Roger the Poitevin
Roger the Poitevin or Roger de Poitou (mid-1060s – before 1140)[1] was an Anglo-Norman aristocrat possessing large holdings both in England and through his marriage in France during the early 12th century.
He was the third son of
Roger acquired a great lordship in England, with lands in
Before 1086, he had married Almodis, daughter of Count Aldebert II of
who was childless and unmarried.Roger's lordship extends beyond the Ribble as far as Cumberland
Around 1091, Roger's brother-in-law Boso died, but Roger was apparently preoccupied with Norman and English affairs, and his wife's uncle Odo became count of La Marche.[6]
In 1092, Roger acquired a large part of what is now northern Lancashire. These grants gave Roger effective control of all the lands north of the River Ribble to the River Lune, which formed a natural border between the secure Norman lands in England and the strongly contested Scottish frontier lands in Cumberland.
Due to long established lines of communication across
1088 and after
In 1088, he led a military force with Alan Rufus and Odo of Champagne against William de St-Calais, Bishop of Durham, at the request of William Rufus when the bishop was implicated in a revolt against the king; Roger also negotiated with the bishop on the king's behalf before the bishop went to trial.[1]
Roger's father Roger de Montgomery died in 1094. That same year, Rufus sent Roger to hold the castle at Argentan in Normandy, but Roger surrendered it to Philip I of France on the first day of the siege; Roger and his men were held for ransom and purchased their freedom.[6]
Although Philip I was an ally of Robert Curthose, it is thought that this action was less a betrayal of Rufus and more a result of Roger's dual vassalage between the King of England and the King of France.[1] Roger did not lose his English lands as a result of this action but held no position in Rufus's government from this point.[7] Roger continued to be loyal to Rufus but in 1102 joined his brothers' failed rebellion against Henry I of England in favor of Robert Curthose. As a result Roger de Poitou lost his English holdings. The King put those in Craven into the governance of Robert de Romille.[8]
Roger then went to his wife's holdings in Poitou. Almodis's uncle Odo was ousted as count of La Marche in 1104, and subsequently the sons of Roger and Almodis are styled as count. In 1109, Roger was permitted to briefly return to England to the court of Henry I,[1] although he did not recover his earlier English holdings. After around 1109, Roger appears to have either lost interest in governing in La Marche, or lost the political power itself as he is only seen once in the documents of La Marche as his wife and sons held the authority in the region.[6]
Offspring
The children of Roger and Almodis include:
- Aldebert IV of La Marche
- Boso IV of La Marche
- Odo II of La Marche
- Ponse of La Marche, who married Wulgrin II of Angoulême
- Avise of Lancaster, who married William "the Younger" Peverel
References
- ^ required.)
- ISBN 9780851155128.)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ Roger of Poitou is associated with 632 places after the Conquest Open Domesday, The first free online copy of Domesday Book. Accessed March 2012.
- ^ Morris, John, ed. (1978). Domesday Book: Cheshire. Phillimore & Co. pp. R1:1–45.
- ^ Keats-Rohan 1993, Table IV.
- ^ .
- ^ .
- ISBN 0521524644.
Sources
- Keats-Rohan, K. S. B. (1993). "Errata: The Prosopograhy of Post-Conquest England: Four Case Studies". Medieval Prosopography. 14 (2 (Autumn)): 159–164.
Further reading
- Cokayne, G. E. (1887–98) Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom. 8 vols. (which vol.?); pp. IV & Appendix I, pp. 762–65