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de Beaumont, Robert I 1 2 3 4a 5a 6a 7a 8 9a 10a 11a 12

Birth Name de Beaumont, Robert I
Gender male
Age at Death 72 years, 5 months, 4 days

Narrative

Robert de Bellomont, or Beaumont (son of Roger, grandson of Turlof [Tourade] of Pont Audomere by Wevia, sister to Gunnora, wife of Richard I, Duke of Normandy), came into England with the Conqueror and contributed mainly to the Norman triumph at Hastings. This Robert inherited the earldom of Mellent in Normandy from his mother Adelina, dau. of Waleran, and sister of Hugh (who took the habit of monk in the abbey of Bec), both Earls of Mellent. Of his conduct at Hastings, William Pictavensis thus speaks: "A certain Norman young soldier, son of Roger de Bellomont, nephew and heir to Hugh, Earl of Mellent, by Adelina his sister, making the first onset in that fight, did what deserveth lasting fame, boldly charging and breaking in upon the enemy with that regiment which he commanded in the right wing of the army," for which gallant services he obtained sixty-four lordships in Warwickshire, sixteen in Leicestershire, seven in Wiltshire, three in Northamptonshire, and one in Gloucestershire, in all ninety-one. His lordship did not however arrive at the dignity of the English peerage before the reign of Henry I, when that monarch created him Earl of Leicester. The mode by which he attained this honour is thus stated by an ancient writer: "The city of Leicester had then four lords, viz., the king, the bishop of Lincoln, Earl Simon, and Yvo, the son of Hugh de Grentmesnel. This Earl of Mellent, by favour of the king, cunningly entering it on that side which belonged to Yvo (then governor thereof, as also sheriff and the king's farmer there), subjecting it wholly to himself, and by this means, being made an earl in England, exceeded all the nobles of the realm in riches and power." His lordship m. 1096, Isabel, dau. of Hugh, Earl of Vermandois

# Note:

This great earl is characterised as "the wisest of all men betwixt this and Jerusalem in worldly affairs, famous for knowledge, plausible in speech, skillful in craft, discreetly provident, ingeniously subtile, excelling in prudence, profound in council, and of great wisdom." In the latter end of his days he became a monk in the abbey of Preaux, where he d. in 1118, and was s. in the earldom of Leicester by his 2nd son, Robert. [Sir Bernard Burke, Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited and Extinct Peerages, Burke's Peerage, Ltd., London, England, 1883, p. 42, Bellomont, Earls of Leicester]

# Note:

ROBERT OF MEULAN, LORD OF MEULAN and BEAUMONT, EARL OF LEICESTER, was the leading lay adviser to both William II and Henry I. Although in the course of a long public life he amassed extensive estates in England, Normandy and France, Robert was the nearest thing to a king's minister that contemporary circumstances allowed, the more remarkable as his successors as royal lay advisers -- with the exception of his own son Robert of Leicester, justiciar to Henry II -- tended to come from less exalted ranks of the nobility, men such as the justiciars Ranulf (de) Glanvill(e), Geoffrey FitzPeter, and Hubert de Burgh. Robert's career made a distinctive impression on contemporaries and affords a rare glimpse into how eleventh century politics worked.

# Note:

The son of a prominent Norman magnate, Roger of Beaumont, and his wife, Adeline, daughter of Waleran, Count of Meulan, Robert made his name by his deeds at his first battle, Hastings. Thereafter, during his father's lifetime, Robert sought his fortune in England. By 1087, he had become one of William I's active curiales and held land in England worth a significant but not spectacular £254. In the early 1080's he had inherited the county of Meulan from his maternal uncle but, despite succeeding to fiefs of Beaumont and Pont Audemer when his father entered the abbey of St. Peter at Préaux (c. 1090), his interests and loyalties remained Anglo-Norman. Unusually, he faithfully supported all of the first three post-Conquest kings. After spending much of 1087-93 in France securing his inheritance, from 1093 he emerged as William Rufus's closest counsellor, playing a prominent role in the dispute with Anselm and the king's French campaigns.

# Note:

On the sudden death of Rufus in August 1100, Robert smoothly transferred his allegiance to Henry I. For the last eighteen years of his life, Robert appears as the most frequent witness to the new king's charters, a reflection of his influence. By 1107 when, perhaps in reward for his part in Henry's acquisition of Normandy, Robert was given the earldom of Leicester, he had become a major landowner in England as well as northern France, with estates especially extensive in the Midlands. While Roger of Salisbury ran the royal administration, centered upon the Treasury and Exchequer, Robert's influence was in politics, diplomacy and the law. Robert played a crucial role in furthering Henry's cause in Normandy 1103-6 and undermining that of the duke, Robert Curthose, with whom Robert of Meulan had long had strained relations. He continued to be closely involved in the dispute with Archbishop Anselm, his prominence recognised by Pope Paschal II who identified Robert by name for excommunication in 1105. However, Robert was instrumental in securing a compromise with Anselm, finally concluded at Bec in 1106, and in persuading Henry I to stick to the agreement, to moderate church taxes and restore church lands. In 1109, Robert 'with flattery, coaxing and apology' tried to persuade Archbishop Thomas of York to profess obedience to the see of Canterbury, an attempt repeated with Thomas's successor, Thurstan, in 1116.

