Hawise de Beaumont

Female - 1197


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Generation: 1

  1. 1.  Hawise de Beaumont (daughter of Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester and Amicia de Montfort); died 24 Apr 1197.

    Hawise married William fitz Robert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester Abt 1150. William (son of Robert de Caen, 1st Earl of Gloucester and Mabel FitzHamon) was born 23 Nov 1116; died 23 Nov 1183. [Group Sheet]

    Children:
    1. Isabella de Clare, Countess of Gloucester was born Bef 1176; died 14 Oct 1217; was buried Canterbury, Kent, England.
    2. Amice FitzWilliam, 4th Countess of Gloucester was born Abt 1160; died 1220.

Generation: 2

  1. 2.  Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester was born 1104 (son of Robert de Meulan, 1st Earl of Leicester and Elizabeth of Vermandois, Countess of Leicester); died 05 Apr 1168.

    Notes:

    He married Amicia de Montfort, daughter of Raoul de Montfort, Seigneur de Montfort et Gael, after 1120.

    He gained the title of 2nd Earl of Leicester. Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester also went by the nick-name of 'Le Bossu'. He has an extensive biographical entry in the Dictionary of National Biography.

    Dictionary of National Biography

    Beaumont, Robert de, Earl of Leicester 1104-1168, justiciary of England, was son of the preceding, and a twin with his brother Waleran [see Beaumont, Waleran de]. He seems, however, to have been deemed the younger, and is spoken of as postnatus in the Testa de Nevill. He is stated to have been born in 1104 (Ord. Vit. xi. 6) when his father was advanced in years, a date fatal to the story in the Abingdon Chronicle (ii. 229), that he had been at the Benedictine monastery there as a boy, regis Willelmi tempore (ie. ante 1099). At his father's death (1118) he succeeded to his English fiefs (Ord. Vit. xii. 33), being apparently considered the younger of the twins, and Henry, in gratitude for his father's services, brought him up, with his brother, in the royal household, and gave him to wife Amicia, daughter of Ralph (de Wader), earl of Norfolk, by Emma, daughter of William (Fitz-Osbern), earl of Hereford, with the fief of Bréteuil for her dower (ib.). The twins accompanied Henry to Normandy, and to his interview with Pope Calixtus at Gisors (November 1119), where they are said to have astounded the cardinals by their learning. They were also present at his death-bed, 1 Dec. 1135 (ib. xiii. 19). In the anarchy that followed, war broke out between Robert and his hereditary foe, Roger de Toesny (ib. xiii. 22), whom he eventually captured by his brother's assistance. In December 1137 the twins returned to England with Stephen, as his chief advisers, and Robert began preparing for his great foundation, his Norman possessions being overrun (ib. xiii. 36) in his absence (1138), till he came to terms with Roger de Toesny (ib. xiii. 38). In June 1139 he took, with his brother, the lead in seizing the bishops of Salisbury and Lincoln at Oxford (ib. xiii. 40), and on the outbreak of civil war was despatched with him, by Stephen, to escort the empress to Bristol (October 1139), and is said (but this is doubtful) to have received a grant of Hereford. He secured his interests with the Angevin party (ib. xiii. 43) after Stephen's defeat (2 Feb. 1141), and then devoted himself to raising, in the outskirts of Leicester, the noble abbey of St. Mary de Pré (de Pratis) for canons regular of the Austin order. Having bestowed on it rich endowments, including those of his father's foundation, he had it consecrated in 1143 by the bishop of Lincoln, whom he had contrived to reconcile. In 1152 he was still in Stephen's confidence, and exerted his influence to save his brother (Gervase, i. 148), but on Henry landing in 1153 he supplied him freely with means for his struggle (ib. i. 152), and attending him, shortly after his coronation (December 1154) was rewarded with his lasting confidence, and with the post of chief justiciar, in which capacity (capitalis justicia) he first appears 13 Jan. 1155 (Cart. Ant. W.), and again in 1156 (Rot. Pip. 2 Hen. II). He was now in the closest attendance on the court, and on the queen joining the king in Normandy (December 1158) he was left in charge of the kingdom, in a vice-regal capacity, till the king's return 25 Jan. 1163, Richard de Luci [qv.], when in England, being associated with him in the government. He was present at the famous council of Clarendon (13-28 Jan. 1164), and his name heads the list of lay signatures to the constitutions (MS. Cott. Claud. B. fo. 26), to which he is said, by his friendly influence, to have procured Becket's assent (Gervase, i. 177). As with his father, in the question of investitures he loyally upheld the claims of the crown, while maintaining to the church and churchmen devotion even greater than his father's. In the great crisis at the council of Northampton (October 1164) he strove, with the Earl of Cornwall, to reconcile the primate with the king, pleading hard with Becket when they visited him (12 Oct.) at his house. The following day they were commissioned to pronounce to him the sentence of the court; but when Leicester, as chief justiciary, commenced his address, he was at once cut short by the primate, who rejected his jurisdiction (Gervase, i. 185; Rog. Hov. i. 222, 228; Materials, ii. 393, &c.). Early the next year (1165) he was again, on the king's departure, left in charge of the kingdom, and, on the Archbishop of Cologne arriving as an envoy from the emperor, refused to greet him on the ground that he was a schismatic (R. Dic. i. 318). He appears to have accompanied Henry to Normandy in the spring of 1166, but leaving him, returned to his post before October, and retained it till his death, which took place in 1168 (Rog. Hov. i. 269; Ann. Wav.; Chron. Mailros.). It is said, in a chronicle of St. Mary de Pré (Mon. Ang. ut infra), that he himself became a canon regular of that abbey, and resided there fifteen years, till his death, when he was buried on the south side of the choir; but it is obvious that he cannot thus have entered the abbey. This earl was known as le Bossu (to distinguish him from his successors), and also, possibly, as le Goozen (Mon. Ang. 1830, vi. 467). He founded, in addition to St. Mary de Pré, the abbey of Garendon (Ann. Wav. 233), the monastery of Nuneaton, the priory of Lusfield, and the hospital of Brackley (wrongly attributed by Dugdale to his father), and was a liberal benefactor to many other houses (see Dugdale). His charter confirming to his burgesses of Leicester their merchant-gild and customs is preserved at Leicester, and printed on p. 404 of the Appendix to the eighth report on Historical MSS., and copies of his charters of wood and pasture are printed in Mr. Thompson's essay (pp. 42-84). He is also said to have remitted the gavel-pence impost, but the story, though accepted by Mr. Thompson (p. 60) and Mr. Jeaffreson (Appendix to 8th Report, ut supra, pp. 404, 406-7), is probably false.

