| Notes |
[[Category:Charlemagne to William the Conqueror Descent]]
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==Biography==
===Name and Titles===*Robert I "le Magnifique"[Stewart B a l d w i n, "Robert I 'le Magnifique' ('the Magnificent')", ''The Henry Pro j e c t : T he Ancestors of King Henry II of England'', (2004), https://fasg . o r g / projects/henryproject/data/rober000.htm : accessed 19 July, 2022.< / r e f > *Robert I, the Magnificent, ][ Douglas Richardson , R o y a l A ncestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. Kimball G . E v e r i ngham, ed. Salt Lake City, Utah: 2013. Volume 5, page 487 * R o bert is usually called Robert I, Duke of Normandy, but since his a n c e s t or Rollo took Robert as his baptismal name, sometimes Rollo is add r e s s e d as Robert I, and this Robert as Robert II. ][ W i k i p e dia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R o b e r t _I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017.]*He was also, a l t h o u gh erroneously, said to have been called 'Robert the Devil' (Frenc h : l e D i a ble). Robert I was never known by the nickname 'the devil' in h i s l i f e time. 'Robert the Devil' was a fictional character who was confu s e d w i t h Robert I, Duke of Normandy sometime near the end of the Middle A g e s . < r ef> See Fran�ois Neveux, A Brief History of the Normans, trans. H o w a r d C urtis (Constable & Robinson, Ltd. London, 2008), p. 97 & n. 5. C i t e d b y W ikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.o r g / w i ki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017. In 1 8 3 1 t h e c omposer, Giacomo Meyerbeer, wrote an opera "Robert le Diable" a b o u t t h is legendary character.
*Count of Hiemois, 1026,
*Duke of Normandy, 1027-1035,
===Birth and Parentage===Baldwin reports that Robert's date and place o f b i r t h a re unknown.
Robert was the son of Richard II, duke of Normandy, who died 23 August 1 0 2 6 , a n d Judith de Rennes, who died 28 June 1017, daughter of Conan I o f B r i t t any.
===1016 Engagement to Estrid Svensdatter===
After Cnut's elevation to the throne of England (1016) , Cnut made an a g r e e m ent with Richard II of Normandy that Cnut's sister [[Danemark-19|E s t r i d ] ] Estrid was to marry Richard's son Robert. It is not known whet h e r t h i s marriage ever took place. Ralph Glaber in his Historiarum libr i q u i n q ue [ M. K. Lawson, Cnut: England's Viking Kin g ( 2 0 0 4 ), p. 105. and CdB Guided Tours Roman and Norman Notes. Cited b y W i k i p edia. Estrid Svendsdater. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estri d_ S v e n dsdatter] Accessed May 13, 2017.] reported that an unnamed s i s t e r o f Cnut married Robert, but Adam of Bremen reports a marriage of E s t r i d ( calling her Margaret) to Richard II, indicating that after he we n t t o J e r usalem she married Ulf, yet although Richard never went to Jer u s al e m R obert did. [ Pauline Stafford, Queen Emma and Q u e e n E d ith (1997), p. 23; cf. p. 235. Cited by Wikipedia. Estrid Sven d s d a t er. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estrid_Svendsdatter] Accessed M a y 1 3 , 2 0 17.]
Baldwin reports as a "Possible spouse or intended spouse (of Robert or h i s f a t h er Richard II), Estrid/Margaret, daughter of Svend I, king of De n m a r k . Rodulfus Glaber, 108, states that Robert was married to a siste r ( n o t n a med) of king Canute, and that he was father of William by a co nc u b i n e. Adam of Bremen [Book 2, chapter liv(52), p. 92], who obtained s o m e o f h i s information from king Svend II (son of Estrid by her marriag e t o j a r l U lf), stated that before her marriage to Ulf, Svend's mother M a rg a r e t (called Estrid in other sources) was married to Richard (II) of N o r m a n dy, father of Robert, but then goes on to show confusion by saying t h a t M a r garet married Ulf after Richard set out for Jurusalem, where he d i e d . ( R ichard did not set out for Jeruslaem, but Robert did.) Unfortuna t e l y , t here are significant problems with the statement that Estrid mar r i e d e i ther Richard or Robert, discussed in detail by Douglas [Douglas ( 1 9 5 0 ) , 292-5]. Nevertheless, despite the problems, it is difficult to b e l i e v e that there is nothing to these two similar, and apparently indep e n d e n t, accounts of two near contemporary writers. Baldwin reports that " g i v e n t he difficulty of reconciling a marriage with the evidence, a pos s i b l e b etrothal of Estrid to either Robert or Richard II would seem lik e a r e a s o nable alternative."
