Robert FitzRoy, 1st Earl of Gloucester (c. 1090 – 31 October 1147

David Crouch Sir David Lance Crouch (23 June 1919 – 18 February 1998) was a British Conservative politician. Crouch was educated at University College School, London and became a marketing consultant. He contested Leeds West in 1959, and served as Memb ...

, 'Robert, first earl of Gloucester (b. c. 1090, d. 1147)’,

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print book ...

, 2004; online edn, May 200
Retrieved 1 Oct 2010
/ref>) (''alias'' Robert Rufus, Robert de Caen ( Latinised to Robertus de Cadomo), Robert Consul) was an

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as '' ...

son of

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen regnant, queen, which title is also given to the queen consort, consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contempora ...

Henry I of England Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in ...

. He was the half-brother of the

Empress Matilda Empress Matilda ( 7 February 110210 September 1167), also known as the Empress Maude, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter of King Henry I of England, she moved to Germany as ...

, and her chief military supporter during the civil war known as

The Anarchy The Anarchy was a civil war in England and Normandy between 1138 and 1153, which resulted in a widespread breakdown in law and order. The conflict was a war of succession precipitated by the accidental death of William Adelin, the only legi ...

, in which she vied with Stephen of Blois for the throne of England.

Early life

Robert was probably the eldest of Henry's many illegitimate children. He was born before his father's accession to the English throne, either during the reign of his grandfather

William the Conqueror William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

or his uncle William Rufus. He is sometimes and erroneously designated as a son of

Nest A nest is a structure built for certain animals to hold eggs or young. Although nests are most closely associated with birds, members of all classes of vertebrates and some invertebrates construct nests. They may be composed of organic materi ...

, daughter of

Rhys ap Tewdwr Rhys ap Tewdwr (c. 1040 – 1093) was a king of Deheubarth in Wales and member of the Dinefwr dynasty, a branch descended from Rhodri the Great. He was born in the area which is now Carmarthenshire and died at the battle of Brecon in April 1 ...

, last king of

Deheubarth Deheubarth (; lit. "Right-hand Part", thus "the South") was a regional name for the realms of south Wales, particularly as opposed to Gwynedd (Latin: ''Venedotia''). It is now used as a shorthand for the various realms united under the House o ...

, although his mother has been identified as a member of "the Gay or Gayt family of north Oxfordshire",David Crouch, ''Historical Research'', 1999 possibly a daughter of Rainald Gay (fl. 1086) of Hampton Gay and Northbrook Gay in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primaril ...

. Rainald had known issue, Robert Gay of Hampton (died c. 1138) and Stephen Gay of Northbrook (died after 1154). A number of Oxfordshire women feature as the mothers of Robert's siblings. Robert may have been a native of

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,jure uxoris ''Jure uxoris'' (a Latin phrase meaning "by right of (his) wife"), citing . describes a title of nobility used by a man because his wife holds the office or title '' suo jure'' ("in her own right"). Similarly, the husband of an heiress could beco ...

."Complete Peerage" Vol IV(1892), p38, "Gloucester", "Robert filius Regis" quoting Round "Consul is often used for Earl in the time of the first age of the Norman Kings"
/ref> Robert's father had contracted him in marriage to Mabel FitzRobert, daughter and heir of Robert Fitzhamon, but the marriage was not solemnized until June 1119 at

Lisieux Lisieux () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. It is the capital of the Pays d'Auge area, which is characterised by valleys and hedged farmland. Name The name of the town derives from the ...

. His wife brought him the substantial

honours Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east o ...

in England and

Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Mot ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

, and the honours of Sainte-Scholasse-sur-Sarthe and

Évrecy Évrecy () is a commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France situated on the River Guigne. Population See also *Communes of the Calvados department The following is a list of the 528 communes An i ...

in Normandy, as well as Creully. After the '' White Ship'' disaster late in 1120, and probably because of this marriage, in 1121 or 1122 his father created him Earl of Gloucester.

Earl of Gloucester

In either 1121 or 1122, his father created him the 1st Earl of Gloucester.Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Robert, earl of Gloucester". ''Encyclopedia Britannica'', 27 Oct. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Robert-Earl-of-Gloucester. Accessed 11 December 2021. Robert became powerful in both the countries of Normandy and England with this act, as Caen may have remained his principal seat. Robert possessed many castles and land through grants made to him by his father, King Henry. He was the keeper of

Gloucester Castle Gloucester Castle was a Norman-era royal castle situated in the city of Gloucester in Gloucestershire, England. It was demolished in 1787 and replaced by Gloucester Prison. Early Norman motte and bailey castle It was probably constructe ...

