ROBERT de Caen

illegitimate son of HENRY I King of England & his mistress --- ([1090]-Bristol 31 Oct 1147, bur Priory of St James, Bristol). Also known as Robert FitzRoy. Orderic Vitalis records him as "Robert the king's son", and specifies that he led a force from the Cotentin in Sep 1123 to quell the rebellion led by Amaury de Montfort Comte d'Evreux and Waleran de Beaumont Comte de Meulan[1868]. According to the Gwentian Chronicle, Robert was the king’s son by "Nest, daughter of Rhys son of Tewdwr, who was afterwards the wife of Gerald of Pembroke Castle"[1869], but this appears unlikely from a chronological point of view. He was created Earl of Gloucester in [Jun/Sep] 1122. He had the custody of his uncle Robert ex-Duke of Normandy as a prisoner at Bristol in 1126. He did homage to King Stephen in 1136, but quarrelled with him in 1137, and his English and Welsh estates were forfeited. He joined forces with his half-sister "Empress" Matilda, landing in England with her in Sep 1139. He became her commander-in-chief in the civil war. After a series of successes against King Stephen’s forces, including the capture of the King at Lincoln in Feb 1141, he himself was captured at Stockbridge 14 Sep 1141 and imprisoned at Rochester. He was freed shortly after in exchange for the king[1870]. The Gesta Stephani Regis records the death of "comes…Glaorniæ" at Bristol, dated from the context to [1147][1871].

m (before [1112]%29 MABEL [Matilda or Sibylle] FitzRobert, daughter & heiress of ROBERT FitzHamon Lord of Glamorgan and Gloucester & his wife Sibylle de Montgomery (-[29 Sep] 1157). The Chronica de Fundatoribus et Fundatione of Tewkesbury Abbey names (in order) “Mabiliam, Hawysiam, Ceciliam, Amisiam” as the four daughters of ”Robertum filium Haymonis, dominum de Astramervilla in Normannia”, recording that Mabile married Robert Fitzroy[1872]. Orderic Vitalis records that “Rodbertus Henrici regis filius” married “Rodberto Haimonis filio...[et] Sibiliam Rogerii comitis filiam...filiam...Mathildem”[1873]. Robert of Torigny records that "filia Roberti Belismensis" was the mother of "Rogerius Wigornensis episcopus", son of "Robertus comes Gloecestrensis…filius primi Henrici regis Anglorum", clarifying that the bishop's grandfather was "Robertus filius Haimonis dominus de Torigneio"[1874]. The Annals of Tewkesbury record that “Mabilia comitissa Gloucestriæ” died in 1157[1875].

Earl Robert & his wife had [seven] children:

1. WILLIAM FitzRobert (23 Nov [1112]-23 Nov 1183, bur Keynsham Abbey, Somerset). The Chronica de Fundatoribus et Fundatione of Tewkesbury Abbey records that “comes Willielmus filius et hæres eiusdem” succeeded on the death of Robert Earl of Gloucester[1876]. He succeeded his father in 1147 as Earl of Gloucester.

2. ROGER FitzRobert (-Tours 9 Aug 1179, bur Tours). The Annals of Tewkesbury record that “Rogerus filius comitis Gloecestriæ” was appointed Bishop of Worcester in Mar 1163, and consecrated “X Kal Sep” in 1164[1877]. Robert of Torigny records the death in 1180 of "Rogerius Wigornensis episcopus" at "Turonis", specifying that his father was "Robertus comes Gloecestrensis…filius primi Henrici regis Anglorum" and his mother "filia Roberti Belismensis"[1878].

3. HAMON FitzRobert (-killed at the siege of Toulouse 1159). The Chronicle of Melrose records the death in 1159 at Toulouse of "Hamo the son of the earl of Gloucester, deceased"[1879].

4. PHILIP FitzRobert (-after 1147). The Gesta Stephani Regis records that "Philippum filium Glaornensis comitis" was given command of Cricklade in succession to "Willelmus…de Dovre" but later joined King Stephen, dated from the context to [1147][1880]. He went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land[1881]. "Philippo quoque filio comitis Gloecestrie" is recorded as present in a letter from Hugues Archbishop of Rouen to Emma abbess of St Amand, in a charter dated 1147[1882].

5. MATILDA FitzRobert (-29 Jul 1190). Robert of Torigny refers to the wife of "Ranulfus comes Cestriæ" as "filia Roberti comitis Gloecestriæ"[1883]. The Rotuli de Dominabus of 1185 records property “Wadinton de feodo comitis Cestrie” held by “Matillis comitissa Cestrie…filia Roberti comitis Gloecestrie, filii regis Henrici primi”[1884]. It was alleged that she and William Peverell of Nottingham poisoned her husband[1885]. "Hugo comes Cestrie" confirmed a donation of land in Thoresby donated by "Willelmus filius Othuer" to Greenfield priory, Lincolnshire, for the soul of "patris mei Randulfi", by charter dated to [1155] witnessed by "Matilla matre sua…"[1886]. The Annals of Tewkesbury record the death “IV Kal Aug” in 1190 of “Matildis comitissa Cestria”[1887]. m ([1141]%29 RANULF “de Gernon” Earl of Chester, son of RANULPH “le Meschin” Vicomte de Bayeux & his wife Lucy --- (Château de Gernon, Normandy before 1100-[murdered] 16 Dec 1153, bur Chester, Abbey of St Werburg).

6. MABEL FitzRobert. "Mabira daughter of Earl Robert, mother of Jordan de Campo Ernulfi and lady of Maisoncelles [Mansum cellarum]" donated property to the abbey of Saint-Etienne, Plessis-Grimoud by charter dated [1170][1888]. [1889][m AUBREY de Vere].

7. RICHARD FitzRobert ([1120/35]-1175). His parentage is confirmed by the undated charter under which his son "Roger de Croylet, fils de Richard fils du comte de Gloucester" donated property to the abbey of Ardennes, Calvados[1890]. He succeeded his mother as Sire de Creully.

Earl Robert had [four] [illegitimate] children:

8. RICHARD (-3 Apr 1142). Orderic Vitalis names Richard as son of "the king's son Robert", and records that he was appointed Bishop of Bayeux in 1135[1891], having obtained the Pope's dispensation to hold religious office despite his illegitimate birth[1892]. The Gesta Stephani Regis records the death of "Roberti Glaornensis comitis filius", dated from the context to [1142][1893]. The son in question is not named and it is not certain that this entry refers to Richard.

