Notes:

He died in 1098, without issue. He was styled as Earl of Shrewsbury. He succeeded to the title of 2nd Earl of Arundel [E., 1067] on 27 July 1094.

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Notes:

Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury was the son of Roger de Montgomery, Seigneur de Montgomery. He married Mabel de Bellême, daughter of William Talvas, Signeur d'Alençon, between 1050 and 1054.

He was styled as Earl of Chichester. He was created 1st Earl of Arundel [England] in December 1067, receiving grants including one third of the county of Sussex, including the city of Chichester and the Castle of Arundel. He was created Earl of Shrewsbury [feudal barony] in 1070, receiving grants of nearly the whole of Shropshire.

Roger de Montgomerie (died 1094), also known as Roger the Great de Montgomery, was the first Earl of Shrewsbury. His father was also Roger de Montgomerie, and was a relative, probably a grandnephew, of the Duchess Gunnor, wife of Duke Richard I of Normandy. The elder Roger had large holdings in central Normandy, chiefly in the valley of the Dives, which the younger Roger inherited.

Life

Roger was one of William the Conqueror's principal counsellors. He did not fight in the initial invasion of England in 1066, instead staying behind to help govern Normandy. According to Wace’s Roman de Rou, however, he commanded the Norman right flank at Hastings, returning to Normandy with King William in 1067. Afterwards he was entrusted with land in two places critical for the defense of England, receiving the rape of Arundel at the end of 1067 (or in early 1068), and in November 1071 he was created Earl of Shrewsbury; a few historians believe that while he received the Shropshire territories in 1071 he was not created Earl until a few years later.

Roger was thus one of the half dozen greatest magnates in England during William the Conqueror's reign. William gave Earl Roger nearly all of what is now the county of West Sussex, which at the time of the Domesday Survey was the Rape of Arundel. The Rape of Arundel was eventually split into two rapes, one continuing with the name Rape of Arundel and the other became the Rape of Chichester. Besides the 83 manors, in Sussex, his possessions also included seven-eighths of Shropshire which was associated with the earldom of Shrewsbury, he had estates in Surrey (4 manors), Hampshire (9 manors), Wiltshire (3 manors), Middlesex (8 manors), Gloucestershire (1 manor), Worcestershire (2 manors), Cambridgeshire (8 manors), Warwickshire (11 manors) and Staffordshire (30 manors). The income from Roger’s estates would amount to about £2000 per year, in 1086 the landed wealth for England was around £72,000, so it would have represented almost 3% of the nation’s GDP.

After William I's death in 1087, Roger joined with other rebels to overthrow the newly crowned King William II in the Rebellion of 1088. However, William was able to convince Roger to abandon the rebellion and side with him. This worked out favourably for Roger, as the rebels were beaten and lost their land holdings in England.

Roger first married Mabel de Bellême, who was heiress to a large territory on both sides of the border between Normandy and Maine. The medieval chronicler Orderic Vitalis paints a picture of Mabel of Bellême being a scheming and cruel woman. She was murdered by Hugh Bunel and his brothers, who in December 1077 rode into her castle of Bures-sur-Dive and cut off her head as she lay in bed. Their motive for the murder being that Mabel had deprived them of their paternal inheritance. Roger and Mabel had 10 children:

Robert de Bellême, Count of Alençcon in 1082, he succeeded his younger brother Hugh as 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury. He married Agnes, Countess of Ponthieu and died in 1131.
Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury, died without issue 1098.
Roger the Poitevin,Vicomte d'Hiemois, married Adelmode de la Marche.
Philip of Montgomery.
Arnulf of Montgomery, married Lafracota daughter of Muirchertach Ua Briain.
Sibyl of Montgomory, she married Robert Fitzhamon, Lord of Creully.
Emma, abbess of Almenchêches.
Matilda (Maud) of Montgomery, she married Robert, Count of Mortain and died c. 1085.
Mabel of Montgomery, she married Hugh de Châteauneuf.
Roger of Montgomery, died young.