    Sources:

    Ordericus Vitalis, lib. xii., xiii.
    Roger Hoveden (Rolls Series)
    Gervase of Canterbury (ib.)
    R. Diceto (ib.)
    Materials for History of Thomas à Becket (ib.)
    Monasticon Anglicanum, ii. 308 (ed. 1830, vi. 462-69)
    Dugdale's Baronage, i. 85-87
    Lyttelton's Henry II (1767)
    Nichols's History of Leicester (1795), pp. 24-68, app. viii. p. 15
    Thompson's History of Leicester (chap. vi.), and Essay on Municipal History (1867)
    Foss's Judges of England (1848), i. 190
    Eyton's Court and Itinerary of Henry II.

    Contributor: J. H. R. [John Horace Round]

    Published: 1885

    Robert married Amicia de Montfort Aft 1120. Amicia (daughter of Raoul de Montfort, Seigneur de Montfort et Gael) died Aft 31 Aug 1168. [Group Sheet]


  2. 3.  Amicia de Montfort (daughter of Raoul de Montfort, Seigneur de Montfort et Gael); died Aft 31 Aug 1168.
    Children:
    1. 1. Hawise de Beaumont died 24 Apr 1197.
    2. Robert, 3rd Earl of Leicester died 1190, Durazzo, Albania.


Generation: 3

  1. 4.  Robert de Meulan, 1st Earl of Leicester was born Abt 1046 (son of Roger de Beaumont and Adeline de Meulan); died 05 Jun 1118.

    Notes:

    He is the son of Roger de Beaumont, Seigneur de Portaudemer and Adeline de Meulan. He married Elizabeth de Vermandois, daughter of Hugh de Crépi, Comte de Vermandois et de Valois and Aelis de Vermandois, Comtesse de Vermandois, in 1096.

    He gained the title of Comte de Meulan, in France. He gained the title of 1st Earl of Leicester.

    Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester, Count of Meulan (between 1040 and 1050 - 5 June 1118) was a powerful English and French nobleman, revered as one of the wisest men of his age. Chroniclers speak highly of his eloquence, his learning, and three kings of England valued his counsel.