Norman sources do not mention such a marriage for either duke, and hist o r i a n s disagree whether it was a short-lived marriage, a betrothal, or a r e s u l t o f confusion.[ Wikipedia. Estrid Svendsdater . [ h t t p s://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estrid_Svendsdatter] Accessed May 13 , 2 0 1 7 . ] Since there is no indication the marriage ever took pla ce , i t h a s b een disconnected on WikiTree.[[Day-1904|Day-1904]] 10:17, 1 3 M a y 2 0 1 7 (EDT)
===1021 Possible First Mistress===
In 1021, Robert would have been 21 years old, and it is reasonable to i m a g i n e that he had a mistress during this period, lending credence to t h o s e w h o believe that Adelaide was born two or three years before Willi a m .
Cawley reports the name of Duke Robert's first mistresss is not known, b u t t h a t R obert de Torigny names "Aeliz" as daughter of Duke Robert II " d e a l i a c oncubina", different from Herleve.
Some authorities suggest that both William and his sister Adelaide had t h e s a m e m other, but most suggest different mothers. There is also a di s c r e p ancy as to whether Adelaide was born before or after William. Som e s o u r c es refer to Adelaide as William's "uterine sister." The questio n o f w h o h e r mother was seems to remain unsettled. Elisabeth Van Houts [ ' Le s f e m mes dans l'histoire du duch� de Normandie', Tabularia � �tudes �, n � 2 , 2 0 02, (10 July 2002), p. 23, n. 22] makes the argument that Rob e r t o f T o rigny in the GND II, p. 272 (one of three mentions in this vol u m e o f h e r being William's sister) calls her in this instance William's ' u t e r i ne' sister' (soror uterina) and is of the opinion this is a mistak e s i m i l ar to one he made regarding Richard II, Duke of Normandy and his p a t e r n al half-brother William, Count of Eu (calling them 'uterine' broth e r s ) . B ased on this she concludes Adelaide was a daughter of Duke Rober t b y a d i f f erent concubine. Kathleen Thompson ["Being the Ducal Sister: T h e R o l e o f Adelaide of Aumale", Normandy and Its Neighbors, Brepols, (2 0 1 1 ) p . 6 3] cites the same passage in GND as did Elisabeth Van Houts, s p e c i f ically GND II, 270-2, but gives a different opinion. She noted tha t R o b e r t de Torigni stated here she was the uterine sister of Duke Will ia m " s o w e m ight perhaps conclude that she shared both mother and fathe r w i t h t h e Conqueror." But as Torigni wrote a century after Adelaide's b i r t h a n d in that same sentence in the GND made a genealogical error, sh e c o n c l udes that the identity of Adelaide's mother remains an open ques ti o n . < r ef name="wikirob"/>
===1026 Reign and Death of Robert's brother, Richard III===
Before he died, Richard II had decided his elder son Richard III would s u c c e e d him while his second son Robert would become Count of Hi�mois. < r e f n a m e="note1"> The Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumieges, O r d e r i c Vitalis, and Robert of Torigni, Vol. II, Books V-VIII, ed. Elisa b e t h M . C. Van Houts (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1995), pp. 40-1. Cited b y W i k i p edia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wik i/ R o b e rt_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017.
In August 1026, Richard II, father of Richard and Robert, died and Guil l a u m e o f Jumi�ges records that Richard II Duke of Normandy, on his deat h b e d , c onfirmed the succession of his son Richard and made Robert the C o u n t o f
Hi�mois.
Richard III became duke, but very soon afterwards Robert rebelled again s t h i s b r other, was subsequently defeated and forced to swear fealty to h i s o l d e r brother Richard.[ David Crouch, The Normans, T h e H i s t ory of a Dynasty (Hambledon Continuum, London, New York, 2002), p . 4 6 . C i t ed by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wi ki p ed i a .org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017.]
