Robert `Curthose’, Duke of Normandy [c.1050-1134]
Title Details

352 Pages

23.4 x 15.6 cm

4 line illus.

Imprint: Boydell Press

Robert `Curthose', Duke of Normandy [c.1050-1134]

by William M. Aird

  • Description
  • Reviews
The acclaimed biography of the eldest son of William the Conqueror, whose failure to secure the kingdom of England has overshadowed his role in capturing Jerusalem during the First Crusade.

This detailed biography offers a reappraisal of the career of Robert Curthose, William the Conqueror's eldest son and duke of Normandy from 1087 to 1106, locating the duke's career in the social, cultural and political context ofthe period. Robert's relationship with members of his family shaped the political landscape of England and Normandy for much of the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries: indeed, even after his incarceration, from 1106 to 1134, his son William Clito (d. 1128) continued the fight against Robert's brother, Henry I. Twice driven into exile, Robert defeated his father in battle and eventually succeeded to the duchy of Normandy, although the throne of England was seized by William Rufus and then Henry I. For twenty years Robert successfully defended Normandy, developing policies to counter the vastly superior English resources at the disposal of his brothers. Robert's leading role in the success of the First Crusade [1095-99] also made him one of the most famous warriors of his age. He returned to Western Europe in 1100, a chivalric hero with a reputation that stretched from Scotland to Palestine. This bookreturns Robert Curthose to centre stage in the bloody drama of this period, a drama so often dominated by accounts from a royal and English perspective.

Dr William M. Aird is Lecturer in History, School of History, Classics and Archaeology, University of Edinburgh.
"Aird's tour de force is a deft reconstruction of complex events and their significance. . This absorbing book . stands on its own, not as a rejoinder to influential writers of the past, but as the standard source for the life of Robert Curthose and of Normandy." H-FRANCE vol. 12 2012
"Book which every Anglo-Norman historian and historian of the crusades will now need to read as the authoritative account." JOURNAL OF HISTORICAL BIOGRAPHY
"A detailed biography [...] highly recommended." MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW
"Offer fresh insights into French politics and society in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries." ENGLISH HISTORICAL REVIEW
"A book which every Anglo-Norman historian and historian of the crusades will now need to read as the authoritative account of a man who may have been more competent and more important than we thought." JOURNAL OF HISTORICAL BIOGRAPHY
"Will meet the needs for decades to come of those seeking a biography of Robert Curthose. It is clearly written and thoroughly documented." SPECULUM
"Dr Aird has done a great service to Anglo-Norman history in this fresh and comprehensive look at a neglected and misinterpreted career." MEDIEVAL REVIEW

Paperback

9781843836605

May 2011

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Ebook (EPDF)

9781846156717

October 2008

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$24.95 / £19.99

Ebook (EPUB)

9781782044529

October 2008

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Title Details

352 Pages

2.34 x 1.56 cm

4 line illus.

Imprint: Boydell Press