Robert I Duke of Normandy Normandie

1000 - Bef 1035  (< 35 years)

• Name	Robert I Duke of Normandy Normandie
  Birth	22 Jun 1000	Rouen, Duchy of Normandy   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Name	Robert The Devil
  Death	Bef 3 Jul 1035	Nicaea, Byzantine Empire
  Person ID	I7327	FelsingFam
  Last Modified	21 Dec 2024

  
  

  Father	Richard II Duke of Normandy,   b. 23 Aug 963, Évreux, Normandie, France d. 28 Aug 1026, Fécamp, Normandie, France (Age 63 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Judith Bretagne,   b. 982, Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France d. 16 Jun 1017, Normandy, France (Age 35 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Family ID	F2340	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Herleva de Mortain Falaise,   b. Abt 1003, Falaise, Normandie, France d. Abt 1055, Mortain, Normandie, France (Age ~ 52 years)
  Children	+ 1. William Guillaume of Normandy Normandie,   b. 1027, Normandie, France d. 9 Sep 1087, Rouen, Normandie, France (Age 60 years)  [Father: natural]  [Mother: natural]
  Family ID	F2344	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	21 Dec 2024

  
  

• Notes

  https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Normandie-43 BIOGRAPHY FROM GENEALOGICS.ORG: Robert was the second son of Richard II 'the Good', duke of Normandy and Judith de Bretagne, daughter of Conon I 'le Tort', duc de Bretagne and Ermengarde d'Anjou. When his father died in 1027, Robert's elder brother Richard succeeded, while he became count of Hiémois. When Richard died a year later, there were great suspicions that Robert had Richard murdered, the origin of his epithet, Robert 'le diable' (Robert 'the Devil'). Robert aided Henri I of France against Henri's rebellious brother and mother, and for his help he was given the territory of the Vexin. He also intervened in the affairs of Flanders, supported England's Edward 'the Confessor', who was then in exile at Robert's court, and sponsored monastic reform in Normandy. By his mistress Harlette/Herleve, daughter of Fulbert de Falaise, Robert was father of two children, the future William 'the Conqueror' and Adela of Normandy, both of whom would have progeny. After making his illegitimate son William his heir, Robert set out on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. According to the _Gesta Normannorum Ducum_ he travelled by way of Constantinople, reached Jerusalem and died on the return journey at Nicaea in Turkey on 22 July 1035. His son William, aged about eight, succeeded him. According to the chronicler William of Malmesbury (1080-1143), around 1086 William sent a mission to Constantinople and Nicaea, charging it with bringing his father's body back to be buried in Normandy. Permission was granted, but having travelled as far as Apulia (Italy) on the return journey, the envoys learned that William had died. They then decided to re-inter Robert's body in Italy. Biography from wikitree: Name and Titles Robert I "le Magnifique"[1] Robert I, the Magnificent, [2] Robert is usually called Robert I, Duke of Normandy, but since his ancestor Rollo took Robert as his baptismal name, sometimes Rollo is addressed as Robert I, and this Robert as Robert II. [3] He was also, although erroneously, said to have been called 'Robert the Devil' (French: le Diable). Robert I was never known by the nickname 'the devil' in his lifetime. 'Robert the Devil' was a fictional character who was confused with Robert I, Duke of Normandy sometime near the end of the Middle Ages. [4] In 1831 the composer, Giacomo Meyerbeer, wrote an opera "Robert le Diable" about this legendary character. Count of Hiemois, 1026, [2] Duke of Normandy, 1027-1035, [2] [1] Birth and Parentage Baldwin reports that Robert's date and place of birth are unknown.