When Richard III died a year later, it was reported by William of Malme s b u r y < ref> Gesta regum Anglorum, Vol. i, pp. 211-12) and Wace (pt. iii , I I , 3 2 1 2-14) Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https :/ / e n . wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2 0 1 7 . < /ref> that Robert died of poisoning. Although nothing could be p r o v e d , Robert had the most to gain. [ David C. Douglas , W i l l i am the Conqueror (University of California Press, Berkeley and L os A n g e l es, 1964), p. 32. Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Norman dy. h t t p s ://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Acces sed M a y 5 , 2 0 17.]
===1026 Herleve of Falaise===
Given William's birth in 1027, Robert had a relationship with Herleve o f F a l a i se, probably at Falaise, in 1026. [[Falaise-2|Herleve]] (or Arl et t e ) w a s the daughter of Fulbert de Falaise and his wife Doda (Duwa). " G u i l l aume of Jumi�ges names "Herleva Fulberti cubicularii ducis filia" a s t h e m o t her of "Willelmus...ex concubina Roberti ducis...natus".
The Chronicle of Alberic de Trois-Fontaines that Herleve's family were f r o m C h a umont in the diocese of Li�ge but moved to Falaise, adding that o t h e r s s aid they were from Huy.
Immediately after the death of Duke Richard II on 23 August 1026, his s o n R o b e rt occupied Falaise, not wishing to accept the authority of his o l d e r b r other Duke Richard III. Robert's stay was, however, short, as t h e t w o b r others were reconciled soon after.
According to Cawley, Deville suggests it is reasonable to suppose that R o b e r t 's relationship with Herleve, Guillaume's mother, occurred soon af t e r h i s a rrival at Falaise, and that therefore Guillaume's birthdate ca n b e f i x e d more precisely to mid-1027.
Richardson simply reports that Robert had a mistress named Arlette or H e r l e v e who was the mother of one illegitimate son, William the Conquero r . < r e f n ame="ra5487"/>
===1027 Reign of Robert===
Robert succeeded his brother in 1027 as Robert II Duke of Normandy. < r e f n a m e="fmg"/>
The conflicts initiated by Robert against his brother Richard continued t o d e s t a bilize Normandy after his accession, and his reign was character iz e d b y p r ivate wars between neighboring barons and conflicts with doma i n s r u l ed by close relatives, such as his uncle, Robert, Archbishop of R o u e n a n d Count of Evreux or his cousin Hugo III d'Ivry, Bishop of Bayeu x . < r e f n ame="wikirob"/>
During this period Robert also seized a number of church properties bel o n g i n g to the Abbey of Fecamp. [ David Crouch, The Nor m a n s , T he History of a Dynasty (Hambledon Continuum, London, New York, 2 0 0 2 ) , p . 49. Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https:// e n . w i kipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 20 1 7 . < / ref>]
Robert also engaged in conflicts outside of Normandy. He contributed t o t h e r e s toration of Henry King of France to his throne and received fr om t h e g r a titude of the monarch, the Vexin, as an addition to his patri mon i a l d o mains.
Robert intervened in the civil war in Flanders between Baldwin V, Count o f F l a n d ers and his father Baldwin IV whom the younger Baldwin had drive n o u t o f F l anders.[ David Crouch, The Normans, The His to r y o f a D y nasty (Hambledon Continuum, London, New York, 2002), pp. 49 - 5 0 . C i ted by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wiki p e d i a .org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017.]
Robert's cousins, the Athelings Edward and Alfred, sons of his aunt Emm a o f N o r m andy and Athelred, King of England had been living at the Norm an C o u r t a nd at one point Robert, on their behalf, attempted to mount a n i n v a s ion of England but was prevented in doing so, it was said, by un fa v o r a ble winds, [ Christopher Harper-Bill; Elisabet h V a n H o u ts, A Companion to the Anglo-Norman World (Boydell Press, Wood br i d g e , UK, 2003), p. 31. Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Norma n d y . h t tps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Acce s s e d M a y 5, 2017.]that scattered and sank much of the fleet. Rober t m a d e a s a fe landing in Guernsey. Gesta Normannorum Ducum stated that K i n g C n u t sent envoys to Duke Robert offering to settle half the Kingdom o f E n g l a nd on Edward and Alfred. After postponing the naval invasion he c h o s e t o a lso postpone the decision until after he returned from Jerusal e m . < r e f name="note11"> The Gesta Normannorum Ducum of William of Jumi� g e s , O r deric Vitalis, and Robert of Torigni, Ed. & Trans. Elizabeth M.C . V a n H o u ts, Vol. I (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1992), pp. 78-80. Cited b y W i k i p edia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wik i/ R o b e rt_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017.
