Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury

Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury (also Belleme or Belesme , * 1052 - 8 May after 1130) was an Anglo- Norman nobleman and one of the most important actors in the dispute over the succession to the English throne and in Normandy between the Sons of William the Conqueror . He is also known as Robert II. De Montgommery, seigneur de Bellême .

He was the eldest son of Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury ( House of Montgommery ), and Mabile de Bellême ( House of Bellême ), heiress of the Alençon reign .

Young years

Robert's first documented action was in 1077 - like many other Norman nobles - his participation in the uprising of Robert II Curthose against William the Conqueror. The rebellion was put down, the participants were pardoned, but Wilhelm demanded the stationing of ducal garrisons in the most important castles of the barons to make future uprisings more difficult.

Robert's mother was killed in 1077, leaving Robert to inherit her property in the hill country between Normandy and Maine . Because of this early inheritance, he is known more as Robert de Bellême than Robert de Montgommery.

William the Conqueror died in 1087 and Robert's first act, when he heard about it, was the expulsion of the ducal garrison from its castles. Roberts II Curthose, the new Duke of Normandy, was unable to keep order in Normandy, so Robert de Bellême took advantage of the situation to start war against less powerful neighbors.

The uprising of 1088

The following year, 1088, Odo of Bayeux arose in an attempt to bring Robert II Curthose to the English throne in place of William II . Robert von Bellême was sent to England, where he joined the defenders of Rochester Castle . The insurgents here were allowed to withdraw after the submission and failure of the rebellion.

Robert returned to Normandy, where Odo von Bayeux had meanwhile managed to convince the Duke that Robert was a danger to him. Robert de Bellême was arrested and imprisoned when he landed on the mainland, as was the Duke's younger brother, who later became King Henry I.

Robert's father, Roger de Montgommery, came over to Normandy from England, took over his son's castles and stood against the Duke. He conquered several of the fortresses, but soon tired of the fight and released Robert.

Robert de Bellême returned to fighting his neighbors in southern Normandy. He helped the Duke subjugate an uprising by the citizens of Rouen, apparently with the motivation to get as much of their property as possible. Duke Robert, in turn, supported Robert de Bellême in the fighting with his neighbors.

1094 conquered Heinrich, the brother of the Duke, Domfront , one of the main strongholds Bellêmes. Robert failed to get the fortress back and he had to give it up for the rest of his life.

Robert's father died later that year. His younger brother Hugh of Montgomery inherited the English property and the English title, Robert got the Norman estates and thus a large part of central and southern Normandy.

Hugh died in 1098, so that Robert also inherited the English property. He became Earl of Shrewsbury and Lord of Arundel (see also Rape (Sussex) ), where he is also often counted as Earl in the latter.

Robert was one of the barons who supported Robert II Curthose's invasion of England in 1101, as were his brothers Roger Poitevin and Arnulf de Montgomery and his nephew William FitzRobert . The invasion, which aimed to depose King Henry I, ended with the Treaty of Alton , which promised amnesty to the invaders, but also allowed traitors to be punished. Henry imposed a number of burdens on Robert in 1102, but the latter did not accept them, whereupon the king besieged and conquered the English castles of Bellêmes. Robert lost his English property and titles and was banished from the island.

At the Battle of Tinchebray Robert, as one of the commanders in the army of Robert II Curthose, was only able to avoid the capture that befell the Duke by fleeing the battlefield. Normandy now came under Henry's rule, but after his submission, Robert allowed to continue to hold his Norman possessions. Only after further conspiracies, among other things to liberate Roberts II. Curthose, was he expropriated and imprisoned in 1112. He spent the rest of his life - at least 18 years - in prison, from 1113 in Wareham Castle in Dorset , the year of his death is not known, only that it was May 8th.

Robert was quick to grasp, was an able military man and probably the most knowledgeable castle builder of his time, but he also had a terrible reputation as a cruel sadist.

Family and offspring

Shortly before September 9, 1087, Robert married Agnes, the daughter and heiress of Count Guido I of Ponthieu . After the death of his father-in-law, he took over the county of Ponthieu from its rights . With Agnes he had a son, Wilhelm , who succeeded him after his capture in Alençon and Ponthieu.

literature

• JFA Mason: Roger de Montgomery and His Sons (1067-1102) . In: Transactions of the Royal Historical Society , 5th series, Volume 13 (1963) 1-28
• Kathleen Thompson: Robert of Bellême Reconsidered . In: Anglo-Norman Studies 13 (1991) 263-284
• William Hunt :  Bellême, Robert of . In: Leslie Stephen (Ed.): Dictionary of National Biography . Volume 4:  Beal - Beaver. MacMillan & Co, Smith, Elder & Co., New York City / London 1885, pp 182 - 186 (English).
• Kathleen Thompson: Bellême, Robert de, earl of Shrewsbury and count of Ponthieu (bap. C.1057, d. In or after 1130), magnate. In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004

Web links

• Robert de Bellême, Earl of Shrewsbury on thepeerage.com

predecessor	Office	successor
Hugh	Earl of Shrewsbury Earl of Arundel 1098-1102	Revoked title
Roger (de iure uxoris)	Count of Alençon 1094 – around 1112	Wilhelm III./I.
Guido I.	Count of Ponthieu (de iure uxoris ) 1101 – around 1112	Wilhelm III./I.