# Note:

As a significant Norman lord, wealthy French count and English earl, with experience in public affairs stretching back to the 1060s, Robert was well placed to further his own interests. He established an elaborate, almost quasi-regal administration for his English and continental lands: in England he had his own exchequer, in imitation of the new royal accounting office. At Leicester, he restored the Anglo-Saxon court of portmanmote, a tribunal of twenty-four, to replace trial by combat. He insisted that his twin sons, Waleran and Robert, both of whom were to play leading political roles in the next generation, received good educations. He was tenacious of his own rights and lands. In 1111, in revenge for an attack on Meulan, he ravaged the French king's capital at Paris causing so much damage that Ile de la Cité required extensive rebuilding. Ruthless in manipulating his position and the law to acquire new estates, on his deathbed he characteristically refused to restore any lands he had illegally seized.

# Note:

Robert's private life may not have been untroubled. He had married late (c. 1096) Isabel of Vermandois who was alleged to have eloped with William of Warenne, who she subsequently married before Robert's death. As in contemporary Romances, so in life, infidelity and chivalry could be close companions.

# Note:

Robert's interests in public affairs and desire to influence royal business, although personally enriching, was not solely self-seeking. To Robert was attributed Henry I's less aggressive, less ostentatious and more conciliatory tone of government, notably towards the church and in the delicate handling of the prickly Norman baronage. William of Malmesbury wrote of Robert as 'the persuader of peace, the dissuader of strife . . . urging his lord the king rigourously to enforce the law; and himself not only abiding by existing laws but proposing new ones.' Henry of Huntingdon described him as "the wisest man between this and Jerusalem." Not the least of Robert's achievements may have been to temper Henry's notorious personal brutality. Orderic Vitalis, who may well have met Robert, attributed to him a remarkable political testament delivered to Henry I in 1101. This may stand as a blueprint for effective medieval political management which, even if of the chronicler's invention, suggests what policies contemporaries associated with Robert.

# Note:

'We . . . to whom the common utility is committed by Divine Providence, ought to seek after the safety of the kingdom and of the Church of God. Let our chief care be to triumph peacefully without the shedding of Christian blood, and so that our faithful people may live in the serenity of peace . . . Speak gently to all your knights; caress them all as a father does his children; soothe them with promises; grant whatever they might request and in this manner cleverly draw all to your favour . . . do not hesitate to make magnificent promises, as is fitting to royal munificence. It is better to give away a small portion of the kingdom than to lose both victory and life to a host of enemies. And when . . . we have come to the end of this business (withstanding the threat of Robert Curthose), we will suggest useful measures for recovering the demesnes usurped by rash deserters in time of war.'

# Note:

It is worth noting that the 'useful measures' mentioned included accusations of treason, deprivation of patrimonies, and forced exile. As with all successful medieval politicians, Robert of Meulan knew that violence and the threat of violence was the strongest supporter of conciliation.

# Note:

When Robert died in 1118, his lands appear to have been divided between his twin sons, Robert and Waleran, while a third son, Hugh, became earl of Bedford in 1138. [Who's Who in Early Medieval England, Christopher Tyerman, Shepheard-Walwyn, Ltd., London, 1996; Encyclopaedia Britannica, 1961 ed., Vol. 3, p. 274, BEAUMONT]

# Note:

Robert Beaumont 1st Earl of Leicester 1107-1118 Created Earl of Leicester

---

Sources:

1. Abbrev: The Royal Descents of 500 Immigrants
Title: Gary Boyd Roberts

Parents

Relation to main person Name Birth date Death date Relation within this family (if not by birth)
Father Beaumont, Roger10221094-11-29
Mother de Meulan, Adeline10141081
    Brother     de Beaumont, Henry 1045 1123-06-20
         de Beaumont, Robert I 1046 1118-06-05

Families

Family of de Beaumont, Robert I and De Crepi, Isabel of Leicester
Married Wife De Crepi, Isabel of Leicester ( * 1081 + 1130-02-17 )
   
Event Date Place Description Sources
Marriage 1096     1
  Children
Name Birth Date Death Date
de Beaumont, Mabel
Beaumont, Isabel Elizabeth10961147
de Beaumont, Aubrey1099
de Beaumont, Eleanor1100
de Beaumont, Emma1102
de Beaumont, Adeline1102
de Beaumont, Robert II11041166-04-10
de Beaumont, Waleran IV11041166-04-10
de Beaumont, Hugh1106
de Beaumont, Maud11061189
de Beaumont, Alberede1109
de Beamont, Mathilde Maud1116
de Warenne, Ralph1122

Media

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Source References

  1. http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=PED&db=jdp-fam&id=I14624&style=TABLE
  2. http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=tamer&id=I12678
  3. L1Q8-65G FamilySearch.org
  4. Wikiwand: Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester
      • Source text:

        Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester (c. 1040/1050 – 5 June 1118), also known as Robert of Meulan, Count of Meulan, was a powerful Norman nobleman, one of the companions of William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest of England, and was revered as one of the wisest men of his age. Chroniclers spoke highly of his eloquence, his learning, and three kings of England valued his counsel. He was granted considerable lands in the Midlands by William and Henry I and made the Earl of Leicester.