, Canterbury Castle, and fortresses of Bristol, Leeds, and Dover. Bristol Castle was Robert's principal seat in England and he constructed additions to its exterior fortifications and rebuilt the interior. Robert held Gloucester Castle in right of his earldom, however, after

Miles of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford Miles FitzWalter of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford (died 24 December 1143) (''alias'' Miles of GloucesterSanders, I.J. English Baronies: A Study of their Origin and Descent 1086-1327, Oxford, 1960, p.7) was a great magnate based in the west of ...

was created earl, Miles became the constable of it under Robert, his liege-lord, as

Florence of Worcester Florence of Worcester (died 1118), known in Latin as Florentius, was a monk of Worcester, who played some part in the production of the '' Chronicon ex chronicis'', a Latin world chronicle which begins with the creation and ends in 1140.Keynes, "Fl ...

called him. There is evidence in the contemporary source, the ''Gesta Stephani'', that Robert was proposed by some as a candidate for the throne, after his father's death, but his illegitimacy ruled him out: This suggestion cannot have led to any idea that he and Stephen were rivals for the Crown, as

Geoffrey of Monmouth Geoffrey of Monmouth ( la, Galfridus Monemutensis, Galfridus Arturus, cy, Gruffudd ap Arthur, Sieffre o Fynwy; 1095 – 1155) was a British cleric from Monmouth, Wales and one of the major figures in the development of British historiography ...

in 1136 referred to Robert as one of the 'pillars' of the new King's rule. For the first five years after the death of his father, Henry I, and usurpation of power by Stephen in 1135, Robert seems to have been an inactive spectator of the struggle between Stephen and Matilda. In June 1138,

Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou Geoffrey V (24 August 1113 – 7 September 1151), called the Handsome, the Fair (french: link=no, le Bel) or Plantagenet, was the count of Anjou, Touraine and Maine by inheritance from 1129, and also Duke of Normandy by conquest from 1144. ...

persuaded Robert to join the party opposing King Stephen through prayers and promises given to Robert when Geoffrey entered Normandy. It is said that when the hostilities first began, Robert acted with "great prudence, and still held aloof," but that his hostility to Stephen was not disguised. Thus, while Robert sided in June 1138 with the party opposing Stephen's rule was a great change in the power dynamics in England, it may not have been quite as unexpected as some scholars make it out to be, as "his hostility to Stephen was scarcely disguised." In 1139, Robert, along with Guy de Sablé and several others, took Matilda to England. On August 31, 1139, they landed in England and were received at Arundel castle by their step-mother Adeliza, the queen-dowager. Matilda was given leave from King Stephen to pass through England under safe conduct. Robert hosted Matilda after her arrival in England at Bristol Castle and led her forces against Stephen. Robert commanded the empress's forces during the Battle of Lincoln, during which Robert's son-in-law Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester commanded his own forces for the empress. The capture of King Stephen at the Battle of Lincoln on 2 February 1141 gave Empress Matilda the upper hand in her battle for the throne, but by alienating the citizens of London she failed to be crowned Queen. Robert imprisoned Stephen in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city, Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Glouces ...

. Her forces were defeated at the Rout of Winchester on 14 September 1141, and Robert of Gloucester was captured nearby at Stockbridge. Without the Earl of Gloucester, the party of Matilda was powerless, so the two prisoners, King Stephen and Robert of Gloucester, were then exchanged. But by freeing Stephen, Empress Matilda had given up her best chance of becoming queen. She would later return to France, where she died in 1167, though her son succeeded Stephen as King Henry II in 1154. With the success of Stephen in England, Robert and Matilda returned to Normandy, where the earl recruited fresh levies. He soon crossed the channel again, taking with him his nephew, Henry, then ten years old. Robert was devoted to the education of his young charge and taught him English habits and culture. Following their crossing of the channel, Robert went to Wareham,

Dorsetshire Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

and sent Henry to

Somersetshire ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, where he was received by friends of his mother, Matilda. The civil war continued on without much success, with alternate triumphs and defeats for three more years. However, it came to a quiet close in 1147 when Robert died and the queen and her son, now deprived of Gloucester's protection, returned to Normandy. Robert of Gloucester died in 1147 at Bristol Castle, where he had previously imprisoned King Stephen, and was buried at

St James' Priory, Bristol The Priory Church of St James, Bristol (), is a Grade I listed building in Horsefair, Whitson Street. It was founded in 1129 as a Benedictine priory by Robert, Earl of Gloucester, the illegitimate son of Henry I. The early nave from 1129 s ...

, which he had founded in 1129.

Family

Robert and his wife Mabel FitzRobert married in 1119, and they had seven children: * William FitzRobert (c.1121 – 1183): succeeded his father as 2nd Earl of Gloucester * Roger FitzRobert (c. 1123 – 1179):

Bishop of Worcester A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

*Hamon FitzRobert, knight (c. 1124 – 1159): killed at the siege of Toulouse. *Richard FitzRobert, Lord of Creully (c. 1125 – 1175): succeeded his mother as Sire de Creully. * Matilda FitzRobert (c. 1126 – 1189): married in 1143 Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester. *Mabel FitzRobert: married Aubrey de Vere *Philip FitzRobert, Lord of Cricklade (c. 1130 – 1148) He also had four illegitimate children: * Richard FitzRobert (died 1142): Bishop of Bayeux Richard_de_Douvres,_bishop_of_Bayeux_(1107–1133).html" ;"title=":fr:Richard de Douvres">Richard de Douvres, bishop of Bayeux (1107–1133)">:fr:Richard de Douvres">Richard de Douvres, bishop of Bayeux (1107–1133)*Robert FitzRobert (died 1170): Castellan of Gloucester, married in 1147 Hawise de Reviers (daughter of Baldwin de Reviers, 1st Earl of Devon and his first wife Adelisa), had daughter Mabel FitzRobert (married firstly Jordan de Chambernon and secondly William de Soliers) *Mabel FitzRobert: married Gruffud, Lord of Senghenydd, son of Ifor Bach. *Thomas FitzRobert

