William of Bellême (960/5 – 1028) called William ''Princeps'', was the Seigneur of Bellême and a member of the

House of Bellême The House of Bellême also referred to as the Family of Bellême was an important seigneurial family in Kingdom of France, France during the 10th through the 12th centuries. Members of this family held the important castles of Bellême, Alenço ...

Life

William was the son of Yves de Bellême and his wife Godeheut.Detlev Schwennicke, '' Europäische Stammtafeln: Stammtafeln zur Geschichte der Europäischen Staaten'', Neue Folge, Band III Teilband 4 (Verlag von J. A. Stargardt, Marburg, Germany, 1989), Tafel 636 Yves in turn was probably the son of Yves de Creil, ''magister balistarum'' (Latin meaning officer in charge of the royal siege train).When young Duke

Richard I Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199), known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard Cœur de Lion () because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ru ...

was being held a virtual prisoner by Louis IV, it was Ives de Criel who revealed the king's plot to kill or mutilate the boy to Osmund, the young Duke's tutor, who whisked Richard away from the king and saved him. See: Geoffrey H. White, 'The First House of Bellême', ''Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'', Fourth Series, Vol. 22 (1940), p. 69 With the consent of

Richard I, Duke of Normandy Richard I (28 August 932 – 20 November 996), also known as Richard the Fearless (French: ''Richard Sans-Peur''; Old Norse: ''Jarl Rikard''), was the count of Rouen from 942 to 996.Detlev Schwennicke, ''Europäische Stammtafeln, Europäische S ...

William had constructed two castles, one at

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 the other at Domfront, while the ''

caput A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may not ...

'' of Yves' lordship was the castle 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), ...

, constructed "a quarter of a league from the old dungeon of Bellême" in Maine. Thomas Stapleton, ''Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae sub Regibus Angliae'', Tomis I (Sumptibus Soc. Antiq. Londinensis, Londini, 1840), p. lxxii The first mention of William in any records was in 1000 as Marshall of the king's forces when he accompanied the King of France to

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

, the next mention being his succeeding his father in 1005.Geoffrey H. White, 'The First House of Bellême', ''Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'', Fourth Series, Vol. 22 (1940), p. 78 Also, in 1005 William along with his mother made several grants to local churches including the church of Boece, to which his father had founded in his castle of Bellême. Initially William attempted to revoke a gift of his father to

Fleury Abbey Fleury Abbey (Floriacum) in Saint-Benoît-sur-Loire, Loiret, France, founded in about 640, is one of the most celebrated Benedictine monasteries of Western Europe, and possesses the relics of St. Benedict of Nursia. Its site on the banks of the ...

but was so impressed with the abbot Gauzlin's appeal he restored the gift and also allowed his young son Benoit to become a monk there. His brother Avesgaud, Bishop of Le Mans was engaged in constant warfare with Herbert I, Count of Maine. In 1020 Bishop Avesgaud fled to his brother's castle of Bellême after being driven out of his see by count Herbert, for which Avesgaud placed an

interdict In Catholic canon law, an interdict () is an ecclesiastical censure, or ban that prohibits certain persons or groups from participating in particular rites, or that the rites and services of the church are prohibited in certain territories for ...

on Herbert and his lands and

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the con ...

the count. William joined forces with his brother Avesgaud attacking count Herbert at the castle of Ballon. At first William and Avesgaud were beaten back but Giroie (aka Géré), a vassal of William's, held his ground and defeated Herbert's forces completely. William de Bellême introduced Giroie to Duke Richard at Rouen who rewarded Giroie with the lands of Heugon.For a continuation of the relations between the families of Giroie and de Bellême, see the article

William I Talvas William I Talvas (c. 995 – c. 1060), seigneur of Alençon. According to Orderic Vitalis his nickname ''Talvas'' meaning shield, presumably alluded to his hardness or callousness like that of a shield. He was a member of the House of Bellême. L ...

. In 1027 when

Robert I, Duke of Normandy Robert I of Normandy (22 June 1000– July 1035), also known as Robert the Magnificent and by other names, was a Norman noble of the House of Normandy who ruled as duke of Normandy from 1027 until his death in 1035. He was the son of Duke Ri ...

succeeded his brother Richard III, William de Bellême revolted against him. Robert laid siege to his castle of Bellême until William surrendered then had to humbly ask for forgiveness (in bare feet with a saddle on his shoulders). Having been forgiven and his fief of Alençon restored, William sent his sons Fulk and Robert to harass the Normans, but they were defeated and Fulk was killed in battle at Blavon. Neither William nor his father Ives ever attested any of their acts using the title ''

comes ''Comes'' (plural ''comites''), translated as count, was a Roman title, generally linked to a comitatus or comital office. The word ''comes'' originally meant "companion" or "follower", deriving from "''com-''" ("with") and "''ire''" ("go"). Th ...

'' (count), indicating they had feudal authority in their own territories but were not officially invested as counts.

Family

William married Mathilde of

Condé-sur-Noireau Condé-sur-Noireau () is a former commune in the Calvados department in the Normandy region in northwestern France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Condé-en-Normandie. It is situated on the Noireau River. In the fi ...

. The couple had six sons: * Fulk, died in his father's lifetime. * Warin, died in 1026 under mysterious circumstances.Geoffrey H. White, 'The First House of Bellême', ''Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'', Fourth Series, Vol. 22 (1940), p. 79 He married Melisende, Viscountess of Châteaudun; their daughter Adela married Rotrou, Count of Mortagne (whose grandson was Rotrou 'the Great', Count of Perche and Morgagne). * Robert, succeeded his father as Seigneur de Bellême, murdered in prison. *

Ives Ives is both a surname and a given name. Notable people with the name include: Surname * Alice Emma Ives (1876–1930), American dramatist, journalist * Burl Ives (1909–1995), American singer, author and actor * Charles Ives (1874–1954), Ame ...

, Seigneur de Bellême and Bishop of Sées *

held the honor of Bellême in right of his brother Ives. * Benoit, a monk at

. His widow Mathilde along with her son William Talvas both confirmed and increased gifts of William de Bellême to the church of Bellême.Geoffrey H. White, 'The First House of Bellême', ''Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'', Fourth Series, Vol. 22 (1940), p. 75

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:William of Belleme 960s births 1028 deaths Year of birth uncertain 11th-century French people