        Biography
        Robert was born between 1040–1050, the eldest son of Roger de Beaumont (1015–1094) by his wife Adeline of Meulan (died 1081), a daughter of Waleran III, Count de Meulan, and was an older brother of Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick (c. 1050–1119)

        Robert de Beaumont was one of only a small number of men known to have fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, as well as being a cousin of William, and was leader of the infantry on the right wing of the Norman army, as evidenced in the following near contemporary account by William of Poitiers:

        "A certain Norman, Robert, son of Roger of Beaumont, being nephew and heir to Henry, Count of Meulan, through Henry's sister Adeline, found himself that day in battle for the first time. He was as yet but a young man and he performed feats of valor worthy of perpetual remembrance. At the head of a troop which he commanded on the right wing he attacked with the utmost bravery and success."

        His service earned him the grant of more than 91 English manors confiscated from the defeated English, as listed in the Domesday Book of 1086.

        When his mother died in 1081, Robert inherited the title of Count of Meulan in Normandy, and the title Viscount Ivry and Lord of Norton. He paid homage to King Philip I of France for these estates and sat as a French Peer in the Parliament held at Poissy.

        He and his brother Henry were members of the Royal hunting party in the New Forest in Hampshire when King William II "Rufus" (1087–1100) was shot dead accidentally by an arrow on 2 August 1100. He pledged allegiance to William II's brother, King Henry I (1100–1135), who created him Earl of Leicester in 1107.

        On the death of William Rufus, William, Count of Évreux and Ralph de Conches made an incursion into Robert's Norman estates, on the pretence they had suffered injury through some advice that Robert had given to the king; their raid was successful and they collected a vast booty.

        During the English phase of the Investiture Controversy, he was excommunicated by Pope Paschal II on 26 March 1105 for advising King Henry to continue selecting the bishops of his realm in opposition to the canons of the church. Sometime in 1106, Henry succeeded in having Anselm, the exiled archbishop of Canterbury, revoke this excommunication. Anselm's (somewhat presumptuous) act was ultimately ratified by Paschal.

        According to Henry of Huntingdon, Robert died of shame after "a certain earl carried off the lady he had espoused, either by some intrigue or by force and stratagem." He was the last surviving Norman nobleman to have fought in the Battle of Hastings.

        Robert de Beaumont was buried at the Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Préaux in Normandy.

        Family
        In 1096, he married Elizabeth (or Isabel) de Vermandois, daughter of Hugh Magnus (1053-1101) a younger son of the French king and Adelaide, Countess of Vermandois (1050-1120). After his death Elizabeth remarried in 1118 to William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey. He had the following progeny:

        1. Waleran IV de Beaumont, Count of Meulan, 1st Earl of Worcester (b. 1104), eldest twin and heir.
        2. Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester & Earl of Hereford (b. 1104), twin
        3. Hugh de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Bedford (born c. 1106)

        1. Emma de Beaumont (born 1102)
        2. Adeline de Beaumont, married twice:
        1. Hugh IV of Montfort-sur-Risle;
        2. Richard de Granville of Bideford (died 1147)
        3. Aubree de Beaumont, married Hugh II of Châteauneuf-Thimerais.
        4. Agnes de Beaumont, a nun
        5. Maud de Beaumont, married William Lovel (born c. 1102)
        6. Isabel de Beaumont, a mistress of King Henry I. Married twice:
        1. Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke;
        2. Hervé de Montmorency, Constable of Ireland

        In popular culture

        Television
        Robert De Beaumont is portrayed by Jotham Annan in the 3 part BBC drama-documentary presented by Dan Snow, 1066: A Year to Conquer England.

        Sources
        . Edward T. Beaumont, J.P. The Beaumonts in History. A.D. 850-1850. Oxford.

