Roger the Poitevin
Encyclopedia
Roger the Poitevin was born in Normandy
in the mid-1060s and died before 1140 . He was an Anglo-Norman
aristocrat, who possessed large holdings in both England
and through his marriage in France
.
He was the third son of Roger of Montgomery, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and Mabel of Bellême
. The appellation "the Poitevin" was for his marriage to an heiress from Poitou
.
Roger acquired a great lordship in England, with lands in Salfordshire
, Essex
, Suffolk
, Nottinghamshire
, Derbyshire
, Lincolnshire
and Hampshire
. The principal part of the Lordship was in what was then called inter Mersam et Ripam, that is, "between the Mersey
and the Ribble
" and is now part of divided into Lancashire, Merseyside, and Greater Manchester. After 1090, he also assumed the title 1st Lord of Bowland.
Before 1086, he had married Almodis, daughter of Count Aldebert II of La Marche
in Poitou, and sister and presumptive heiress of count Boso III who was childless and unmarried.
In 1092 Roger acquired a large part of what is now north 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 Morecambe Bay
, Roger also assumed authority over the regions of Furness
and Cartmel
; these remained a part of Lancashire until as recently as 1974. The expansion of Roger's lands followed his support of King William II Rufus
's invasion of Cumbria in AD1092, where Dolfin of Dunbar probably ruled as a vassal of Scottish King Malcolm Canmore. Dolfin was driven out and the Anglo-Scottish border was established north of Carlisle.
Roger also acquired the great honour
of Eye
centered in Suffolk
.
Roger's father Roger de Montgomery died in 1094.
In 1094 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. Though Philip I was an ally of 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. Roger did not lose his English lands as a result of this action but held no position in Rufus' government from this point. 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.
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 though did not recover his earlier English holdings. After ca. 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.
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
in the mid-1060s and died before 1140 . He was an Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
aristocrat, who possessed large holdings in both England
Kingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
and through his marriage in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
He was the third son of Roger of Montgomery, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and Mabel of Bellême
Bellême
Bellême is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.-Location:At the heart of the Parc Naturel Régional du Perche, two hours from Paris, Bellême, situated in the Department of the Orne, is a paradise for lovers of nature and tranquil countryside...
. The appellation "the Poitevin" was for his marriage to an heiress from Poitou
Poitou
Poitou was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers.The region of Poitou was called Thifalia in the sixth century....
.
Roger acquired a great lordship in England, with lands in Salfordshire
Salford (hundred)
The hundred of Salford was an ancient division of the historic county of Lancashire, in Northern England. It was sometimes known as Salfordshire, the name alluding to its judicial centre being the township of Salford...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
and Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
. The principal part of the Lordship was in what was then called inter Mersam et Ripam, that is, "between the Mersey
Mersey
Mersey may refer to:* River Mersey, in northwest England* Mersea Island, off the coast of Essex in England * Mersey River in the Australian state* Electoral division of Mersey in the state of Tasmania, Australian...
and the Ribble
River Ribble
The River Ribble is a river that runs through North Yorkshire and Lancashire, in northern England. The river's drainage basin also includes parts of Greater Manchester around Wigan.-Geography:...
" and is now part of divided into Lancashire, Merseyside, and Greater Manchester. After 1090, he also assumed the title 1st Lord of Bowland.
Before 1086, he had married Almodis, daughter of Count Aldebert II of La Marche
County of Marche
The County of Marche was a medieval French county, approximately corresponding to the modern département of Creuse.Marche first appeared as a separate fief about the middle of the 10th century, when William III, Duke of Aquitaine, gave it to one of his vassals named Boso, who took the title of...
in Poitou, and sister and presumptive heiress of count Boso III 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.In 1092 Roger acquired a large part of what is now north Lancashire. These grants gave Roger effective control of all the lands north of the River Ribble to the River Lune
River Lune
The River Lune is a river in Cumbria and Lancashire, England.It is formed at Wath, in the parish of Ravenstonedale, Cumbria, at the confluence of Sandwath Beck and Weasdale Beck...
, which formed a natural border between the secure Norman lands in England and the strongly contested Scottish frontier lands in Cumberland
Cumberland
Cumberland is a historic county of North West England, on the border with Scotland, from the 12th century until 1974. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974 and now forms part of Cumbria....
. Due to long established lines of communication across Morecambe Bay
Morecambe Bay
Morecambe Bay is a large bay in northwest England, nearly due east of the Isle of Man and just to the south of the Lake District National Park. It is the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sand in the United Kingdom, covering a total area of 310 km².-Natural features:The rivers Leven,...
, Roger also assumed authority over the regions of Furness
Furness
Furness is a peninsula in south Cumbria, England. At its widest extent, it is considered to cover the whole of North Lonsdale, that part of the Lonsdale hundred that is an exclave of the historic county of Lancashire, lying to the north of Morecambe Bay....
and Cartmel
Cartmel
Cartmel is a village in Cumbria, England, situated north-west of Grange-over-Sands and close to the River Eea. Historically it was in Lancashire; boundary changes brought it into the newly created county of Cumbria in 1974, yet keeping it within the boundaries of the traditional County Palatine...
; these remained a part of Lancashire until as recently as 1974. The expansion of Roger's lands followed his support of King William II Rufus
William II of England
William II , the third son of William I of England, was King of England from 1087 until 1100, with powers over Normandy, and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales...
's invasion of Cumbria in AD1092, where Dolfin of Dunbar probably ruled as a vassal of Scottish King Malcolm Canmore. Dolfin was driven out and the Anglo-Scottish border was established north of Carlisle.
Roger also acquired the great honour
Honour
Honour or honor is an abstract concept entailing a perceived quality of worthiness and respectability that affects both the social standing and the self-evaluation of an individual or corporate body such as a family, school, regiment or nation...
of Eye
Eye, Suffolk
Eye is a small market town in the county of Suffolk, East Anglia, England, south of Diss, and on the River Dove.Eye is twinned with the town of Pouzauges in the Vendée Departement of France.-History:An island...
centered in Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
.
1088 and after
In 1088 he led a military force 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.Roger's father Roger de Montgomery died in 1094.
In 1094 Rufus sent Roger to hold the castle at Argentan
Argentan
Argentan is a commune, and the seat of two cantons and of an arrondissement in the Orne department in north-western France.Argentan is located NE of Rennes, ENE of the Mont Saint-Michel, SE of Cherbourg, SSE of Caen, SW of Rouen and N of Le Mans....
in Normandy, but Roger surrendered it to Philip I of France
Philip I of France
Philip I , called the Amorous, was King of France from 1060 to his death. His reign, like that of most of the early Direct Capetians, was extraordinarily long for the time...
on the first day of the siege; Roger and his men were held for ransom and purchased their freedom. Though Philip I was an ally of 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. Roger did not lose his English lands as a result of this action but held no position in Rufus' government from this point. Roger continued to be loyal to Rufus but in 1102 joined his brothers' failed rebellion against Henry I of England
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
in favor of Robert Curthose. As a result Roger de Poitou lost his English holdings.
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 though did not recover his earlier English holdings. After ca. 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.
Offspring
The children of Roger and Almodis include:- Aldebert IV of La Marche
- Boso IV of La Marche
- Odo II of La Marche
- Pontia of La Marche, who married Wulgrin II of AngoulêmeWulgrin II of AngoulêmeWulgrin II , called Taillefer or Rudel, was the Count of Angoulême from 1120 to his death on 16 November 1140. He was a son of Count William Taillefer III....
- Avice de Lancaster
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