Regent Robert de Beaumont & Countess Amice de Gael

159116046. Regent Robert de Beaumont & 159116047. Countess Amice de Gael

8/2/1100, Henry I crowned King of England.

1104, Robert ‘Bossu’ born in England; s/o 318232092. Earl Robert de Beaumont & 318232093. Isabel de Vermandois.

~1105, Amice born in Montfort, Brittany, France, d/o 318232094. Ralph de Gael de Montfort &  318232095. Avice Waer.

8/3/1108, Louis VI crowned King of France.

6/5/1118, On the death of his father, Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester, receiving all of his father’s lands in England. [His twin brother Waleran received all the lands in Normandy.]

6/11/1118, Waleran and his brother Robert made wards of King Henry I. William de Warren, earl of Surrey, given custody during Robert’s minority.

[––Amice––]

1119, Amice was bethrothed to King Henry’s son Richard. (S) Henry I, Green, 2006, P154.

1119, Robert in the entourage of King Henry at Gisors where Robert and his brother debated with the Cardinals accompanying Calixtus II.

11/25/1120, Richard, the king’s son, [and a lot of other nobility] died in a ship wreck while returning from Normandy.

[––Robert & Amice––]

12/1120, Robert married Amice. [In France.]

1121, Robert took possession of Breteuil, awarding Arnold de Bois with the manor of Torp. (S) Art, Identity, and Devotion, Smith, 2003, P23.

1122 at Worms, An agreement between the papacy and the empires that clergy would elect the bishops, the church consecrate the bishops, and the king give the regalia.

1122, Robert knighted.

1123, Robert did not support the activities of his brother Waleran. [Waleran lost his castle of Pont Audemer on the Norman coast to a siege.]

1124, Robert Bossu, Earl of Leicester, founded a priory of Benedictine monks at Biddleston. (S) Magna Britannia, Lysons, 1813, P643.

1125, Earl Robert founded Le Desert priory in Breteuil. (S) Art, Identity, and Devotion, Smith, 2003, P25.

1126, Robert, earl of Leicester, at Brampton.

1127, Nigel, the treasurer of Normandy for King Henry, witnessed a charter of Robert, earl of Leicester. (S) Government of England, Green, 1989, P34.

9/1127, Robert, earl of Leicester, at Rouen, Normandy.

1128, Robert, earl of Leicester, at Reading.

1129, Waleran, released from prison, joined Robert at court. [Waleran had been captured in 1125 in rebellion against King Henry I.]

1130, Robert and his followers given exemptions and favors by King Henry I.

1130, Rober, earl of Leicester, accounts for £50 19s for the cornage and forest rights which belong to him. (S) Numastic Chronicle, 1901, P243.

1130, Earl Robert entertianed the king’s chief minister, Roger of Salisbury, as his guest at his house in Brackley, Northants.

2/1131, Waleran and his brother Robert with King Henry at Rouen.

9/8/1131 at Northampton, Robert witnessed King Henry I’s charter to Salisbury.

12/25/1132 at Windsor, Robert, earl of Leicester, attended the Christmas court of King Henry.

1133, Robert Bossu, earl of Leicester, founded a Cistercian abbey at Gerondon, yearly value of £186 15s 2.5d. (S) History of the Protestant Reformation in England, V2, Cobbett, 1834, P91.

1134, Robert Bossu, earl of Leicester, founded a cell with an abbot and 12 canons at Leicester. (S) A Walk Through Leicester, Watts, 1804, P51.

12/2/1135, Robert and his brother were in Rouen, Normandy with King Henry when he died.

12/22/1135, Stephen crowned king of England.

4/1136, Robert attended the court of new King Stephen.

1136-7, Robert and his brother returned to Normandy to defend against Angevin incursions.

3/1137, Robert met with King Stephen in Normandy.

8/1/1137, Louis VII succeeded as king of France.

11/1137, Robert returned to England with King Stephen.

5/1138, Robert and his brother captured Roger de Tosny, who had be leading a rebellion in Normandy. A settlement was made whereby a daughter of Earl Robert [Margaret] would marry Roger’s son [Ralph].

1/18/1139, at Oxford, Robert, earl of Leicester, and his wife countess Amice gave 60s to the founding of Godstow abbey.

