Robert Marmion (died 1144) was an Anglo-Norman baron and soldier who rose to prominence during the wars between King Stephen and the

Empress Matilda Empress Matilda ( 7 February 110210 September 1167), also known as the Empress Maude, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter of King Henry I of England, she moved to Germany as ...

Origins

From a Norman family originating at Fontenay-le-Marmion and born before 1108, he was the son and heir of Roger Marmion, who held lands in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

Career

After the death of his father shortly before November 1129, he gave away some of his inherited estates to the nuns of

Polesworth Abbey Polesworth Abbey was a Benedictine nunnery in Polesworth, North Warwickshire, England. Abbey It was founded in the 9th century by St. Modwena and King Egbert. The first abbess was Edgytha (daughter of King Egbert, now St. Editha). The site of t ...

and the monks of Bardney Abbey. He also entered into contention with

William Beauchamp Rev. E. William Beauchamp, CSC, J.D., was named the University of Portland's 19th president by the Board of Regents on November 20, 2003. He served in that capacity until 2012, at which time he began service for the provincial administration of t ...

over tenure of

Tamworth Castle Tamworth Castle, a Grade I listed building, is a Norman castle overlooking the mouth of the River Anker into the Tame in the town of Tamworth in Staffordshire, England. Before boundary changes in 1889, however, the castle was within the edge of ...

, where before 1135 he received a grant of

free warren A free warren—often simply warren—is a type of franchise or privilege conveyed by a sovereign in medieval England to an English subject, promising to hold them harmless for killing game of certain species within a stipulated area, u ...

from King

Henry I of England Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in ...

. Sources that call him 1st Baron of Tamworth are misleading, as no such claim is recognised by modern authorities. When

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

broke out in 1139, he rallied to the side of King Stephen and was sent to hold

Falaise Castle Falaise may refer to: Places * Falaise, Ardennes, France * Falaise, Calvados, France ** The Falaise pocket was the site of a battle in the Second World War * La Falaise, in the Yvelines ''département'', France * The Falaise escarpment in Quebe ...

in Normandy against attack from Matilda's husband,

Geoffrey of Anjou Geoffrey V (24 August 1113 – 7 September 1151), called the Handsome, the Fair (french: link=no, le Bel) or Plantagenet, was the count of Anjou, Touraine and Maine by inheritance from 1129, and also Duke of Normandy by conquest from 1144. Hi ...

. He proved to be ''"a warlike man with no match for boldness, fierceness or cunning"'' and his successful defence led Geoffrey to destroy his ancestral castle of Fontenay in reprisal. Recalled to England, he was engaged in the assault on

Coventry Castle __NOTOC__ Coventry Castle () was a motte and bailey castle in the city of Coventry, England. It was demolished in the late 12th century and St Mary's Guildhall was built on part of the site. History Construction It was built in the early 12t ...

, held by the formidable

Ranulf II, Earl of Chester Ranulf II (also known as Ranulf de Gernon), 4th Earl of Chester (1099–1153), was an Anglo-Norman baron who inherited the honour of the palatine county of Chester upon the death of his father Ranulf le Meschin, 3rd Earl of Chester. He was d ...

. He expelled the monks from the nearby St Mary's Priory and made its stone buildings into a fortified base for launching attacks on the castle. He also had ditches dug in front of the priory to impede his opponents. When the earl arrived with a relieving force, on about 16 September 1144 Marmion went out with his men to confront them but was thrown from his horse. Upon landing in one of his ditches, he was immobilized by a broken thigh and beheaded by a common soldier. He was buried at Polesworth, in

unconsecrated ground In Christian countries a churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church, which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language and in both Scottish English and Ulster-Scots, this can also ...

as he had been

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...

for his desecration of St Mary's Priory.

Family

His wife was named Millicent, a relation of King Henry I's second wife Adeliza of Louvain. Some sources say she was the daughter of

Gervais, Count of Rethel Gervais, Count of Rethel (floruit, fl. 11th century) was a French archbishop and nobleman. He was the son of Count Hugh I, Count of Rethel, Hugh I and his wife Melisende of Crécy. He succeeded his father as Counts and dukes of Rethel, Count of Re ...

, elder brother of King

Baldwin II of Jerusalem Baldwin II, also known as Baldwin of Bourcq or Bourg (; – 21August 1131), was Count of Edessa from 1100 to 1118, and King of Jerusalem from 1118 until his death. He accompanied his cousins Godfrey of Bouillon and Baldwin of Boulogne to the ...

. After Robert's death, she married Richard Camville. Their son is given in some sources as Robert, who died before October 1181 and is supposed to be the father of a third

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, dead in 1218.

References

{{reflist 1100s births 1144 deaths 12th-century English people Medieval English knights Anglo-Normans Norman warriors