Robert Curthose

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Robert Curthose
Robert Curthose in a medieval manuscript c. 1300–1340
Duke of Normandy
Tenure	9 September 1087 – 1106
Predecessor	William the Conqueror
Successor	Henry I
Born	c. 1051 Duchy of Normandy
Died	February 1134 (aged ~83) Cardiff Castle, Glamorgan
Burial	Gloucester Cathedral, Gloucestershire
Spouse	Sybilla of Conversano
Issue	William Clito
House	Normandy
Father	William the Conqueror
Mother	Matilda of Flanders

Robert Curthose (c. 1051 – February 1134, French: Robert Courteheuse), was the eldest son of William the Conqueror and succeeded his father as Robert II of Normandy in 1087, reigning until 1106.

Robert was also an unsuccessful pretender to the throne of the Kingdom of England. The epithet "Curthose" originated in the Norman French word courtheuse ("short stockings"). The chroniclers William of Malmesbury and Orderic Vitalis wrote that his father had derisively called him brevis-ocrea ("short boot").^[1]

Robert's reign is noted for the discord with his brothers William II and Henry I in England. He mortgaged his duchy to finance his participation in the First Crusade, where he was an important commander. In 1106, his disagreements with Henry led to defeat in the Battle of Tinchebray and lifelong captivity, with Normandy temporarily absorbed into England's possession.