Roger then married Adelaide de Le Puiset, by whom he had one son, Everard, who entered the Church.

After his death, Roger's estates were divided. The eldest surviving son, Robert, received the bulk of the Norman estates (as well as his mother's estates); the next son, Hugh, received the bulk of the English estates and the Earldom of Shrewsbury. After Hugh's death the elder son Robert inherited the earldom.

Roger married Mabel de Bellême Between 1050 and 1054. Mabel (daughter of William, I Talvas and Hildeburg) died 02 Dec 1079; was buried 05 Dec 1079, Troarn, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Mabel de Bellême (a.k.a. Mabel Talvas) (d. 1079), Dame de Alençon, de Séez, and Bellême, Countess of Shrewsbury and Lady of Arnudel. She was a member of the House of Bellême.

Life

Mabel was the daughter of William I Talvas and his first wife Hildeburg. She was the heiress of her father’s estates, her half-brother Oliver apparently being excluded. She also inherited the remainder of the Belleme honor in 1070 at the death of her uncle Yves, Bishop of Séez and Lord of Bellême. When their father was exiled by her brother Arnulf in 1048 she accompanied him until both were taken in by the Montgomery family. Between 1050-1054 she married Roger II de Montgomery, later 1st Earl of Shrewsbury. Roger II de Montgomery was already a favorite of Duke William and by being given the marriage to Mabel it increased his fortunes even further.

Her husband Roger had not participated in the Norman conquest of England but had remained behind in Normandy as co-regent along with Queen Matilda. He had also contributed 60 ships to Duke William's invasion force. He joined the king in England in 1067 and was rewarded with the earldom of Shropshire and a number of estates to the point that he was one of the largest landholders in the Domesday Book.

She and her husband Roger transferred the church of Saint-Martin of Séez to Evroul and petitioned her uncle, Yves, Bishop of Séez to build a monastery there on lands from her estates. The consecration was in 1061 at which time Mabel made additional gifts.

Her character

Of all of Orderic’s female subjects Mabel was the most cunning and treacherous; if not entirely for her own misdeeds then as the mother of Robert de Bellême, who had a reputation for savagery as well as cruelty. In one passage Orderic describes her as "small, very talkative, ready enough to do evil, shrewd and jocular, extremely cruel and daring."

In perpetuating her family’s feud with the Giroie family she set her sights on Arnold de Echauffour, she son of William fitz Giroie who her father had mutilated at his wedding celebration. She obtained part of his estates when she and her husband Roger convinced Duke William to confiscate his lands. In 1063 however, Arnold was promised forgiveness by the Duke and was to have his lands restored. To prevent this Mabel plotted to kill Arnold. She attempted to poison Arnold of Echauffour by placing it in a glass of wine but he declined to drink. Her husband's brother, refreshing himself after a long ride, drank the wine and died shortly thereafter. In the end though she bribed Arnold's chamberlain providing him with the necessary poison, this time being successful.

Excepting Theodoric, abbot of the abbey of Saint-Evroul, who she listened to at times, Mabel was hostile to most members of the clergy; but her husband loved the monks at Saint-Evroul so she found it necessary to be more subtle. In an incident in 1064, she deliberately burdened their limited resources by visiting the abbey for extended stays with a large retinue of her soldiers. When rebuked by Theodoric the abbot for her callousness she snapped back that the next time she would visit with an even larger group. The abbot predicted that if she did not repent of her evilness she would suffer great pains and that very evening she did. She left the abbey in great haste as well as in great pain and did not abuse their hospitality again.

Mabel continued her wickedness causing many nobles to lose their lands and become destitute. In 1077 she took the hereditary lands of Hugh Bunel by force. Two years later while resting after a bath, she was murdered in her bed by the same Hugh Bunel Hugh had enlisted the help of his three brothers, gained entry to the castle of Bures on the Dive and struck off her head with his sword. The murderers were pursued but escaped by destroying a bridge behind them. Mabel's murder occurred on 2 December 1079 and she was buried three days later at Troarn.