[1] Wikipedia reports a birth date and place of 22 June 1000 in Normandy[3] but without a persuasive source. Robert was the son of Richard II, duke of Normandy, who died 23 August 1026, and Judith de Rennes, who died 28 June 1017, daughter of Conan I of Brittany. [1] Cawley reports that Guillaume of Jumièges names “Richardum...atque Robertum et Willelmum” as the three sons of “dux Richardus” and his wife “Goiffredum Britannorum comitem... sororem... Iudith”. [5] 1016 Engagement to Estrid Svensdatter After Cnut's elevation to the throne of England (1016) , Cnut made an agreement with Richard II of Normandy that Cnut's sister Estrid Estrid was to marry Richard's son Robert. It is not known whether this marriage ever took place. Ralph Glaber in his Historiarum libri quinque [6] reported that an unnamed sister of Cnut married Robert, but Adam of Bremen reports a marriage of Estrid (calling her Margaret) to Richard II, indicating that after he went to Jerusalem she married Ulf, yet although Richard never went to Jerusalem Robert did. [7] Baldwin reports as a "Possible spouse or intended spouse (of Robert or his father Richard II), Estrid/Margaret, daughter of Svend I, king of Denmark. Rodulfus Glaber, 108, states that Robert was married to a sister (not named) of king Canute, and that he was father of William by a concubine. Adam of Bremen [Book 2, chapter liv(52), p. 92], who obtained some of his information from king Svend II (son of Estrid by her marriage to jarl Ulf), stated that before her marriage to Ulf, Svend's mother Margaret (called Estrid in other sources) was married to Richard (II) of Normandy, father of Robert, but then goes on to show confusion by saying that Margaret married Ulf after Richard set out for Jurusalem, where he died. (Richard did not set out for Jeruslaem, but Robert did.) Unfortunately, there are significant problems with the statement that Estrid married either Richard or Robert, discussed in detail by Douglas [Douglas (1950), 292-5]. Nevertheless, despite the problems, it is difficult to believe that there is nothing to these two similar, and apparently independent, accounts of two near contemporary writers. Baldwin reports that "given the difficulty of reconciling a marriage with the evidence, a possible betrothal of Estrid to either Robert or Richard II would seem like a reasonable alternative." [1] Norman sources do not mention such a marriage for either duke, and historians disagree whether it was a short-lived marriage, a betrothal, or a result of confusion.[8] Since there is no indication the marriage ever took place, it has been disconnected on WikiTree.Day-1904 10:17, 13 May 2017 (EDT) 1021 Possible First Mistress In 1021, Robert would have been 21 years old, and it is reasonable to imagine that he had a mistress during this period, lending credence to those who believe that Adelaide was born two or three years before William. Cawley reports the name of Duke Robert's first mistresss is not known, but that Robert de Torigny names "Aeliz" as daughter of Duke Robert II "de alia concubina", different from Herleve. [5] Some authorities suggest that both William and his sister Adelaide had the same mother, but most suggest different mothers. There is also a discrepancy as to whether Adelaide was born before or after William. Some sources refer to Adelaide as William's "uterine sister." The question of who her mother was seems to remain unsettled. Elisabeth Van Houts ['Les femmes dans l'histoire du duché de Normandie', Tabularia « Études », n° 2, 2002, (10 July 2002), p. 23, n. 22] makes the argument that Robert of Torigny in the GND II, p. 272 (one of three mentions in this volume of her being William's sister) calls her in this instance William's 'uterine' sister' (soror uterina) and is of the opinion this is a mistake similar to one he made regarding Richard II, Duke of Normandy and his paternal half-brother William, Count of Eu (calling them 'uterine' brothers). Based on this she concludes Adelaide was a daughter of Duke Robert by a different concubine. Kathleen Thompson ["Being the Ducal Sister: The Role of Adelaide of Aumale", Normandy and Its Neighbors, Brepols, (2011) p. 63] cites the same passage in GND as did Elisabeth Van Houts, specifically GND II, 270-2, but gives a different opinion. She noted that Robert de Torigni stated here she was the uterine sister of Duke William "so we might perhaps conclude that she shared both mother and father with the Conqueror." But as Torigni wrote a century after Adelaide's birth and in that same sentence in the GND made a genealogical error, she concludes that the identity of Adelaide's mother remains an open question. [3] 1026 Reign and Death of Robert's brother, Richard III Before he died, Richard II had decided his elder son Richard III would succeed him while his second son Robert would become Count of Hiémois. [9] In August 1026, Richard II, father of Richard and Robert, died and Guillaume of Jumièges records that Richard II Duke of Normandy, on his deathbed, confirmed the succession of his son Richard and made Robert the Count of Hiémois. [5] Richard III became duke, but very soon afterwards Robert rebelled against his brother, was subsequently defeated and forced to swear fealty to his older brother Richard.