Army of Robert Curthose on the First Crusade

The Army of Robert Curthose of Normandy was led by Robert, Duke of Normandy, the eldest son of William the Conqueror. In 1096, Robert’s army left for the Holy Land on the First Crusade. He was reportedly so poor that he often had to stay in bed for lack of clothes. In order to raise money for the crusade he mortgaged his duchy to his brother William. His army joined the contingent of Robert II, Count of Flanders, and Stephen, Count of Blois.

The known members of the army, mostly from Normandy and England, included the ones listed below, as reported in histories of the First Crusade. Unless otherwise noted, references are to the on-line database of Riley-Smith, et al.,[1] and the hyperlinks therein provide details including original sources. The names below are also referenced in the Riley-Smith tome, Appendix I: Preliminary List of Crusaders.[2] Those references are not shown unless they appear elsewhere in the text of the book. Articles that are hyperlinked to a more detailed article in this encyclopædia rely on the latter for references.

Household and Clergy

According to Rinciman, the number of non-combatants in a Crusader army was less than 25%. Those who are known include:

Nobles, Knights and other Soldiers

Among the nobles, knights and other combatants in the army of Robert were:

The Relationship with Other Armies

It is believed that Robert’s army was the same size as the army of Godfrey of Bouillon. In addition, after Hugh the Great abandoned the Holy Land, approximately 100 knights under his command joined Robert’s army.[17]

Sources

  • Riley-Smith, Jonathan, The First Crusaders, 1095-1131, Cambridge University Press, London, 1997
  • Runciman, Steven, A History of the Crusades, Volume One: The First Crusade and the Foundation of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, Cambridge University Press, London, 1951
  • Bury, J. B., Editor, The Cambridge Medieval History, Volume III: Germany and the Western Empire, Cambridge University Press, London, 1922
  • Prof. J. S. C. Riley-Smith, Prof. Jonathan Phillips, Dr. Alan V. Murray, Dr. Guy Perry, Dr. Nicholas Morton, A Database of Crusaders to the Holy Land, 1099-1149 (available on-line)
  • David, C. W., Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, Harvard Historical Studies, 25, Cambridge, 1920.

References

  1. "The Army of Robert Curhose".
  2. Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The First Crusaders. pp. 196–246.
  3. Runciman, Steven. A History of the Crusades, Volume One. pp. 115, fn 1.
  4. Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The First Crusaders. pp. 92–93.
  5. Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The First Crusaders. p. 86.
  6. Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The First Crusaders. p. 90.
  7. Runciman, Steven. A History of the Crusades, Volume One. pp. 277, 315.
  8. Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The First Crusaders. pp. 83, 92–3, 200.
  9. Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The First Crusaders. pp. 92, 225.
  10. "Vicomtes du Bessin (Bayeux)". Archived from the original on 2008-05-08.
  11. Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The First Crusaders. pp. 91, 94.
  12. Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The First Crusaders. pp. 234, 238.
  13. Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The First Crusaders. p. 166.
  14. Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The First Crusaders. pp. 92, 158, 166, 231.
  15. Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The First Crusaders. pp. 101, 221.
  16. Riley-Smith, Jonathan. The First Crusaders. pp. 92, 225.
  17. Runciman, Steven. A History of the Crusades, Volume One. pp. 336–341.
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