The Battle of Mortemer was a defeat for

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 ...

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 conquest of England.

Background

William the Bastard became Duke of Normandy as a boy. His reign did not start well, and he had to experience twenty years of internal strife. The chronicler

William of Jumièges William of Jumièges (born c. 1000 - died after 1070) (french: Guillaume de Jumièges) was a contemporary of the events of 1066, and one of the earliest writers on the subject of the Norman conquest of England. He is himself a shadowy figure, only ...

reported that the duke's guardian, his teacher and his steward were all killed by rebels. Members of William's extended family attempted to unseat him. In 1046 there was a rebellion led by

Guy of Burgundy Guy of Burgundy, also known as Guy of Brionne, was a member of the House of Ivrea with a claim to the Duchy of Normandy. He held extensive land from his cousin, Duke William the Bastard, but lost it following his unsuccessful rebellion in the late 1 ...

, William's cousin. William defeated the rebels at the Battle of Val-ès-Dunes in 1047, with the support of Henry I of France.

The battle

The French king had supported William at the Battle of Val-ès-Dunes, but in 1052 he decided to oppose William and led an alliance of French magnates against him. A large force under Odo, brother to the king, came from north-eastern France along with troops under Renaud, Count of Clermont, and

Guy, Count of Ponthieu Guy I of Ponthieu (also known in the Bayeux Tapestry as Wido) was born sometime in the mid- to late 1020s and died 13 October 1100. He succeeded his brother (or possibly father) Enguerrand as Count of Ponthieu. Life Guy was a son of Hugh II, C ...

. This second force entered Eastern Normandy and began widespread devastation. While Duke William faced off against the French king to the west of the Seine River, an allied force of Norman barons led by

Robert, Count of Eu Robert, Count of Eu and Lord of Hastings (d. between 1089-1093), son of William I, Count of Eu, and his wife Lesceline. Count of Eu and Lord of Hastings. Robert commanded 60 ships in the fleet supporting the landing of William I of England and t ...

Hugh of Gournay Hugh may refer to: *Hugh (given name) Noblemen and clergy French * Hugh the Great (died 956), Duke of the Franks * Hugh Magnus of France (1007–1025), co-King of France under his father, Robert II * Hugh, Duke of Alsace (died 895), modern-day ...

Walter Giffard Walter Giffard (April 1279) was Lord Chancellor of England and Archbishop of York. Family Giffard was a son of Hugh Giffard of Boyton in Wiltshire,Greenway Fasti Ecclesiae Anglicanae 1066–1300: Volume 6: York: Archbishops' a royal justice, ...

, Roger of Mortemer, and the young William de Warenne came out of their own lands to stop the incursion by Count Odo and Count Rainald. The French force was widely scattered in its depredations of rape and pillage in the Norman lands and was an easy target for the Norman forces of Robert, Count of Eu. The fierce engagement lasted many hours, but the French left with heavy losses. Guy, Count of Ponthieu, was captured during the course of the battle, as was the father of

Guibert of Nogent Guibert de Nogent (c. 1055 – 1124) was a Benedictine historian, theologian and author of autobiographical memoirs. Guibert was relatively unknown in his own time, going virtually unmentioned by his contemporaries. He has only recently caught the ...

, while Waleran of Ponthieu, brother of Guy I, the Count of Ponthieu was killed. All these events were viewed by the French king from his vantage point on Bassenbourg Hill just across the river. He withdrew the remainder of his forces in "dismay" and never invaded Normandy again. After the defeats of 1052–1054 the rebellious Norman lords were exiled, the Norman lands of the Counts of Pointhieu were confiscated, and Guy, Count of Ponthieu swore homage to William after two years' imprisonment.

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* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mortemer, Battle of 1050s in France 1054 in Europe Battles involving France Battles involving the Normans Conflicts in 1054 William the Conqueror