[10] When Richard III died a year later, it was reported by William of Malmesbury [11] that Robert died of poisoning. Although nothing could be proved, Robert had the most to gain. [12] 1026 Herleve of Falaise Given William's birth in 1027, Robert had a relationship with Herleve of Falaise, probably at Falaise, in 1026. Herleve (or Arlette) was the daughter of Fulbert de Falaise and his wife Doda (Duwa). "Guillaume of Jumièges names “Herleva Fulberti cubicularii ducis filia” as the mother of “Willelmus...ex concubina Roberti ducis...natus“. [5] The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines that Herleve's family were from Chaumont in the diocese of Liège but moved to Falaise, adding that others said they were from Huy. [5] Immediately after the death of Duke Richard II on 23 August 1026, his son Robert occupied Falaise, not wishing to accept the authority of his older brother Duke Richard III. Robert's stay was, however, short, as the two brothers were reconciled soon after. [5] According to Cawley, Deville suggests it is reasonable to suppose that Robert's relationship with Herleve, Guillaume's mother, occurred soon after his arrival at Falaise, and that therefore Guillaume's birthdate can be fixed more precisely to mid-1027. [5] Richardson simply reports that Robert had a mistress named Arlette or Herleve who was the mother of one illegitimate son, William the Conqueror. [2] 1027 Reign of Robert Robert succeeded his brother in 1027 as Robert II Duke of Normandy. [5] The conflicts initiated by Robert against his brother Richard continued to destabilize Normandy after his accession, and his reign was characterized by private wars between neighboring barons and conflicts with domains ruled by close relatives, such as his uncle, Robert, Archbishop of Rouen and Count of Evreux or his cousin Hugo III d'Ivry, Bishop of Bayeux. [3] During this period Robert also seized a number of church properties belonging to the Abbey of Fecamp. [13] Robert also engaged in conflicts outside of Normandy. He contributed to the restoration of Henry King of France to his throne and received from the gratitude of the monarch, the Vexin, as an addition to his patrimonial domains. Robert intervened in the civil war in Flanders between Baldwin V, Count of Flanders and his father Baldwin IV whom the younger Baldwin had driven out of Flanders.[14] Robert's cousins, the Athelings Edward and Alfred, sons of his aunt Emma of Normandy and Athelred, King of England had been living at the Norman Court and at one point Robert, on their behalf, attempted to mount an invasion of England but was prevented in doing so, it was said, by unfavorable winds, [15]that scattered and sank much of the fleet. Robert made a safe landing in Guernsey. Gesta Normannorum Ducum stated that King Cnut sent envoys to Duke Robert offering to settle half the Kingdom of England on Edward and Alfred. After postponing the naval invasion he chose to also postpone the decision until after he returned from Jerusalem. [16] 1035 The Church and Robert's Pilgrimage to Jerusalem Cawley reports that Robert's attitude towards the Church had changed noticeably certainly since his reinstating his uncle's position as Archbishop of Rouen. [17] In his attempt to reconcile his differences with the Church he restored property that he or his vassals had confiscated, and by 1034 had returned all the properties he had earlier taken from the abbey of Fecamp. [18] William of Malmesbury records that Robert went on pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1035. The date of Robert´s departure can be estimated more precisely from his charter dated 13 Jan 1035 which announces his forthcoming departure for Jerusalem. [5] After making his illegitimate son William his heir, he set out on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. [19] 1036 Death on Return from Jerusalem When in 1035 Robert made his plans for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, his son William, who became the Conqueror, was aged 7 (or 8). According to the Gesta Normannorum Ducum Robert travelled by way of Constantinople, reached Jerusalem, fell