Robert and his companions took refuge with Hugh of Chateauneuf-en-Thymerais.Template:Sfn They were forced to flee again when King William attacked their base at Rémalard.Template:Sfn

Exile

Template:Moresources Robert fled to Flanders to the court of his uncle Robert I, Count of Flanders before plundering the county of the Vexin and causing such mayhem that his father, King William, allied himself with King Philip I of France to stop his rebellious son. Relations were not helped when King William discovered that his wife, Robert's mother Queen Matilda, was secretly sending him money. At a battle in January 1079, Robert is said to have unhorsed King William in combat and succeeded in wounding him, only stopping his attack when he recognised his father's voice. Humiliated, King William cursed his son. King William then raised the siege and returned to Rouen.Template:Sfn

At Easter 1080, father and son were reunited by the efforts of Queen Matilda, and a truce between the two lasted until she died in 1083. Robert seems to have left court soon after the death of his mother and spent several years travelling throughout France, Germany, and Flanders. He visited Italy seeking the hand of the great heiress Matilda of Tuscany (b. 1046) but was unsuccessful. During this period as a wandering knight Robert sired several illegitimate children. His son Richard seems to have spent much of his life at the royal court of his uncle William Rufus. This Richard was killed in a hunting accident in the New Forest in 1100, as was his uncle, King William Rufus, the same year. An illegitimate daughter was later married to Helias of Saint-Saens.

Reign as Duke of Normandy

Succession Crisis (1088)

In 1087, the elder William died of wounds suffered from a riding accident during a siege of Mantes. At his death he reportedly wanted to disinherit his eldest son but was persuaded to instead divide the Norman dominions between his two eldest sons. To Robert he granted the Duchy of Normandy and to William Rufus he granted the Kingdom of England. The youngest son, Henry, was given money to buy land. Of the two elder sons Robert was considered to be much weaker and was generally preferred by the nobles who held lands on both sides of the English Channel since they could more easily circumvent his authority.Template:Sfn When their father died, the two brothers agreed to be each other's heirs.

This agreement lasted less than a year, when barons joined with Robert to displace Rufus in the Rebellion of 1088, beginning in the spring of that year. Although Robert initially accepted Rufus' claim in England, when given the opportunity by the leader of the conspiracy, Odo, Bishop of Bayeux, who began preperations.Template:Sfn For this, Robert lacked sufficient funds, and approached his younger brother Henry for part of the money he had received in the inheritance. Henry refused, but Robert promptly offered the whole of the Cotentin, as well as Avranches and Mont-Saint-Michel, in exchange for 3000 livres. Henry agreed.Template:Sfn

Meanwhile, William found out about his barons' plot to overthrow him, and went to besiege Odo at Rochester.Template:Sfn Odo found out, and fled for Pevensey to join the defence. The king followed the bishop towards Pevensey Castle and promptly began a siege there instead, abandoning the proposed action against Rochester. Although Robert did not himself join his allies in England, he sent a contingent of soldiers towards England so as to support them as he continued preperations. William sent his own fleet to contest the Norman landing as he invested Pevensey, at which point the English navy won a decisive victory. Template:Sfn Robert's fleet had cost 3000 livres; all of the money gained from selling the Cotentin was now gone.Template:Sfn After six weeks, Pevensey fell and Odo was captured, with William then having to besiege Rochester defended by multiple great Norman magnates, such as Robert of Bellême amongst the leaders.

With still no aid from Robert, whose resources were now limited, the defenders were forced to surrender. Bishop Odo was exiled and lost all of his lands within England, alongside other conspirators, and Robert lost any opportunity he had to seize England for the next 12 years. Not all of the barons who participated in the revolt were punished so severely; many, such as Roger Bigod and the Grandmesnils, reconciled with Rufus and came to oppose Robert.Template:Sfn The revolt failed in part because Robert never showed up to support the English rebels, leaving only the controversial Odo of Bayeux to lead the barons.Template:Sfn

Instability in Normandy (1088–1090)

The central authority of the Duke of Normandy weakened in the midst of William I's death, though not to a terminal extent. Local magnates including Ralph of Conches and Robert of Bellême expelled the garrisons of the late king and established areas of dominion. Template:Sfn Robert was affable, mild, and generous to his barons and the clergy. In 1088 alone, Robert endowed the Abbey of Saint-Étienne and Fécamp Abbey.Template:Sfn However, this, alongside the sudden weakness of ducal authority, and other expenditures, left Robert almost perpetually lacking in funds.Template:Sfn Enemies of Henry at Robert's court had convinced the duke to arrest his younger brother and Robert of Bellême, on suspicion of reconciling with Rufus. Henry had, in fact, travelled across the channel to request the estates of the late Matilda of Flanders, which Rufus refused to surrender.Template:Sfn Henry was released after six months.Template:Sfn

