Biography of Robert Normandy 1st Earl Gloucester 1099-1147

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 1096. In this year held the [his uncle] King William (age 40) his court at Christmas in Windsor; and William Bishop of Durham died there on new-year's day; and on the octave of the Epiphany was the king and all his councillors at Salisbury. There Geoffry Bainard challenged William of Ou, the king's relative, maintaining that he had been in the conspiracy against the king. And he fought with him, and overcame him in single combat; and after he was overcome, the king gave orders to put out his eyes, and afterwards to emasculate him; and his steward, William by name, who was the son of his stepmother, the king commanded to be hanged on a gibbet. Then was also Eoda, Earl of Champagne, the king's son-in-law, and many others, deprived of their lands; whilst some were led to London, and there killed. This year also, at Easter, there was a very great stir through all this nation and many others, on account of Urban, who was declared Pope, though he had nothing of a see at Rome. And an immense multitude went forth with their wives and children, that they might make war upon the heathens. Through this expedition were the king and his brother, Earl Robert, reconciled; so that the king went over sea, and purchased all Normandy of him, on condition that they should be united. And the earl afterwards departed; and with him the Earl of Flanders (age 31), and the Earl of Boulogne, and also many other men of rank¹²³. And the Earl Robert, and they that went with him, passed the winter in Apulia; but of the people that went by Hungary many thousands miserably perished there and by the way. And many dragged themselves home rueful and hunger-bitten on the approach of winter. This was a very heavy-timed year through all England, both through the manifold tributes, and also through the very heavy-timed hunger that severely oppressed this earth in the course of the year. In this year also the principal men who held this land, frequently sent forces into Wales, and many men thereby grievously afflicted, producing no results but destruction of men and waste of money.

Note 123. Literally "head-men, or chiefs". The term is still retained with a slight variation in the north of Europe, as the "hetman" Platoff of celebrated memory.

Chronicon ex Chronicis by Florence and John of Worcester. October 1139. The Empress and the Earl, her Brother, land in England. In the month of October, the earl of Gloucester (age 40), son of [his father] king Henry, late king of England, but a bastard, with his [his half-sister] sister (age 37) by the father's side, formerly empress of the Romans, and now countess of Anjou, returned to England with a large army, and landed at Portsmouth, before the feast of St. Peter ad Vincula, on the calends [the 1st] of August, while the king was besieging Marlborough; and their arrival filled all England with alarm. On receiving this intelligence, Stephen, king of England, was much disturbed in his mind, and in great wrath with those whose duty it was vigilantly to guard the sea-ports. He is the king of peace, and would that he were also the king of vigour and justice, treading under foot his enemies, determining all things by the balance of equal justice, and in the power of his might protecting and strengthening the friends of peace. When, however, he learned that the ex-queen (age 36)² had received the ex-empress, with her large band of retainers, at Arundel [Map], he was much displeased, and marched his army thither. But she, being awed by the king's majesty, and fearing that she might lose the rank she held in England, swore solemnly that no enemy of his had come to England on her invitation; but that, saving her dignity, she had granted hospitality to persons of station, who were formerly attached to her. The king, on hearing this, dismissed her, and ordered the bishop of Winchester to conduct the ex-empress with honour, as she was his cousin, to her brother, at Bristol castle, while he himself went in pursuit of the earl. But hearing nothing certain about him, for he had taken to certain by-roads for a time, he led his troops to another quarter, as he had planned. Milo, the constable, having abjured his oath of allegiance to the king, went over to the earl of Gloucester, his liege-lord, with a large body of troops, promising him on his fealty to lend him help against the king. The calamities which flowed from this quarter, namely, the city of Bristol, and spread over all England, are beyond the knowledge or eloquence of man to describe; for of those who opposed him, or obeyed the royal authority, as many as could be taken were made prisoners, and all the captives were thrown into chains, and subjected to horrible tortures. New varieties of cruel punishment were invented; mercenary troops were enlisted in every direction for carrying on the work of destruction, to whom was given, or sold for their pay, the inhabitants of the villages and farms, with all their goods and substance.²

Note 1. Alice, widow of Henry I., who had Arundel Castle [Map] for her dower.

Note 2. See an account of these atrocities in the "Gesta Stephani," p. 353.