4/30/1139, As part of a peace treaty with King Stephen, Henry of Scotland was one of 5 sons of high-ranking Scot barons sent to English court at Worcester. Robert earl of Leicester was in attendance of King Stephen.

6/1139 at Oxford, Robert and his twin brother were leaders in the seizure of the Bishops of Salisbury and Lincoln. [They had occupied Earl Robert’s castle of Newark-on-Trent, and had excommunicated Robert.]

1140, Robert confirmed as earl of Leicester by King Stephen.

4/1140, at Newtown, 8 miles from Hereford, Robert created earl of Hereford by King Stephen. The charter was attested by his brother Waleran, William earl Warren, William d’Aubigny, earl of Lincoln, William, count of Aumale and earl of York, and Earl Simon [de St. Liz]. [Robert had claim to the earldom of Hereford because Amice was a granddaughter of William fitz Osbern.]

1141, Robert’s twin Waleran defected from King Stephen to side with Empress Matilda. Robert remained loyal to the King.

2/2/1141, King Stephen captured at the battle of Lincoln. Robert supported the king but escaped captivity. (S) DNB, V20, Stephen, 1909, P832.

1143, Ernald de Bois (1947018784), steward of Robert de Bossu, earl of Leicester. (S) Poems: Lays of the English Church, Moultrie, 1876, Appendix PIII.

1143, Robert founded St. Mary de Pré at Leicester.

1145, Robert, lieutenant of Normandy, was defeated by Geoffrey Plantagenet.

Bef. 1147, Robert, earl of Licester, and Amicia his wife, and Robert their son, witness a charter of Ernald de Bosco addressed to Alexander, bishop of Lincoln. (S) English Historical Review, V32, 1917, P247.

1147, The case between the monks of Bec and the canons of St. Firdeswide of Oxford held in the court of [Robert] the earl of Leicester [‘curia comitis Leicestrie’].

1148, Earl Robert completed submission of the insurection of William de Launay in Leicester.

1151, Ranulf, earl of Chester, and Robert, earl of Leicester, made a military cooperation treaty. (S) History of Leicester, Thompson, 1849, P36. [On opposited sides of Duke Henry and King Stephen, they agreed to lead no more than 20 knights into battle, and to give back any land taken by the other during the fighting.]

1/1153, Henry Plantagenet [future II] landed in England with 140 knights and 3,000 infantry in 36 ships.

Winter/1153, Robert, earl of Leicester, one of the magnates that helped secure Henry II’s succession. Supporting Henry, Robert brought 30 castles to control the midlands.

1153, Robert did not support the activities of his brother Waleran. [Waleran was ambushed by his nephew and enemy Robert de Montfort.]

1154, Robert, named Justiciar of England jointly with Sir Richard de Lucy.

10/1154, Robert at the seige of Torigny.

12/19/1154 at Westminister, Robert attended the coronation of King Henry II. Robert, earl of Leciester, witnessed a royal grant to William fitz Robert fitz Walter of Windsor. [Robert would witness many grants of the King over the years.]

1/13/1155 at Oxford, Robert, earl of Leciester, the King’s Chief Justice for all England [tune temporis Capitali justicia mea totius Angliae], conducted a trial in which the King testified.

1155-56, Robert, a Justiciar of England, holding pleas with Archbishop Becket and the Earl of Essex. [King Henry II had instituted a reformation in the Curia Regis, breaking it into 3 parts. Becket headed the Court of Chancery. The other 2 courts were the Common Pleas (Earl of Essex) and the Baron of the Exchequer (Robert).] (S) Lives of the Archbishops, Hook, 1875, P375.

6/1155, Robert, earl of Leciester, with King Henry II at the siege of Bridgnorth in suppression of the revolt of Hugh de Mortimer.

8/1155, Robert, earl of Leciester, and his son Robert, witnessed a royal charter to the Norman abbey of St. Martin at Troarn [Bayeux.]

1/1156, Robert, earl of Leciester, witnessed a royal grant to St. Mary’s abbey at Leciester.

5/1157 at Colchester, Robert, earl of Leciester, attended the King’s 6-day court.

1157, Robert, earl of Leciester, performed judicial functions in Shropshire and Lincolnshire.

1/1158 at Nottingham, Robert, earl of Leciester, Robert, earl of Leciester, witnessed a royal grant to Furness abbey.

