Robert de Montgomery, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury

Robert de Bellême (c. 1056– after 1130), seigneur de Bellême (or Belèsme), seigneur de Montgomery, viscount of the Hiémois, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury and Count of Ponthieu

Parents: Roger II de Montgomerie & Mabile de Bellême d'Alençon

Spouse: Agnes de Ponthieu

Children:

1. Guillaume "Talvas"

2. André

3. Mabile (uncertain)

LINKS

http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/NORTHERN%20FRANCE.htm#RobertMontgom...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_of_Bell%C3%AAme,_3rd_Earl_of_Sh...

MEDIEVAL LANDS

ROBERT de Montgommery "de Bellême", son of ROGER [II] de Montgommery Earl of Shrewsbury & his first wife Mabile d'Alençon ([1052/56]-[Wareham Castle] 8 May [after 1129], bur [Wareham Castle]).

• Guillaume of Jumièges names “quinque filios et quatuor filias...Robertus et Hugo, Rogerius Pictavinus, Philippus et Arnulfus, Emma, Mathildis, Mabilia et Sibylla” as the children of “Willelmus Talavatius...filiam suam...Mabiliam” and “Rogerium de Monte-Gummeri”[497].
• Orderic Vitalis names “Rodbertus de Bellismo, Hugo de Monte-Gomerici, Rogerius Pictavinus, Philippus atque Arnulfus” as the five sons of “Rogerius [de Monte-Gomerici]” and his first wife[498].
• Orderic Vitalis names “Rodbertum...de Belesmia primogenitum filium suum [referring to Mabile]” and adds that "cujus crudelitas in diebus nostris super miseras plebes nimium efferbuit"[499].
• "…Rogerus de Monte Gomeri…Robertus filius Rogeri de Monte Gomeri…" witnessed the charter dated to [1060] under which Guillaume II Duke of Normandy granted "Brenerias" to the abbey of Bayeux[500].
• He witnessed a charter for Saint Martin de Sées with his brother Roger 448, and a charter for Saint Aubin of Angers in [1060/62] without Roger[501], suggesting that the latter had died by then.
• "Rogerius comes…et sua uxor Mabilia atque suus filius Rotbertus" donated property to Notre-Dame de Bellême by charter dated to [1070/79][502].
• Orderic Vitalis records the rebellion of Robert, son of King William I, and his departure from Normandy accompanied by “Rodbertus de Bellismo et Guillelmus de Britolio, Rogerius Ricardi de Benefacta filius, Rodbertus de Molbraio et Guillelmus de Molinis, Guillelmus de Ruperia”, dated to [1077/78], and their journeys during five years of exile[503].
• He succeeded his mother in 1079 as Seigneur de Bellême et d'Alençon.
• "Roger ex Northmannis Northmannus son of Roger" donated property to St Martin, Troarn for the soul of "his wife Mabel lately deceased" by charter dated to [1079/82], subscribed by "Rogerii comitis, Rotberti filii eius, Hugonis, Rogerii, Philippi, Arnulfis [filiorum eius]"[504].
• He rebelled against William II King of England in 1088, crossed to England but was besieged at Rochester Castle and in Jun 1088 forced to surrender[505].
• Orderic Vitalis records “Edgarus Adelinus et Robertus Belesmensis atque Guillelmus de Archis monachus Molismensis” as the advisers of Robert [III] Duke of Normandy, dated to [1089][506].
• Orderic Vitalis records that “Rodbertus Belesmensis” built “Furcas...castellum et...Castellum Gunterii...super Olnam fluvium ad Curbam” and attacked all his neighbours, dated to [1090][507].
• "Rotbertus de Belismo filius Rotgerii comitis et Mabilie" donated the church of Saint-Léonard de Bellême, built by "Willelmus attavus Rotberti", to Marmoutier, with the consent of "fratres ipsius Rotberti, Hugo, Rotgerius, Arnulfus", by charter dated 1092[508].
• Orderic Vitalis records that, after the death of his father in 1094, “Rodbertus...filius eius” obtained “totum feudum eius in Normannia”, adding that he was “crudelis et superbus” and committed “innumeras iniquitates”[509].
• He succeeded his younger brother in 1098 as Earl of Shrewsbury after a payment of £3000[510].
• He succeeded his father-in-law in Oct 1100 as Comte de Ponthieu.
• Florence of Worcester records that "Scrobbesbyriensis comes Rotbertus de Beleasmo" rebelled against Henry I King of England in [1101], was deprived of all his honours and estates in England, and retired to Normandy[511].
• The Annals of Margan record that “Robertus comes de Belesmo” was expelled from England in 1102 “cum fratre suo Arnulfo”[512]. Florence of Worcester records that "Rotbertus de Beleasm" fought with Robert Duke of Normandy against King Henry I at Tinchebrai in [1106], was captured, but later escaped and fled[513].
• He helped Helias de Saint-Saens protect Guillaume, son of Robert "Curthose" ex-Duke of Normandy, after Henry I King of England ordered the arrest of the boy[514].
• He was arrested in 1112, imprisoned at Cherbourg and all his lands and honours forfeited.
• He was imprisoned at Wareham Castle, Dorset from Jul 1113[515].
• The Annals of Margan record the death “Kal Mai” in 1118 of “Robertus comes de Belesme”[516].
• The 1130 Pipe Roll records payments made "in libatione Robti de Belismo" in Dorsetshire, Wiltshire[517].
• This suggests a pension or maintenance in some form, although it is not certain that it relates to Robert de Montgommery Earl of Shrewsbury.

