Sir Lewis (de) Robessart (c.1390 – 27 November 1430), also known as Sir Louis Robessart or Robesart or Robersart or Robsart, was a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...

in the service of King

Henry V of England Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the H ...

. He fought at the

Battle of Agincourt The Battle of Agincourt ( ; french: Azincourt ) was an English victory in the Hundred Years' War. It took place on 25 October 1415 ( Saint Crispin's Day) near Azincourt, in northern France. The unexpected English victory against the numeric ...

in 1415. He acquired the title of

Baron Bourchier The title Baron Bourchier is an abeyant peerage which was created in the Peerage of England in 1342 for Sir Robert Bourchier, who had been Lord High Chancellor of England from 1340–41. The title passed through the male line until the death ...

by right of his wife Elizabeth Bourchier, 4th Baroness Bourchier, and died in battle against the French during the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantag ...

. Lewis and his elder brother Jean were the grandsons of Sir Thierry de Robessart, seigneur de d’Escaillon, whose family originated from Hainault, where Lewis was born. Thierry was engaged in the service of King

Edward III of England Edward III (13 November 1312 – 21 June 1377), also known as Edward of Windsor before his accession, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from January 1327 until his death in 1377. He is noted for his military success and for restoring r ...

, and later married a cousin of Constance of Castile; he is mentioned in the chronicles of Jean Froissart. He passed on the tradition of service to the English royal family to his son Jean (Lewis's father), who served both

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father d ...

and Henry IV. By 1403 Lewis was fighting in Wales in the retinue of King Henry V, then Prince of Wales. When Henry became king, Lewis was promoted to become an Esquire of the Chamber. He officially became royal standard-bearer in 1420, and continued as a permanent member of the royal household, later becoming Chamberlain to the young King Henry VI. In 1415 he was given the manor of Mapelhurst in Kent and an annuity. For his service, the king later granted him the manor of Postedhalle in Norfolk, one of the properties forfeited by the disgraced Sir

John Oldcastle Sir John Oldcastle (died 14 December 1417) was an English Lollard leader. Being a friend of Henry V, he long escaped prosecution for heresy. When convicted, he escaped from the Tower of London and then led a rebellion against the King. Eventu ...

. In 1417 he obtained "letters of denization", entitling him to settle in England and acquire property there. By 1422 he had purchased the manors of Redenhall, Aldeburgh, Denton, Mendham and Pulham. In 1420 he was given special responsibility for the care of Henry's bride,

Catherine of Valois Catherine of Valois or Catherine of France (27 October 1401 – 3 January 1437) was Queen of England from 1420 until 1422. A daughter of Charles VI of France, she was married to Henry V of England and gave birth to his heir Henry VI of England ...

. On 3 May 1421, he was admitted to the

Order of the Garter The Most Noble Order of the Garter is an order of chivalry founded by Edward III of England in 1348. It is the most senior order of knighthood in the British honours system, outranked in precedence only by the Victoria Cross and the Georg ...

. Around this time he married Elizabeth, the widow of Hugh Stafford, 1st Baron Stafford, who had died in 1420. Lewis was killed in France in 1430, while fighting against the French at Conty, a year after attending the coronation of King Henry VI, at Reims. His tomb, at the Chapel of St Paul in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

, was one of the first to display symbols of the Order of the Garter.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Robessart, Lewis 1390s births 1430 deaths Knights of the Garter Burials at Westminster Abbey