| Name |
Robert II'Curthose' |
| Suffix |
Prince of England, Duke of Normandy |
| Born |
Abt 1051/6 |
Normandie, France  |
| Gender |
Male |
| History |
1080 |
New Castle, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England |
In 1080 the Norman king, William I, sent his eldest son, Robert Curthose, north to defend the kingdom against the Scots. After his campaign, he moved to the Anglo-Saxon town of Monkchester, Northumbria (now Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland) and began the building of a 'New Castle'. This was of the 'motte-and-bailey' type of construction, a wooden tower on top of an earthen mound (motte), surrounded by a moat and wooden stockade (bailey). It was this new castle that gave Newcastle its name.
Not a trace of the tower or mound of the motte and bailey castle remains now. Henry II replaced it with a rectangular stone keep, which was built between 1172 and 1177 at a cost of £1,444. The great outer gateway to the castle, called 'the Black Gate', was built later, between 1247 and 1250, in the reign of Henry III. In 1589, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth the castle was described as being ruinous. The Castle Keep and Blackgate can be visited today. The keep is notable for the Victorians who built the main East Coast railway line through the centre of the grounds. |
| History |
Dec 1096 |
Holy Land, Palestine |
In 1096, Robert II 'Curthose' left for the Holy Land on the First Crusade. At the time of his departure he was reportedly so poor that he often had to stay in bed for lack of clothes. In order to raise money for the crusade, he mortgaged his Duchy to his brother William for the sum of 10,000 marks.
Robert and William had agreed to name each other the Heir Presumptive of England and Normandy respectively. Therefore, when William II died on 2 August 1100, Robert should have inherited the throne of England. But he was on his return journey from the Crusade, marrying a wealthy young bride to raise funds to buy back his duchy. As a result, his brother Henry was able to seize the crown of England for himself. |
| History |
1101 |
Portsmouth, Hampshire, England |
| Urged by his close advisor Ranulf Flambard and several Anglo-Norman barons, Robert II 'Curthose' led an invasion of England to retake the crown from his brother Henry I. In 1101, Robert landed at Portsmouth with his army, but his lack of popular support among the English as well as Robert's own mishandling of the invasion tactics enabled Henry to resist the invasion. Robert was forced by diplomacy to renounce his claim to the English throne in the Treaty of Alton. |
| Died |
10 Feb 1134 |
Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales |
| Buried |
St. Peter, Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England |
| Person ID |
I1748535088 |
Red1st |
| Last Modified |
3 Dec 2009 |
| Father |
William I'the Conqueror', King of England, Duke of Normandy, b. 14 Oct 1024, Falaise, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France , d. 9 Sep 1087, Crypt of the Priory St. Gervais below, St. Gervais, rue Claude-Groulard, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France (Age 62 years) |
| Mother |
Mathilda, Queen consort of England, Countess of Flanders, b. Abt 1031, Flanders, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France , d. 2 Nov 1083, Caën, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France (Age ~ 52 years) |
| Married |
1053 |
Château d'Angi, Normandie, France [2] |
| Family ID |
F672152206 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family 1 |
Sibyl (Sybilla) de Conversano, Duchess of Normandy, b. Abt 1079, Conversano, Bari, Apulia, Italy , d. 1103, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France (Age ~ 24 years) |
| Married |
May 1100 |
Apulia, Italy |
| Children |
| | 1. William III'Clito (Aetheling)', Count of Flanders, Prince of Normandy, b. 1101/13, Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France , d. 27 Jul 1128, Alost (Aalst), Flanders, Belgium (Age 15 years) |
|
| Family ID |
F672152207 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
Abt 1055 - 1134 (~ 78 years)
: Address
: Location
: City/Town
: County/Shire
: State/Province
: Country
: Not Set