         

  5. Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester (1040-1118), Wikipedia
      • Source text:

        Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester in Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_de_Beaumont,_1st_Earl_of_Leicester [See document in the Memories section]
        Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester, Count of Meulan (c. 1040/1050 – 5 June 1118), also known as Robert of Meulan, was a powerful Norman nobleman, one of the very few proven Companions of William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, and was revered as one of the wisest men of his age. Robert was born between 1040 and 1050, the eldest son of Roger de Beaumont (1015–1094) by his wife Adeline of Meulan (died 1081), a daughter of Waleran III, Count de Meulan, and was an elder brother of Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick (c. 1050–1119). When his mother died in 1081, Robert inherited the title of Count of Meulan in Normandy. He was created Earl of Leicester in 1107. Robert de Beaumont was buried at the Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Préaux in Normandy. In 1096, he married Elizabeth (or Isabel) de Vermandois, daughter of Hugh Magnus (1053–1101) and Adelaide, Countess of Vermandois (1050–1120).

  6. Robert de Meulan (1046-1118), The Peerage
      • Source text:

        Robert de Beaumont in Cokayne's Complete Peerage, Vol. 5, pg. 40-41 [See document in the Memories section]
        Robert de Meulan, 1st Earl of Leicester was born circa 1046.2 He was the son of Roger de Beaumont, Seigneur de Portaudemer and Adeline de Meulan.3 He married Elizabeth de Vermandois, daughter of Hugh de Crépi, Comte de Vermandois et de Valois and Aelis de Vermandois, Comtesse de Vermandois, in 1096.2 He died on 5 June 1118.4
        He gained the title of Comte de Meulan, in France.5,6 He gained the title of 1st Earl of Leicester.7
        Children of Robert de Meulan, 1st Earl of Leicester and Elizabeth de Vermandois

      • Citation:

        Cokayne's Complete Peerage, Vol. 5, pg. 40-41
        online gives children and 10 sources

         

         

  7. Robert de Bellomont, Comte de Meulan (1046-1118), Our royal, titled, noble and commoner ancestors
      • Source text:

        Sir Robert de Bellomont, Comte de Meulan, Seigneur de Beaumont-le-Roger, Pont-Audemer, Brionne, & Vatteville1,2
        Last Edited 4 Apr 2020
        M, #4831, b. circa 1046, d. 5 June 1118
        Father Roger de Beaumont, Seigneur de Pont Audemer, Brionne, la Haye-Aubrée, Sahuz, Tourville, & Vieilles2 b. c 1022, d. 29 Nov 1094
        Mother Adeline de Meulan2 b. c 1014, d. 8 Apr 1081
        Charts Some Descendants of Charlemagne
        Sir Robert de Beaumont, Comte de Meulan, Seigneur de Beaumont-le-Roger, Pont-Audemer, Brionne, & Vatteville married Godehilde de Toeny, daughter of Ralph III de Tony, Seigneur de Conches & Toéni (Tosny), Lord of Flamstead and Elizabeth de Montfort; This marriage is not recognized in Royal Ancestry.2 Sir Robert de Beaumont, Comte de Meulan, Seigneur de Beaumont-le-Roger, Pont-Audemer, Brionne, & Vatteville was born circa 1046 at of Beaumont-le-Roger, Eure, Upper Normandy, France.2 He and Godehilde de Toeny were divorced before 1096.3 Sir Robert de Bellomont, Comte de Meulan, Seigneur de Beaumont-le-Roger, Pont-Audemer, Brionne, & Vatteville married Isabel de Vermandois, daughter of Hugh Magnus, Prince of France, Duke of France & Burgundy, Marquis d'Orleans, Comte d'Amiens, Chaumont, Paris, Valois, & Vermandois and Adelheid de Vermandois, in 1096; They had 3 sons (Waleran II, Comte de Meulan, Earl of Worcester' Sir Robert, 1st Earl of Leicester; & Hugh, Earl of Bedford) & 5 daughters (including Adeline, wife of Hugues IV, Seigneur de Montfort-sur-Risle; Aubrey, wife of Hugues II, Seigneur de Chateauneuf; Maud, wife of William Lovel, Seigneur d'Ivri; & Isabel, wife of Gilbert FitzGilbert, Earl of Pembroke, & of Ralph Bluet).2 Sir Robert de Bellomont, Comte de Meulan, Seigneur de Beaumont-le-Roger, Pont-Audemer, Brionne, & Vatteville died on 5 June 1118; Buried in the chapter house of the Abbey of St. Pierre, Préaux.2
        Family 1
        Godehilde de Toeny d. Oct 1097
        Family 2
        Isabel de Vermandois b. 1081, d. b 17 Feb 1147
        Children
        Mathilde Beaumont+4,2 d. a 1189
        Adeline de Beaumont+
        Alberee de Beaumont
        Agnes de Beaumont
        Isabel Beaumont+2 b. c 1100
        Waleran de Beaumont, Comte de Meulan, Earl of Worcester, Seigneur de Beaumont-le-Roger, Brionne, la Crois St.-Leufroy, Elbeuf, Port-Audemer, & Vatteville+2 b. c 1104, d. 10 Apr 1166
        Sir Robert 'the Hunchback' Beaumont, 2nd Earl Leicester, Justiciar of England, Seigneur de Bréteuil, Lire, & Gloz+5,2 b. 1104, d. 5 Apr 1168
        Hugh, Earl of Bedford

      • Citation:

        Citations
        [S825] Unknown author, Lineage and Ancestry of HRH Prince Charles by Gerald Paget, Vol. I, p. 64.
        [S4] Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. V, p. 270-271.
        [S11569] Europaische Stammtafeln, by Wilhelm Karl, Prinz zu Isenburg, Vol. III, Tafel 705.
        [S4] Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. III, p. 623-624.
        [S4] Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry, Vol. III, p. 557.

