Roger I of Mortemer (Roger ''de Mortemer'', Roger ''de Mortimer'', Roger ''Mortimer'') (fl.1054
[''Dictionary of National Biography'', Vol. 39, ''Mortimer'' p. 130] - aft. 1078), founded the abbey of
St. Victor en Caux[Burke, J. ''A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerages of England'', 1831, p. 371] in the
Pays de Caux
The Pays de Caux (, , literally ''Land of Caux'') is an area in Normandy occupying the greater part of the French ''département'' of Seine Maritime in Normandy. It is a chalk plateau to the north of the Seine Estuary and extending to the cliffs ...
of
Upper Normandy
Upper Normandy (french: Haute-Normandie, ; nrf, Ĥâote-Normaundie) is a former administrative region of France. On 1 January 2016, Upper and Lower Normandy merged becoming one region called Normandy.
History
It was created in 1956 from two d ...
as early as 1074 CE.
[J. R. Planché, 1868, p. 24] Roger claimed the castle of
Wigmore, Herefordshire
Wigmore is a village and civil parish in the northwest part of the county of Herefordshire, England. It is located on the A4110 road, about west of the town of Ludlow, in the Welsh Marches. In earlier times, it was also an administrative dis ...
that was built by
William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford
William FitzOsbern, 1st Earl of Hereford, Lord of Breteuil ( 1011 – 22 February 1071), was a relative and close counsellor of William the Conqueror and one of the great magnates of early Norman England. FitzOsbern was created Earl of Hereford ...
. This castle became the chief barony of Roger's descendants.
[J. R. Planché, 1868, p. 23] He was the first
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 ...
ancestor to assume the name
Mortimer
Mortimer () is an English surname, and occasionally a given name.
Norman origins
The surname Mortimer has a Norman origin, deriving from the village of Mortemer, Seine-Maritime, Normandy. A Norman castle existed at Mortemer from an early point; ...
,
as in the place-name ''Mortemer-en-Brai'', the land on which the village and castle was located.
Background
Castle in Mortemer
In 1054, the territory of
Évreux
Évreux () is a commune in and the capital of the department of Eure, in the French region of Normandy.
Geography
The city is on the Iton river.
Climate
History
In late Antiquity, the town, attested in the fourth century CE, was named ...
was invaded by French armies led by Odo, the brother of King
Henry I of France
Henry I (4 May 1008 – 4 August 1060) was King of the Franks from 1031 to 1060. The royal demesne of France reached its smallest size during his reign, and for this reason he is often seen as emblematic of the weakness of the early Capetians. Th ...
.
In response,
Duke William II of
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
sent his general Roger "fili Episcopi", along with other commanders, to oppose Odo’s forces. They met at the castle in
Mortemer, Seine-Maritime
Mortemer is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France.
Geography
Mortemer is a small forestry and farming village situated in the valley of the river Eaulne in the Pays de Bray, some southeast of Dieppe ...
where the
battle of Mortemer
The Battle of Mortemer was a defeat for Henry I of France when he led an army against his vassal, William the Bastard, Duke of Normandy in 1054. William was eventually to become known as William the Conqueror after his successful invasion and c ...
ensued. Roger was victorious against Odo, with
Guy Comte de Ponthieu taken prisoner. Roger then took possession of the castle in Mortemer and assumed its name. However, his hold on the property was short lived due to a breach of duty to Duke William.
Roger had entertained an enemy of the Duke,
who was a French operative known as Count Ralph III “the Great”.
Count Ralph was Roger’s father-in-law,
[J. R. Planché, 1868, p. 25] and thus gave the Count shelter for three days at his castle in Mortemer until he was able to safely return to his own territories. Upon discovering the news that Roger was providing safe haven for an enemy, Duke William banished Roger from Normandy and confiscated his possessions, giving them to his nephew,
William de Warenne.
Eventually, Roger was pardoned by the Duke, but was never able to retain the castle in Mortemer. It wasn’t until Roger’s son, Ranulph de Mortemer, was able to repossess the property by grant of Duke William. He is last seen in a document dated between 1078 and 1080.