9. ROBERT FitzRobert (-1170). The 1155 Pipe Roll records "Rob. fil. Com. Gloecestr." in Somerset[1894]. Named in charters in [1160], and addressed as Castellan of Gloucester[1895]. Robert of Torigny records the death in 1170 of "Roberto filio Roberti comitis Gloecestriæ"[1896]. [1897]m ([1147]%29 HAWISE de Reviers, daughter of BALDWIN de Reviers Earl of Devon & his first wife Adelisa --- (-[1215]). The 1194/95 Pipe Roll records "Agnes uxor Roberti f comitis de Gloecr" in Lincolnshire[1898]. Robert & his wife had one child:
a) [1899]MABEL . m firstly JORDAN de Chambernon, son of ---. m secondly WILLIAM de Soliers, son of ---.

10. MABEL . She is referred to as Earl Robert's illegitimate daughter in Domesday Descendants[1900]. It is not known whether she is the same person as Mabel who is shown above as Earl Robert's legitimate daughter. m GRIFFITH ap IVOR Bach .

11. [--- . It is not known whether the parent of Thomas was one of the other illegitimate children of Robert Earl of Gloucester who are named above. According to Domesday Descendants, Thomas was nephew of Earl William’s father Robert, citing a charter of the Earldom of Gloucester (not yet consulted)[1901]. m ---.] One child:
a) THOMAS (-after 1176). The 1176/77 Pipe Roll names "Tomas nepos comitis Gloecestr et Ricardus filius eius" in Dorset and Somerset[1902]. m ---. The name of Thomas’s wife is not known. Thomas & his wife had one child: i) RICHARD . The 1176/77 Pipe Roll names "Tomas nepos comitis Gloecestr et Ricardus filius eius" in Dorset and Somerset[1903].

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert,_1st_Earl_of_Gloucester

Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester (c. 1090 – October 31, 1147) was an illegitimate son of King Henry I of England, and one of the dominant figures of the period of English history sometimes called The Anarchy. He is also known as Robert of Caen, and Robert "the Consul", though both names are used by later historians and have little contemporary justification, other than the fact that Robert's clerks made a practice of using the Latin word consul rather than the more common comes for his title of 'Earl'.

Early life

Robert was the eldest of Henry's many illegitimate children. He was born well before his father's accession to the English throne, probably in the late 1080s, as he had himself had a son by 1104. Although generally said to have been the son of Sybil Corbet, his mother is not known for certain.

Robert was acknowledged at birth, though in view of the vicissitudes of his father's career between 1087 and 1096 it is unlikely he was raised in his household. He was educated to a high standard, was literate in Latin and had a serious interest in both history and philosophy, which indicates that he was at least partly raised in a clerical household, a suggestion made all the more likely as his first known child, born around 1104, was born to a daughter of Samson, Bishop of Worcester (died 1112) who up till 1096 had been a Royal Chaplain and Treasurer of Bayeux. It may be significant that his next brother Richard was brought up in an episcopal household, that of Robert Bloet, bishop of Lincoln. Robert later received dedications from both Geoffrey of Monmouth and William of Malmesbury. William's 'Historia Novella' contains a flattering portrait of the Earl.

Robert appears at court in Normandy in 1113, and around 1114 he married Mabel, eldest daughter and heir of Robert Fitzhamon, who brought him the substantial honour of Gloucester in England, Glamorgan in Wales and the honours of Sainte-Scholasse-sur-Sarthe and Évrecy in Normandy, as well as Creully. In 1121 or 1122 his father created him Earl of Gloucester.

Career at court

St Marys Church, Luton town centre, founded in 1121 by Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester.Robert developed a role as one of his father's principal aides and Captains. In 1119, he fought at the Battle of Bremule, and in 1123-24 he was one of the King's chief commanders during the Norman rebellion. Following the drowning of the King's only legitimate son, William Adelin, in 1120, Robert became increasingly caught up in his father's attempts to ensure the succession of the Empress Matilda, Robert's half-sister. It was to Robert's custody in his castle of Cardiff that his uncle, the deposed Duke Robert Curthose was eventually confided in 1126. On 1 January 1127 it was Robert who was one of the first to swear to accept Matilda as Queen after Henry's death. His father at some point gave him the keeping of the castles of Dover and Canterbury, and thus control of Kent and the cross-Channel route. When King Henry fell mortally ill at Lyons-la-Forêt in Normandy on 25 November 1135, Earl Robert was at his side and was one of the magnates who swore to stay with the King's body until it was buried. The King died a week after falling ill, on 1 December 1135.

Relationship with King Stephen

After his father's death, Robert attended a series of conferences in Normandy and eventually accepted as King Theobald IV, Count of Blois and King Henry's oldest nephew by his sister Adela. However, during the meeting with Theobald, news reach the Norman magnates that Theobald's younger brother, Stephen of Mortain and Boulogne, had been accepted and crowned as King in England. Robert eventually accepted this and at Easter 1136 attended the new King's ceremonial court. He does not seem to have seriously considered supporting the Empress Matilda, and did not assist her invasion of southern Normandy. There is evidence in the contemporary source, the Gesta Stephani, that Robert was proposed by some as a candidate for the throne, but his illegitimacy ruled him out:

"Among others came Robert, Earl of Gloucester, son of King Henry, but a bastard, a man of proved talent and admirable wisdom. When he was advised, as the story went, to claim the throne on his father's death, deterred by sounder advice he by no means assented, saying it was fairer to yield it to his sister's son (the future Henry II of England), than presumptuously to arrogate it to himself."

This suggestion cannot have led to any idea that he and Stephen were rivals for the Crown, as Geoffrey of Monmouth in 1136 referred to Robert as one of the 'pillars' of the new King's rule.

Robert of Gloucester had other distractions in 1136 which put the succession question out of his mind. The Welsh princes of south east Wales rose against the Anglo-Norman settlers of the Welsh Marches in April and Robert spent much of the year stabilising the situation in that region. He reached peace treaties with the Welsh and recognised the gains of Morgan ab Owain (died 1158), who called himself King of Glamorgan. In England, Robert of Gloucester soon became disenchanted with King Stephen, and by the end of 1137 had withdrawn from his Court. It is clear that he was disgruntled that he did not occupy the central place in politics that he had in the last reign. He was also alarmed at the favour with which the King regarded his Flemish mercenary general, William of Ypres, and the rising power of the Beaumont twins, Waleran de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Worcester, and Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester. In 1138, Robert declared his support for the Empress Matilda, but he was defeated in Normandy by Waleran and his English allies were crushed by Stephen and driven back on his fortress of Bristol.

The Civil War, 1139-1147

Earl Robert took a great gamble and sailed for England with his half-sister, the Empress, his wife and a company of knights. They landed at Arundel on 30 September 1139, and were welcomed into Arundel Castle there, the possession of Queen Adeliza, Matilda's stepmother. Robert left for Bristol immediately. In his absence the castle was blockaded by King Stephen, opening the possibility that he might seize his dynastic rival. The King in the end let the Empress and Countess depart, under escort, to Bristol.

