Robert II of Normandy (1051-3 February 1134), also known as Robert Curthose, was the Duke of Normandy from 1087 to 1106. The second son of King William the Conqueror of England and Matilda of Flanders, Robert made an unsuccessful claim to the kingdom of England and was defeated by his nephew Henry I of England in 1106 in the Battle of Tinchebray.
Biography[]
Robert at Rennes
Robert was the second son of King William the Conqueror of England (and Duke of Normandy) and Matilda of Flanders, the younger sibling of Prince Rufus, and the older sibling of Cecilia of Normandy. In 1082, Robert was sent by his father to campaign against rebel strongholds in France, capturing Rennes and conquering the Duchy of Brittany for Normandy. In 1100 he captured Bordeaux in Aquitaine, giving England control of both northern and western France.
Upon his father's death in 1087, Robert became Duke of Normandy as "Robert III". His older brother Rufus became King William II of England, dividing the former personal union that King William I had founded in 1066. Robert took part in the unsuccessful rebellion of 1088 against King Rufus, and he was confined to his realm back in Normandy, where he learned to appreciate the pace. However, when his nephew became King Henry I of England after assassinating Rufus in 1100, Robert made a claim to England as the brother of the late Rufus. In 1106, Robert was defeated in the Battle of Tinchebray in Normandy, crushing his revolt. He was stripped of his titles after his defeat, and he died in 1134.