m (before 9 Sep 1087) AGNES de Ponthieu, daughter of GUY [I] Comte de Ponthieu & his wife Ada --- (-after 6 Oct 1100).

• Orderic Vitalis records that “Rodbertum Belesmensem” married “filiam Guidonis Pontivi comitis Agnetem”[545].
• Orderic Vitalis records that she was treated cruelly by her husband and imprisoned in the castle of Bellême, from where she escaped, took refuge with Adela Ctss de Blois, and retired to Ponthieu[546].
• "Gulielmus comes Pontivorum" donated property to the abbey of Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte for the souls of "… his father Robert de Belesmo and his mother Agnes…" by charter dated 1127[547].

Comte Robert & his wife had three children:

1. GUILLAUME [I] "Talvas" (-30 Jun 1171). Orderic Vitalis names “Guillelmum” as the son of “Rodbertum Belesmensem” and his wife “filiam Guidonis Pontivi comitis Agnetem”[548]. Comte de Ponthieu.

2. ANDRE . "Gulielmus comes Pontivorum" donated property to the abbey of Saint-Sauveur-le-Vicomte by charter dated 1127, subscribed by "…Andrea fratre comitis"[549].

3. MABILE . The primary source which confirms her parentage has not been identified.

SOURCES:

[497] Willelmi Gemmetencis Historiæ (Duchesne, 1619), Liber VII, XIII, p. 274.

[498] Orderic Vitalis (Prévost), Vol. II, Liber V, XIII, p. 412.

[499] Orderic Vitalis (Prévost), Vol. II, Liber III, III, p. 47.

[500] Delisle (1867), Pièces justificatives, 30, p. 33.

[501] CP XI 690.

[502] Marmoutier-Perche, 1, p. 4.

[503] Orderic Vitalis (Prévost), Vol. II, Liber V, X, p. 380.

[504] Round (1899) 465, p. 165.

[505] CP XI 690.

[506] Orderic Vitalis (Prévost), Vol. III, Liber VIII, X, p. 322.

[507] Orderic Vitalis (Prévost), Vol. III, Liber VIII, XVI, p. 358.

[508] Marmoutier-Perche, 13, p. 23.

[509] Orderic Vitalis (Prévost), Vol. II, Liber V, XIV, p. 422.

[510] Orderic Vitalis (Chibnall), Vol. IV, p. 32, cited in CP XI 692.

[511] Florentii Wigornensis Monachi Chronicon, p. 49.

[512] Annales de Margan, p. 7.

[513] Florentii Wigornensis Monachi Chronicon, p. 55.

[514] Orderic Vitalis (Chibnall), Vol. VI, Book XI, p. 165.

[515] CP XI 693-4.

[516] Annales de Margan, p. 10.

[517] Pipe Roll 31 Hen I (1129/30), Dorsetshire, Wiltshire, p. 12.

[535] Willelmi Gemmetencis Historiæ (Duchesne, 1619), Liber VII, XIII, p. 274.

[536] CP XI 690.

[537] CP XI 690.

[538] Marmoutier-Perche, 13, p. 23.

[539] Orderic Vitalis (Prévost), Vol. II, Liber V, XIV, p. 422.

[540] Orderic Vitalis (Chibnall), Vol. IV, p. 32, cited in CP XI 692.