Epitaph

Her epitaph is notable as an example of monks bowing more to “the partiality of her friends than to her own merits":

Sprung from the noble and the brave,
Here Mabel finds a narrow grave.
But, above all woman’s glory,
Fills a page in famous story.
Commanding, eloquent, and wise,
And prompt to daring enterprise;
Though slight her form, her soul was great,
And, proudly swelling in her state,
Rich dress, and pomp, and retinue,
Lent it their grace and houours due.
The border’s guard, the country’s shield,
Both love and fear her might revealed,
Till Hugh, revengeful, gained her bower,
In dark December’s midnight hour.
Then saw the Dive’s o’erflowing stream
The ruthless murderer’s poignard gleam.
Now friends, some moments kindly spare,
For her soul’s rest to breathe a prayer!

Family

Mabel and her husband, Roger de Montgomery had ten children:

Roger of Montgomery, oldest son, died young.
Robert de Bellême, Count of Alençcon in 1082, he succeeded his younger brother Hugh as 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury. He married Agnes, Countess of Ponthieu and died in 1131.
Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury, died without issue 1098.
Roger the Poitevin,Vicomte d'Hiemois, married Adelmode de la Marche.
Philip of Montgomery.
Arnulf of Montgomery, married Lafracota daughter of Muirchertach Ua Briain.
Sibyl of Montgomory, she married Robert Fitzhamon, Lord of Creully.
Emma, abbess of Almenchêches.
Matilda (Maud) of Montgomery, she married Robert, Count of Mortain and died c. 1085.
Mabel of Montgomery, she married Hugh de Châteauneuf.

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Roger — Josceline. [Group Sheet]

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Notes:

William Talvas, Signeur d'Alençon gained the title of Signeur d'Alençon [Normandy].

William I Talvas (c. 995 - 1052), seigneur of Alençon. According to Orderic Vitalis his nickname Talvas meaning shield, presumably alluded to his hardness or callousness like that of a shield. He was a member of the House of Bellême.

Life

He was a son of William of Bellême and Mathilde of Condé-sur-Noireau. He held lands at Bellême, Domfront and Alençon, He obtained the lands of Bellême from his brother Yves de Bellême, Bishop of Séez who held them of the King of France while Alençon was held of the Duke of Normandy and Domfront of the Count of Maine.

While as treacherous and self-serving as any of his family before him he surpassed them in wickedness and cruelty. He had married a Hildeburg, daughter of a nobleman named Arnulf, but he had his wife strangled on her way to church, according to Orderic, because she loved God and would not support his wickedness. William married secondly a daughter of Ralf de Beaumont, Viscount of Le Mans.

Among the private feuds going on during the minority of Duke William was one that erupted between William Talvas and William fitz Giroie. William fitz Giroie was a vassal of William Talvas and his father Giroie had assisted Talvas' father and uncle in the struggles against Herbert I Wake-dog, Count of Maine. William fitz Giroie himself had greatly assisted William Talvas in obtaining his own lands, apparently by force. But William fitz Giroie was also a vassal of Geoffrey de Mayenne, an adherent, in turn, of the Count of Maine. About 1044 William Talvas attacked the castle of Montaigu which was being defended by William fitz Giroie. Unable to defeat the castle William Talvas captured Geoffrey de Mayenne and held him prisoner until William Fitz Giroie destroyed the castle of Montaigu. William fitz Giroie immediately razed his own castle to free his lord and in return Geoffrey de Mayenne built fitz Giroie a new castle at St. Cenery on the river Sarthe. This apparently caused great resentment in William Talvas.