[C. P. Lewis, "Mortimer, Ralph (I) de", ''Oxford ]Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'', online
Family
The origin of Roger of Mortemer has been subject to much scholarly debate. Only two early sources provide information. ''
Orderic Vitalis
Orderic Vitalis ( la, Ordericus Vitalis; 16 February 1075 – ) was an English chronicler and Benedictine monk who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th- and 12th-century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England. Modern historia ...
'' calls
William de Warenne ''consanguineo ejus'' (his cousin/kinsman), while
Robert de Torigny
Robert of Torigni (also known as Roburtus de Monte) (c. 1110–1186) was a Norman monk, prior, abbot and twelfth century chronicler.
Religious life
Robert was born at Torigni-sur-Vire, Normandy c. 1110 most probably to an aristocratic family b ...
confusingly provides three different versions of his parentage that, though inconsistent, all make him either brother or son, of
William de Warenne. Historian
Thomas Stapleton would identify him with Roger ''filius Episcopi'' (bishop's son), who was child of Hugh, bishop of
Coutances
Coutances () is a Communes of France, commune in the Manche Departments of France, department in Normandy (administrative region), Normandy in north-western France.
History
Capital of the Unelli, a Gauls, Gaulish tribe, the town was given the n ...
, and he makes Rodulf de Warenne another son of Hugh, thus making Roger de Mortimer uncle of William de Warenne.
However, L.C. Loyd showed that the two Rogers were distinct, and that Radulf, though related to Roger ''filius Episcopi'', was not his brother. Loyd points to a ''Rogeri filii Radulfi de Warethna'' (Roger, son of Rodulf de Warenne) who appears in a pair of charters from the 1040s. Loyd was hesitant to connect them because William de Warenne was thought to have been son of this Rodulf, but evidence indicates he was not Roger's brother.
[L.C. Loyd, "A Note on the Relationship of the Families of Mortimer and Warenne", ''The New ]Complete Peerage
''The Complete Peerage'' (full title: ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant''; first edition by George Edward Cokayne, Clarenceux King of Arms; 2nd edition revis ...
'', vol. 9, Appendix A, pp. 3-7
Katherine Keats-Rohan concluded that two Rodulfs were mistakenly combined into one, and that Roger was son of Rodulf (I) de Warenne and his wife Beatrice, while William de Warenne was his nephew, son of Rodulf (II) and Emma, and as this removes many of Loyd's concerns, she identifies Roger de Mortimer with Roger, son of Rodulf.
[K. S. B. Keats-Rohan, "Aspects of Torigny's Genealogy Revisited", ''Nottingham Medieval Studies'' 37: 21–27] C.P. Lewis calls this hypothesis the "most plausible" solution.
Robert de Torigny called Roger's mother, who is not named, one of the nieces of
Gunnor
Gunnor or Gunnora ( – ) was Duchess of Normandy by marriage to Richard I of Normandy, having previously been his long-time mistress. She functioned as regent of Normandy during the absence of her spouse, as well as the adviser to him and later t ...
, Duchess of Normandy. This would seemingly make Beatrice that niece. Keats-Rohan identifies her with a later widow, Beatrice, daughter of Tesselin, vicomte of Rouen.
Roger married Hadewisa, a Lady who inherited the
Mers-les-Bains
Mers-les-Bains () is a commune in the Somme department in Hauts-de-France in northern France.
Geography
The commune is situated on the D1015 road, some west of Abbeville, Mers-les-Bains faces the English Channel near the mouth of the river ...
on the river mouth of
Bresle and the district of
Vimeu. Her father might have been
Ralph III "The Great", Count of
Amiens
Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...
.
Roger and Hadewisa had at least three children:
Ranulph, Hugh, and William.
References
* Planché, J.R. ''On the Genealogy and Armorial Bearings of the Family of Mortimer'', Journal of the British Archaeological Association, 1868, p. 21-27
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roger of Mortemer
11th-century Normans