    He accompanied William the Conqueror to England in 1066, where his service earned him more than 91 lordships and manors. When his mother died in 1081, Robert inherited the title of Count of Meulan in Normandy, also the title of Viscount Ivry and Lord of Norton. He did homage to Philip I of France for these estates and sat as French Peer in the Parliament held at Poissy.

    At the Battle of Hastings Robert was appointed leader of the infantry on the right wing of the army.

    He and his brother Henry were members of the Royal hunting party in the New Forest, when William Rufus received his mysterious death wound, 2 August 1100. He then pledged alligience to William Rufus' brother, Henry I of England, who created him Earl of Leicester in 1107.

    On the death of William Rufus, William, Count of Evreux and Ralph de Conches made an incursion into Robert's Norman estates, on the pretence that they had suffered injury through some advice that Robert had given to the King; their raid was very successful for they collected a vast booty.

    According to Henry of Huntingdon, Robert died of shame after "a certain earl carried off the lady he had espoused, either by some intrigue or by force and stratagem." His wife Isabella remarried in 1118 to William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey.

    Family and children

    He was the eldest son of Roger de Beaumont and Adeline of Meulan, daughter of Waleran III, Count de Meulan, and an older brother of Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick.

    In 1096 he married (Isabel) Elizabeth de Vermandois, daughter of Hugh Magnus (b. 1053, d. 18 Oct 1101) a younger son of the French king and Adelaide de Cleremont (b. 1050, d. 23 Sep 1120). Their children were:

    Emma de Beaumont (born 1102)
    Waleran IV de Beaumont, Count of Meulan (born 1104)
    Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester (born 1104)
    Hugh de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Bedford (born c. 1106)
    Adeline de Beaumont, married twice:

    Hugh IV of Montfort-sur-Risle
    Richard de Granville of Bideford (d. 1147)

    Aubree de Beaumont, married Hugh II of Château-neuf-Thimerais.
    Maud de Beaumont, married William Lovel. (b. c. 1102)
    Isabel de Beaumont, a mistress of King Henry I of England. Married twice:

    Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke;
    Hervé de Montmorency, Constable of Ireland

    Robert married Elizabeth of Vermandois, Countess of Leicester 1096. Elizabeth (daughter of Hugh, I of Vermandois and Adelaide, Countess of Vermandois) was born Abt 1081; died 17 Feb 1130/31. [Group Sheet]


  2. 5.  Elizabeth of Vermandois, Countess of Leicester was born Abt 1081 (daughter of Hugh, I of Vermandois and Adelaide, Countess of Vermandois); died 17 Feb 1130/31.

    Other Events:

    • Name:

    Notes:

    Elizabeth de Vermandois is the daughter of Hugh de Crépi, Comte de Vermandois et de Valois and Aelis de Vermandois, Comtesse de Vermandois. She married, firstly, Robert de Meulan, 1st Earl of Leicester, son of Roger de Beaumont, Seigneur de Portaudemer and Adeline de Meulan, in 1096. She married, secondly, William II de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey, son of William I de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey and Gundreda, after 5 June 1118.

    She was also known as Isabel de Vermandois. She was also known as Isabel de Crépi. From 1096, her married name became de Beaumont. Her married name became de Warenne.

    Elizabeth of Vermandois, or Elisabeth or Isabel de Vermandois (ca. 1081 - 13 February 1131), was a niece of Philip I of France who was twice married to influential Anglo-Norman magnates.

    Family

    Elizabeth of Vermandois was the third daughter of Hugh Magnus and Adelaide of Vermandois, and as such represented both the Capetian line of her paternal grandfather Henry I of France, and the Carolingian ancestry of her maternal grandfather Herbert IV of Vermandois. Her father was a younger brother of Philip I of France.

    Countess of Leicester

    In 1096, at age 15, Elizabeth married Robert de Beaumont, Count of Meulan and 1st Earl of Leicester. The count was 46 at the time of the marriage, which was an unusual age difference even for the late 11th century. He was a nobleman of some significance in France, having inherited lands from his maternal uncle Henry, Count of Meulan, and had fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066 under the command of his distant kinsman William the Conqueror. For this service, he was awarded English lands in addition to those in Meulan and Normandy he had inherited. However, at the time of the marriage, he held no earldom in England while his younger brother was already styled Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick. Meulan was a respected advisor to three reigning monarchs: William II of England, Robert Curthose of Normandy and Philip I of France.

