Robert Capellanus ("Robert the Chaplain"; died c. 1249), was a chaplain of King

William I of Scotland William the Lion, sometimes styled William I and also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough"''Uilleam Garbh''; e.g. Annals of Ulster, s.a. 1214.6; Annals of Loch Cé, s.a. 1213.10. ( 1142 – 4 December 1214), reigned as King of Scots from 11 ...

and afterwards, Bishop of Ross (1214–1249). On 25 February 1213, he witnessed a confirmation of the properties of

Arbroath Abbey Arbroath Abbey, in the Scottish town of Arbroath, was founded in 1178 by King William the Lion for a group of Tironensian Benedictine monks from Kelso Abbey. It was consecrated in 1197 with a dedication to the deceased Saint Thomas Becket, who ...

as ''Roberto Capellano domini regis'', "Robert Chaplain of the lord king". King William had had another chaplain called Robert who became Archdeacon of Glasgow 1195 × 1196, but although neither used surnames, it is certain that they were not the same men. It would probably be possible to know more about Robert if he had used a surname, but as it happens his details are lost in those large number of

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

and

Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to: *Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066 * Anglo-Norman language **Anglo-Norman literature * Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...

incomers in William's reign using that name. After reporting the death of the previous Bishop of Ross, Reinald Macer, the ''

Chronicle of Melrose The ''Chronicle of Melrose'' is a medieval chronicle from the Cottonian Manuscript, Faustina B. ix within the British Museum. It was written by unknown authors, though evidence in the writing shows that it most likely was written by the monks at ...

'' related that:

Andreas de Moravia Andreas de Moravia (or Andrew of Moray) was a 13th-century Scottish bishop. He was a younger son of Hugh de Moravia, from the family of Flemish origin who were lords of Duffus and other areas in the Greater Moray region in this period. In the t ...

's refusal to accept his own election had led thus to the elevation of the king's chaplain. This election occurred before the death of King William on 4 December 1214.Dowden, ''Bishops'', p. 211; Watt, ''Fasti Ecclesiae'', p. 266. Robert's name occurred as "bishop-elect" on 17 February 1215, but he is a consecrated bishop by 7 July, meaning he had received consecration between these respective dates.Watt, ''Fasti Ecclesiae'', p. 266. Robert appeared on various documents during the reign of King

Alexander II of Scotland Alexander II ( Medieval Gaelic: '; Modern Gaelic: '; 24 August 1198 – 6 July 1249) was King of Scotland from 1214 until his death. He concluded the Treaty of York (1237) which defined the boundary between England and Scotland, virtually un ...

; he appeared on 30 March 1226, again on 1 February 1227, and on 30 June 1228.

Pope Gregory IX Pope Gregory IX ( la, Gregorius IX; born Ugolino di Conti; c. 1145 or before 1170 – 22 August 1241) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 March 1227 until his death in 1241. He is known for issuing the '' Decre ...

issued, on 29 May 1235, Robert the authority to increase the number of

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

prebends, augment existing prebends and expand his cathedral.Anderson, vol. ii, p. 394, n. 3; Watt, ''Fasti Ecclesiae'', p. 266. This mandate was repeated, in an expanded form, in 1256, for his successor. According to Professor Donald Watt, it may have been this bishop rather than Robert II whom Bower remembered as the builder of Ross cathedral. Robert Capellanus appears to have died in 1249.

Notes

References

* Anderson, Alan Orr, ''Early Sources of Scottish History'', 2 vols, (Edinburgh, 1922) * Barrow, G. W. S. (ed.), ''The Acts of William I'' (''Regesta Regum Scottorum'' vol. ii), (Edinburgh, 1971) * Dowden, John, ''The Bishops of Scotland'', ed. J. Maitland Thomson, (Glasgow, 1912) * Stevenson, Joseph (ed.), ''Chronica de Mailros; E Codice Unico in Biblioteca Cottoniana Servato, Nunc Iterum in Lucem Edita. Notulis Indiceque Aucta.'', (Edinburgh, 1835) * Watt, D. E. R., ''Fasti Ecclesiae Scotinanae Medii Aevi ad annum 1638'', 2nd Draft, (St Andrews, 1969) {{DEFAULTSORT:Robert 01 12th-century births 1249 deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death uncertain Bishops of Ross (Scotland) Scoto-Normans 13th-century Scottish Roman Catholic bishops