      • Source text:

        A. EARLS of LEICESTER [1107]-1204 (BEAUMONT-le-ROGER)

        ROBERT de Beaumont, son of ROGER de Vieilles Seigneur de Beaumont-le-Roger & his wife Adeline de Meulan ([1046]-5 Jun 1118, bur Préaux, monastery of Saint-Pierre[1537]). He fought at the battle of Hastings in Oct 1066 and was rewarded by William I King of England with the grant of lands, mainly in Warwickshire and Leicestershire. He succeeded in 1081 as Comte de Meulan. He succeeded his father in [1090] as Seigneur de Beaumont-le-Roger, de Vieilles et de Pont-Audemer. In [before 1094], he was imprisoned by Robert III Duke of Normandy after challenging the exchange of Ivry for Brionne agreed by his father, the Duke confiscating Brionne. He was released after the intervention of his father, and Brionne was restored to his father after being recaptured[1538]. He was granted the town of Leicester by Henry I King of England, and is thereby said to have become Earl of Leicester but there is no record of his having used this title[1539].

        B. COMTES de MEULAN, SEIGNEURS de BEAUMONT-le-ROGER

        ROBERT de Beaumont-le-Roger, son of ROGER de Vieilles Seigneur de Beaumont-le-Roger & his wife Adeline de Meulan ([1046]-5 or 6 Jun 1118, bur Préaux, monastery of Saint-Pierre[1733]). Guillaume of Jumièges records that “Rogerius de Bellomonte” married “Adelinam, Waleranni comitis Mellenti filiam“, by whom he had “duos filios Robertum et Henricum...postea comites”, and that Robert succeeded “post Hugonem avunculum suum comes Mellentis”[1734]. Orderic Vitalis names “...Rodbertus tiro Rogerii de Bellomonte filius...” among those who took part in the battle of Hastings[1735]. He was rewarded by William I King of England with the grant of lands, mainly in Warwickshire and Leicestershire. He succeeded his mother's family in 1081 as Comte de Meulan. Orderic Vitalis names “Rodbertum et Henricum” as the heirs of “Rogerius...de Bellomonte”, adding that Robert inherited “comitatum de Mellento in pago Vilcasino hereditario jure post Hugonem Adelinæ matris suæ fratrem” and possessed “in Anglia comitatum Legecestriæ” which he was granted by King Henry I[1736]. “Rogerius et filii mei Robertus et Henricus” donated “decimam tocius Brotonie” to Saint-Wandrille by charter dated 13 Jan 1086[1737]. Domesday Book records “the count of Meulan” holding numerous properties in Warwickshire[1738]. "Rogerus de Bellomonte" founded la Sainte-Trinité de Beaumont-le-Roger, with the consent of "liberis meis Roberto comite Mellentensi et Henrico comite de Warwic", by charter dated [1088/89][1739]. Orderic Vitalis records that “Rodbertus comes Mellenti” demanded “arcem Ibreii” from Duke Robert who said that he had given “Brioniam...castrum” to Robert’s father in exchange for Ivry, that the duke imprisoned Robert and entrusted Brionne to “Rodberto Balduini filio”, dated to [1090][1740]. He succeeded his father in [1090] as Seigneur de Beaumont-le-Roger, de Vieilles et de Pont-Audemer. In [before 1094], he was imprisoned by Robert III Duke of Normandy after challenging the exchange of Ivry for Brionne agreed by his father, the Duke confiscating Brionne. He was released after the intervention of his father, and Brionne was restored to his father after being recaptured[1741]. He was granted the town of Leicester by Henry I King of England, and is thereby said to have become Earl of Leicester but there is no record of his having used this title[1742]. The Chronicon Rotomagensi records the death in 1118 of "Robertus comes de Mellent"[1743]. The necrology of Saint-Père-en-Vallée records the death "VIII Id Jun" of "Robertus comes Mellentensis"[1744]. The necrology of Lyre monastery records the death "5 Jun" of "Robertus comes Mellenti"[1745].

