Death of Count Robert of Eu
After a six weeks' siege of Pevensey Castle, the garrison, worn out by hunger, capitulated, and Odo was taken prisoner. He subsequently broke the oath which he then made to leave the realm, and by a stratagem of the garrison at Rochester, succeeded in joining his party in Rochester Castle.
Florence of Worcester complains very bitterly of the duplicity of the Bishop of Durham in this rebellion. He states that the King, at the time of the conspiracy," was being guided by his (the Bishop's) sagacity, as if he were a trustworthy adviser, for he was of good counsel, and by his advice was the whole realm of England managed." After the close of the rebellion, and the discomfiture of Rufus's enemies, the Bishop was tried at Salisbury, Nov. 2nd, 1088. In the story of that trial (Simeon of Durham's Chronicle), entitled " The history of the unjust persecution of the first Bishop of Durham, inflicted by King William, the son of the great King William," it is sought to prove that the Bishop was always loyal, but was entrapped by his enemies, and thus, being convicted of treason, was banished. At the trial the Bishop pleaded among other things :-
- " I am ready before all these barons to purge myself from all crime and perjury, and to defend myself by every means in my power from the charge of having knowingly done, or intended to do, aught whatever to the injury of the King, in his person or in his lands ; nor have I in this respect pledged myself to any person, or received a pledge from any person : and the moment that I was aware of the injury which had been inflicted on him, I warned him thereof, on the very earliest opportunity I could do so : and I aided him faithfully against his enemies : and I am prepared to prove that all this I did according to law. I shall prove that Dover and Hastings (London also), which he had nearly lost, preserved their fidelity towards him through my means."
This passage is interesting, because it shows that throughout this rebellion Hastings Castle remained in the King's hands, no doubt being in the command of one of the King's constables.
Robert, Count of Eu, was still alive, but probably very little in England. Estancelin[1] mentions that he was one of those who listened to Rufus's speech at Winchester. He seems to have played an active part in the early stage of the dispute between Rufus and Robert of Normandy. Owing fealty to both in respect of his English and Norman estates, he, in common with the other nobles, found himself ina dilemma by reason of their dual allegiance. The Castle of Hastings was no doubt left to the protection of its royal garrison. In 1090, Robert, Count of Eu, appears to have fully transferred his allegiance to Rufus, for his Castle of Eu, together with other Norman castles, somehow came into the possession of Rufus, as the Peterborough Chronicle (1090) informs us " either by cunning or treason, and therein he (Rufus) lodged his knights."
According to Orderic Vitalis (B. VIII. c. 4, ix.), " Robert, Count d'Eu, and other nobles, with almost all who lived in the country beyond the Seine, as far as the sea, leagued themselves with the English, and were supplied by the King with large sums of money to enable them to fortify their residences and arm their vassals." Robert, Count of Eu, died shortly after this event, and although the date of his death is not known, it is generally believed to have taken place in the year 1090[2]. Philip, King of France, came to the assistance of his homager, Duke Robert -
- ↑ Histoire des Comtes d'Eu.
- ↑ (L' Art tie Verifier les Dates, vol. xii. p. 450.) His eldest son, Ralph, who witnessed with his brothers (William and Robert) his father's and mother's Foundation-Charter of Treport Abbey (Gallia Christiana, vol.xi. Inst. 68) in 1059, seems to have died without issue before his father.
