Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester
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Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester, Count of Meulan (1040/50-5 June 1118) was a powerful Norman nobleman, one of the Companions of William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest of England, and was revered as one of the wisest men of his age. Chroniclers spoke highly of his eloquence, his learning, and three kings of England valued his counsel.
Origins [edit]
He was born between 1040-1050, the eldest son of Roger de Beaumont (1015-1094) by his wife Adeline of Meulan (d.1081), a daughter of Waleran III, Count de Meulan, and was an older brother of Henry de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Warwick (c.1050-1119)
Fights at Battle of Hastings [edit]
Robert de Beaumont was one of only about 15 of the Proven Companions of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, and was leader of the infantry on the right wing of the Norman army, as evidenced in the following near contemporary account by William of Poitiers:
"A certain Norman, Robert, son of Roger of Beaumont, being nephew and heir to Henry, Count of Meulan, through Henry's sister Adeline, found himself that day in battle for the first time. He was as yet but a young man and he performed feats of valour worthy of perpetual remembrance. At the head of a troop which he commanded on the right wing he attacked with the utmost bravery and success".[1]
His service earned him the grant of more than 91 English manors confiscated from the defeated English, as listed in the Domesday Book of 1086.
Inheritance [edit]
When his mother died in 1081, Robert inherited the title of Count of Meulan in Normandy, and the title, Viscount Ivry and Lord of Norton. He paid homage to King Philip I of France for these estates and sat as a French Peer in the Parliament held at Poissy.
Career [edit]
He and his brother Henry were members of the Royal hunting party in the New Forest in Hampshire when King William II Rufus (1087-1100) was shot dead accidentally by an arrow on 2 August 1100. He pledged allegiance to William II's brother, King Henry I (1100-1135), who created him Earl of Leicester in 1107.
Loss of Normandy lands [edit]

William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey (died 1138) was the son of William de Warenne, 1st Earl of Surrey and his first wife Gundred. He is more often referred to as Earl Warenne or Earl of Warenne than as Earl of Surrey.
In January 1091, William assisted Hugh of Grantmesnil (d.1094) in his defense of Courcy against the forces of Robert de Belleme and Duke Robert.[1]
Sometime around 1093 he tried to marry Matilda (or Edith), daughter of king Malcolm III of Scotland. She instead married Henry I of England, and this may be the cause of William's great dislike of Henry I, which was to be his apparent motivator in the following years.
He accompanied Robert Curthose (Duke Robert) in his 1101 invasion of England, and afterwards lost his English lands and titles and was exiled to Normandy.[2] There he complained to Curthose that he expended great effort on the duke's behalf and had in return lost most of his possessions. Curthose's return to England in 1103 was apparently made to convince his brother to restore William's earldom. This was successful, though Curthose had to give up all he had received after the 1101 invasion, and subsequently William was loyal to Henry.
To further insure William's loyalty Henry considered marrying him to one of his many illegitimate daughters. He was however dissuaded by Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury, for any of the daughters would have been within the prohibited degrees of consanguinity. The precise nature of the consanguineous relationship Anselm had in mind has been much debated, but it is most likely he was referring to common descent from the father of duchess Gunnor.
William was one of the commanders on Henry's side (against Robert Curthose) at the Battle of Tinchebray in 1106. Afterwards, with his loyalty thus proven, he became more prominent in Henry's court.
In 1110, Curthose's son William Clito escaped along with Helias of Saint-Saens, and afterwards Warenne received the forfeited Saint-Saens lands, which were very near his own in upper Normandy. By this maneuver king Henry further assured his loyalty, for the successful return of Clito would mean at the very least Warenne's loss of this new territory.
He fought at the Battle of Bremule in 1119,[3] and was at Henry's deathbed in 1135.
William's death is recorded as 11-May-1138 in the register of Lewes priory and he was buried with his father at the chapter-house there.