    According to Middle Ages custom, brides were often betrothed young - 8 being the legal age for betrothal and 12 for marriage (for women). The young betrothed wife would often go to her husband's castle to be raised by his parents or other relatives and to learn the customs and ways of her husband's family. The actual wedding would not take place until much later. Some genealogists speculate that the usual age at which a noble bride could expect the marriage to be consummated would be 14. This is consistent with the date of birth of Elizabeth's first child Emma in 1102 when she would be about 15 to 17.

    The marriage produced several children, including most notably two twin sons (born 1104) who both become important noblemen. These men, known to historians of this period as the Beaumont twins, were Waleran de Beaumont, Count of Meulan and his younger twin Robert Bossu (the Humpback) or Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester. Another notable child of this marriage was Elisabeth or Isabel de Beaumont, one of the youngest mistresses of Henry I of England and later mother (by her first marriage) of Richard Strongbow.

    William II of England died suddenly in a purported hunting accident, and was hastily succeeded not by the expected heir but by the youngest brother Henry. This seizure of the throne led to an abortive invasion by the older brother Duke Robert of Normandy, followed by an uneasy truce between the brothers. The reprieve was only temporary, and there was unrest in both England and Normandy for some time (stirred up by Duke Robert, and by an exiled nobleman Robert of Bellême, 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury). Finally, Henry invaded Normandy and in the Battle of Tinchebray (September 28, 1106) destroyed organized opposition to his takeover of Normandy and imprisoned his ineffectual older brother for his lifetime. Meulan and his brother Warwick were apparently supporters of Henry during this entire period, and Meulan was rewarded with the earldom of Leicester in 1103. By 1107, Meulan was in possession of substantial lands in three domains. In 1111, he was able to revenge himself on the attack on his seat Meulan by Louis VI of France by harrying Paris.

    Countess of Surrey

    Elizabeth, Countess of Meulan apparently tired of her aging husband at some point during the marriage. The historian Planche says (1874) that the Countess was seduced by or fell in love with a younger nobleman, William de Warenne (c. 1071-11 May 1138) himself the thwarted suitor of Edith of Scotland, Queen consort of Henry I of England. Warenne was said to want a royal bride, and Elizabeth fitted his requirements, even though she was also another man's wife.

    In 1115, the Countess was apparently carried off or abducted by Warenne, which abduction apparently concealed a long-standing affair. There was some kind of separation or divorce between Meulan and his wife, which however did not permit her to marry her lover. The elderly Count of Meulan died, supposedly of chagrin and mortification in being thus publicly humiliated, in the Abbey of Preaux, Normandy on 5 June 1118, leaving his properties to his two elder sons whom he had carefully educated.

    Elizabeth married, secondly, William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey, sometime after the death of her first husband. By him, it is alleged, she already had several children (all born during her marriage to Meulan). She also had at least one daughter born while she was living out of wedlock with Warenne (1115-1118). It is unclear whether this daughter was Ada de Warenne, wife of Henry of Scotland or Gundrede de Warenne, wife of Roger de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Warwick (her half-brothers' first cousin).

    The later life of Elizabeth de Vermandois is not known. Her sons by her first marriage appear to have a good relationship with their half-brother William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey although on opposing sides for much of the wars between Stephen and Matilda. Her eldest son Waleran, Count of Meulan was active in supporting the disinherited heir William Clito, son of Robert Curthose until captured by King Henry. He was not released until Clito's death without issue in 1128. Her second son Robert inherited his father's English estates and the earldom of Leicester and married the heiress of the Fitzosbern counts of Breteuil. Her daughter Isabel however became a king's concubine or mistress at a young age; it is unclear whether her mother's own life or her eldest brother's political and personal travails in this period played any part in this decision. Before her mother died, Isabel had become wife of Gilbert de Clare, later (1147) Earl of Pembroke, so had adopted a more conventional life like her mother.

