Robert of Alençon (1344–1377),

Count of Perche The county of Perche was a medieval county lying between Normandy and Maine (province), Maine. It was held by a continuous line of counts until 1226. One of these, Geoffroy III, would have been a leader of the Fourth Crusade had he not died before ...

, was the son of

Charles II, Count of Alençon Charles II, called the Magnanimous (1297 – 26 August 1346) was Count of Alençon and Count of Perche (1325–1346), as well as Count of Chartres and Count of Joigny (1335–1336) as husband of Joan of Joigny. Life Charles was the s ...

and María de la Cerda.

History

Robert was born in 1344 to parents Charles II, Count of Alençon and Perche and his wife, Maria de La Cerda y Lara, Countess of Alençon. Upon his father's death in 1346, Robert's elder brother,

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

, inherited the titles of

Count of Alençon Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility.L. G. Pine, Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty'' ...

and

. Robert succeeded his brother, Charles III of Alençon, in 1361 as

Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...

, after Charles renounced his counties and became a Dominican friar, choosing Couvent des Jacobins de la rue Saint-Jacques in Paris.

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...

, the eldest of Charles's younger brothers, had become bishop of Beauvais in 1356, and so their mother obtained permission from King John II of France to divide the counties between the remaining brothers,

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

and Robert. Peter received Alençon, and became

, while Perche was assigned to Robert, who became

. Robert established his court at Nogent-le-Rotrou, a fortified town about south of

Bellême Bellême () is a commune in the Orne department in northwestern France. It is classed as a Petites Cités de Caractère. The musicologist Guillaume André Villoteau (1759–1839) was born in Bellême, as was Aristide Boucicaut (1810–1877), ...

and the county capital of

Perche Perche () (French: ''le Perche'') is a former Provinces of France, province of France, known historically for its forests and, for the past two centuries, for the Percheron draft horse, draft horse breed. Until the French Revolution, Perche was ...

. On 5 April 1374, at the age of 30, Robert married Joan of Rohan (d. aft. 20 January 1407), the daughter of John I (Jean I), viscount of Rohan (1324–1396), and his wife, Joan, Princess of Navarre (1339–1409), the daughter of Philip III, King of Navarre and

Joan II of Navarre Joan II (, , ; 28 January 1312 – 6 October 1349) was Queen of Navarre from 1328 until her death in 1349. Joan was the only surviving child of Louis I of Navarre and Margaret of Burgundy. Her father ascended the French throne as Louis X in ...

. They had one son, Charles (1375–1377), who did not survive his father. Upon Robert's death in 1377, his title of

passed to his elder brother, Peter II, Count of Alençon (French: ''Pierre d'Alençon''), merging the counties of

Alençon Alençon (, , ; ) is a commune in Normandy, France, and the capital of the Orne department. It is situated between Paris and Rennes (about west of Paris) and a little over north of Le Mans. Alençon belongs to the intercommunality of Alen� ...

and

. Pierre's son and heir,

John I John I may refer to: People Religious figures * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John I of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I of Alexandria, Coptic Pope from 496 to 505 * Pope John I, P ...

(Jean I), would be elevated to

Duke of Alençon Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ar ...

in 1414.

In popular culture

The squire-turned-knight Jean de Carrouges, played by actor

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon ( ; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. He was ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars in 2007, and in 2010 was one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He has received va ...

in the 2021 film '' The Last Duel'', directed by

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...

, served Robert during Robert's tenure as

from 1361 to 1377. Robert's brother and heir, Peter II, Count of Alençon, was portrayed by actor

Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educatio ...

in the same film.

References

Notes

Sources

* * * * *

External links

Styles of the Counts of Alencon and Perche
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Robert Of Alencon 1344 births 1377 deaths House of Valois-Alençon Counts of Perche 14th-century peers of France 14th-century French nobility