In popular culture

Robert of Gloucester is a figure in many of the novels by

Ellis Peters Edith Mary Pargeter (28 September 1913 – 14 October 1995), also known by her '' nom de plume'' Ellis Peters, was an English author of works in many categories, especially history and historical fiction, and was also honoured for her trans ...

in the Cadfael Chronicles (written between 1977 and 1994) where he is seen as a strong moderating force to his half-sister (see ''

Saint Peter's Fair ''Saint Peter's Fair'' is a medieval mystery novel by Ellis Peters, set in July – September 1139. It is the fourth novel in The Cadfael Chronicles, first published in 1981 (1981 in literature). The story occurs during The Anarchy, in the Engl ...

''). His efforts to gain the crown for his sister by capturing King Stephen and her own actions in London are part of the plot in ''

The Pilgrim of Hate ''The Pilgrim of Hate'' is a medieval mystery novel by Ellis Peters, set in spring 1141. It is the tenth in the Cadfael Chronicles, and was first published in 1984. This story takes place very soon after the preceding novel '' Dead Man's Ran ...

''. His capture by Stephen's wife Queen Mathilda is in the background of the plot of ''

An Excellent Mystery ''An Excellent Mystery'' is a mystery novel by Ellis Peters, the third of four set in the year 1141, when so much occurred in the period known as the Anarchy. It is the 11th in the Cadfael Chronicles, published in 1985. The siege of Winche ...

''. The exchange of the imprisoned Robert for the imprisoned Stephen is in the background of the plot of '' The Raven in the Foregate''. Robert's travels to persuade his brother-in-law to aid Empress Maud militarily in England is in the background of the novel ''

The Rose Rent ''The Rose Rent'' is a medieval mystery novel set in the summer of 1142 by Ellis Peters. This is the thirteenth novel in The Cadfael Chronicles, first published in 1986. It was adapted for television in 1997 by Carlton and Central for ITV. ...

.'' His return to England when Empress Maud is trapped in Oxford Castle figures in ''

The Hermit of Eyton Forest The Hermit of Eyton Forest is a medieval mystery novel by Ellis Peters, set in the autumn of 1142. It is the 14th novel in the Cadfael Chronicles and was first published in 1987. The mystery is set in the Anarchy, the continuing battles betwe ...

''. Robert's return to England with his young nephew Henry, years later the king succeeding Stephen, is in the background of the plot of ''

The Confession of Brother Haluin ''The Confession of Brother Haluin'' is a medieval mystery novel set in the winter of 1142–1143 by Ellis Peters. It is the fifteenth novel in the Cadfael Chronicles, and was first published in 1988. Brother Haluin makes a deathbed confessi ...

'', as the battles begin anew with Robert's military guidance. Robert's success in the

Battle of Wilton (1143) The Battle of Wilton was a battle of the civil war in England known as The Anarchy. It was fought on 1 July 1143The date is from Gervase of Canterbury (Davis, p.72n; Crouch, p.207), but Gervase only began writing his chronicle around 1188 (Dav ...

leads to the death of a fictional character, part of the plot of '' The Potter's Field''. In the last novel, he is a father who can disagree with and then forgive his son Philip (see the last novel, '' Brother Cadfael's Penance''). In that last novel, Brother Cadfael speculates on the possibly different path for England if the first son of old King Henry, the illegitimate Robert of Gloucester, had been recognised and accepted. In Wales of that era, a son was not illegitimate if recognized by his father, and to many in the novels, Robert of Gloucester seemed the best of the contenders to succeed his father. Robert is also a central character in

Sharon Penman Sharon Kay Penman (August 13, 1945 – January 22, 2021) was an American historical novelist, published in the UK as Sharon Penman. She was best known for the Welsh Princes trilogy and the Plantagenet series. In addition, she wrote four medieval ...

's 1995 novel ''

When Christ and His Saints Slept ''When Christ and His Saints Slept'' is a historical novel written by Sharon Kay Penman, published in 1994. It is the first of Penman's Plantagenet trilogy, (ultimately five books) followed by '' Time and Chance'', ''Devil's Brood'', '' Lionhea ...

''. He was also central in the struggle during

as portrayed in Ken Follet's 1989 novel ''

The Pillars of the Earth ''The Pillars of the Earth'' is a historical novel by British author Ken Follett published in 1989 about the building of a cathedral in the fictional town of Kingsbridge, England. Set in the 12th century, the novel covers the time between the ...

'' and in the 2010 mini-series of the same name.

Early life

Earl of Gloucester

Family

In popular culture

See also

Citations

Further reading