With Earl Robert and the Empress in England and based in the West Country and Severn valley, the civil war had begun. The Earl's first moves are revealing. He commanded raids against Wareham in Dorset and Worcester. Both were possessions of the Beaumonts. He took Robert of Leicester's lands in Dorset for his own. He did much the same to other royalists within his area, mass deprivations which were at the heart of what is called the Anarchy. Although secure in a heartland of support, Earl Robert did not find it easy to recruit wider support and break out. The King succeeded in containing him along the line of the Cotswold Hills, with such effect that both sides were willing to send representatives to a peace conference held at Bath in August 1140, though nothing came of it.

Earl Robert's big opportunity came at Christmas 1140, when King Stephen fell out with Earl Ranulf II of Chester. Ranulf's failed negotiations with the King to secure Lincoln Castle led him to ally with Robert, his father-in-law. They united their forces at Castle Donington in January 1141, including a host of Welsh mercenaries allied to Earl Robert. On 2 February 1141 the Earls met and defeated King Stephen at the Battle of Lincoln. With the King captive, Empress Matilda should have secured the throne, but a combination of stubborn royalist support, the Empress's miscalculation and military misjudgement led to her failure. On 14 September 1141 Earl Robert and the Empress were trapped by a royalist army in an ill-judged attempt to seize control of Winchester. Earl Robert was captured fighting a rearguard action against the forces of Matilda of Boulogne, Stephen's wife, at the river crossing of Stockbridge to allow his sister to escape. Earl Robert was imprisoned for two months at Rochester Castle before he was released in an exchange with King Stephen. The cross-over point in the joint release was on 1 November 1141 at Winchester, where the two men had a chance to exchange friendly remarks, and the Earl apparently assured the King that there was nothing personal in the fight as far as he was concerned.

The war continued and it rapidly became evident that it was a stalemate. The Empress's husband refused to commit the resources to tip the balance in England, only agreeing to discuss matters with the Earl. In June 1142 Robert crossed from Wareham to Normandy and stayed there till the end of October. He came back with no reinforcements, but with his nephew Henry, the son of the Empress. In the meantime the Empress had been trapped in Oxford. Nothing could be done to release her, and she had to manage her own escape from the castle.

Robert continued the struggle but with less and less hope of ultimate victory. The King also had limited resources, but managed slowly to push towards Robert's centres of Bristol and Gloucester. At the end of 1145 Philip, Earl Robert's son and military Captain, defected to Stephen, taking with him the strategic castles of Cricklade and Cirencester. With Gloucester and Bristol under threat, the Earl opened negotiations in the autumn of 1146. The pressure continued in 1147, and it was in a desperate attack on Farnham in Surrey in the late summer of that year that Earl Robert fought his last unsuccessful action of the war. He retired to Bristol to gather new forces, but became feverish. He died on 31 October 1147 and was buried in the priory of St James he had founded outside the castle.

Family and children

He married, around 1114, Mabel of Gloucester (died 1156), daughter of Robert Fitzhamon and Sibyl de Montgomery. Their children were:

• William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester, died 1183. He married Hawise (died 1197) daughter of Robert II, Earl of Leicester.
• Roger, Bishop of Worcester, (died 9 August 1179, Tours).
• Hamon, killed at the siege of Toulouse in 1159.
• Robert. (died before 1157) Also called Robert of Ilchester in documents. He married Hawise, (died after 1210) daughter of Baldwin de Redvers and Adeliz. Their daughter Mabel married Jordan de Cambernon.
• Matilda, (died 1189), wife of Ranulph de Gernon, 2nd Earl of Chester.
• Philip, Castellan of Cricklade, (died after 1147). He took part in the Second Crusade.
• Earl Robert had an illegitimate son, Richard, bishop of Bayeux (1135-1142), by Isabel de Douvres, sister of Richard de Douvres, bishop of Bayeux (1107-1133).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Natural son of Henry I of England. [Ped. of Charlemagne]

'The Consul', Earl of Gloucester, 1122-47. [Ped. of Charlemagne]

Initially supported Stephen of Blois as successor of his father, Henry I. Robert led a revolt against Stephen in 1138 which stripped Stephen of Caen and half of Normandy. During the next 17 years England was in a constant state of dissension between the factions wishing to be on the throne. At one point Earl Robert was captured during a battle at Devizes. Later in 1142 Stephen himself was besieged and exchanged himself for Earl Robert. [WBH - England]

Earl of Mellent, who was created, in 1109, Earl of Gloucester, natural son of Henry I by Elizabeth de Bellomont. [Magna Charta Barons, p. 88]

Chief of King Stephen's nobles. A plot which Robert of Gloucester had been weaving from the outset of Stephen's reign came to a head in 1138, and the Earl's revolt stripped Stephen of Caen and half Normandy. [Nations of the World - England, p. 162-3]

Lincoln Castle, Feb 1141 -- Robert comes to the aid of Ranulf of Chester who is being beseiged in his castle by King Stephen. Robert's superior forces soon overpower Stephen who refuses to flee. Stephen is captured and held in Robert's castle in chains. In November Robert and his half-sister Empress Matilda met Stephen's forces outside Winchester and this time Earl Robert was captured. Robert and Stephen were then exchanged, but Stephen is king again. The civil war is not over. [Chronicle of the Royal Family, p. 45]

Illegitimate son of Henry I; 1st Earl of Gloucester, m. Mabel FitzHamon; father of Maud of Gloucester, Mabira de Caen and William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester. [The Royal Descents, p. 387, 389, 396]

Patron of Geoffrey of Monmouth, the historian who wrote HISTORIA REGUM BRITANNIAE (The History of the Kings of Britain). After his father King Henry I's death in 1135, Robert was the most dedicated defender of the right of his half-sister, Matilda, to succeed their father; he and his fellow Marcher Lords refused to acknowledge the authority of Stephen, Henry's nephew and the anointed king of England. [A History of Wales, p. 124]

Earl of Gloucester; natural son of Henry I, king of England, and Elizabeth de Bellomont; m. Mabel FitzHamon; father of Maud of Gloucester. [Charlemagne & Others, Chart 2917]

Natural son of Henry I and a Welsh princess named Nesta who had been made a prisoner during some fighting along the Marches. He was a man of lofty ideals, of great courage and compassion, a capable leader and soldier. Present at his father's death. [The Conquering Family, p. 9]

Earl of Gloucester; d. 1147; m. Mabel, dau. of Robert Fitz Hamon; father of William Fitz Robert. [Ancestral Roots, p. 66]

Son of Henry I, king of England, by an unknown mistress. [Ancestral Roots, p. 112]

Earl of Gloucester; m. Mabel Fitz Hamon; father of Philip Fitz Robert; died 31 Oct 1147 of fever in Bristol, England. [Charlemagne & Others, Chart 2968]