        [m firstly [as her first husband,] GODECHILDE de Tosny, daughter of RAOUL [III] de Tosny Seigneur de Conches & his wife Isabel de Montfort l'Amaury (-Germanicea, Cilicia Oct 1097[1746]). Orderic Vitalis names “Godehildem” as the daughter of “Radulfus...de Conchis filius Rogerii de Toenia” and his wife “filiam...Simonis [de Montefort]...Isabel”, recording that she married firstly “Rodberto...Mellentensium comiti” and secondly “Balduino filio Boloniensium consulis Eustachii”[1747]. The Complete Peerage[1748] says that this first marriage is "highly improbable" as Godechilde was still a young girl when she married Baudouin de Boulogne in 1096, although infant marriages were by no means unknown at the time. Orderic Vitalis makes no mention of any annulment of her alleged first marriage. The first "marriage" may have merely been a contract of betrothal. She married [secondly] ([1090/1096]) as his second wife, Baudouin de Boulogne, who was chosen in 1100 to succeed as Baudouin I King of Jerusalem.]

        m [secondly] ([1096], divorced 1115) as her first husband, ISABELLE [Elisabeth] de Vermandois, daughter of HUGUES de France Comte de Vermandois et de Valois [Capet] & his wife Adelais Ctss de Vermandois [Carolingian] ([before 1088][1749]-17 Feb 1131, bur Lewes). Orderic Vitalis records that in 1096 "Hugo Crispeii comes" placed "Radulfo et Henrico filiis suis" in charge of his land, married "Ysabel filiam suam" to "Rodberto de Mellento comiti", and left on pilgrimage taking "secum nobile agmen Francorum"[1750]. Guillaume of Jumièges records that ”secundus Willelmus de Warenna comes Surreiæ...tertius Willelmus filius eius” was born to “Elizabeth filia Hugonis Magni comitis Viromandorum”, who had first married “Roberto comiti Mellenti” by whom she had “tres filios et totidem filias”[1751]. She married secondly (1118) William [II] de Warenne Earl of Surrey. The necrology of Saint-Nicaise de Meulan records the death "XIII Kal Mar" of "Isabel comitissa Mellenti"[1752]. There appears to be no other "Isabelle Ctss de Melun" to whom this can refer apart from Isabelle de Vermandois. However, it is surprising that she is not referred to by the title of her second husband.

        Comte Robert & his [second] wife had [nine] children:

        1. [daughter (1102-).
        2. WALERAN de Beaumont (1104-Préaux 9/10 Apr 1166, bur Préaux, monastery of Saint-Pierre). -twin
        3. ROBERT de Beaumont "le Bossu" (1104-5 Apr 1168). twin
        4. ISABELLE de Beaumont ([1102/07]-after 1172).
        5. HUGH de Beaumont "Hugo pauper" (-after 1140).
        6. ADELINE de Beaumont .
        7. AUBREY de Beaumont .
        8. MATHILDE de Beaumont .
        9. [AGNES .

      • Citation:

        http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/NORMANDY%20NOBILITY.htm#RobertBeaumontLeicesterdied1118A

      • Citation:

        Beaumont Family Pedigree in Collins's Peerage of England, Vol. 4, pg. 429-430

      • Citation:

        https://opendomesday.org/

  8. Robert de Beaumont, Count of Meulan in Normandy and Earl of Leicester in England in British History Online
  9. Robert de Beaumont and Robert “Bossu” de Meulan, Earls of Leicester in British History Online
      • Citation:

        Robert de Beaumont, Earl of Leicester, in Burke's Dormant, Abeyant, Forfeited and Extint Peerages, pg. 42

      • Citation:

        Robert de Beaumont, Earl of Leicester, in The Battle Abbey Roll, Vol. 1, pg. 145-147

  10. Pat Patterson's Genealogy Pages: ROBERT DE BEAUMONT
      • Source text:

        "Rogier li Veil, cil de Belmont, Assalt Engleis el primier front." Roman de Rou, 1. 13,462.
        Thus sings the Prebend of Bayeux in direct contradiction, as I have already observed, of the Archdeacon of Lisieux, who as distinctly asserts that Roger de Beaumont was left in Normandy, president of the council appointed by the Duke to assist his Duchess in its government. There is more reason, however, to discredit Wace in this instance than even in the former one, as Orderic corroborates the statement of the Archdeacon that it was Robert, the eldest son of Roger de Beaumont, who was the companion of the Conqueror in 1066, and whom he describes as "a novice in arms." Mr. Taylor, in his translation of the poem, has mentioned also that in the MS. of Wace, in the British Museum, the name is Robert, though the epithet "le Viel" is not appropriate to his then age. Might not "le Viel" be a clerical error for "de Vielles," the name of Roger's father, which is latinized into "de Vitulis"? Roger de Beaumont would of course have been de Vielles as well as his father. The latinizing of proper names cannot be too much deplored and deprecated.

        Of Roger, Count de Beaumont, it is unanimously recorded that he was the noblest, the wealthiest, and the most valiant seigneur of Normandy, and the greatest and most trusted friend of the Danish family. Son of Humphrey de Vielles, and grandson of Thorold de Pontaudemer, a descendant of the Kings of Denmark, through Bernard the Dane, a companion of the first Norman Conqueror, Duke Rollo, illustrious as was such as origin in the eyes of his countrymen, he considered his alliance with Adelina, Countess of Meulent, sufficiently honorable and important to induce him to adopt the title of her family in preference to that of his own.