===1035 The Church and Robert's Pilgrimage to Jerusalem===
Cawley reports that Robert's attitude towards the Church had changed no t i c e a bly certainly since his reinstating his uncle's position as Archbi s h o p o f R ouen. [ Fran�ois Neveux. A Brief History of T h e N o r m ans (Constable & Robbinson, Ltd, London, 2008), p. 102Cited by W i k i p e dia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R o b e r t _I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017.] In his attem p t t o r e c oncile his differences with the Church he restored property th a t h e o r h i s vassals had confiscated, and by 1034 had returned all the p r o p er t ies he had earlier taken from the abbey of Fecamp. [ F ran�ois Neveux. A Brief History of The Normans (Constable & Robb i n s o n , Ltd, London, 2008), p. 103. Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke o f N o r m a ndy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy . A c c e s sed May 5, 2017.]
William of Malmesbury records that Robert went on pilgrimage to Jerusal e m i n 1 0 3 5. The date of Robert's departure can be estimated more preci s e ly f r o m his charter dated 13 Jan 1035 which announces his forthcoming d e p a r t ure for Jerusalem.
After making his illegitimate son William his heir, he set out on pilgr i m a g e t o Jerusalem. [ The Gesta Normannorum Ducum of W i l l i a m of Jumi�ges, Orderic Vitalis, and Robert of Torigni, Ed. & Trans . E l i z a beth M.C. Van Houts, Vol. I (Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1992), pp. 8 0 - 5 . C i ted by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wiki p e d i a .org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017.]
===1036 Death on Return from Jerusalem===
When in 1035 Robert made his plans for a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, his s o n W i l l iam, who became the Conqueror, was aged 7 (or 8).
According to the Gesta Normannorum Ducum Robert travelled by way of Con s t a n t inople, reached Jerusalem, fell seriously ill and died on the retu r n j o u r ney at Nicaea on 2 July 1035.
Cawley reports that Robert of Normandy died in Nicaea (Nikaia) 22 July 1 0 3 5 . H e w as buried in the basilca of St. Mary, there, and transferred i n 1 1 8 7 t o A pulia. [ Charles Cawley. "Robert." Foundat io n f o r M e dieval Genealogy. Medieval Lands Database. http://fmg.ac/Pr o je c t s /MedLands/NORMANDY.htm. Accessed May 5, 2017. ]
He died at Nicaea between 1 and 3 July, 1035 and was buried there.
Robert's son William, aged about eight, succeeded him. [ F r a n�ois Neveux, A Brief History of the Normans, trans. Howard Curt i s ( C o n stable & Robinson, Ltd. London, 2008), p. 110. Cited by Wikiped i a . R o b ert I, Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_ I % 2 C _ Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017.]
Robert succeeded his father in 1035 as GUILLAUME II Duke of Normandy. < r e f n a m e="fmg"/>
===1036 Marriage of Herleve to Herluin===
Cawley reports that Herleve, mother of William, married ([after 1035]) H e r l u i n de Conteville.
===1086 Reburial===
According to the historian William of Malmesbury, around 1086 William s e n t a m i s sion to Constantinople and Nicaea, charging it with bringing h i s f a t h er's body back to be buried in Normandy. Permission was granted, b u t , h a v ing travelled as far as Apulia (Italy) on the return journey, th e e n v o y s learned that William himself had meanwhile died. They then dec id e d t o r e -inter Robert's body in Italy. [ W illiam M. Aird, Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy: C. 1050-1134 ( B o y d e ll Press, Woodbridge, UK, 2008), p. 159 n. 38 Cited by Wikipedia. R o b e r t I , Duke of Normandy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_D u k e _ o f_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2017.]
