5
Robert Curthose was raised in Normandy and received the education and training typical at that time for a child of noble birth. Of utmost importance was learning to fight and yield weapons so he could grow up to be a great warrior like his father. As William the Conqueror (King William I of England)’s eldest son and presumed heir, Robert was expected to inherit all his father’s holdings in France, plus the kingdom of England, which resulted in a very big ego.
In 1063 when he was 12 years old, William made Robert the count of Maine which was at that time under Norman rule. In 1067, after William had conquered England, he gave Robert considerable control and responsibilities in the governance of the whole of Normandy. Apparently, this wasn’t enough for Robert and his closest companions encouraged him to take what was owed to him by force, essentially encouraging Robert to rebel against his own father.1
In the winter of 1077, the high and mighty Robert demanded that William grant him the entire duchy of Normandy and allow him to rule it independently. Robert had always been a loyal son so it came as a shock to William when his son abruptly withdrew himself from the king’s court and subsequently launched an attack on Rouen, intent on taking it out of his father’s control. It was a fool-hardy mission, one that was doomed to fail, and one that was typical of Robert’s hastiness. William ordered the immediate arrest of Robert and the other rebels, so they fled Normandy and established a new power base in Flanders.
Robert became a magnet for all the disaffected nobility in France, including King Philip and many leading magnates in Brittany, Maine, and Anjou. He was a very likable character, but he was also easily bent. The ambitious people in his circle saw in Robert the opportunity to raise their own status if they could put him in control. Things between Robert and King William came to blows in the winter of 1078 when Robert launched his own invasion. His army was besieged by William at Gerberoi Castle and held out for three weeks before deciding to come out and fight. Surprisingly, Robert won the day and William retreated after being unhorsed and stabbed in the arm, possibly by his own son.2 It was a humiliating loss for William and he decided it was better to give in to his son’s demands than risk further war and indignity. By spring 1080 the two sides had come to an agreement which included a promise that Robert would get the duchy of Normandy to run on his own soon.
The trouble in England had not subsided while William was engaged against his son in Normandy. King Malcolm once again menaced William from the English-Scottish border, raiding and harrying English towns. After William’s and Robert’s reconciliation, the king sent his son north to deal with Scotland while he stayed in Normandy to deal with a new rebellion from the count of Anjou. Additionally, northern England was rising up again and the king sent his half-brother Odo to deal with that trouble.
With the vast amount of territory under his control, it was clear William couldn’t oversee it all himself so he entrusted Odo to hold England while he dealt with unrest in Normandy. Serious problems with the arrangement arose in 1082 and William had to sail back to England to deal with what he considered an act of betrayal by Odo. William had discovered that Odo was gathering William’s adherents to accompany him to Italy in his venture to win the open papacy. William needed all the men he could get to defend England and it offended him that Odo was focusing their vital resources on his own personal mission. William wasted no time in having Odo arrested and imprisoned in Normandy for the remainder of his life.3
No doubt the betrayal of his half-brother Odo was distressing for William and he was soon dealt a further blow when his wife Matilda died from an unrecorded illness on 2 November 1083.4 William was devastated to lose his wife of thirty-two years, mother of his nine children, and trusty regent in his government. The list of family members he could count on became shorter and shorter. He certainly couldn’t trust his son Robert who continued to rebel against his father, in concert with the king of France, for the next four years of William’s reign.