    Children and descendants

    During her first marriage (1096-1115) to Robert de Beaumont, Count of Meulan (d 5 June 1118), Elizabeth had 3 sons (including twin elder sons) and 6 daughters:

    Emma de Beaumont (born 1102), was betrothed as an infant to Aumari, nephew of William, Count of Évreux, but the marriage never took place. She probably died young, or entered a convent.
    Waleran IV de Beaumont, Count of Meulan (born 1104) married and left issue.
    Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester (born 1104) married and left issue (his granddaughter Isabella of Gloucester was the unfortunate first wife of King John.
    Hugh de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Bedford (born c. 1106) lost his earldom, left issue
    Adeline de Beaumont (b ca 1107), married twice:

    Hugh IV, 4th Lord of Montfort-sur-Risle to whom she was married firstly by her brother Waleran
    Richard de Granville of Bideford (d. 1147)

    Aubree (or Alberee) de Beaumont (b ca 1109), married by her brother Waleran to Hugh II of Châteauneuf-en-Thimerais (possibly son of Hugh I of Châteauneuf-en-Thimerais and his wife Mabille de Montgomerie, 2nd daughter of Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury)
    Maud de Beaumont (b ca 1111), married by her brother Waleran to William Lovel, or Louvel or Lupel, son of Ascelin Goel, Lord of Ivri.
    Isabel de Beaumont (b Aft. 1102), a mistress of King Henry I of England. Married twice:

    Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke by whom she was mother of Richard Strongbow, who invaded Ireland 1170
    Hervé de Montmorency, Constable of Ireland (this marriage is not conclusively proven)

    In her second marriage, to William de Warenne, Elizabeth had three sons and two daughters (for a total of fourteen children - nine during her first marriage, and five during her second):

    William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey and Warenne (b. 1119 dspm 1147) whose daughter Isabelle de Warenne, Countess of Surrey married 1stly

    William, Count of Boulogne (dsp), yr son of King Stephen, and married 2ndly
    Hamelin Plantagenet, an illegitimate half-brother of King Henry II of England by whom she had issue, later earls of Surrey and Warenne.

    Reginald de Warenne, who inherited his father's property in upper Normandy. He married Adeline, daughter of William, lord of Wormgay in Norfolk, by whom he had a son William, whose daughter and sole heir Beatrice married first Dodo, lord Bardolf, and secondly Hubert de Burgh;
    Ralph de Warenne (dsp)
    Gundrada de Warenne, (Gundred) who married first

    Roger de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Warwick and had issue; second (as his 2nd wife)
    William de Lancaster and is most remembered for expelling king Stephen's garrison from Warwick Castle; and they had issue.

    Ada de Warenne (d. ca. 1178), who married Henry of Scotland, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon, younger son of King David I of Scotland, Earl of Huntingdon by his marriage to the heiress Matilda or Maud, 2nd Countess of Huntingdon (herself great-niece of William I of England) and had issue. They were parents to Malcolm IV of Scotland and William I of Scotland and their youngest son, David of Scotland, 8th Earl of Huntingdon, who was ancestor of all Kings of Scotland since 1292.

    Children:
    1. Hugh de Meulan, 1st and last Earl of Bedford
    2. Waleran de Beaumont, 1st and last Earl of Worcester was born 1104; died Between 9 and 10 Apr 1166, Préaux, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France; was buried Préaux, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France.
    3. Isabel de Beaumont was born Between 1102 and 1107; died Aft 1172.
    4. 2. Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester was born 1104; died 05 Apr 1168.

  3. 6.  Raoul de Montfort, Seigneur de Montfort et Gael (son of Raoul de Montfort, Seigneur de Montfort et Gael and Emma); died Aft 1118.
    Children:
    1. 3. Amicia de Montfort died Aft 31 Aug 1168.


Generation: 4

  1. 8.  Roger de Beaumont was born Abt 1015 (son of Humphrey de Vielles and Albreda); died 29 Nov 1094; was buried Aft 29 Nov 1094, Les Préaux.

    Other Events:

    • Name:

    Notes:

    He was also known as Roger de Bellomont, Earl of Mellent.

    Roger de Beaumont-le-Roger, Seigneur de Beaumont-le-Roger et de Pont-Audemer (c. 1015 - 29 November 1094) was son of Humphrey de Vielles (himself a great-nephew of the Duchess Gunnora of Normandy) and his wife Albreda de la Haye Auberie. Roger de Beaumont, Lord of Beaumont-le-Roger and Pont-Audemer, Viscount of Hiesmes, was thus a second cousin once removed of the Conqueror.

