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Robert of Bellême

Type Figure Region England Time c. 1056–1131 Also known as Robert, Earl of Shrewsbury

A Norman noble and military strongman who held the earldoms of Shrewsbury and Aumale, known for castle-building and cruel rule;…

Timeline

  1. 1088–1100Shrewsbury · ShropshireHeir of the Bellême family, he supported William II in the 1088 rebellion, was granted the earldom of Shrewsbury, and controlled extensive lands on the Welsh Marches. Known for building strong castles and cruelly suppressing vassals, he also held lands such as Aumale in Normandy, his power spanning the Channel.
  2. 1101–1102Alençon · NormandyIn 1101 he supported Robert Curthose's invasion of England, fought Henry I's forces fiercely in Normandy, and saw castles such as Alençon besieged. Forced to surrender in early 1102, he was deprived of his English and Norman lands, but after brief exile still plotted to regain them.
  3. 1106–1131Wareham · DorsetAfter the Battle of Tinchebray in 1106 he again fell into Henry's hands and was long imprisoned in castles such as Wareham. Twenty-five years of imprisonment marked the end of the Bellême family's political power; he died in 1131.

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