        We have already heard of his first great exploit, when, as a young man, in the early years of Duke William, he defeated the turbulent Roger de Toeni, who with his two sons were slain in that sanguinary conflict (vide p. 19, ante). Towards the invading fleet he contributed, according to Taylor's List, sixty vessels, and being at that time advanced in years, and selected to superintend the affairs of the duchy, sent his young son Robert to win his spurs at Senlac.

        In that memorable battle he is said to have given proof of courage and intelligence beyond his years, and promise of the high reputation he would eventually obtain, and which won for him the surname of Prudhomme. "A certain Norman young soldier," writes William of Poitou, "son of Roger de Bellomont, and nephew and heir of Hugh, Count of Meulent, by Adelina, his sister, making his first onset in that fight, did what deserves lasting fame, boldly charging and breaking in upon the enemy with the troops he commanded in the right wing of the army."

        His services were rewarded by ninety manors in Warwickshire, Leicestershire, Wiltshire, and Northamptonshire. In 1080 he, with his brother Henry, afterwards Earl of Warwick, were amongst the barons who exerted themselves to reconcile King William to his son Robert Court-heuse, and in 1081 he subscribed a charter of confirmation in favour of the Abbey of Fécamp. This was the last document he signed in the name of Beaumont, for his mother dying in year, he thenceforth wrote himself Comte de Meulent, and did homage to Philip I, King of France, for the lands to which he succeeded in that kingdom, and in 1082 sat as a Peer of France in a parliament held by the said King at Poissy.

        On the death of the Conqueror, the Comte de Meulent and his brother sided with William Rufus; their father, Roger de Beaumont, leaving also the ducal court and retiring to his estates. The late King had given the Castle of Ivri jointly to Roger de Beaumont and Robert his son; but during the absence of the latter in England, Robert Court-heuse, having become Duke of Normandy, exchanged, in 1090, that castle for the Castle of Brionne with Roger de Beaumont, without obtaining the consent of Robert de Meulent. The latter, having a quarrel with the monks of Bec, whose monastery was in the territory of Brionne, was greatly angered by this transaction, and repairing to the Duke at Rouen, boldly demanded of him the restoration of Ivri. The Duke answered that he had given his father the Castle of Brionne for it, which was a fair exchange. The Count replied, "I was no party to that bargain, and repudiate it; but what your father gave to my father that will I have, or by Saint Nicaise I will make you repent your conduct to me." The Duke, highly incensed, had him immediately arrested and imprisoned, and seizing the Castle of Brionne, gave it into the keeping of Robert, son of Baldwin de Meules. Roger de Beaumont, on receipt of these tidings, sought the Duke, and with the skill of an old courtier contrived to pacify his resentment, and obtain the release of his son and the restoration of Brionne; but Robert de Meules, who was in charge of it, refused to surrender it, and the Count de Meulent was obliged to resort to force. Siege was laid to the castle in regular form, and the garrison stoutly holding out, Gilbert du Pin, commanding the beleaguering forces, caused arrows, with their steel heads made red-hot in a furnace, to be shot over the battlements, and which, falling on the roofs of the buildings within the walls, set them on fire. The conflagration spreading, the place became no longer tenable, and Brionne remained from that period in the hands of the Counts of Meulent.

        The monks of Bec now found it necessary to patch up their quarrels with the Count, who behaved generously on the occasion, confirming their privileges and those also of the Abbey of Préaux, of Jumiéges, and St. Vaudrille, remitting certain imports due to him from the wine-growers of Mantes. I mention these circumstances, which have no interest for the general reader, only to notice a singular condition the Count attached to the franchise, namely, that the masters of all boats passing the Castles of Meulent and Mantes should play on the flageolet as they shot the bridges!

        On the departure of Robert Court-heuse for the Crusades, William Rufus, to whom he had confided the government of Normaudy, as a pledge for the repayment of the money the King had lent to him for the expenses of his expedition, considered it a good opportunity to recover from France the province of the Vexin. The Count of Meulent found himself awkwardly situated between the two contending parties. He owed fealty to both sovereigns: to the King of France for the Comté of Meulent, and to the King of England for his large estates, both in that country and Normandy. He decided in fayour of the latter, received into his castle the forces of the Red King, and so opened for him an entrance into France. The war ended without advantage to either side, and was followed by another between Rufus and Hélie de la FlÈche, Comte du Maine. After vainly attempting to reduce the Castle of Dangueul, the King withdrew from the siege, leaving the Count of Menlent to carry on the operations. On the 28th April, 1098, Hélie was drawn into an ambush by Count Robert, and, after a desperate defence, made prisoner, and conducted by him to the King, who was at Rouen, and who consigned his captive immediately to a dungeon in the great tower of that city.