    Life

    Roger was nicknamed Barbatus or La Barbe because he wore a moustache and beard while the Normans usually were clean shaven. This peculiarity is recognized in the thirty-second panel of the Bayeux Tapestry where he is depicted sitting at a feast with Duke William on his left hand, Odo, brother of William and Bishop of Bayeux, in the centre.

    Planché tells us that "he was the noblest, the wealthiest, and the most valiant seigneur of Normandy, and the greatest and most trusted friend of the Danish family." There is an explanation for this - as an older cousin who had never rebelled against the young Duke, he was part of the kinship group of noblemen that William relied upon in governing Normandy and fighting off frequent rebellion and invasions. The historian Frank McLynn notes that William relied on relatives descended via his mother (namely his half-brothers and brothers-in-law) and on relatives descended from the Duchess Gunnora's sisters, since his own paternal kin had proved unreliable.

    Wace, the 12th century historian, says that "at the time of the invasion of England, Roger was summoned to the great council at Lillebonne, on account of his wisdom; but that he did not join in the expedition as he was too far advanced in years." Although Roger could not fight, he did not hesitate in contributing his share of the cost, for he provided at his own expense sixty vessels for the conveyance of the troops across the channel. Furthermore, his eldest son and heir fought bravely at Hastings as noted in several contemporary records. As a result, Roger's elder sons were awarded rich lands in England, and both eventually were made English earls by the sons of the Conqueror.

    He was buried at Les Préaux.

    Family and children

    He married circa 1048 or earlier Adeline of Meulan (c. 1014-1020 - 8 April 1081, buried at the Abbaye du Bec), daughter of Waleran III, Count de Meulan and Oda de Conteville, and sister and heiress of a childless Count of Meulan. Meulan eventually passed to their elder son who became Count of Meulan in 1081. Their surviving children were:

    Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester, Count of Meulan (b ca 1049 - 1118) who succeeded his father in the major part of his lands, and who fought in his first battle at Hastings.
    Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick, overshadowed by his elder brother, but who established a more enduring line of Beaumont earls at Warwick Castle.
    William de Beaumont (not mentioned in most sources).
    Alberée de Beaumont (died 1112), Abbess of Eton.

    Roger de Beaumont-le-Roger, feudal lord (Seigneur) of Beaumont-le-Roger and of Pont-Audemer (c. 1015 - 29 November 1094) was a powerful Norman nobleman and close advisor to William the Conqueror.

    Origins

    He was a son of Humphrey de Vielles (who was a great-nephew of the Duchess Gunnora of Normandy) by his wife Albreda de la Haye Auberie. Roger de Beaumont was thus a second cousin once removed of William the Conqueror. His Norman feudal lordship had its caput and castle at Beaumont-le-Roger, a settlement situated on the upper reaches of the River Risle, in Normandy, about 46 km SW of Rouen, the capital of the Duchy. He was also feudal lord of Pont-Audemer, a settlement built around the first bridge to cross the River Risle upstream of its estuary, shared with the River Seine.

    Physical appearance

    Roger was nicknamed La Barbe (Latinised to Barbatus) (i.e. "The Bearded") because he wore a moustache and beard while the Normans usually were clean shaven. This peculiarity is believed to be recognized in the thirty-second panel of the Bayeux Tapestry where he is depicted sitting at a feast near Hastings, well before the battle, at the right-hand of Duke William, who in turn was seated at the right hand of his brother Bishop Odo of Bayeux, who is shown blessing the food at a feast.

    Career

    Planché described him as "the noblest, the wealthiest, and the most valiant seigneur of Normandy, and the greatest and most trusted friend of the Danish (i.e. Norman) family". The explanation for his exalted position appears to be that as an older cousin who had never rebelled against the young Duke, he was part of the kinship group of noblemen that William relied upon in governing Normandy and fighting-off frequent rebellion and invasions. The historian Frank McLynn observed that William relied heavily on relatives on his mother's side, namely his half-brothers Bishop Odo and Robert, and brothers-in-law, and on relatives descended from the Duchess Gunnora's sisters, since his own paternal kin had proved unreliable.