[541] Annales de Margan, p. 7.

[542] CP XI 693-4.

[543] Annales de Margan, p. 10.

[544] Pipe Roll 31 Hen I (1129/30), Dorsetshire, Wiltshire, p. 12.

[545] Orderic Vitalis (Prévost), Vol. III, Liber VIII, V, p. 300.

[546] Orderic Vitalis (Prévost), Vol. III, Liber VIII, XXIV, p. 424.

[547] Round (1899) 970, p. 346.

[548] Orderic Vitalis (Prévost), Vol. III, Liber VIII, V, p. 300.

[549] Round (1899) 970, p. 346.

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WIKIPEDIA

Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_of_Bell%C3%AAme,_3rd_Earl_of_Sh...

Robert de Bellême (c. 1056– after 1130), seigneur de Bellême (or Belèsme), seigneur de Montgomery, viscount of the Hiémois, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury and Count of Ponthieu, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, and one of the most prominent figures in the competition for the succession to England and Normandy between the sons of William the Conqueror. He was a member of the powerful House of Bellême.

Robert became notorious for his alleged cruelty. The chronicler Orderic Vitalis calls him "Grasping and cruel, an implacable persecutor of the Church of God and the poor... unequaled for his iniquity in the whole Christian era." The stories of his brutality may have inspired the legend of Robert the Devil.

Early life

Robert was the oldest surviving son of Roger of Montgomery, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and Mabel de Bellême, born probably between 1052 and 1056.[1] In 1070 after the death of his great-uncle Yves Bishop of Sées his parents brought him to Bellême, which at that time became his mother's inheritance, and as the oldest surviving son it would eventually be his.[a][2]

In 1073 when the Conqueror invaded Maine, Robert was knighted by William at the siege of Fresnai castle.[3] By now probably of age and independent of his father he took part in the 1077 revolt of the young Robert Curthose against Duke William.[b][2] When Robert's mother, Mabel, was killed c. 1079, Robert inherited her vast estates.[4] But at this point Duke William took the added precaution of garrisoning the Bellême castles with his own soldiers, which was his ducal right.[5] On hearing the news of William the Conqueror's death in 1087, Robert's first act was to expel the ducal garrisons from all his castles.[5]

Rebellion of 1088

At the end of 1087 Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy was told of a plot to place him on the throne of England in his brother William II's place, a plot that Duke Robert enthusiastically approved and supported.[6] Robert de Bellême, his brother Hugh de Montgomery and a third brother, either Roger or Arnulf, participated in this rebellion.[7] The main conspirators, however, were Odo of Bayeux, Eustace III, Count of Boulogne, Robert de Mowbray, Geoffrey de Montbray, Earl Roger de Montgomery and other disaffected Magnates.[6] The next year in the Rebellion of 1088, beginning at Easter the rebels burned and wasted the king's properties and those of his followers.[8] At some point Roger of Montgomery detached himself from supporting Robert Curthose through negotiations with the king.[9] Finally Robert de Bellême was among the rebels who found themselves defending Rochester Castle.[10] When William Rufus blockaded the town and built two counter-castles, the garrison began negotiating for surrender under honourable terms, being allowed to keep their lands and serve the king.[10] This Rufus refused; he was furious and had initially wanted the traitors hanged 'or by some other form of execution utterly removed from the face of the earth.'[11] Roger of Montgomery and other great barons interceded with the King, Earl Roger on behalf of his sons, until finally in July a semi-honorable surrender was negotiated between the king and the rebels.[10] Rufus, albeit reluctantly, guaranteed the rebels life and limb and gave them safe conduct.[12]

Return to Normandy

Coincidentally Robert sailed back to Normandy in the company of Count Henry (later king Henry I), who had not been part a of the conspiracy against his brother William Rufus.[13] However well they got along on the voyage, they were destined to become bitter enemies.[13] One thing more they shared in common was the extreme resentment by Odo, Bishop of Bayeux who, banished from England, had returned to Normandy ahead of Henry and Robert.[5] Henry at just 20 years of age was now Odo's overlord, which Odo strongly resented, and Robert de Bellême was a powerful and dangerous disruptive force in Normandy now free to do as he would.[5] Odo, who held great sway over Duke Robert, convinced him that both Henry and his travel companion Robert de Bellême were now conspiring with William Rufus against the duke.[5] Both Henry and Robert were seized as they disembarked and, both placed in the Bishop's custody, were imprisoned; Henry at Bayeux and Robert at Neuilly-ll'Evêque, now Neuilly-la-Forêt.[5]

