Rotrou I (born before 1031, died 1079), Viscount of Châteaudun and

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 ...

(as Rotrou II), second son of

Geoffrey II, Viscount of Châteaudun Geoffrey II (died 1040), Counts of Châteaudun, Viscount of Châteaudun and Lords, counts and dukes of Perche, Count of Perche (as Geoffrey I), son of Fulcois, the Count of Perche, Fulcois, Count of Mortagne, and Melisende, Viscountess of Châteaudu ...

, and Helvise de Corbon (d. 1 March 1080), daughter of Rainard, Lord of Pithiviers. At the death of Geoffrey II, his elder son Hugh became Viscount of Châteaudun, while Rotrou probably inherited the family interests around Nogent-le-Rotrou. After his brother's death, he concentrated the family lands and, by the late 1050s, he was a count, with a centre of power around Mortagne. These northern dominions probably came to him from his wife, Adelise de Domfront, as part of a settlement that divided the Bellême inheritance between her cousin Mabel, who married

Roger de Montgomery Roger de Montgomery (died 1094), also known as Roger the Great, was the first Earl of Shrewsbury, and Earl of Arundel, in Sussex. His father was Roger de Montgomery, seigneur of Montgomery, a member of the House of Montgomery, and was probab ...

, and Adelise. After the death of William of Gouët in the late 1050s, Rotrou, with the help of

, tried to extend his influence for the strongholds of Perche-Gouët. However, William's wife Matilda remarried to Geoffrey, viscount of Mayenne, and was able to fend off the attacks. By 1058, Rotrou was in attendance on 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. ...

in his attack on the Norman outpost of Thimer. However, by 1066, he had become closer to William, the Norman Duke, which can be inferred from the participation of his son Geoffrey in the invasion of England. Moreover, in 1078, William paid Rotrou a subsidy, and Rotrou supported him on the siege of Remalard, where the supporters of his rebel son,

Robert Curthose Robert Curthose ( – February 1134, ), the eldest son of William the Conqueror, was Duke of Normandy as Robert II from 1087 to 1106. Robert was also an unsuccessful pretender to the throne of the Kingdom of England. The epithet "Curthose" ...

, were concentrated. Rotrou was quite successful, and able to make substantial donations to religious houses, including St.Vincent of le Mans and his father's foundation of Saint Denis at Nogent-le-Rotrou, where he was able to finish the church. Rotrou married Adelise (Adeliza) de Domfront, daughter of Warin de Domfront and granddaughter of William of Bellême. Their issue was: *

Geoffrey II Geoffrey II may refer to: * Geoffrey II, Viscount of Châteaudun (died 1040) * Geoffrey II (archbishop of Bordeaux) (died 1043) * Geoffrey II, Count of Gâtinais (died 1043/6) * Geoffrey II of Thouars (990-1055) * Geoffrey II, Count of Anjou (d ...

, Count of Perche, married Béatrix de Montdidier de Roucy * Hugh IV, Viscount of Châteaudun * Rotrou de Châteaudun (d. after 1110), Lord of Montfort-le-Rotrou * Fulco de Châteaudun (d. after 1078) * Helvise de Châteaudun (d. after 1078). Rotrou was succeeded as Viscount of Châteaudun by his son Hugues and, as Count of Perche, by his son Geoffroy. Rotrou attempted to avenge the murder of his father by attacking Thierry,

Bishop of Chartres The oldest known list of bishops of Chartres is found in an 11th-century manuscript of Trinity Abbey, Vendôme. It includes 57 names from Adventus (Saint Aventin) to Aguiertus (Agobert) who died in 1060. The most well-known list is included in the ...

, an act for which he was briefly excommunicated. Rotrou also had an illegitimate son named Robert “Manda Guerra” (d. after 1095).

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rotrou 01, Viscount of Chateaudun 11th-century births 1079 deaths Year of birth unknown Counts of Perche 11th-century French nobility Viscounts of Châteaudun