The open declaration of Robert of Gloucester for Matilda in 1138, and the landing of the empress herself in the following year, were followed by the secession from Stephen of the greater part of Western England. [The Victoria History of the Counties of England, p. 358]

The southwestern counties rose at the instigation of Robert of Gloucester (illegitimate son of Henry I and brother to Matilda), who had thrown off his allegiance to Stephen and fled abroad, allegint that Stephen was a usurper of the throne. In the fall of 1139, Robert and his sister Matilda came back to England from abroad. The arrival converted the unrest, already manifest, into a civil war which lasted for 14 years. In 1141 King Stephen was defeated. He was sent to prison in Bristol but the civil war went on. Year after year Matilda lost ground. The death of Robert of Gloucester, in 1147, deprived hr of her chief support and the following year she retired to Anjou and gave up her struggle. [The Fosters of Flanders, England, and America, p. 9]

Robert, Earl of Gloucester, was responsible for the building in masonry of a polygonal keep at Cardiff, probably a precaution taken against the Welsh uprising of 1136, which followed the death of Henry I the previous year, and which resulted in general civil discontent. The keep dominates the castle enclosure not only by its extraordinary height, but by its sheer size. [The Castles of Wales, p. 62]

When Robert the Consul became Lord of Cardiff Castle in the 12th century it already had a history going back over a thousand years. The Romans built their first fort on the site almost 2000 years ago.

His father, Henry I, raised Robert to the earldom of Gloucester and made him lord of Glamorgan in 1122. The earl or 'consul' of Gloucester dominated the political scene in England after the death of his father during the long and bitter struggle for the throne between Matilda and Stephen. It was 'Robert the Consul', lauded on all sides as a brave soldier, wise statesman and patron of the arts, who is credited with having built the first stone keep of Cardiff Castle, and it was in the keep that he imprisoned at King Henry's behest, another Robert--the second duke of Normandy and his father's older brother--from 1126 until Robert of Normandy's death in 1134.

Robert 'the Consul' died in 1147, to be succeeded by his son William. [Cardiff Castle].

He was the chief supporter of the royal claimant Matilda during her war with King Stephen of England (reigned 1135-54).
...............................

The illegitimate son of King Henry I of England (reigned 1100-35), he was made Earl of Gloucester in 1122. After the death of Henry I and usurpation of power by Stephen (December 1135), Gloucester became the leader of the party loyal to Matilda, his half sister, who had been designated heir to the throne by Henry I. He took Matilda to England in September 1139 and at the head of her forces won from Stephen most of western England and southern Wales. In February 1141 he captured Stephen at Lincoln and imprisoned him in Bristol. Later that year Gloucester was captured at Winchester, Hampshire, and exchanged for the king. He continued to be the mainstay of Matilda's cause until his death. The 12th-century chroniclers considered Gloucester an able and sagacious leader.

Copyright © 1994-2000 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

http://www.mindfreedom.net/gen/t-s-p/p123.htm#i8393

Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester (c. 1090 – 31 October 1147) was an illegitimate son of King Henry I of England, and one of the dominant figures of the period of English history sometimes called The Anarchy. He is also known as Robert of Caen, and Robert "the Consul", though both names are used by later historians and have little contemporary justification, other than the fact that Robert's clerks made a practice of using the Latin word consul rather than the more common comes for his title of 'Earl'.

Ancestor of Thomas Jefferson.

Earl of Caen

Wife Mabel Fitzhammon

Children - Richard Fitzrobert, Matilda Fitzrobert, William Fitzrobert, Roger Fitzrobert, Hamon Fitzrobert, Richard Fitzrobert, Mabel Fitzrobert

from http://www.devinthorpe.com/gen/ped/pedg73.htm#6296 :

66454970. Robert Earl of Caen was born about 1090 in Of Caen, Calvados, Frn. He died on 31 Oct 1147 in Bristol, Gloucestershire, Eng. He was buried in Prioryofst James, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Eng. He married Mabel or Maud Fitzhamon Countess about 1109 in , , Eng.

The 12th-century chroniclers considered Robert FitzRoy de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester, an able and sagacious leader.

Robert was the bastard son of King Henry I by an unnamed mistress.

He also went by the name of Robert "the Consul."

Robert married Mabel FitzHamon, daughter of Robert fitz Hamon, Lord of Glamorgan and Sybil de Montgomery, in 1115 in Gloucestershire.

He was created Earl of Gloucester between June 1122 and September 1122.

Robert was one of the 5 Earls who witnessed the Charter to Salisbury granted at the Northampton Council of King Henry I on 8 September 1131 in Northampton.

Robert was the chief supporter of the royal claimant Matilda during her war with King Stephen of England between 1135 and 1154.

Geoffrey of Monmouth dedicated his work, History of the Kings of England, to Robert. "To you, therefore, Robert earl of Gloucester, this work humbly sues for the favour of being so corrected by your advice, that may not be thought to be the poor offspring of Geoffrey of Monmouth, but when polished by your refined with and judgment, the production of him who had Henry the glorious king of England for his father, and whom we see an accomplished scholar and philosopher, as well as a brave soldier and expert commander; so that Britain with joy acknowledges, that in you she possesses another Henry."

Robert took Matilda to England and at the head of her forces won from Stephen most of western England and southern Wales in September 1139. He captured King Stephen at Lincoln and imprisoned him in Bristol in February 1141. Robert himself was captured at Winchester, Hampshire, and exchanged for the King after February 1141. Robert died on 31 October 1147 in Bristol, Gloucestershire--apparently in prison.

See "My Lines"

( http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cousin/html/p367.htm#i6831 )

from Compiler: R. B. Stewart, Evans, GA

( http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cousin/html/index.htm )

Via http://www.stepneyrobarts.co.uk/14591.htm :

Robert was an illegitimate son of Henry I and one of the dominant figures of the period of English history sometimes called The Anarchy. He is also known as Robert of Caen, and Robert "the Consul", though both names are used by later historians and have little contemporary justification, other than the fact that Robert's clerks made a practice of using the Latin word consul rather than the more common comes for his title of 'Earl'.

Robert was the eldest of Henry's many illegitimate children. He was born well before his father's accession to the English throne, probably in the late 1080s, as he had himself had a son by 1104. Although generally said to have been the son of Sybil Corbet, his mother is not known for certain.

Robert was acknowledged at birth though in view of the vicissitudes of his father's career between 1087 and 1096 it is unlikely he was raised in his household. He was educated to a high standard, was literate in Latin and had a serious interest in both history and philosophy, which indicates that he was at least partly raised in a clerical household, a suggestion made all the more likely as his first known child, born around 1104, was born to a daughter of Samson, Bishop of Worcester (died 1112) who up till 1096 had been a Royal Chaplain and Treasurer of Bayeux. It may be significant that his next brother Richard was brought up in an Episcopal household, that of Robert Bloet, bishop of Lincoln. Robert later received dedications from both Geoffrey of Monmouth and William of Malmesbury. William's 'Historia Novella' contains a flattering portrait of the Earl.