On hearing his son was imprisoned Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury immediately went to Normandy and put all his castles in a state of readiness against the duke.[14] At this point the Montgomery family was in a state of rebellion against Robert Curthose.[15] Bishop Odo now instigated Duke Robert to take all the castles of Robert de Bellême by force and the duke gathered an army and proceeded against them. Duke Robert first attacked Ballon and after losses on both sides, the castle surrendered.[16] Moving on to the castle of Saint-Céneri where the family of Robert de Bellême was residing, Robert Quarrel had been told by Earl Roger to resist the duke at all costs and this was done until the provisions eventually failed.[17] Duke Robert was so enraged at such resistance he blinded Robert Quarrel and mutilated the castle defenders.[17] At this point the duke lost interest in attempting to capture any more of Robert de Bellême's castles, he dissolved the forces and returned to Rouen.[17] Earl Roger sent peace envoys to the duke and convinced him to release his son Robert which the fickle duke finally did.[18] The price of his son's release, however, was the castle of Saint-Céneri which Duke Robert gave to Robert Giroie as castellan. The Giroies had long held the castle until, as punishment for their rebellion in the 1060s, William the Conqueror gave this castle and other Giroie lands to Roger de Montgomery, who as a member of the Bellême family was also considered their nemesis.[15] By 1090 Robert was back in Robert Curthose's good graces, Orderic Vitalis calling him a "principal councilor" to duke Robert.[19] He supported Curthose in putting down a revolt by the citizens of Rouen, in 1090,[20] and took considerable numbers of the citizens captive throwing them into dungeons.[21] According to Robert of Torigni in 1092 the inhabitants of Domfront, long a Bellême-Montgomery stronghold, invited Henry, the duke's younger brother to take possession of Domfront.[22] Apparently they had grown weary of Robert's oppressive and abusive style of lordship.[22] No explanation was offered for what happened to Robert de Bellême's garrison contingent or who exactly facilitated the bloodless takeover.[22] In addition Robert de Bellême had requested that same year to hold Bellême of the French crown instead of the Duke of Normandy.[20]

In 1094 Robert's father, earl Roger, died.[23] Robert's younger brother Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury inherited the English lands and titles, while Robert inherited his father's Norman properties, which included good part of central and southern Normandy, in part adjacent to the Bellême territories he had already inherited from his mother.[24]

William Rufus (1096–1100)

In 1096, Duke Robert took up the cross on the First Crusade and left the custody of the duchy to his brother William Rufus, King of England. Robert Bellême regained the favour of Rufus and both he and his brothers were in his service on several occasions.[20] In 1098 he captured Elias I, Count of Maine for Rufus, a significant feat.[25]

In 1098 Robert's younger brother Hugh died, and Robert inherited, on payment of £3,000 in relief, the English properties that had been their father's, including the Rape of Arundel and the Earldom of Shrewsbury.[26] Robert had also acquired the countship of Ponthieu jure uxoris and the honour of Tickhill; all of which combined made him the wealthiest magnate in both England and Normandy.[26]

In August 1100 at the death of Rufus, Henry I seized the English throne before his brother Robert Curthose could claim it.[27] While Robert rushed to England to pay homage to Henry, he and his brothers must have seen this as the end of royal favour for the Montgomerys.[28]

Anglo-Norman Civil War 1101[

Duke Robert returned from the First Crusade in triumph,[29] According to Orderic, Curthose was being encouraged to attack Henry by his barons but he remained indecisive until Ranulf Flambard, having escaped from the Tower of London, fled to Normandy where he appears to have influenced Duke Robert to go ahead with his invasion of England and depose his brother Henry.[30] Robert de Bellême was one of the great magnates who joined Robert Curthose's 1101 invasion of England, along with his brothers Roger the Poitevin and Arnulf of Montgomery and his nephew William, Count of Mortain.[31] This invasion, however, which aimed to depose Henry I, ended bloodlessly in the Treaty of Alton which called for amnesty for the participants but allowed traitors to be punished.[32] It quickly became evident that Henry I had no intentions of abiding by the treaty of Alton; 'Soothe them with promises' advised Robert Count of Meulan just before the battle, then they can be 'driven into exile'.[33]

