"Duke of Normandy" Robert I “le Magnifique”

Robert I “le Magnifique,” also called Robert the Magnificent, was Duke of Normandy from 1027 until his death in 1035. He was the son of Richard II of Normandy and Judith of Brittany, and the father of William the Conqueror. He died while returning from a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, leaving William, then about eight years old, as his heir.

Robert I “le Magnifique,” known in English as Robert the Magnificent, was born on 22 June 1000. He was the second son of Richard II of Normandy and Judith, daughter of Conan I, Duke of Brittany. His elder brother, Richard III, succeeded their father as Duke of Normandy in August 1026, while Robert had been intended to become Count of Hiémois.

Soon after Richard III became duke, Robert rebelled against him. He was defeated and compelled to swear fealty to his brother. When Richard III died about a year later, Robert succeeded as Duke of Normandy in 1027. Contemporary suspicions connected Robert with his brother’s death, though the supplied account states that nothing could be proved.

Robert’s early rule was marked by instability within Normandy. Private wars among neighboring barons continued, and some lesser Norman nobles left to seek opportunities in southern Italy and elsewhere. Robert moved against his uncle, Robert, Archbishop of Rouen and Count of Évreux, whose support for Richard III may have contributed to the conflict. The archbishop went into exile, and an edict excommunicating all Normandy followed. The dispute was later resolved when Archbishop Robert returned and his countship was restored. Robert also banished his cousin Hugo III d'Ivry, Bishop of Bayeux, for an extended time and seized church property, including property of the Abbey of Fecamp.

Beyond Normandy, Robert intervened in the conflict between Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders, and Baldwin V. In 1030 he promised military support to Baldwin IV, helping bring about peace between father and son. He gave shelter to Henry I of France during Henry’s conflict with his mother, Queen Constance, and was rewarded with the French Vexin. Robert also campaigned against his cousin Alan III, Duke of Brittany, after tensions around Dol, Avranches, and the area surrounding Mont Saint-Michel. Archbishop Robert of Rouen helped negotiate peace between Robert and Alan.

Edward and Alfred, sons of Robert’s aunt Emma of Normandy and Æthelred, King of England, lived at the Norman court. Robert reportedly attempted to mount an invasion of England on their behalf, but unfavorable winds scattered and sank much of his fleet. He made a safe landing in Guernsey. The Gesta Normannorum Ducum reports that King Cnut sent envoys offering to settle half the kingdom of England on Edward and Alfred; Robert deferred a decision until after his planned journey to Jerusalem.

By 1034, Robert had restored property taken from the Church, including all that he had earlier taken from the Abbey of Fecamp. After naming his illegitimate son William as his heir, he departed on pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He traveled by way of Constantinople, reached Jerusalem, and became seriously ill on the return journey. He died at Nicaea, identified in the current facts as İznik, Bursa, Turkey, on 3 July 1035. The supplied notes also give a possible death range of 1–3 July 1035.

Robert’s son William, then about eight years old, succeeded him as Duke of Normandy. William later became William the Conqueror and, following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, the first Norman king of England. Robert was also the father of Adelaide of Normandy. Her mother was Herleva of Falaise or, possibly, another concubine. Adelaide married Enguerrand II, Count of Ponthieu; Lambert II, Count of Lens; and Odo II of Champagne.

Family tradition or the supplied relationship record identifies Robert I as the 21st great-grandfather in this family line.

Historical context

Robert ruled Normandy during a period of conflict among Norman barons, rivalry among neighboring rulers, and close connections between Normandy, France, Flanders, Brittany, England, and the Church. His son William’s succession in 1035 occurred during William’s childhood. William’s later conquest of England in 1066 made Robert an important ancestor of the Norman royal line of England.

Sources & research

Gesta Normannorum Ducum: cited in the supplied notes regarding King Cnut’s envoys, Robert’s planned English invasion, his pilgrimage, illness, death, and William’s succession.
William of Malmesbury: cited in the supplied notes regarding William’s later mission to recover Robert’s body and its reinterment in Italy.
Original Family Tree Maker Notes: supplied narrative with citation markers [1] through [22]. No corresponding bibliography or full publication details were provided.
Current facts supplied: birth recorded as 22 Jun 1000 in Normandy, France; death recorded as 3 Jul 1035 in İznik, Bursa, Turkey.