Robert appears at court in Normandy in 1113 and around 1114 he married Mabel, eldest daughter and heir of Robert Fitzhamon, who brought him the substantial honour of Gloucester in England, Glamorgan in Wales and the honours of Sainte-Scholasse-sur-Sarthe and Évrecy in Normandy, as well as Creully. In 1121 or 1122 his father created him Earl of Gloucester.

Robert developed a role as one of his father's principal aides and Captains. In 1119 he fought at the Battle of Bremule, and in 1123-24 he was one of the King's chief commanders during the Norman rebellion. Following the drowning of the King's only legitimate son, William Adelin, in 1120, Robert became increasingly caught up in his father's attempts to ensure the succession of the Empress Matilda, Robert's half-sister. It was to Robert's custody in his castle of Cardiff that his uncle, the deposed Duke Robert Curthose was eventually confided in 1126. On 1 January 1127 it was Robert who was one of the first to swear to accept Matilda as Queen after Henry's death. His father at some point gave him the keeping of the castles of Dover and Canterbury, and thus control of Kent and the cross-Channel route. When Henry fell mortally ill at Lyons-la-Forêt in Normandy on 25 November 1135, Earl Robert was at his side and was one of the magnates who swore to stay with the King's body until it was buried. The King died a week after falling ill on 1 December 1135.

After his father's death, Robert attended a series of conferences in Normandy and eventually accepted as King Theobald IV, Count of Blois and Henry's oldest nephew by his sister Adela. However, during the meeting with Theobald, news reach the Norman magnates that Theobald's younger brother, Stephen of Mortain and Boulogne, had been accepted and crowned as King in England. Robert eventually accepted this and at Easter 1136 attended the new King's ceremonial court. He does not seem to have seriously considered supporting the Empress Matilda and did not assist her invasion of southern Normandy. There is evidence in the contemporary source, the Gesta Stephani, that Robert was proposed by some as a candidate for the throne but his illegitimacy ruled him out:

"Among others came Robert, Earl of Gloucester, son of King Henry, but a bastard, a man of proved talent and admirable wisdom. When he was advised, as the story went, to claim the throne on his father's death, deterred by sounder advice he by no means assented, saying it was fairer to yield it to his sister's son (the future Henry II of England), than presumptuously to arrogate it to himself."

This suggestion cannot have led to any idea that he and Stephen were rivals for the Crown, as Geoffrey of Monmouth in 1136 referred to Robert as one of the 'pillars' of the new King's rule.

Robert of Gloucester had other distractions in 1136 which put the succession question out of his mind. The Welsh princes of south east Wales rose against the Anglo-Norman settlers of the Welsh Marches in April and Robert spent much of the year stabilising the situation in that region. He reached peace treaties with the Welsh and recognised the gains of Morgan ab Owain (died 1158), who called himself King of Glamorgan. In England Robert of Gloucester soon became disenchanted with Stephen and by the end of 1137 had withdrawn from his Court. It is clear that he was disgruntled that he did not occupy the central place in politics that he had in the last reign. He was also alarmed at the favour with which the King regarded his Flemish mercenary general, William of Ypres, and the rising power of the Beaumont twins, Waleran de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Worcester, and Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester. In 1138 Robert declared his support for the Empress Matilda but he was defeated in Normandy by Waleran and his English allies were crushed by Stephen and driven back on his fortress of Bristol.

Earl Robert took a great gamble and sailed for England with his half-sister, the Empress, his wife and a company of knights. They landed at Arundel on 30 September 1139 and were welcomed into Arundel Castle, the possession of Queen Adeliza, Matilda's stepmother. Robert left for Bristol immediately. In his absence the castle was blockaded by Stephen, opening the possibility that he might seize his dynastic rival. The King in the end let the Empress and Countess depart, under escort, to Bristol.

With Earl Robert and the Empress in England and based in the West Country and Severn valley, the civil war had begun. The Earl's first moves are revealing. He commanded raids against Wareham in Dorset and Worcester. Both were possessions of the Beaumonts. He took Robert of Leicester's lands in Dorset for his own. He did much the same to other royalists within his area, mass deprivations which were at the heart of what is called the Anarchy. Although secure in a heartland of support, Earl Robert did not find it easy to recruit wider support and break out. The King succeeded in containing him along the line of the Cotswold Hills with such effect that both sides were willing to send representatives to a peace conference held at Bath in August 1140, though nothing came of it.

Earl Robert's big opportunity came at Christmas 1140 when Stephen fell out with Earl Ranulf II of Chester. Ranulf's failed negotiations with the King to secure Lincoln Castle led him to ally with Robert, his father-in-law. They united their forces at Castle Donington in January 1141 including a host of Welsh mercenaries allied to Earl Robert. On 2 February 1141 the Earls met and defeated Stephen at the Battle of Lincoln. With the King captive Empress Matilda should have secured the throne but a combination of stubborn royalist support, the Empress's miscalculation and military misjudgement led to her failure. On 14 September 1141 Earl Robert and the Empress were trapped by a royalist army in an ill-judged attempt to seize control of Winchester. Earl Robert was captured fighting a rearguard action against the forces of Matilda of Boulogne, Stephen's wife, at the river crossing of Stockbridge to allow his sister to escape. Earl Robert was imprisoned for two months at Rochester Castle before he was released in an exchange with Stephen. The cross-over point in the joint release was on 1 November 1141 at Winchester where the two men had a chance to exchange friendly remarks and the Earl apparently assured the King that there was nothing personal in the fight as far as he was concerned.

The war continued and it rapidly became evident that it was a stalemate. The Empress's husband refused to commit the resources to tip the balance in England only agreeing to discuss matters with the Earl. In June 1142 Robert crossed from Wareham to Normandy and stayed there until the end of October. He came back with no reinforcements but with his nephew, Henry, the son of the Empress. In the meantime the Empress had been trapped in Oxford. Nothing could be done to release her and she had to manage her own escape from the castle.

Robert continued the struggle but with less and less hope of ultimate victory. The King also had limited resources but managed to slowly push towards Robert's centres of Bristol and Gloucester. At the end of 1145 Philip, Earl Robert's son and military Captain, defected to Stephen, taking with him the strategic castles of Cricklade and Cirencester. With Gloucester and Bristol under threat, the Earl opened negotiations in the autumn of 1146. The pressure continued in 1147 and it was in a desperate attack on Farnham in Surrey in the late summer of that year that Earl Robert fought his last unsuccessful action of the war. He retired to Bristol to gather new forces but became feverish. He died on 31 October 1147 and was buried in the priory of St James he had founded outside the castle.