On the occasion of his second wedding, William Talvas invited William fitz Giroie to attend. Suspecting nothing fitz Giroie while a guest at the festivities was suddenly seized by Talvas' men and imprisoned, then according to Orderic horribly mutilated and blinded before being released. Somehow William Giroie survived his torture and mutilation and retired to Bec Abbey to live out the remainder of his life as a monk. To avenge this atrocity the sons and kinsmen of William fitz Giroie sacked and destroyed the lands of William Talvas who would not face them in the field. Finally, Talvas' son Arnulf rebelled and exiled his father, now reviled by everyone. He wandered until he was taken in by the de Montgomery family whose son Roger agreed to marry his daughter Mabel in return for the lands William lost. It seems certain that after the death of Arnulf the following year, that William Talvas recovered his lands. William confirmed a gift to St. Aubin of Angers made by his brother Yves circa 1060-2 and after that nothing more is heard of him.

Family

By Hildeburg, his first wife, William had two children:

Arnulf de Bellême, who deprived his father of his estates and wealth and was dead by 1049.
Mabel de Bellême, who married Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and was murdered 2 Dec 1079

His second wife, a daughter of Ralf de Beaumont, may have been the mother of his son:

Oliver who after long service in the wars, became a monk at Bec.

William Talvas is said to have cursed the infant William, later to become William the Conqueror, in his cradle predicitng the child would be the downfall of the house of Bellême.

William — Hildeburg. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

William of Bellême (960/5 - 1028) called William Princeps, was the Seigneur of Bellême and a member of the House of Bellême.

Life

William was the son of Yves de Bellême and his wife Godeheut. Yves in turn was the son of Yves de Criel, magister balistarum (Latin meaning officer in charge of the royal siege train).

With the consent of Richard I, Duke of Normandy William had constructed two castles, one at Alençon and the other at Domfront, while the caput of Yves' lordship was the castle of Bellême, constructed "a quarter of a league from the old dungeon of Bellême" in Maine. The first mention of William in any records was in 1000 as Marshall of the king's forces when he accompanied the King of France to Toulouse, the next mention being his succeeding his father in 1005. Also, in 1005 William along with his mother made several grants to local churches including the church of Boece, to which his father had founded in his castle of Bellême. Initially William attempted to revoke a gift of his father to Fleury Abbey but was so impressed with the abbot Gauzlin's appeal he restored the gift and also allowed his young son Benoit to become a monk there.

His brother Avesgaud, Bishop of Le Mans who was engaged in constant warfare with Herbert I, Count of Maine. In 1020 Bishop Avesgaud fled to his brother's castle of Bellême after being driven out of his see by count Herbert, for which Avesgaud placed an interdict on Herbert and his lands and excommunicated the count. William joined forces with his brother Avesgaud attacking count Herbert at the castle of Ballon. At first William and Avesgaud were beaten back but Giroie (aka Géré), a vassal of William's held his ground and defeated Herbert's forces completely. William de Bellême introduced Giroie to Duke Richard at Rouen who rewarded Giroie with the lands of Heugon.

In 1027 when Robert I, Duke of Normandy succeeded his brother Richard III, William de Bellême revolted against him. Robert laid siege to his castle of Bellême until William surrendered then had to humbly ask for forgiveness (in bare feet with a saddle on his shoulders). Having been forgiven and his fief of Alençon restored, William sent his sons Fulk and Robert to harass the Normans, but they were defeated and Fulk was killed in battle at Blavon.

It is worth noting that neither William nor his father Ives ever attested any of their acts using the title comes (count), indicating they had feudal authority in their own territories but were not officially invested as counts.

Family

William had six sons:

Fulk, died in his father's lifetime.
Warin, died in 1026 under mysterious circumstances. He married Melisende, Vscountess of Chateaudun; their daughter Adela married Rotrou, Count of Mortagne (whose grandson was Rotrou 'the Great', Count of Perche and Morgagne).
Robert, succeeded his father as Seigneur de Bellême, murdered in prison.
Ives, Seigneur de Bellême and Bishop of Sées, succeeded his brother Robert, died 1070.
William I Talvas held the honor of Bellême in right of his brother Ives.
Benoit, a monk at Fleury Abbey.

William — Mathilde of Condé-sur-Noireau. [Group Sheet]