9/1158 at Westminster, Robert, earl of Leciester, was the only witness to a Writ of the Queen, acting as Viceroy, to the military tenants of Malmesbury abbey.

Bef. 11/29/1158, Richard de Lucy replaced Robert as Chief Justiciar of England.

1159, Robert de Valognes, claimant, vs. Abbot Robert, over wood of Northaw. Robert, earl of Leicester, adjucated in favor of Robert over the abbot; which was later overturned through the involvement of Queen Eleanor and Pope Alexander. (S) English Lawsuits, Caenegem, 1991, P5.

1159, Earl Robert of Leicester and Richard de Lucy consulted with Empress Matilda in Normandy.

1161, Robert Bossu, earl of Leicester, brought nuns of Fontevrault to Nun-Eaton, Warwickshire. (S) Political State of the British Empire, V1, Adolphus, 1818, P312.

1161-62, Robert, Regent of England while King Henry II was absent in France. [King Henry returning 12/1162.]

5/4/1162, King Henry at Falaise, France, executes a judicial precept addressed to Robert, earl of Leciester, acting as Chief Justice of England.

3/8/1163 at Westminster, Robert, earl of Leicester, assessor of the King, witnessed 3 royal charters.

7/1/1163 at Woodstock, William, earl of Gloucester, witnessed a royal confirmation of a grant by Robert, earl of Leicester [William’s father-in-law], to Nun-Eaton priory.

9/1163, ‘Ad corredium equorum Regis £9 per breve Comitis Legecestrie [Robert acting as regent] et Ricardi de Luci.’

1/1164, Constitutions of Clarendon … in the fourth year of the papacy of Alexander, in the tenth year of the most illustrious king of the English, Henry II., in the presence of that same king, … in the presence of the following: Robert count of I`eicester, Reginald count of Cornwall, Conan count of Bretagne, John count of Eu, Roger count of Clare, count Geoffrey of Mandeville, Hugo count of Chester, William count of Arundel, count Patrick, William count of Ferrara, …, and many other chiefs and nobles … (S) Yale Law School, The Avalon Project.

10/1164, Robert pronounced the sentence against Archbishop Thomas Becket, who denied the juristiction of the court.

1/25/1165, Robert, earl of Leicester, a royal grant to Gervase de Cornhill of the land of Chalk.

5/1165 in London, Robert, earl of Leicester, initially refused an audience of Reginald, archbishop of Cologne. [The visit did not deal with the Antipope Pascal, but was instead to discuss marriages of the king’s daughters.]

1165, Robert, Regent of England while King Henry II was absent.

9/29/1165, Robert, earl of Leicester, attended the Curia Regis at Westminster.

3/1166 at Falaise, Normandy, Robert, earl of Leicester, witnessed a charter in favor of Henry de Beaumont, bishop of Bayeux.

By 4/9/1166, Robert’s twin brother Waleran, count of Meulan, died; succeed by Robert, son of Waleran.

10/1166, Robert, Viceroy [Regent] of England while King Henry II was absent.

1166, Robert of Leicester, held 157 knights’ fees in England and Wales. (S) War, Government and Aristocracy in the British Isles, Given-Wilson, 2008, P15. [Assessed on the aid of marrying the King’s daughter.]

1167, Robert, Regent of England while King Henry II was absent [in Normandy confronting King Louis.]

5/18/1167, Simon, dedicated abbot of St. Alban’s in the presence of Robert, earl of Leicester.

4/5/1168, Robert “Bossu” died; buried at St. Mary de Pratis, Leicester abbey, England.

8/31/1168, Amice died as a nun at the convent of Nun-eaton, Warwickshire.

(S) Court, Household, and Itinerary of King Henry II, Eyton, 1878. (S) King Stephen, King, 2011. (S) Beaumont Twins, Crouch, 2008.

Children of Robert and Amice:

i. Isabel de Beaumont (486787859), born 1121 in France.

ii. Hawise de Beaumont (79958115), born ~1130 in Leicester,England.  

iii. Margaret de Beaumont (79638587), born ~1132 in Leicester,England.

iv. Robert de Beaumont (79958026), born ~1134 in Leicester,England.

v. Amicia de Beaumont (79958023), born ~1135 in Leicester,England.