Robert Curthose
Robert Curthose, the eldest son of William the Conqueror and Matilda of Flanders, was born in about 1053. At the age of 14 he became co-regent of Normandy with his mother.
In 1061 it was arranged for Robert to Margaret, the sister and heiress of Count Herbert II of Maine. However, the death of Margaret, brought an end to this arrangement.
Robert suggested in 1077 to his father that he should become the ruler of Normandy and Maine. When the king refused, Robert rebelled and attempted to seize Rouen. The rebellion failed and Robert was forced to flee and established himself at Gerberoi. William besieged him there in 1080 but his mother, Matilda of Flanders, managed to persuade the two men to end their feud.
Robert inherited Normandy after his father's death in 1087. He also expected to become king of England but instead his younger brother, William Rufus, took the throne. The following year some Normans, including Odo of Bayeux, Robert of Mortain and Richard Fitz Gilbert, led a rebellion against the rule of William Rufus on Robert's behalf. However most Normans in England remained loyal and William defeated the rebels.
Norman chroniclers claim that Robert had squandered the whole of his father's wealth. He asked his brother Henry Beauclerk , for a loan and when he refused, he sold him land in Normandy for £3,000.
In 1096 Robert joined the First Crusade and was one of those involved in capturing Jerusalem in July 1099. When William Rufus died in 1100 he made a second bid to become king of England. He invaded but decided to withdraw rather than risk battle.
Robert was captured by King Henry I at Tinchebrai in Normandy in 1106 and was imprisoned in the Tower of London. In 1128 he was transferred to a castle in Devizes and during his last couple of years was held in Cardiff where he died on 10th February, 1134. Robert Curthose is buried in Gloucester Cathedral.