He married, around 1114, Mabel of Gloucester (died 1156), daughter of Robert Fitzhamon and Sibyl de Montgomery. Their children were:

1.William Fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester, died 1183. He married Hawise (died 1197) daughter of Robert II, Earl of Leicester.

2.Roger, Bishop of Worcester, (died 9 August 1179, Tours).

3.Hamon, killed at the siege of Toulouse in 1159.

4.Robert. (died before 1157) Also called Robert of Ilchester in documents. He married Hawise, (died after 1210) daughter of Baldwin de Redvers and Adeliz. Their daughter Mabel married Jordan de Cambernon.

5.Matilda, (died 1189), wife of Ranulph de Gernon, 2nd Earl of Chester.

6.Philip, Castellan of Cricklade, (died after 1147). He took part in the Second Crusade.

Earl Robert had an illegitimate son, Richard, bishop of Bayeux (1135-1142) by Isabel de Douvres, sister of Richard de Douvres, bishop of Bayeux (1107-1133). 56

. His mother is uncertain.

Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester (c. 1090 – October 31, 1147) was an illegitimate son of King Henry I of England, and one of the dominant figures of the period of English history sometimes called The Anarchy. He is also known as Robert of Caen, and Robert "the Consul", though both names are used by later historians and have little contemporary justification, other than the fact that Robert's clerks made a practice of using the Latin word consul rather than the more common comes for his title of 'Earl'. Early life: Robert was the eldest of Henry's many illegitimate children. He was born well before his father's accession to the English throne, probably in the late 1080s, as he had himself had a son by 1104. Although generally said to have been the son of Sybil Corbet, his mother is not known for certain. Robert was acknowledged at birth, though in view of the vicissitudes of his father's career between 1087 and 1096 it is unlikely he was raised in his household. He was educated to a high standard, was literate in Latin and had a serious interest in both history and philosophy, which indicates that he was at least partly raised in a clerical household, a suggestion made all the more likely as his first known child, born around 1104, was born to a daughter of Samson, Bishop of Worcester (died 1112) who up till 1096 had been a Royal Chaplain and Treasurer of Bayeux. It may be significant that his next brother Richard was brought up in an episcopal household, that of Robert Bloet, bishop of Lincoln. Robert later received dedications from both Geoffrey of Monmouth and William of Malmesbury. William's 'Historia Novella' contains a flattering portrait of the Earl. Robert appears at court in Normandy in 1113, and around 1114 he married Mabel, eldest daughter and heir of Robert Fitzhamon, who brought him the substantial honour of Gloucester in England, Glamorgan in Wales and the honours of Sainte-Scholasse-sur-Sarthe and Évrecy in Normandy, as well as Creully. In 1121 or 1122 his father created him Earl of Gloucester. Career at court: St Marys Church, Luton town centre, founded in 1121 by Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester.Robert developed a role as one of his father's principal aides and Captains. In 1119, he fought at the Battle of Bremule, and in 1123-24 he was one of the King's chief commanders during the Norman rebellion. Following the drowning of the King's only legitimate son, William Adelin, in 1120, Robert became increasingly caught up in his father's attempts to ensure the succession of the Empress Matilda, Robert's half-sister. It was to Robert's custody in his castle of Cardiff that his uncle, the deposed Duke Robert Curthose was eventually confided in 1126. On 1 January 1127 it was Robert who was one of the first to swear to accept Matilda as Queen after Henry's death. His father at some point gave him the keeping of the castles of Dover and Canterbury, and thus control of Kent and the cross-Channel route. When King Henry fell mortally ill at Lyons-la-Forêt in Normandy on 25 November 1135, Earl Robert was at his side and was one of the magnates who swore to stay with the King's body until it was buried. The King died a week after falling ill, on 1 December 1135. Relationship with King Stephen: After his father's death, Robert attended a series of conferences in Normandy and eventually accepted as King Theobald IV, Count of Blois and King Henry's oldest nephew by his sister Adela. However, during the meeting with Theobald, news reach the Norman magnates that Theobald's younger brother, Stephen of Mortain and Boulogne, had been accepted and crowned as King in England. Robert eventually accepted this and at Easter 1136 attended the new King's ceremonial court. He does not seem to have seriously considered supporting the Empress Matilda, and did not assist her invasion of southern Normandy. There is evidence in the contemporary source, the Gesta Stephani, that Robert was proposed by some as a candidate for the throne, but his illegitimacy ruled him out: "Among others came Robert, Earl of Gloucester, son of King Henry, but a bastard, a man of proved talent and admirable wisdom. When he was advised, as the story went, to claim the throne on his father's death, deterred by sounder advice he by no means assented, saying it was fairer to yield it to his sister's son (the future Henry II of England), than presumptuously to arrogate it to himself." This suggestion cannot have led to any idea that he and Stephen were rivals for the Crown, as Geoffrey of Monmouth in 1136 referred to Robert as one of the 'pillars' of the new King's rule. Robert of Gloucester had other distractions in 1136 which put the succession question out of his mind. The Welsh princes of south east Wales rose against the Anglo-Norman settlers of the Welsh Marches in April and Robert spent much of the year stabilising the situation in that region. He reached peace treaties with the Welsh and recognised the gains of Morgan ab Owain (died 1158), who called himself King of Glamorgan. In England, Robert of Gloucester soon became disenchanted with King Stephen, and by the end of 1137 had withdrawn from his Court. It is clear that he was disgruntled that he did not occupy the central place in politics that he had in the last reign. He was also alarmed at the favour with which the King regarded his Flemish mercenary general, William of Ypres, and the rising power of the Beaumont twins, Waleran de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Worcester, and Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester. In 1138, Robert declared his support for the Empress Matilda, but he was defeated in Normandy by Waleran and his English allies were crushed by Stephen and driven back on his fortress of Bristol. The Civil War, 1139-1147: Earl Robert took a great gamble and sailed for England with his half-sister, the Empress, his wife and a company of knights. They landed at Arundel on 30 September 1139, and were welcomed into Arundel Castle there, the possession of Queen Adeliza, Matilda's stepmother. Robert left for Bristol immediately. In his absence the castle was blockaded by King Stephen, opening the possibility that he might seize his dynastic rival. The King in the end let the Empress and Countess depart, under escort, to Bristol. With Earl Robert and the Empress in England and based in the West Country and Severn valley, the civil war had begun. The Earl's first moves are revealing. He commanded raids against Wareham in Dorset and Worcester. Both were possessions of the Beaumonts. He took Robert of Leicester's lands in Dorset for his own. He did much the same to other royalists within his area, mass deprivations which were at the heart of what is called the Anarchy. Although secure in a heartland of support, Earl Robert did not find it easy to recruit wider support and break out. The King succeeded in containing him along the line of the Cotswold Hills, with such effect that both sides were willing to send representatives to a peace conference held at Bath in August 1140, though nothing came of it. Earl Robert's big opportunity came at Christmas 1140, when King Stephen fell out with Earl Ranulf II of Chester. Ranulf's failed negotiations with the King to secure Lincoln Castle led him to ally with Robert, his father-in-law. They united their forces at Castle Donington in January 1141, including a host of Welsh mercenaries allied to Earl Robert. On 2 February 1141 the Earls met and defeated King Stephen at the Battle of Lincoln. With the King captive, Empress Matilda should have secured the throne, but a combination of stubborn royalist support, the Empress's miscalculation and military misjudgement led to her failure. On 14 September 1141 Earl Robert and the Empress were trapped by a royalist army in an ill-judged attempt to seize control of Winchester. Earl Robert was captured fighting a rearguard action against the forces of Matilda of Boulogne, Stephen's wife, at the river crossing of Stockbridge to allow his sister to escape. Earl Robert was imprisoned for two months at Rochester Castle before he was released in an exchange with King Stephen. The cross-over point in the joint release was on 1 November 1141 at Winchester, where the two men had a chance to exchange friendly remarks, and the Earl apparently assured the King that there was nothing personal in the fight as far as he was concerned. The war continued and it rapidly became evident that it was a stalemate. The Empress's husband refused to commit the resources to tip the balance in England, only agreeing to discuss matters with the Earl. In June 1142 Robert crossed from Wareham to Normandy and stayed there till the end of October. He came back with no reinforcements, but with his nephew Henry, the son of the Empress. In the meantime the Empress had been trapped in Oxford. Nothing could be done to release her, and she had to manage her own escape from the castle. Robert continued the struggle but with less and less hope of ultimate victory. The King also had limited resources, but managed slowly to push towards Robert's centres of Bristol and Gloucester. At the end of 1145 Philip, Earl Robert's son and military Captain, defected to Stephen, taking with him the strategic castles of Cricklade and Cirencester. With Gloucester and Bristol under threat, the Earl opened negotiations in the autumn of 1146. The pressure continued in 1147, and it was in a desperate attack on Farnham in Surrey in the late summer of that year that Earl Robert fought his last unsuccessful action of the war. He retired to Bristol to gather new forces, but became feverish. He died on 31 October 1147 and was buried in the priory of St James he had founded outside the castle.

