Robert III Clément (c. 1120/1130 – c. 1182) was a French nobleman and courtier who served as tutor and senior Minister of State to

Philip II of France Philip II (21 August 1165 – 14 July 1223), also known as Philip Augustus (), was King of France from 1180 to 1223. His predecessors had been known as kings of the Franks (Latin: ''rex Francorum''), but from 1190 onward, Philip became the firs ...

. Two of his sons, Albéric and Henry I Clément, were appointed the first and third

Marshals of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) and for a period ...

respectively.

Life and career

Born to Robert II Clément and Mahaut de Tourneau sometime between 1120 and 1130, Robert inherited the

seigneurie In English law, seignory or seigniory, spelled ''signiory'' in Early Modern English (; ; ), is the lordship (authority) remaining to a grantor after the grant of an estate in fee simple. '' Nulle terre sans seigneur'' ("No land without a lord") ...

of Mez on his brother Aubry's death in 1148. He had accompanied Aubry to the

Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...

in 1147 as part of the

Second Crusade The Second Crusade (1147–1149) was the second major crusade launched from Europe. The Second Crusade was started in response to the fall of the County of Edessa in 1144 to the forces of Zengi. The county had been founded during the First Crus ...

, but returned to France after his brother's death at

Constantinople Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...

in 1148. Robert then set about recovering property of the Lordship of Mez that Aubry had sold to the

Ferrières Abbey Ferrières Abbey was a Benedictine monastery situated at Ferrières-en-Gâtinais in the ''arrondissement'' of Montargis, in the ''département'' of Loiret, France. History Represented in the famous '' Monasticon Gallicanum'', it seems clear th ...

in order to fund their journey, contesting the sale on the grounds that he, as the heir to the title, had never ratified it. Robert then entered the court of

Louis VII of France Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger or the Young () to differentiate him from his father Louis VI, was King of France from 1137 to 1180. His first marriage was to Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the wealthiest and ...

along with his brother Giles, distinguishing himself in administration, gaining a reputation for good judgement and integrity, and becoming one of Louis's most prominent counselors towards the end of his reign. In 1178, he (alongside Giles) was one of the judges in the

suit A suit, also called a lounge suit, business suit, dress suit, or formal suit, is a set of clothes comprising a suit jacket and trousers of identical textiles generally worn with a collared dress shirt, necktie, and dress shoes. A skirt su ...

between Barthelemy of Paris and the

Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The co ...

. Robert was appointed tutor to a young Philip II, with

Robert of Auxerre Robert of Auxerre (c. 1156–1212), French chronicler, was an inmate of the monastery of St Marien at Auxerre. At the request of Milo de Trainel (1155–1202), abbot of this house, he wrote a ''Chronicon'', or universal history, which covers the ...

noting in his work that he was also appointed guardian of the prince by his father Louis VII, although the exact nature of Robert's later relationship with the young monarch is not clear, with some sources putting Robert as simply one of the chiefs among Philip's ministers (alongside Giles) rather than a straightforward guardian or regent. In addition, Philip's actions even in the period immediately following his coronation show no signs of being dictated by a regent; the boy king even negotiated directly with

Henry II Henry II may refer to: Kings * Saint Henry II, Holy Roman Emperor (972–1024), crowned King of Germany in 1002, of Italy in 1004 and Emperor in 1014 *Henry II of England (1133–89), reigned from 1154 *Henry II of Jerusalem and Cyprus (1271–1 ...

on the matter of the French war against

Philip I, Count of Flanders Philip I (1143 – 1 August 1191), commonly known as Philip of Alsace, was count of Flanders from 1168 to 1191. During his rule Flanders prospered economically. He took part in two crusades and died of disease in the Holy Land. Count of Flanders ...

. Robert nevertheless exercised significant control and influence over Philip's early reign, with the king depending on Robert for day-to-day administration of the kingdom. Robert died sometime between 1181 and 1182 Giles appears to have briefly taken over his brother's position after his death.

Family

Robert had three sons with Hersende de Mez: Albéric, Henry and Hugh. While both Albéric and Henry would go on to serve at court and in the armies of the French sovereign, Hugh entered the

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

, serving as

abbé ''Abbé'' (from Latin , in turn from Greek , , from Aramaic ''abba'', a title of honour, literally meaning "the father, my father", emphatic state of ''abh'', "father") is the French word for an abbot. It is also the title used for lower-ranki ...

of St Spire de Corbeil (1190-1196), and later Dean of

Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Medieval architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissemen ...

(1200-1203).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clement, Robert III 11th-century births 1182 deaths 12th-century French nobility