Henry I took a year compiling charges against Robert and his brothers and Robert's unlicensed castle building and specifically Bridgnorth Castle may have been the last straw for Henry.[34] Henry had a series of charges drawn up against Robert in 1102, and when Robert refused to answer for them, gathered his forces and besieged and captured Robert's English castles.[35] Robert lost his English lands and titles (as did his brothers), was banished from England, and returned to Normandy.[36]

In 1105 he was warring with Rotrou III, Count of Perche over a large portion of his Bellême lands and lost.[36] That same year he attacked a force of Henry's supporters, then went to England before Christmas to attempt make peace with King Henry but he returned to Normandy empty handed.[36]

Battle of Tinchebrai and after

In 1106 Robert was one of Curthose's commanders at the Battle of Tinchebrai commanding the rear division and, when the battle turned in Henry's favour, he and most of those with him avoided capture by fleeing the field.[36] With Normandy now under Henry's rule, Robert de Bellême submitted and was allowed to retain his Norman Fiefs and his office as viscount of the Hiémois.[37]

But Henry was still wary of Robert and placed his followers in key positions in Normandy.[38] In the rebellion of 1110/2 barons on the frontier of Normandy were disgruntal over Henry's policies and especially of his attempting to take custody of William Clito, son of Robert Curthose.[38] According to Orderic, Robert played a central role in this rebellion after the death of Elias I, Count of Maine in July 1110.[38] In 1112 Robert was sent as an envoy of the French king to Henry I at his court at Bonneville to negotiate the release of Robert Curthose, whereas Henry seized Robert and imprisoned him.[39] Apparently Henry had charges already prepared; failing to attend Henry at his court after being summoned three times, of failing to render accounts, and of acting against his lord's interests.[40] Technically Robert may have been guilty but arguably it was not safe for him to attend Henry, he may have regarded the revenues as gifts and it's also arguable whether the charge of acting against Henry's interests warranted the severity of the punishment.[40] In addition Robert was under the king's protection as an emissary sent to negotiate Robert Curthose's release.[41] This gave the act international implications but at the time Louis VI of France and Henry I were intriguing against each other so the breach of protocol went unpunished.[41] But with Robert's imprisonment the rebellion against Henry collapsed.[38] Robert spent the rest of his life as a prisoner; the exact date of his death is not known.[42]

His character

Orderic Vitalis portrays Robert de Bellême as a villain, especially when compared to Henry I, whose misdemeanors the chronicler felt were excusable. Orderic calls Robert "Grasping and cruel, an implacable persecutor of the Church of God and the poor... unequaled for his iniquity in the whole Christian era."[43] To quote David C. Douglas "Ordericus, if credulous, was neither malicious nor a liar; and these accounts concerned people of whom he had special knowledge" [referring to the Bellême-Montgomery family].[44] But, he may have been strongly biased against Robert de Bellême and his treatment of that magnate belies a moral interpretation of his actions.[43] The basis for Orderic's animosity towards Robert and his de Bellême predecessors was the longstanding and bitter feud between the Giroie family, patrons of Orderic's Abbey of Saint-Evroul, and the de Bellême family.[45] William Talvas (de Bellême), Robert's grandfather, had blinded and mutilated William fitz Giroie.[c][46] He did at times appropriate church properties and was not a major donor to any ecclesiastical house. But Robert's attitudes toward the church are typical of many of his contemporaries; certainly no worse than the secular rulers and other magnates of his day.[47] The assessment of William II Rufus by R.W. Southern could well apply to Robert de Bellême as well: "His life was given over to military designs, and to the raising of money to make them possible; for everything that did not minister to those ends he showed a supreme contempt".[47]

According to William Hunt in the Dictionary of National Biography, various stories of his brutality were circulated after his death, possibly insipring the legend of Robert the Devil, a sadistically cruel Norman knight fathered by Satan himself. In Maine "his abiding works are pointed to as the works of Robert the Devil, a surname that has been transferred from him to the father of the Conqueror."[48]

Family and children

Robert married Agnes of Ponthieu, before 9 Sep 1087, and they had one child:[49]

William III of Ponthieu, who via his mother inherited the county of Ponthieu.[23]

Fictional References

Robert appears as the principal antagonist throughout George Shipway's The Palladin (1973), a fictionalized account of the life of Walter Tirel.

He is also portrayed in The Wild Hunt (1990) by Elizabeth Chadwick.

In 2012, a fictional account of the life of Robert de Bellême authored by Roy Stedall-Humphryes was published through Amazon as a Kindle eBook and as a paperback.