On the advice of Odo of Bayeux, Robert quickly assembled an army in August of 1088 with which he marched to Le Mans and was welcomed by the citizens, with the purpose of securing his control over the southern frontier castles of the duchy. This army secured the castles of Saint-Céneri and Ballon, both formerly in revolt against Robert.Template:Sfn The duke had Robert Quarrel, the lord of Ballon, blinded, and mutilated his enemies within Saint-Céneri. Robert of Bellême was imprisoned by the duke, and only freed due to the intervention of Roger of Montgomery, his father. Roger requested peace, and successfully petitioned for his son to be released. The duke may have been motivated by Robert's prior dogged support for the invasion of England.Template:Sfn

By 1089, Duke Robert faced another threat in the form of Rufus' wish to destabilize Normandy. In contrast to his elder brother, the English king possessed deep pockets and more expansive methods of raising wealth, with a large treasury available at Winchester.Template:Sfn William bribed many of Robert's vassals away from him, starting with the garrison of Saint-Valery.Template:Sfn Stephen of Aumale, Gerard of Gournay, Robert of Eu, Walter Giffard, and Ralph Mortemer were all coaxed towards William's side, leaving most of the Norman barons on the right bank of the Seine ready to break away from the duke.Template:Sfn

Lacking the same financial resources or ability to deliver reward, Robert was in a sense helpless against this change, but Helias of Saint-Saëns, the Lord of Saint-Saëns, stood firm in the duke's camp. Helias was, for his loyalty, given the hand of an illegitimate daughter of Robert's alongside the castles of Arques and Bures, making him one of the only counterbalances to William's intercessions in the region.Template:Sfn The duke temporarily managed to form an alliance with Philip, King of France against the magnates East of the Seine, however Rufus bribed Philip to abandon the effort as he was besieging La-Ferté-en-Bray, Gerard's castle.Template:Sfn

In November 1090, a revolt broke out in Rouen led by the Pilatenses, a faction of the city opposed to Robert's rule and led by Conan, the son of Gilbert Pilatus. As supposedly the wealthiest citizen of Rouen, Conan was supported by William Rufus in his revolt, and Robert had to hastily summon his vassals to assist him in crushing the riot. Henry, Robert's brother, was convinced to forget the duke's prior wrongs against him and come to his aid. Though he led his men bravely, Duke Robert's vassals convinced him to flee the city for his own safety, while Henry and Gilbert of L'Aigle crushed the revolt and captured many of its leaders. Conan was personally executed by Henry.Template:Sfn

First Crusade and return

In 1096, Robert formed an army and left Normandy to join the First Crusade to aid the Byzantine Empire against the Seljuk Turks and travel to Jerusalem. To raise money for the crusade he mortgaged his duchy to his brother William for the sum of 10,000 marks.

Robert joined forces with his cousin, Robert II, Count of Flanders, and his brother-in-law, Stephen, Count of Blois; they travelled together to Italy, where they stayed in Norman Apulia during the winter of 1096/97. It is then that he most likely met his future wife, Sybil of Conversano, daughter of Geoffrey, Count of Conversano, a wealthy Italo-Norman lord; and according to Orderic he fell in love with her.Template:Sfn

Crossing from Brindisi to the city of Dyrrachium in the Byzantine Empire on 5 April 1097, Robert and his army marched along the Via Egnatia and past Ohrid, Thessaloniki and the Aegean coast of Thrace on their way to Constantinople.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Robert and Stephen were the last leading nobles to arrive at the gathering point in Constantinople in May of 1097 but were nonetheless welcomed with great respect by Emperor Alexios and memories of Robert's grandfather's visit to Constantinople during his own pilgrimage to Jerusalem were reignited.Template:Sfn Both then swore, as had the other crusading leaders except for Raymond of Toulouse, an oath to restore all cities that had been in Byzantine possession to Alexios and honour his superior status.Template:Sfn

In the first week of June 1097 Robert and Stephen joined the main forces of the crusading army who at this point were besieging Nicaea which was successfully conquered on the 19th of June.Template:Sfn At the Battle of Dorylaeum on 1 July, the crusader vanguard led by Robert and Bohemond of Taranto were ambushed and surrounded by the Seljuk Turks. After a heavy cavalry charge failed to disperse them, the Normans formed a defensive circle and held the line for hours in the hot summer sun until the rest of the army arrived, surrounding the Turks and forcing them to flee after inflicting heavy casualties.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Robert then participated in the brutal Siege of Antioch and commanded the Normans and English in the first line alongside Robert of Flanders at the subsequent Battle of Antioch in which a huge Muslim relief army was defeated.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> After months spent languishing at Antioch, Robert joined Raymond of Toulouse and Tancred in pressing on to Jerusalem on 13 January 1099 after the former paid Robert to join him.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Together they advanced down the Mediterranean coast and laid siege to Arqa in February but were met with failure and left on 13 May 1099 and went to Jerusalem, finally arriving outside its walls on 7 June.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Robert left Raymond's service during the siege on Jerusalem and instead joined Godfrey of Bouillon. As the crusaders lacked the necessary materials, Robert was sent out to gather wood to aid in the construction of siege towers.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> He was among the crusaders that captured Jerusalem on 15 July 1099. He also took on a prominent role in the final battle of the crusade at Ascalon on 12 August 1099 as one of the commanders of the crusader centre, personally killing the Egyptian standard-bearer and capturing the tent of the Egyptian commander, Al-Afdal.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The fulfilment of his crusader vows was a personal triumph for Robert: he had shown military skills as well as the ability to mediate between different factions in the crusading forces.Template:Sfn