Robert Fitzroy, 1st Earl of Gloucester (before 1100 – 31 October 1147[1]%29 (alias Robert Rufus, Robert de Caen, Robert Consul[2][3]) was an illegitimate son of King Henry I of England. He was the half-brother of the Empress Matilda, and her chief military supporter during the civil war known as The Anarchy, in which she vied with Stephen of Blois for the throne of England.

Early life[edit]

Robert was probably the eldest of Henry's many illegitimate children.[1] He was born before his father's accession to the English throne, either during the reign of his grandfather William the Conqueror or his uncle William Rufus.[4] He is sometimes and erroneously designated as a son of Nest, daughter of Rhys ap Tewdwr, last king of Deheubarth, although his mother has been identified as a member of "the Gay or Gayt family of north Oxfordshire",[5] possibly a daughter of Rainald Gay (fl. 1086) of Hampton Gay and Northbrook Gay in Oxfordshire. Rainald had known issue Robert Gaay 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.[5][6]

He may have been a native of Caen[1][7] or he may have been only Constable and Governor of that city, jure uxoris.[2]

His father had contracted him in marriage to Mabel FitzHamon, daughter and heir of Robert Fitzhamon, but the marriage was not solemnized until June 1119 at Lisieux.[1][8] His wife brought him the substantial honours of Gloucester in England and Glamorgan in Wales, and the honours of Sainte-Scholasse-sur-Sarthe and Évrecy in Normandy, as well as Creully. After the White Ship disaster late in 1120, and probably because of this marriage,[9] in 1121 or 1122 his father created him Earl of Gloucester.

Family[edit]

Robert and his wife Mabel FitzHamon had seven children:[11]

William FitzRobert (111?–1183): succeeded his father as 2nd Earl of Gloucester

Roger FitzRobert (died 1179): Bishop of Worcester

Hamon FitzRobert (died 1159): killed at the siege of Toulouse.

Philip FitzRobert (died after 1147): lord of Cricklade

Matilda FitzRobert (died 1190): married in 1141 Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester.

Mabel FitzRobert: married Aubrey de Vere

Richard FitzRobert (1120/35-1175): succeeded his mother as Sire de Creully.

He also had four illegitimate children:

Richard FitzRobert (died 1142): Bishop of Bayeux [mother: Isabel de Douvres, sister of 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. This couple were ancestors of Franklin Pierce, 14th President of the U.S.A.[12] Father of Thomas

Relationship with King Stephen[edit]

There is evidence in the contemporary source, the Gesta Stephani, that Robert was proposed by some as a candidate for the throne, but his illegitimacy ruled him out:

"Among others came Robert, Earl of Gloucester, son of King Henry, but a bastard, a man of proved talent and admirable wisdom. When he was advised, as the story went, to claim the throne on his father's death, deterred by sounder advice he by no means assented, saying it was fairer to yield it to his sister's son (the future Henry II of England), than presumptuously to arrogate it to himself." This suggestion cannot have led to any idea that he and Stephen were rivals for the Crown, as Geoffrey of Monmouth in 1136 referred to Robert as one of the 'pillars' of the new King's rule.

The capture of King Stephen at the Battle of Lincoln on 2 February 1141 gave the Empress Matilda the upper hand in her battle for the throne, but by alienating the citizens of London she failed to be crowned Queen. Her forces were defeated at the Rout of Winchester on 14 September 1141, and Robert of Gloucester was captured nearby at Stockbridge.

The two prisoners, King Stephen and Robert of Gloucester, were then exchanged, but by freeing Stephen, the Empress Matilda had given up her best chance of becoming queen. She later returned to France, where she died in 1167, though her son succeeded Stephen as King Henry II in 1154.

Robert of Gloucester died in 1147 at Bristol Castle, where he had previously imprisoned King Stephen, and was buried at St James' Priory, Bristol, which he had founded.

See; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert,_1st_Earl_of_Gloucester

1090–1147

Birth ABT 1090 • Caen, Basse-Normandie, France

Death 31 OCT 1147 • Bristol, Somerset, England

When Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester FITZROY was born in 1090 in Caen, Calvados, France, his father, Henry, was 22 and his mother, Sybilla, was 13. He had two sons and three daughters with Mabel FITZHAMON. He died on October 31, 1147, at the age of 57.

Birth

Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester FITZROY was born in 1090 in Caen, Calvados, France, to Sybilla of Alcester, Mistress CORBET, age 13, and Henry I, King of England NORMANDY, age 22.