===Issue===
====Documented Children====
#[[Normandie-98|Adelais]] or Alice, de Lens, Countess of Aumale, an ill e g i t i mate daughter of Herleva or an unknown mistress.[ T h e o n ly chronicler to explicitly address the issue, Robert of Tori g ny , c o n tradicts himself, once indicating that she had a distinct mothe r f r o m W i lliam, elsewhere stating that they shared the same mother. Th e d o c u m entation here suggests that Adelaide was born several years prio r t o R o b e rt's liaison with Herleve de Falaise. Adelaide of Normandy, m a rr i e d t hree times: to Enguerrand II, Count of Ponthieu, Lambert II, Co u n t o f L e ns, and Odo II of Champagne. Cawley reports that she retained t h e t i t l e Comtesse d'Aum�le after her first marriage. Her second marria g e i s d e d uced from the same charter of Saint-Martin d'Auchy which also n a m e s " J udita comitissa domine supradicte filia"[233]. Orderic Vitalis r e c o r d s that King William I granted "comitatum Hilderness�" to "Odoni... C a m p a niensi nepoti Theobaldi comitis" who had married "sororem...regis f i l i a m ...Rodberti ducis"[234]. William I King of England donated variou s p r o p e rties to the abbey of La Trinit� de Caen, including "burgum de H ul m o " w i th the consent of "Adelisa amita mea.cujus hereditas erat sed e t c o m i t issa A. de Albamarla.in vita sua", by charter dated 1082[235]. m f i r s t l y ENGUERRAND [II] Comte de Montreuil, son of HUGUES de Ponthieu Co m t e d e M o ntreuil & his wife Berthe d'Aum�le (-killed in battle Ch�teau d ' A r q u es 25 Oct [1053]). m secondly ([1053/54]) LAMBERT de Boulogne Com t e d e L e n s, son of EUSTACHE [I] Comte de Boulogne & his wife Mathilde d e L o u v a in (-killed in battle Phalampin 1054). m thirdly ([1060]) EUDES I I I C o m t e de Troyes et d'Aum�le, son of ETIENNE I Comte de Troyes [Blois ] & h i s w i f e Adela --- (-after 1118). ][ By his mistress, Herleva of Falaise, ][ The G e s t a N o rmannorum Ducum of William of Jumi�ges, Orderic Vitalis, and Rob e r t o f T o rigni, Ed. & Trans. Elizabeth M.C. Van Houts, Vol. I (Clarendo n P r e s s , Oxford, 1992), p. lxxv. Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke o f N o r m a ndy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy . A c c e s sed May 5, 2017.] he was father of:William the Conqueror ( c. 1 0 2 8 - 1087). [ David C. Douglas, William the Conque ror ( U n i v ersity of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 1964), p . 15 , p a s s im. Cited by Wikipedia. Robert I, Duke of Normandy. https: //e n. w i k ipedia.org/wiki/Robert_I%2C_Duke_of_Normandy. Accessed May 5, 2 0 1 7 . < /ref>]
====Undocumented children no longer linked on Wikitree====
#[[Normandy-215|Felicia]] (Normandy) Normandie, b. 1017, Normandy #[[N o r m a n dy-564|Lesceline]] (Normandy) de Normandie, born 1026 Caen, howeve r C a e n w a s founded by William the Conqueror, to which he moved his Norm an d y c a p ital from Rouen.
#[[Normandie-150|Godiva]] (Normandie) de Mercia, born Nourmandie 1076
===Line of Descent to William the Conqueror===
Douglas Richardson [ Douglas Richardson. Royal Ances t r y : A S t udy in Colonial and Medieval Families. Kimball G Everingham, E d i t o r . Salt Lake City, Utah: By the Author, 2013. Volume V, p. 485-4 8 6 < / r e f> provides one line of descent from Charlemagne to William the C o n q u e ror and four lines of descent from Charlemagne to William's wife M a u d .]
:Parent: [[Bretagne-24|Judith]], 982-1017
:This profile: [[Normandie-43|Robert]], 1000-1035
:Child: [[Normandie-32|William]], 1027-1087
== Sources ==
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1000 - 1035 (35 years)