seriously ill and died on the return journey at Nicaea on 2 July 1035. [19] [2] Cawley reports that Robert of Normandy died in Nicaea (Nikaia) 22 July 1035. He was buried in the basilca of St. Mary, there, and transferred in 1187 to Apulia. [5] He died at Nicaea between 1 and 3 July, 1035 and was buried there. [1] Robert's son William, aged about eight, succeeded him. [20] Robert succeeded his father in 1035 as GUILLAUME II Duke of Normandy. [5] 1036 Marriage of Herleve to Herluin Cawley reports that Herleve, mother of William, married ([after 1035]) Herluin de Conteville. [5] In Richardson's account, however, Herleve married Herluin de Conteville, Vicomte, seigneur of Conteville about 1030, prior to Robert's death. [2] 1086 Reburial According to the historian William of Malmesbury, around 1086 William sent a mission to Constantinople and Nicaea, charging it with bringing his father's body back to be buried in Normandy. Permission was granted, but, having travelled as far as Apulia (Italy) on the return journey, the envoys learned that William himself had meanwhile died. They then decided to re-inter Robert's body in Italy. [5][21] Issue Documented Children Adelais or Alice, de Lens, Countess of Aumale, an illegitimate daughter of Herleva or an unknown mistress.[2] The only chronicler to explicitly address the issue, Robert of Torigny, contradicts himself, once indicating that she had a distinct mother from William, elsewhere stating that they shared the same mother. The documentation here suggests that Adelaide was born several years prior to Robert's liaison with Herleve de Falaise. Adelaide of Normandy, married three times: to Enguerrand II, Count of Ponthieu, Lambert II, Count of Lens, and Odo II of Champagne. Cawley reports that she retained the title Comtesse d'Aumâle after her first marriage. Her second marriage is deduced from the same charter of Saint-Martin d´Auchy which also names “Judita comitissa domine supradicte filia”[233]. Orderic Vitalis records that King William I granted "comitatum Hildernessæ" to "Odoni...Campaniensi nepoti Theobaldi comitis" who had married "sororem...regis filiam...Rodberti ducis"[234]. William I King of England donated various properties to the abbey of La Trinité de Caen, including "burgum de Hulmo" with the consent of "Adelisa amita mea…cujus hereditas erat sed et comitissa A. de Albamarla…in vita sua", by charter dated 1082[235]. m firstly ENGUERRAND [II] Comte de Montreuil, son of HUGUES de Ponthieu Comte de Montreuil & his wife Berthe d'Aumâle (-killed in battle Château d'Arques 25 Oct [1053]). m secondly ([1053/54]) LAMBERT de Boulogne Comte de Lens, son of EUSTACHE [I] Comte de Boulogne & his wife Mathilde de Louvain (-killed in battle Phalampin 1054). m thirdly ([1060]) EUDES III Comte de Troyes et d'Aumâle, son of ETIENNE I Comte de Troyes [Blois] & his wife Adela --- (-after 1118). [5]Wikitree currently reports her born in Falaise Castle 1035. This is problematic because she may well have been born earlier than William in 1027. Birth at Falaise Castle suggests the belief that Herleva was her mother, but in 1035 Herleva was becoming married to Herluin. Guillaume, who became William the Conqueror, was born 1027 in Normandy the illegitimate son of Robert, Duke of Normandy, and his mistress, Arlette (or Herleve), daughter of Fulbert of Falaise, [2] Cawley reports that William's mother was the second mistress, and that he was born in the Château de Falaise, Normandy. [5] William of Malmesbury, reported that Guillaume was born of a concubine and was seven years old when his father left for Jerusalem. Orderic Vitalis, who states that William was eight years old at the time. [5] By his mistress, Herleva of Falaise, [22] he was father of: William the Conqueror (c. 1028-1087). [23] Undocumented children no longer linked on Wikitree Felicia (Normandy) Normandie, b. 1017, Normandy Lesceline (Normandy) de Normandie, born 1026 Caen, however Caen was founded by William the Conqueror, to which he moved his Normandy capital from Rouen. Godiva (Normandie) de Mercia, born Nourmandie 1076 Line of Descent to William the Conqueror Douglas Richardson [24] provides one line of descent from Charlemagne to William the Conqueror and four lines of descent from Charlemagne to William's wife Maud. Parent: Judith, 982-1017 This profile: Robert, 1000-1035 Child: William, 1027-1087 Sources ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Stewart Baldwin, "Robert I 'le Magnifique' ('the Magnificent')", The Henry Project: The Ancestors of King Henry II of England, (2004), https://fasg.org/projects/henryproject/data/rober000.htm : accessed 19 July, 2022. