Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury
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Robert de Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury (1052–after 1130), also spelled Belleme or Belesme, was an Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...

 nobleman, and one of the most prominent figures in the competition for the succession to England and Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...

 between the sons of William the Conqueror. He is also known as Robert II de Montgommery, seigneur of Bellême
Bellême
Bellême is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.-Location:At the heart of the Parc Naturel Régional du Perche, two hours from Paris, Bellême, situated in the Department of the Orne, is a paradise for lovers of nature and tranquil countryside...

.

He was the eldest son of Roger of Montgomery, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and Mabel of Belleme.

Early life

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 pardonned. 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 so Robert of Bellême had a free hand to make war against his less powerful neighbours.

Rebellion of 1088

The next year in the Rebellion of 1088
Rebellion of 1088
The Rebellion of 1088 occurred after the death of William the Conqueror and concerned the division of lands in the Kingdom of England and the Duchy of Normandy between his two sons William Rufus and Robert Curthose...

, Odo of Bayeux rebelled in an attempt to place Curthose on the English throne in place of William Rufus
William II of England
William II , the third son of William I of England, was King of England from 1087 until 1100, with powers over Normandy, and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales...

. At Curthose's request Robert went to England, where he joined in the rebels' defence of Rochester Castle
Rochester Castle
Rochester Castle stands on the east bank of the River Medway in Rochester, Kent, England. The 12th-century keep or stone tower, which is the castle's most prominent feature, is one of the best preserved in England or France. Located along the River Medway and Watling Street, Rochester was a...

. The rebels were permitted to leave after the surrender of the castle and failure of the rebellion.

Robert returned to Normandy. Odo had preceded him, had obtained the confidence of the duke, and convinced Curthose that Robert was a danger to the security of the duchy. Thus Robert was arrested and imprisoned upon his disembarkation. (The duke's younger brother Henry, who was on the same ship, was also arrested.)

Robert's father Earl Roger came over from England, and, taking over his son's castles, defied Curthose. The duke captured several of the castles, but he soon tired of the matter and released Robert.

Once released, Robert returned to his wars and depredations against his neighbours in southern Normandy. He did help Curthose in putting down a revolt by the citizens of Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...

, but his motive seems to have been in large part to seize as many wealthy townspeople and their goods as possible. Curthose in turn subsequently helped Robert in some of his fights against his neighbours.

In 1094 one of Robert's most important castles, Domfront
Domfront
Domfront may refer to one of several communes in France:* Domfront, Oise* Domfront, Orne* Domfront-en-Champagne, Sarthe...

, was taken over by the duke's brother Henry (later Henry I of England
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...

), who never relinquished it and was to be an enemy of Robert for the rest of his life.

Later that year (1094) Robert's father earl Roger died. Robert's younger brother Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury
Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury
Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury was an Anglo-Norman aristocrat.-Lineage:He was the second surviving son of Roger of Montgomery, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and Mabel of Bellême...

 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.

In 1098 Robert's younger brother Hugh died, and Robert inherited the English properties that had been their father's, including the Rape of Arundel and the Earldom of Shrewsbury.

Robert was one of the great magnates who joined Robert Curthose's 1101 invasion of England, along with his brothers Roger the Poitevin
Roger the Poitevin
Roger the Poitevin was born in Normandy in the mid-1060s and died before 1140 . He was an Anglo-Norman aristocrat, who possessed large holdings in both England and through his marriage in France....

 and Arnulf of Montgomery
Arnulf of Montgomery
Arnulf of Montgomery was an Anglo-Norman aristocrat, who played a role in the history of England, Wales, and Ireland.- Lineage :He was the youngest son of Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and Mabel of Bellême....

 and his nephew William of Mortain. This invasion, which aimed to depose Henry I, ended in the Treaty of Alton
Treaty of Alton
The Treaty of Alton was an agreement signed in 1101 between Henry I of England and his older brother Robert, Duke of Normandy in which Robert agreed to recognize Henry as king of England in exchange for a yearly stipend and other concessions...

. The treaty called for amnesty for the participants but allowed traitors to be punished. 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. Robert lost his English lands and titles (as did his brothers), was banished from England, and returned to Normandy.

He was one of Curthose's commanders at the Battle of Tinchebrai and by flight from the field avoided being captured as Curthose was. With Normandy now under Henry's rule, he submitted and was allowed to retain his Norman fiefs. But after various conspiracies and plans to free Curthose, Robert was seized and imprisoned in 1112. He spent the rest of his life in prison; the exact date of his death is not known.

Family and children

Robert married Agnes of Ponthieu
Agnes of Ponthieu
Agnes of Ponthieu was the daughter of Count Guy I of Ponthieu. Enguerrand, the son of Count Guy, died at a youthful age. Guy then made his brother Hugh heir presumptive, but he also died before Guy . Agnes became count Guy's heiress, and was married to Robert of Bellême...

, by whom he had one child, William III of Ponthieu, who via his mother inherited the county of Ponthieu.
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