    Wace, the 12th century historian, wrote that: "At the time of the invasion of England, Roger was summoned to the great council at Lillebonne, on account of his wisdom; but he did not join in the expedition as he was too far advanced in years". Although Roger could not fight, he did not hesitate in contributing a large share of the cost, and provided at his own expense sixty vessels for the conveyance of the troops across the channel. Furthermore, his eldest son and heir fought bravely at Hastings as noted in several contemporary records. As a result, Roger's elder sons were rewarded generously with lands in England, and both eventually were made English earls by the sons of the Conqueror. Wace's statement may therefore cast doubt on the possibility of Roger being depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry feasting at Hastings. However it is possible that he crossed the Channel so he could continue to act as a valued member of the Duke's council, perhaps giving advice on military tactics, yet stayed well behind the line of battle at headquarters.

    Marriage & progeny

    He married circa 1048 or earlier Adeline of Meulan (c. 1014-1020 - 8 April 1081), who was buried at the Abbaye du Bec), the daughter of Waleran III, Count de Meulan by Oda de Conteville, and sister and heiress of a childless Count of Meulan. Meulan eventually passed to their elder son who became Count of Meulan in 1081. Their surviving children were:

    Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester, Count of Meulan (c.1049-1118), the eldest son and heir. He succeeded his father in the major part of his lands, and was one of the few proven Companions of William the Conqueror who fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
    Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick (c.1050-1119). He was overshadowed by his elder brother, but was granted by his father one of his lesser lordships in Normandy, the lordship of Le Neubourg, about 12 km NE of Beaumont-le-Roger, from which his own family adopted the surname Anglicised to "de Newburgh". He established a more enduring line of Beaumont earls than his elder brother, Earls of Warwick seated at at Warwick Castle.
    William de Beaumont (not mentioned in most sources).
    Alberée de Beaumont (died 1112), Abbess of Eton.

    Death & burial

    He was buried at Les Préaux.

    Roger married Adeline de Meulan Abt 1048. Adeline (daughter of Waleran, III Count de Meulan and Aubreye) was born Between 1014 and 1020; died Abt 08 Apr 1081; was buried Abt 09 Apr 1081, France. [Group Sheet]


  2. 9.  Adeline de Meulan was born Between 1014 and 1020 (daughter of Waleran, III Count de Meulan and Aubreye); died Abt 08 Apr 1081; was buried Abt 09 Apr 1081, France.
    Children:
    1. Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick died 20 Jun 1119.
    2. 4. Robert de Meulan, 1st Earl of Leicester was born Abt 1046; died 05 Jun 1118.

  3. 10.  Hugh, I of Vermandois was born 1057 (son of Henry, I of France and Anne of Kiev); died 18 Oct 1101, Tarsus, Icel, Turkey.

    Other Events:

    • Name:

    Notes:

    He married Aelis de Vermandois, Comtesse de Vermandois, daughter of Heribert V, Comte de Vermandois et de Valois and Adele de Crépi, circa 1080. He was a member of the House of Capet. Hugh de Crépi, Comte de Vermandois et de Valois also went by the nick-name of Hugh 'le Grand'. He gained the title of Comte de Vermandois. He gained the title of Comte de Valois.

    Hugh I of Vermandois (1057 - October 18, 1101), called Magnus or the Great, was a younger son of Henry I of France and Anne of Kiev and younger brother of Philip I. He was in his own right Count of Vermandois, but an ineffectual leader and soldier, great only in his boasting. Indeed, Steven Runciman is certain that his nickname Magnus (greater or elder), applied to him by William of Tyre, is a copyist's error, and should be Minus (younger), referring to Hugh as younger brother of the King of France.

    In early 1096 Hugh and Philip began discussing the First Crusade after news of the Council of Clermont reached them in Paris. Although Philip could not participate, as he had been excommunicated, Hugh was said to have been influenced to join the Crusade after an eclipse of the moon on February 11, 1096.

    That summer Hugh's army left France for Italy, where they would cross the Adriatic Sea into territory of the Byzantine Empire, unlike the other Crusader armies who were travelling by land. On the way, many of the soldiers led by fellow Crusader Emicho joined Hugh's army after Emicho was defeated by the Hungarians, whose land he had been pillaging. Hugh crossed the Adriatic from Bari in Southern Italy, but many of his ships were destroyed in a storm off the Byzantine port of Dyrrhachium.

    Hugh and most of his army were rescued and escorted to Constantinople, where they arrived in November of 1096. Prior to his arrival, Hugh sent an arrogant, insulting letter to Eastern Roman Emperor Alexius I Comnenus. According to the Emperor's biography written by his daughter Anna Comnena (the Alexiad), he demanded that Alexius meet with him:

    "Know, O King, that I am King of Kings, and superior to all, who are under the sky. You are now permitted to greet me, on my arrival, and to receive me with magnificence, as befits my nobility."