Caen, Basse-Normandie, France

ABT 1090 • Caen, Basse-Normandie, France

1092

Age 2

Birth of Sister

His sister Sybilla of Normandy was born in 1092 in France when Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester was 2 years old.

Normandy, France



Sybilla of Normandy Fitzroy

1092–1122

1092 • Normandy, France

7 Feb

1102

Age 12

Birth of Half-Sister

His half-sister Empress Matilda, Queen of England was born on February 7, 1102, in Oxfordshire, England, when Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester was 12 years old.

Oxfordshire County, England, United Kingdom

Empress Matilda, Queen of England NORMANDY

1102–1167

7 FEB 1102 • Oxfordshire County, England, United Kingdom

1103

Age 13

Birth of Half-Brother

His half-brother William III Adelin, Duke of was born in 1103 in Hampshire, England, when Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester was 13 years old.

Hampshire, England



William III Adelin, Duke of Normandy

1103–1120

1103 • Hampshire, England

1103

Age 13

Birth of Half-Brother

His half-brother Henry was born in 1103 when Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester was 13 years old.



Henry Fitzroy

1103–1158

1103

1105

Age 15

Birth of Daughter

His daughter Mabel de was born in 1105.



Mabel de FitzRobert

1105–1190

1105

1105

Age 15

Birth of Brother

His brother William of Normandy was born in 1105 when Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester was 15 years old.



William of Normandy Fitzroy

1105–1187

1105

ABT

1110

Age 20

Birth of Brother

His brother Reynold de Dunstanville, 1st Earl of Cornwall was born in 1110 in Dénestanville, Seine-Maritime, France, when Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester was 20 years old.

Denestanville, Seine-Inferieure, Normandy, France



Reynold de Dunstanville, 1st Earl of Cornwall FitzHenry

1110–1175

ABT 1110 • Denestanville, Seine-Inferieure, Normandy, France

ABT

1114

Age 24

Birth of Half-Sister

His half-sister Aline "Alice" of England was born in 1114 in Selby, Yorkshire, England, when Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester was 24 years old.

Selby, Yorkshire, England



Aline "Alice" of England FitzHenry

1114–1141

ABT 1114 • Selby, Yorkshire, England

ABT

1115

Age 25

Birth of Half-Sister

His half-sister Constance of England was born in 1115 in England when Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester was 25 years old.

England



Constance of England FitzHenry

1115–

ABT 1115 • England

23 Nov

1116

Age 26

Birth of Son

His son Sir William, 2nd Earl of Gloucester was born on November 23, 1116.



Sir William, 2nd Earl of Gloucester FITZROBERT

1116–1183

23 NOV 1116

1118

Age 28

Birth of Daughter

His daughter Christian de was born in 1118 in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England.

Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England



Christian de FitzRobert

1118–

1118 • Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England

25 Nov

1120

Age 30

Death of Half-Brother

His half-brother William III Adelin, Duke of died on November 25, 1120, in France when Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester was 30 years old.

Normandy, France



William III Adelin, Duke of Normandy

1103–1120

25 NOV 1120 • Normandy, France

25 Nov

1120

Age 30

Death of Half-Sister

His half-sister Maud, Countess of Perche died on November 25, 1120, when Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester was 30 years old.



Maud, Countess of Perche NORMANDY

1090–1120

25 NOV 1120

12 Jul

1122

Age 32

Death of Sister

His sister Sybilla of Normandy died on July 12, 1122, when Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester was 32 years old.



Sybilla of Normandy Fitzroy

1092–1122

12 JUL 1122

1122

Age 32

Birth of Son

His son Phillip was born in 1122.



Phillip FitzRobert

1122–1167

1122

1 Dec

1135

Age 45

Death of Father

His father Henry I, King of England passed away on December 1, 1135, in Lyon, Rhône, France, at the age of 67.

Lyon, Rhône-Alpes, France



Henry I, King of England NORMANDY

1068–1135

1 DEC 1135 • Lyon, Rhône-Alpes, France

1135

Age 45

Death of Half-Brother

His half-brother William, Lord of Bradninch De Tracy died in 1135 when Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester was 45 years old.



William, Lord of Bradninch De Tracy FITZROY

1090–1135

1135

1141

Age 51

Death of Half-Sister

His half-sister Aline "Alice" of England died in 1141 in Montmorency, Val-d'Oise, France, when Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester was 51 years old.

Montmorency, Val d'Oise, Ile-de-France, France



Aline "Alice" of England FitzHenry

1114–1141

1141 • Montmorency, Val d'Oise, Ile-de-France, France

31 Oct

1147

Age 57

Death

Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester FITZROY died on October 31, 1147, when he was 57 years old.

Bristol, Somerset, England 31 OCT 1147 • Bristol, Somerset, England

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/85015940/robert-de-caen

"Robert de Caen, Robert FitzRoy, Robert of Gloucester, 1st Earl of Gloucester. Chief military supporter of his half sister, Matilda.

Illegitimate son of King Henry I Beauclerc and possibly Sybilla Corbet, born about 1090 at Caen, Normandy. Grandson of William the Conqueror and Mathilda of Flanders. His mother is still debated.

He married Mabel FitzHamon, daughter of Robert FitzHamon, Earl of Gloucester and Sybil de Montgomery. They married in 1122, their marriage contract written before 1119 and had the following children:

• William FitzRobert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester
• Roger FitzRobert, Bishop of Worcester
• Hamon FitzRobert, killed at the siege of Toulouse
• Philip FitzRobert, Lord of Cricklade
• Richard FitzRobert, Lord of Creully
• Matilda FitzRobert, wife of Ranulf de Gernon, 4th Earl of Chester
• Mabel FitzRobert, wife of Aubrey de Vere
• Richard FitzRobert, Sire of Creully

Robert had four illegitimate children:

• Richard FitzRobert, Bishop of Bayeux, his mother was Isabel de Dourves
• Robert FitzRobert, Castellan of Gloucester
• Mabel FitzRobert, wife of Gruffud, Lord Senghenydd, ancestors of President Franklin Pierce
• Son who had a son, Thomas

After the disaster of the White Ship, he was made Earl of Gloucester. Robert supported his sister against King Stephen, and when the King and Robert were captured and then exchanged for each other, destroying any chances of Matilda becoming Queen of England.

He died on 31 October 1147 at Bristol Castle which is in Bristol, Bristol County, England, from a fever. (The current address for the castle is Bristol Castle, Bristol, City of Bristol BS1, UK, not considered to be in Gloucestershire)

Some sources says he was buried at Tewkesbury Abbey, another says St James Priory, which he founded."

Please see Darrell Wolcott: Ifor Bach, Lord of Senghenydd; http://www.ancientwalesstudies.org/id316.html (Steven Ferry, August 4, 2023.)