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 II of Normandy, or Robert Curthose (c. 1051 – February 1134, French: Robert Courteheuse / Robert II de Normandie), was the eldest son of William the Conqueror and succeeded his father as Duke of Normandy in 1087, reigning until 1106. Robert was also an unsuccessful claimant to the throne of the Kingdom of England. The epithet "Curthose" had its origins in the Norman French word courtheuse 'short stockings' and was apparently derived from a nickname given to Robert by his father; the chroniclers William of Malmesbury and Orderic Vitalis reported that William the Conqueror had derisively called Robert brevis-ocrea ("short boot").^[1]

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