And don't forget his mother, the charming Mabel Talvas.
Merilyn Pedrick
My notes below (unsourced, sorry) on her say:
"We have already heard of William Talvas, the Lord of Belesme, who cursed
the Conqueror in his cradle (vide p. 9, ante). Roger de Montgomeri married,
in 1048, Mabel, the daughter of that William, and niece of Ivo de Belesme,
Bishop of Séez from 1035 to 1070. By this match he acquired a large portion
of the domains of his father-in-law, and by the advice of Bishop lvo, his
wife's uncle, transferred the Church of St. Martin of Séez to Theodoric,
Abbot of St. Evroult, and, in conjunction with his wife, earnestly entreated
the Bishop to erect a monastery there, which it appears he did. Now this
Mabel, the chronicler tells us, was both powerful and politic, shrewd and
fluent, but extremely cruel. Still she had a high regard for the excellent
Theodoric, and in some things submitted to his admonitions, although in
general averse to religious men.
"This lady," he subsequently tells us, "maliciously caused many troubles to
the monks of St. Evroult, on account of the hatred she bore to the family of
Giroie, founders of that abbey, but as her husband, Roger de Montgomeri,
loved and honoured the monks, she did not venture to exhibit any open signs
of her vindictive feeling. She therefore made the abbey her frequent resort,
attended by numerous bands of armed retamers, under pretence of claiming the
hospitality of the brotherhood, but to their great oppression, in
consequence of their poverty through the barrenness of their land. At one
time, when she had taken up her abode at the abbey with a hundred
men-at-arms, and was remonstrated with by Abbot Theodoric on the sinful
absurdity of coming with such a splendid retinue to the dwelling of poor
anchorites, she exclaimed, in great wrath, 'When I come again my followers
shall be still more numerous!' The abbot replied, 'Trust me, unless you
repent of this iniquity, you will suffer what will be very painful to you.'
And so it happened, for the very night following she was attacked by a
disorder which caused her great suffering. Upon this she gave instant orders
for being carried forth from the abbey, and flying in a state of alarm from
the territory of St. Evroult, passed by the dwelling of a certain farmer
named Roger Suissar, whose newly-born child she stopped for a few moments to
suckle, with a hope of obtaining relief. It caused her severe pain at the
time, but she reached home, we are told, completely restored to health, the
unfortunate infant dying shortly afterwards."
Of course the honest monk who believes "each strange tale devoutly true" has
no suspicion that the abbot took care that his prophecy should be fulfilled,
and gave the very inconvenient visitor a dose which would not kill her, but
cure her of coming to the abbey. The death of the baby, if it did die, was a
coincidence too tempting not to be made the most of.
In 1063 Arnould d'Eschafour, son of William Giroie, the founder of the Abbey
of St. Evroult, against whose family a deadly hatred had been continually
cherished by that of Belesme, and who by the machinations of Mabel had been
banished Normandy, presented himself at the Court of the Duke, and offering
him a magnificent mantle, humbly entreated that his inheritance might he
restored to him. The Duke, at that moment being in want of brave soldiers
for his wars with the Manceaux and the Bretons, with his usual policy
accepted the gift, and promised to restore him his estates (the greater
proportion of which Mabel had contrived to obtain for her husband), giving
him meanwhile free passage through his territories for a limited time.
Returning from the Court in company with Gilbert de Montgomeri, brother of
Roger, he stopped at his Castle of Eschafour, then in the possession of
Roger and Mabel, whose attendants pressed him earnestly to partake of some
refreshments their lady had ordered them to set before him. He had, however,
received from a friend a hint of some treachery, and remembering the warning
steadily refused to touch either the meat or the wine. Gilbert, who had
ridden there with him, quite unconscious of the foul design, took a cup
without dismounting from his horse, and draining its poisoned contents, died
three days afterwards at Remalord. Thus, observes Orderic, this perfidious
woman, attempting to destroy her husband's rival, caused the death of his
only surviving brother, who was in the flower of his youth, and much
distinguished for his chivalrous gallantry. Foiled in this attempt, she
shortly afterwards made another, as deadly and unfortunately more successful
By means of entreaties and promises she induced Roger Gulafre, the
chamberlain of Arnould, to become the instrument of her murderous designs.
Arnould being at Gourville, near Châtres, with his relatives, Giroie de
Courville and William, surnamed Gouet de Montmirail, the traitor Gulafre
took an opportunity of serving to his master and the other two nobles the
poisoned beverage he had received from Mabel: Giroie and William de
Montmirail survived the effects of the poison, but Arnould, after
languishing for some days, expired on the 1st of January, 1064. After his
decease the great family of Giroie gradually fell to decay, and for
twenty-six years their lands remained in the possession of that of
Montgomeri.
A truly terrible fate, however, awaited this infamous woman, who, according
to the chronicler, had caused many great lords to be disinherited and to beg
their bread in foreign lands. Amongst her victims was Hugh de la Roche d'lgé
in the Canton de Belesme, from whom she had wrested his castle on the rock,
and had deprived of the inheritance of the lands of his fathers. In the
extremity of his distress he undertook a desperate enterprise. With the
assistance of his three brothers, men of undaunted courage, he forced an
entry by night into the chamber of the Countess (for such was her rank at
that time) at a place called Bures, on the Dive, near Froarn, and severed
her head from her body as she lay in bed after having taken a bath. Their
vengeance satiated, they lost no time in making good their retreat. Hugh de
Montgomeri, her second son, who was in the castle with sixteen men-at-arms,
on hearing of his mother's murder, instantly took horse and pursued the
assassins, but was unable to overtake them, as they had taken the precaution
to break down behind them the bridges over the rivers, which, being flooded
and the night dark, presented such obstacles in the way of the pursuers that
the four brothers succeeded in crossing the frontiers of Normandy, and took
unmolested the road to Apulia.
Mabel was buried at Froarn on the 5th of December, 1082, Durandus being at
that time the abbot who disgraced himself by causing a fulsome epitaph,
preserved by Orderic, to be inscribed on the tomb of a detestable murderess.
-------
From: SomersetSue
Date: 09/05/07 19:40:16
To:
gen-medieval@rootsweb.com
Subject: Re: Most Villainous Mediaeval Villain
If looking for a medieval nasty who wasn't royal then Robert de
Belleme is a good candidate.
He was sadistic and cruel. He enjoyed torturing captives and is said
to have gouged out the eyes of his own young godson with his bare
hands when the child's father annoyed him.
He's also an ancestor of a lot of people who know their medieval
ancestry including me.
Sue
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