Robert de Mortain

Robert de Conteville known as Robert de Mortain , sometimes Robert de Burgh († December 8th 1090), was Count de Mortain, and a semi-official Count de Cornouailles starting from 1068. It became the third richest subject of England after the Conquête Norman of England.

Biography

Before the conquest

He was the son of Herluin, Viscount of Conteville, and Arlette of Cliff. He was thus the uterine half-brother of William the Conqueror, and the brother of Odon of Bayeux.

It is often considered that Odon was the elder one, but it is not known when they were born. One can make various conjectures according to whether the marriage of their parents took place of living duke Robert Splendid the (†   1035), or afterwards. J.R. Planché proposed the date of 1031, but without evidence. It is even possible that Robert was born after 1040.

Robert de Mortain owes his rise with the Duc of Normandy, William the Conqueror, his half-brother. After the years of disorder of its adolescence, this one constitutes a network of right-hand men in the duchy. About 1050 according to Guillaume de Jumièges, and more certainly shortly after 1055, according to charters which reached us, it drives out Guillaume Guerlenc for suspicion of treason. Then he entrusts the administration of the Comté of Mortain to Robert. This county is a strategic zone of the duchy since frontier of the Maine and Brittany.

Robert de Mortain takes part in the council of Lillebonne during which the barons of the duchy are consulted on the project of invasion of England. He promises there to contribute for 120 ships to the fleet which will unload on the other side of the channel. He accompanies his half-brother Guillaume in his conquest by England.

After the conquest

He provides an effective military support for the Bataille of Hastings and during the tender of the kingdom which follows (1066-1069). In 1069, it is charged by the king with supervising the Danes whose fleet is anchored in the mouth of the Humber, while this one will repress the revolt initiated by Eadric the Savage in the west.

It is rewarded more than any other in the new kingdom. Guillaume gives him grounds distributed in all England, of which majority of the grounds of Cornouailles, and the Rape of Pevensey of which it occupies the castle since Hastings. It is possible that it received most of its grounds in Cornouailles and in the Yorkshire only after 1075. Its position in south-west leads to regard it much as Count de Cornouailles, nevertheless it is not certain that it had formally been created thus.

In 1086, with the compilation of the Domesday Book, it has 797 manors distributed in nineteen counties, including 248 in Cornouailles.

There remains honest with his half-brother during all his reign, contrary to his brother Odon, bishop of Bayeux, which is imprisoned as from 1082 to be rebelled. On the bed of died of the king in 1087, it obtains with difficulty the release of his brother. It is probably of those which were made lawyer of Robert Courteheuse so that this one succeeds to him in Normandy.

It accepts initially William Rufus for king, but plots then with his brother to install his Courteheuse nephew on the throne. During the Rebellion of 1088, it holds its castle of Pevensey for the rebels, and supports a six week old seat by the king in person. After its tender, he is forgiven like the majority of the rebels, and withdraws himself in Normandy.

Robert was the most unobtrusive character of a family of colourful personalities: a decent warrior with the banal virtues.

He was buried with the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Grestain with Grestain in the the Eure, High-Normandy. This abbey had been rested by his/her father in 1050. Orderic Vital mentions in its Histoire of Normandy which he was his chaplain.

Families and descent

Before 1058, he married Mathilde (or Maud) of Montgommery (after 1039 - 1085), girl of Roger II of Montgommery, lord of Montgommery, and later 1st Count de Shrewsbury, and of Mabile de Bellême.

They will have  :

  • Guillaume (prob. v. 1060 - after 1140), Count de Mortain and count de Cornouailles.
  • Agnès, which was promised initially with Guillaume de Grandmesnil, and married André of Glazed, lord of Glazed, towards 1087  ;
  • Emma (v. 1058 - after 1080), married Guillaume IV (v. 1040-1092), Count de Toulouse  ;
  • Denise († 1090), married Guy II, lord de Laval, in 1078.

About 1088, he married Almodis in second weddings. They would have had two named wire Raoul and Jean.

See too

Random links:Through (Neuchâtel) | Watford Football Club | Rodolphe Modin | Trevor Hogan | Jemima | Les_contes_du_potier_de_Beatrix