Anglo-Saxon Chronicle. 1140. And the earl stole out, and went after Robert, Earl of Glocester (age 41), and brought him thither with a large army. And they fought strenuously on Candlemas day against their lord, and took him; for his men forsook him and fled. And they led him to Bristol, and there put him into prison in close quarters. Then was all England stirred more than ere was, and all evil was in the land. Afterwards came the daughter of [his father] King Henry, who had been [his half-sister] Empress of Germany (age 37), and now was Countess of Anjou. She came to London; but the people of London attempted to take her, and she fled, losing many of her followers. After this the Bishop of Winchester, Henry (age 42), the brother of King Stephen (age 46), spake with Earl Robert, and with the empress, and swore them oaths, "that he never more would hold with the king, his brother," and cursed all the men that held with him, and told them, that he would give them up Winchester; and he caused them to come thither. When they were therein, then came the king's queen with all her strength, and beset them, so that there was great hunger therein. When they could no longer hold out, then stole they out, and fled; but those without were aware, and followed them, and took Robert, Earl of Glocester, and led him to Rochester, and put him there into prison; but the empress fled into a monastery. Then went the wise men between the king's friends and the earl's friends; and settled so that they should let the king out of prison for the earl, and the earl for the king; and so they did. After this settled the king and Earl Randolph at Stamford, and swore oaths, and plighted their troth, that neither should betray the other. But it availed nothing. For the king afterwards took him at Northampton, through wicked counsel, and put him into prison; and soon after he let him out again, through worse counsel, on the condition that he swore by the crucifix, and found hostages, that he would give up all his castles. Some he gave up, and some gave he not up; and did then worse than he otherwise would. Then was England very much divided. Some held with the king, and some with the empress; for when the king was in prison, the earls and the rich men supposed that he never more would come out: and they settled with the empress, and brought her into Oxford, and gave her the borough. When the king was out, he heard of this, and took his force, and beset her in the tower.¹⁶⁵ And they let her down in the night from the tower by ropes. And she stole out, and fled, and went on foot to Wallingford [Map]. Afterwards she went over sea; and those of Normandy turned all from the king to the [his brother-in-law] Earl of Anjou (age 26); some willingly, and some against their will; for he beset them till they gave up their castles, and they had no help of the king. Then went Eustace, the king's son, to France, and took to wife the sister of the King of France. He thought to obtain Normandy thereby; but he sped little, and by good right; for he was an evil man. Wherever he was, he did more evil than good; he robbed the lands, and levied heavy guilds upon them. He brought his wife to England, and put her into the castle at…¹⁶⁶ Good woman she was; but she had little bliss with him; and Christ would not that he should long reign. He therefore soon died, and his mother also. And the Earl of Anjou died; and his son Henry took to the earldom. And the Queen of France parted from the king; and she came to the young Earl Henry; and he took her to wife, and all Poitou with her. Then went he with a large force into England, and won some castles; and the king went against him with a much larger force. Nevertheless, fought they not; but the archbishop and the wise men went between them, and made this settlement: That the king should be lord and king while he lived, and after his day Henry should be king: that Henry should take him for a father; and he him for a son: that peace and union should be betwixt them, and in all England. This and the other provisions that they made, swore the king and the earl to observe; and all the bishops, and the earls, and the rich men. Then was the earl received at Winchester, and at London, with great worship; and all did him homage, and swore to keep the peace. And there was soon so good a peace as never was there before. Then was the king stronger than he ever was before. And the earl went over sea; and all people loved him; for he did good justice, and made peace.

Note 165. The tower of the castle at Oxford, built by D'Oyley, which still remains.

Note 166. The MS. is here deficient.

Annals of Winchester. [1141]. In this year, King Stephen (age 47) came to Lincoln with a great army, thinking he could easily subdue the [his future son-in-law] Earl of Chester (age 42) and his brother, along with their castle. However, Robert, Earl of Gloucester (age 42), whose [his daughter] sister [daughter] had been married to the Earl of Chester, came to their aid. Crossing the river Trent with difficulty, Robert and the Earl of Chester fought valiantly against the king and his forces. After many of the king's men were killed and captured, the king himself was captured, having been struck by a stone. He was then presented to the [his half-sister] Empress Matilda (age 38), imprisoned in the castle, and held in chains. The Empress was received as the ruler by nearly all the leaders of England in Winchester, with the Lord Legate Henry (age 43), the Bishop of Winchester, presiding over the ceremony. She received the homage and fealty of all. However, the people of London did not submit willingly, or if they did, they did so grudgingly. Regardless, they continually plotted against her. When she happened to be in London, they made every attempt to capture her, but she was forewarned, leaving her belongings behind and escaping with her supporters. Finally, a dispute arose between the legate and the Empress. The Empress and her followers held the royal castle and the eastern part of Winchester, along with the townsmen. The legate and his supporters held their castle with the western part of the city and the Londoners. To make a long story short, the city was set on fire and laid waste. The nunnery church was burned, as was the church of Hyde, and a large crucifix was stripped of over two hundred marks of silver and thirty marks of gold. In the end, the Earl was captured and released as part of a ransom deal with the king. And so, the others were exchanged for others. The king regained his realm.

MCXLI. Hoc anno venit rex Lincolniam cum magno exercitu, æstimans comitem Cestrensem cum fratre suo et castello facile sibi posse subicere. Sed Robertus comes Glouecestriæ, cujus sororem comes Cestrensis dudum duxerat, venit eis in auxilium. Transitoque, licet cum difficultate, flumine Trenta, cum invento ibi rege et exercitu viriliter dimicavit, et comes Cestrensis cum suis ex parte altera. Exclusus rex, interfectis multis ex suis et captis, ictu denique lapidis procumbens, captus est, et imperatrici præsentatus, et in castello in annulis missus. Imperatrix igitur a domino legato Henrico, Wintoniensi episcopo, et omnibus fere capitaneis Angliæ apud Wintoniam in dominam suscepta est, suscepitque omnium homagia et fidelitates. Londonienses tamen non fecerunt fidelitatem, aut si fecerunt hoc, inviti. Licet autem fecerunt an non, semper ei insidiabantur, ita ut cum forte fuisset Londoniæ, illam capere modis omnibus temptaverunt; sed præmunita, relictis supellectilibus suis, clanculo cum suis aufugit. Facta demum inter legatum et imperatricem discordia, imperatrix cum suis castellum tenuit regium et orientalem partem Wintoniæ, et burgenses cum ea; legatus cum suis castrum suum cum parte occidentali et Londoniensibus. Quid multa? Combusca est civitas et depopulata. Ecclesia sanctimonialiurn combusta, et ecclesia de Hida, et excrustata est magna crux, inventæqne sunt in illa plus quam D. marcæ argenti et auri xxx. Comes postremo captus est, et redditus pro excambio regis, et sic cæteri alii pro aliis. Recepitque regnum suum rex.