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. Kimball G. Everingham, ed. Salt Lake City, Utah: 2013. Volume 5, page 487 ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017. ↑ See François Neveux, A Brief History of the Normans, trans. Howard Curtis (Constable & Robinson, Ltd. London, 2008), p. 97 & n. 5. Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 5.12 5.13 5.14 5.15 Charles Cawley. "Robert." Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Medieval Lands Database. http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/NORMANDY.htm. Accessed May 5, 2017. ↑ M. K. Lawson, Cnut: England's Viking King (2004), p. 105. and CdB Guided Tours Roman and Norman Notes. Cited by Wikipedia. Estrid Svendsdater. [1] Accessed May 13, 2017. ↑ Pauline Stafford, Queen Emma and Queen Edith (1997), p. 23; cf. p. 235. Cited by Wikipedia. Estrid Svendsdater. [2] Accessed May 13, 2017. ↑ Wikipedia. Estrid Svendsdater. [3] Accessed May 13, 2017. ↑ The Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumieges, Orderic Vitalis, and Robert of Torigni, Vol. II, Books V-VIII, ed. Elisabeth M.C. Van Houts (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1995), pp. 40-1. Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017. ↑ David Crouch, The Normans, The History of a Dynasty (Hambledon Continuum, London, New York, 2002), p. 46. Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017. ↑ Gesta regum Anglorum, Vol. i, pp. 211-12) and Wace (pt. iii, II, 3212-14) Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017. ↑ David C. Douglas, William the Conqueror (University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1964), p. 32. Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017. ↑ David Crouch, The Normans, The History of a Dynasty (Hambledon Continuum, London, New York, 2002), p. 49. Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017. ↑ David Crouch, The Normans, The History of a Dynasty (Hambledon Continuum, London, New York, 2002), pp. 49-50. Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017. ↑ Christopher Harper-Bill; Elisabeth Van Houts, A Companion to the Anglo-Norman World (Boydell Press, Woodbridge, UK, 2003), p. 31. Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017. ↑ The Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumièges, Orderic Vitalis, and Robert of Torigni, Ed. & Trans. Elizabeth M.C. Van Houts, Vol. I (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1992), pp. 78-80. Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017. ↑ François Neveux. A Brief History of The Normans (Constable & Robbinson, Ltd, London, 2008), p. 102Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017. ↑ François Neveux. A Brief History of The Normans (Constable & Robbinson, Ltd, London, 2008), p. 103. Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017. ↑ 19.0 19.1 The Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumièges, Orderic Vitalis, and Robert of Torigni, Ed. & Trans. Elizabeth M.C. Van Houts, Vol. I (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1992), pp. 80-5. Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017. ↑ François Neveux, A Brief History of the Normans, trans. Howard Curtis (Constable & Robinson, Ltd. London, 2008), p. 110. Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017. ↑ William M. Aird, Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy: C. 1050-1134 (Boydell Press, Woodbridge, UK, 2008), p. 159 n. 38 Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017. ↑ The Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumièges, Orderic Vitalis, and Robert of Torigni, Ed. & Trans. Elizabeth M.C. Van Houts, Vol. I (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1992), p. lxxv. Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017. ↑ David C. Douglas, William the Conqueror (University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1964), p. 15, passim. Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017. ↑ Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. Kimball G Everingham, Editor. Salt Lake City, Utah: By the Author, 2013. Volume V, p. 485-486

  
  

• Sources

  [S945] Genealogics.org.