    Alexius was already wary of the armies about to arrive, after the unruly mob led by Peter the Hermit had passed through earlier in the year. Alexius kept Hugh in custody in a monastery until Hugh swore an oath of vassalage to him.

    After the Crusaders had successfully made their way across Seljuk territory and, in 1098, captured Antioch, Hugh was sent back to Constantinople to appeal for reinforcements from Alexius. Alexius was uninterested*(see below), however, and Hugh, instead of returning to Antioch to help plan the siege of Jerusalem, went back to France. There he was scorned for not having fulfilled his vow as a Crusader to complete a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and Pope Paschal II threatened to excommunicate him. He joined the minor Crusade of 1101, but was wounded in battle with the Turks in September, and died of his wounds in October in Tarsus.

    In "Urban's Crusade--Success or Failure"(Key, 1948) it is argued, indeed to the contrary, that the emperor was disturbed by Hugh's report and the disquieting rumors emitting from Antioch (on Bohemond's intent and conduct) and promptly set out to prepare another expedition: "...Alexius immediately began preparations for another expedition, and he furthermore sent envoys to the crusaders to announce its coming."

    Family and children

    He married Adelaide of Vermandois, the daughter of Herbert IV, Count of Vermandois and Alice, Countess of Valois. They had nine children:

    Matilda (1080-1130), married Ralph I of Beaugency
    Elizabeth of Vermandois, Countess of Leicester (1081-1131)
    Beatrice (1082 - after 1144), married Hugh III of Gournay
    Ralph I (1085-1152)
    Constance (born 1086, date of death unknown), married Godfrey de la Ferté-Gaucher
    Agnes (1090-1125), married Boniface del Vasto
    Henry (1091-1130), Lord of Chaumont en Vexin
    Simon (1093-1148)
    William (c. 1094 - c. 1096)

    Hugh married Adelaide, Countess of Vermandois Abt 1080. Adelaide (daughter of Herbert, IV Count of Vermandois and Adele of Valois) was born Abt 1065; died Between 1121 and 1123. [Group Sheet]


  4. 11.  Adelaide, Countess of Vermandois was born Abt 1065 (daughter of Herbert, IV Count of Vermandois and Adele of Valois); died Between 1121 and 1123.

    Other Events:

    • Name:

    Notes:

    Adelaide of Vermandois (1062-1122) was suo jure Countess of Vermandois and Valois and the last member of the Carolingian dynasty.

    Adelaide was the daughter of Herbert IV, Count of Vermandois, and Adele of Valois and of the Vexin. Her younger brother Otto became Count of Vermandois upon their father's death in 1080. However, five years later, he was disinherited by the council of Barons of France because of his mental illness. Thus, Adelaide and her husband succeeded to the Counties of Vermandois and Valois.

    Adelaide married firstly Hugh Magnus, son of the Capetian King Henry I of France and younger brother of Philip I of France. By this marriage she had nine children:

    Matilda(1080-1130), married Ralph I of Beaugency
    Beatrice (1082 - after 1144), married Hugh III of Gournay
    Elizabeth of Vermandois, Countess of Leicester (1081-1131)
    Ralph I (1085-1152)
    Constance (born 1086, date of death unknown), married Godfrey de la Ferté-Gaucher
    Agnes (1090-1125), married Boniface of Savone
    Henry (1091-1130), Lord of Chaumont en Vexin
    Simon (1093-1148)
    William, possibly married to Isabella, illegitimate daughter of King Louis VI of France

    In 1104, she married secondly Renaud II, Count of Clermont. By this marriage she had one daughter, Margaret, who married Charles I, Count of Flanders.

    In 1102, Adelaide was succeeded by her son, Ralph I. Adelaide died in 1122 and the Carolingian dynasty died out with her.

    Children:
    1. 5. Elizabeth of Vermandois, Countess of Leicester was born Abt 1081; died 17 Feb 1130/31.

  5. 12.  Raoul de Montfort, Seigneur de Montfort et Gael died Abt 1097.

    Raoul married Emma Abt 1075. [Group Sheet]


  6. 13.  Emma (daughter of William fitz Osbern, 1st Earl of Hereford).
    Children:
    1. 6. Raoul de Montfort, Seigneur de Montfort et Gael died Aft 1118.