Notes

1. Jump up ^ His older brother Roger died young, before 1060–62 when Robert attested a charter for St. Aubin of Angers. See: Cokayne, The Complete Peerage, Vol XI (1949), p. 690 & note (b). This placed Robert in line to obtain his parents' inheritances in Normandy, where the law distinguished between acquisitions and inheritances. Acquisitions were those lands obtained by conquest or purchase while a parent's (typically father's) Norman ancestral lands were heritable by the eldest son. This was later codified in the Leges Henrici Primi which stated: "The Ancestral fee of the father is to go to the first-born son; but he may give his purchases or later acquisitions to whomsoever he prefers". For a time after the Conquest this took the form of the eldest son, now Robert, inheriting the Norman lands of his ancestors while the second son, Hugh, was given the English honors his father had acquired. See: James Clarke Holt, Colonial England, 1066–1215 (London: The Hambledon Press, 1997) pp. 116–121 (& notes); also C. Warren Hollister, Henry I (New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 2003), p. 47 & n.
2. Jump up ^ Robert de Bellême was typical of his generation, the sons of William's companions who had earned their great honors and titles at the battle of Hastings in 1066. This newer generation did not share the values and attitudes of their fathers but rather had different experiences altogether. They had inherited their wealth and status, not earned it. Yet this next generation expected royal favor and patronage without attending court or serving the king in any capacity. They often rebelled when they felt they were not being treated with the dignity and respect they deserved. See: Charlotte A. Newman, The Anglo-Norman Nobility in the Reign of Henry I, The Second Generation (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1988), pp. 17–18; also: William M. Aird, Robert Curthose', Duke of Normandy (C. 1050–1134) (Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 2011), pp. 69–70, 83.
3. Jump up ^ For more on the feud between the Bellêmes and the Giroies see the article William I Talvas
4. References[edit]
5. Jump up ^ George Edward Cokayne, The Complete Peerage; or, a History of the House of Lords and all its Members from the Earliest Times, Vol XI, ed. Geoffrey H. White (London: The St. Catherine Press, Ltd., 1949), p. 689
6. ^ Jump up to: a b George Edward Cokayne, The Complete Peerage; or, a History of the House of Lords and all its Members from the Earliest Times, Vol XI, ed. Geoffrey H. White (London: The St. Catherine Press, Ltd., 1949), p. 690
7. Jump up ^ Ordericus Vitalis, The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy, Vol. II, trans. Thomas Forester (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1854), p. 75
8. Jump up ^ J. F. A. Mason, 'Roger de Montgomery and His Sons (1067–1102)', Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, 5th series vol. 13 (1963) p. 13
9. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f C. Warren Hollister, Henry I (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2003), p. 65
10. ^ Jump up to: a b William M. Aird, Robert 'Curthose', Duke of Normandy (C. 1050–1134) (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2008), p. 110
11. Jump up ^ Victoria Chandler, 'The Last of the Montgomerys: Roger the Poitevin and Arnulf', Historical Research, Vol. 62, No. 147 (February 1989), p. 3 & n. 7
12. Jump up ^ The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, trans. James Ingram (Middlesex: Echo Library, 2007), p. 137
13. Jump up ^ Neil Strevett, 'The Antlo-Norman Civil War of 1101 Reconsidered', Anglo-Norman Studies, XXVL, Proceedings of the Battle Conference 2003, ed. John Gillingham (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2004), p. 160
14. ^ Jump up to: a b c Frank Barlow, William Rufus (Berkeley; Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1983), p. 81
15. Jump up ^ Karen Bosnos, 'Treason and Pilitics in Anglo-Norman Histories', Feud, Violence and Practice: Essays in Medieval Studies in Honor of Stephen D. White ed. Belle S. Tuten (Burlington, VT; Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate Publishing, 2010), p. 299
16. Jump up ^ William M. Aird, Robert 'Curthose', Duke of Normandy (C. 1050–1134) (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2008), p. 115
17. ^ Jump up to: a b C. Warren Hollister, Henry I ( New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2003), pp. 62–3
18. Jump up ^ Ordericus Vitalis, The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy, Vol. II, trans. Thomas Forester (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1854), p. 452
19. ^ Jump up to: a b Kathleen Thompson, 'Robert of Bellême Reconsidered', Anglo-Norman Studies XIII; Proceedings of the Battle Conference 1990, ed. Marjorie Chibnall (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 1991), p. 270
20. Jump up ^ Ordericus Vitalis, The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy, Vol. II, trans. Thomas Forester (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1854), p. 455
21. ^ Jump up to: a b c Ordericus Vitalis, The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy, Vol. II, trans. Thomas Forester (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1854), p. 456