Robert left the Holy Land around September 1099 and sailed to Constantinople, where Emperor Alexios showered him with gifts, for he was one of the few crusade leaders to have kept the oath he had made back in 1096, and offered him to enter into the service of the Byzantine Empire, but Robert declined.Template:Sfn Instead, he travelled again to Southern Italy where he wintered again and married Sybil which also brought him a big dowry which enabled him to raise the necessary funds to buy back his duchy.Template:Sfn When William II died on 2 August 1100, Robert was still on the return journey and absent from Normandy and would not arrive until September, allowing his other brother Henry to seize the crown of England for himself.

Upon his return, Robert—urged by Flambard and several Anglo-Norman barons—claimed the English crown, on the basis of the short-lived agreement of 1087, and in July 1101 led an invasion to oust his brother Henry. He landed near Portsmouth with his army, but the lack of popular support among the English (Anselm, the archbishop of Canterbury, was decidedly against him and the Charter of Liberties issued at Henry's coronation was well-liked) as well as Robert's own mishandling of the invasion tactics enabled Henry to resist the invasion. Robert was forced by diplomacy to renounce his claim to the English throne in the Treaty of Alton. Orderic claimed that Robert squandered his wealth and became so poor that he had nothing to wear, but this seems unlikely given that Robert would have been reduced to penury so short after his return and might rather refer to his pre-Crusade persona.Template:Sfn

Imprisonment and death

In 1105, Robert's continual stirring of discord with his brother in England, as well as civil disorder in Normandy, prompted Henry to invade Normandy. Orderic reports on an incident at Easter 1105 when Robert was supposed to hear a sermon by the venerable Serlo, Bishop of Sées. Robert spent the night before sporting with harlots and jesters, and while he lay in bed sleeping off his drunkenness his unworthy friends stole his clothes. He awoke to find himself naked and had to remain in bed and missed the sermon.Template:Sfn

In 1106, Henry defeated Robert's army decisively at the Battle of Tinchebray and claimed Normandy as a possession of the English crown, a situation that endured for almost a century. Captured after the battle, Robert was imprisoned in Devizes Castle in Wiltshire for twenty years before being moved to Cardiff.

Robert died in Cardiff Castle, probably on 3 February 1134. He was buried in Gloucester Abbey.Template:Sfn The exact place of his burial is difficult to establish—legend states that he requested to be buried before the High Altar. His effigy carved in bog oak adorns a mortuary chest decorated with the attributed arms of the Nine Worthies (missing one—Joshua, and replaced with the arms of Edward the Confessor). The effigy dates from about 100 years after his death and the mortuary chest much later. The church subsequently became Gloucester Cathedral.

Descendants

Robert married Sybilla of Conversano, daughter of Geoffrey of Brindisi, Count of Conversano (and a grandniece of Robert Guiscard, another Norman duke) on the way back from Crusade; they had one child:Template:Sfn Template:Efn

William Clito was born 25 October 1102 and became heir to the Duchy of Normandy. William Clito was unlucky all his life; his attempts to invade Normandy failed twice (1119 and 1125), his first marriage to a daughter of the Count of Anjou was annulled by his uncle's machinations, and even his late inheritance of the county of Flanders was mishandled. William Clito died in 1128 leaving no issue, thus leaving the field clear in the Norman succession (at least until the death of Henry I).

Sybilla, who was admired and often praised by chroniclers of the time, died shortly after the birth of her son. William of Malmesbury says she died as a result of binding her breasts too tightly; both Robert of Torigny and Orderic Vitalis suggest she was murdered by a cabal of noblewomen led by her husband's mistress, Agnes Giffard.

Robert also had at least three illegitimate children: Richard, who died hunting in the New Forest in May 1100;Template:Efn William, a full brother of Richard;Template:Sfn and a daughter, who married Helias of Saint-Saëns.Template:Sfn William went to the Holy Land after 1106 and was named lord of Tortosa, but disappears from the historical record after 1110.Template:Sfn

Notes

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References

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Robert Curthose

Contents

Early life

Exile