        The incidents and results of this campaign are not sufficiently connected with the personal history of Robert de Meulent to require notice here. He was one of the royal hunting party in the New Forest on the 2nd of August, 1100, when William Rufus received his mysterious death-wound, and hastened on the instant with Prince Henry to Winchester, in order to secure the royal treasure, as well as the succession to the throne of England.

        Under the reign of the new King he retained the favour and influence he had enjoyed during those of the two Williams, and commanded the English army, which achieved the conquest of Normandy by Henry I in 1106, who acknowledged himself indebted for it to the advice and valour of the Earl of Leicester, to which dignity Robert de Meulent had been advanced by him at some period not distinctly ascertained, but most probably in the first year of his reign.

        Orderic Vital gives the following account of the mode by which he obtained the earldom: -- "The town of Leicester had four masters -- the King, the Bishop of Lincoln, Earl Simon" (Simon de St. Liz, Earl of Huntingdon), "and Ivo, the son of Hugh" (de Grentmesnil). The latter had been heavily fined for turbulent conduct, and was in disgrace at Court. He was also galled by being nicknamed "the Rope-dancer," having been one of those who had been let down by ropes from the walls of Antioch. He therefore had resolved to rejoin the Crusade, and made an agreement with the Count of Meulent to the following effect: -- The Count was to procure his reconciliation with the King, and to advance him five hundred silver marks for the expenses of his expedition, having the whole of Ivo's domains pledged to him as a security for fifteen years. In consideration of this, the Count was to give the daughter of his brother Henry, Earl of Warwick, in marriage to Ivo's son, who was yet in his infancy, and to restore him his father's inheritance. This contract was confirmed by oath, and ratified by the King, but Ivo died on his road to the Holy Land, and Robert de Meulent, by royal favour and his own address, contrived to get the whole of Leicester into his own hands, and being in consequence created an English earl, his wealth and power surpassed those of any other peer of the realm, and he was exalted above nearly all his family." (Book xi, c. 2)

        This great warrior and able man is said to have died of sorrow and mortification, caused by the infidelity of his second wife Elizabeth, otherwise Isabella, daughter of Hugh the Great, Comte de Vermandois and of Chaumont in the Vexin. He had married -- the date at present unknown -- Godechilde de Conches, daughter of Roger de Toeni, Seigneur de Con...

         

  11. Wikiwand: Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Préaux
      • Source text:

        Robert was born between 1040 and 1050, the eldest son of Roger de Beaumont (1015–1094) by his wife Adeline of Meulan (died 1081),[2] the daughter of Waleran III, Count de Meulan and Adelais.[3] He was one of the 15 proven Companions of William the Conqueror specifically referred to in surviving documents as having fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 under William the Conqueror, Duke of Normandy, who was his cousin.[1] He served as leader of the infantry on the right wing of the Norman army, as evidenced in the following near contemporary account by William of Poitiers:

        'A certain Norman, Robert, son of Roger of Beaumont, being nephew and heir to Henry, Count of Meulan, through Henry's sister Adeline, found himself that day in battle for the first time. He was as yet but a young man and he performed feats of valour worthy of perpetual remembrance. At the head of a troop which he commanded on the right wing he attacked with the utmost bravery and success".[4]
        His service earned him the grant of more than 91 English manors confiscated from the defeated English, as listed in the Domesday Book of 1086.

        When his mother died in 1081, Robert inherited the title of Count of Meulan in Normandy,[a] and the title Viscount Ivry and Lord of Norton. He paid homage to King Philip I of France for these estates and sat as a French Peer in the Parliament held at Poissy.

        Robert and his brother Henry were members of the Royal hunting party in the New Forest in Hampshire when King William II Rufus (1087–1100) was shot dead accidentally by an arrow on 2 August 1100.[citation needed] He pledged allegiance to William II's brother, King Henry I (1100–1135), who created him Earl of Leicester in 1107.[6]

        On the death of William Rufus, William, Count of Évreux and Ralph de Conches made an incursion into Robert's Norman estates, on the pretence they had suffered injury through some advice that Robert had given to the king; their raid was successful and they collected a vast booty.

        During the English phase of the Investiture Controversy, he was excommunicated by Pope Paschal II on 26 March 1105 for advising King Henry to continue selecting the bishops of his realm in opposition to the canons of the church.[7] Sometime in 1106, Henry succeeded in having Anselm, the exiled archbishop of Canterbury, revoke this excommunication. Anselm's (somewhat presumptuous) act was ultimately ratified by Paschal.

        According to Henry of Huntingdon, Robert died of shame after "a certain earl carried off the lady he had espoused, either by some intrigue or by force and stratagem."[8] He was the last surviving Norman nobleman to have fought in the Battle of Hastings.[9]

        Robert de Beaumont was buried at the Abbey of Saint-Pierre de Préaux in Normandy.

         

         

  12. The Beaumont Earls of Leicester
  13. Robert de Beaumont (1049-1118), Find a Grave