22. Jump up ^ Ordericus Vitalis, The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy, Vol. II, trans. Thomas Forester (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1854), p. 457
23. Jump up ^ Ordericus Vitalis, The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy, Vol. II, trans. Thomas Forester (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1854), p. 476
24. ^ Jump up to: a b c J. F. A. Mason, 'Roger de Montgomery and His Sons (1067–1102)', Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, 5th series vol. 13 (1963) p. 19
25. Jump up ^ Ordericus Vitalis, The Ecclesiastical History of England and Normandy, Vol. II, trans. Thomas Forester (London: Henry G. Bohn, 1854), pp. 502–3
26. ^ Jump up to: a b c C. Warren Hollister, Henry I (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2003), pp. 86–7 & n. 250
27. ^ Jump up to: a b Detlev Schwennicke, Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten, Neue Folge, Band III Teilband 4 (Marburg, Germany: J. A. Stargardt, 1989), Tafel 637
28. Jump up ^ George Edward Cokayne, The Complete Peerage; or, a History of the House of Lords and all its Members from the Earliest Times, Vol XI, ed. Geoffrey H. White (London: The St. Catherine Press, Ltd., 1949), pp. 688, 689–91
29. Jump up ^ J. F. A. Mason, 'Roger de Montgomery and His Sons (1067–1102)', Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, 5th series vol. 13 (1963) p. 20
30. ^ Jump up to: a b C. Warren Hollister, Henry I (New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 2003), p. 155
31. Jump up ^ Neil Strevett, 'The Antlo-Norman Civil War of 1101 Reconsidered', Anglo-Norman Studies, XXVL. Proceedings of the Battle Conference 2003, ed. John Gillingham (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2004), p. 161
32. Jump up ^ J. F. A. Mason, 'Roger de Montgomery and His Sons (1067–1102)', Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, 5th series vol. 13 (1963) pp. 20–21
33. Jump up ^ Steven Runciman, The First Crusade (Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2000), p. 190
34. Jump up ^ David Crouch, The Normans; The History of a Dynasty (London; New York: Hambledon Continuum, 2007), p. 170
35. Jump up ^ C. Warren Hollister, 'The Anglo-Norman Civil War: 1101', The English Historical Review, Vol. 88, No. 347 (Apr. 1973), pp. 317–8
36. Jump up ^ C. Warren Hollister, 'The Anglo-Norman Civil War: 1101', The English Historical Review, Vol. 88, No. 347 (Apr. 1973), pp. 331,
37. Jump up ^ C. Warren Hollister, 'The Anglo-Norman Civil War: 1101', The English Historical Review, Vol. 88, No. 347 (Apr. 1973), pp. 332,
38. Jump up ^ J. F. A. Mason, 'Roger de Montgomery and His Sons (1067–1102)', Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, 5th series vol. 13 (1963) p. 22
39. Jump up ^ David Crouch, The Normans; The History of a Dynasty (London; New York: Hambledon Continuum, 2007), p. 175
40. ^ Jump up to: a b c d George Edward Cokayne, The Complete Peerage; or, a History of the House of Lords and all its Members from the Earliest Times, Vol XI, ed. Geoffrey H. White (London: The St. Catherine Press, Ltd., 1949), p. 693
41. Jump up ^ Kathleen Thompson, 'Robert of Bellême Reconsidered', Anglo-Norman Studies XIII; Proceedings of the Battle Conference 1990, Ed. Marjorie Chibnall (The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, 1991), p. 277
42. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Kathleen Thompson, 'Robert of Bellême Reconsidered', Anglo-Norman Studies XIII; Proceedings of the Battle Conference 1990, Ed. Marjorie Chibnall (The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, 1991), p. 278
43. Jump up ^ Kathleen Thompson, 'Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Bellême', Journal of Medieval History, Vol. 20 (1994), p. 138
44. ^ Jump up to: a b Judith A. Green, Henry I: King of England and Duke of Normandy (Cambridge University Press, New York, 2006), p. 125
45. ^ Jump up to: a b C.W, Hollister, 'War and diplomacy in the Anglo-norman world; The reign of Henry I', Anglo-Norman Studies VI: Proceedings of the Battle Conference 1983, Ed. R. Allen Brown (The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, 1984), p. 81.
46. Jump up ^ J. F. A. Mason, 'Roger de Montgomery and His Sons (1067–1102)', Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, 5th series vol. 13 (1963) p. 24
47. ^ Jump up to: a b Kathleen Thompson, 'Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Bellême', Journal of Medieval History, Vol. 20 (1994), p. 133
48. Jump up ^ David C. Douglas, William the Conqueror (University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1964), p. 414
49. Jump up ^ Kathleen Thompson, 'Orderic Vitalis and Robert of Bellême', Journal of Medieval History, Vol. 20 (1994), p. 134
50. Jump up ^ Geoffrey H. White, 'The First House of Bellême', Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, Fourth Series, Vol. 22 (1940), p. 84
51. ^ Jump up to: a b Kathleen Thompson, 'Robert of Bellême Reconsidered', Anglo-Norman Studies XIII; Proceedings of the Battle Conference 1990, Ed. Marjorie Chibnall (The Boydell Press, Woodbridge, 1991), p. 280
52. Jump up ^ Freesman, William Rufus, i. 181-3, quoted in Dictionary of National Biography, 1885, volume 04, p.182.
53. Jump up ^ George Edward Cokayne, The Complete Peerage; or, A History of the House of Lords and all its Members from the Earliest Times, Vol XI, Ed. Geoffrey H. White (London: The St. Catherine Press, Ltd., 1949), p. 695

Peerage of England

Preceded by Hugh of Montgomery Earl of Shrewsbury 1098–1102 Succeeded by Forfeit

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http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50725#s4

Cubley CUBLEY, in the hundred of Appletree and deanery of Castillar, lies about seven miles from Ashborne and thirteen from Derby. This place had formerly a market on Mondays, granted, in 1251, to William Montgomery, together with a fair for three days at the festival of St. Andrew. (fn. 12) The fair is still held, on the 30th of November: it was, some years ago, much noted for the sale of fat hogs; but is on the decline. The manor of Cubley (Cobelei) was held at the time of taking the Domes day Survey, under Henry de Ferrars, by Ralph, most probably an ancestor of the Montgomery family, who are known to have possessed it as early as the year 1160. John Montgomery, Esq., the last heir male, died in 1513, leaving three daughters coheirs, one of whom brought Cubley and other estates to Sir Thomas Giffard, with whose heiress they passed to Sir John. Port, of Etwall. Sir John had three daughters, coheiresses, the younger of whom brought Cubley to the Stanhopes. The Earl of Chesterfield is Lord of the manor and patron of the rectory. Cubley was the chief seat of the Montgomery family, who had a park there; and it was for a time one of the seats of the Stanhopes; but the mansion has long ago been pulled down. On the tower of the parish church are the arms of the Montgomery family and its alliances; and there are some ancient monuments belonging to them in the church, but the inscriptions have been destroyed.

From: 'Parishes: Clowne - Cubley', Magna Britannia: volume 5: Derbyshire (1817), pp. 89-94. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=50725 Date accessed: 22 February 2011.

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Robert's first notable act, as a young man, was to take part in the 1077 revolt of the young Robert Curthose against William the Conqueror, an act he shared with many other Norman nobles of his generation. The rebellion was put down, and the participants pardoned. William did require that ducal garrisons be placed in the important baronial castles, which would make future rebellion much more difficult.

Robert's mother Mabel was killed in 1082, whereupon Robert inherited her property which stretched across the hilly border region between Normandy and Maine. It is due to this early inheritance that Robert has come be known as of Bellême rather than of Montgomery.

William the Conqueror died in 1087, and Robert's first act on hearing the news was to expel the ducal garrisons from his castles. Robert Curthose was the new duke of Normandy, but he was unable to keep order, and Robert of Bellême had a free hand to make war against his less powerful neighbours.

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Robert de Bellême (c. 1056– after 1130), seigneur de Bellême (or Belèsme), seigneur de Montgomery, viscount of the Hiémois, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury and Count of Ponthieu, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, and one of the most prominent figures in the competition for the succession to England and Normandy between the sons of William the Conqueror. He was a member of the powerful House of Bellême.

Robert became notorious for his alleged cruelty. The chronicler Orderic Vitalis calls him "Grasping and cruel, an implacable persecutor of the Church of God and the poor... unequalled for his iniquity in the whole Christian era." The stories of his brutality may have inspired the legend of Robert the Devil.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_of_Bell%C3%AAme,_3rd_Earl_of_S...