Robert II (Archbishop of Rouen)

Robert II was son of duke Richard I of Normandy and his second wife, Gunnora. He was a younger brother of duke Richard II and uncle of duke Robert I. He was archbishop of Rouen (989 to 1037), to which at that time his marriage was not an impediment, and also count of Évreux.

In the 990s, archishop Robert plotted to cause the overthrow of the Capetians from the throne that they had very recently obtained.

The early years of Robert's nephew duke Robert I's reign were turbulent. Robert I's elder brother, Richard III, had died suddenly after only a year of ruling the duchy, and Robert I was naturally accused of fratricide. Archbishop Robert evidently believed it and so Duke Robert I laid siege to him at Évreux, forcing him into exile. He placed all of Normandy under an interdict. For several years, conditions worsened, with even Alan III of Brittany joining in the attack on the duke. But by 1031 "the situation had been largely retrieved, and the chief agent in effecting the recovery was the metropolitan archbishop of Rouen." Archbishop Robert was always closely involved in the government of the duchy. His uncle's support was so essential that, without it, Duke Robert I would never have been able to rule. Archbishop Robert was recalled from exile and the stabilization of Normandy began. A reconciliation took place, the interdict was lifted, and the war with Brittany was ended by his mediation. From this time until his death in 1037, he was the dominant political influence in the duchy of Normandy.

Robert married Harleve of Rouen and had the following children by her:

• Richard, Count of Évreux (d. 1067)
• Raoul d' Évreux, Sire de Gace (Wace). He married Basilie, daughter of Gerard Flaitel. They had one son, Robert, who died without heirs. Basilie married a second time to Hugh de Gournay.
• William d' Évreux. He is believed to have married an unknown woman, and had a son, Roger, who fought at Hastings and gave rise to the English family of the same name. He married a second time to Hawise de Giroie, and had a daughter, Judith, who married Roger de Hauteville, Count of Sicily.

For a couple of years all was peaceful enough, but the death of archbishop Robert on 16 March 1037 ended the stability of the duchy. Relatives of William the Bastard, who had become duke following the death of his father, duke Robert I, sought to remove him, resulting in the long anarchy of his minority.

References

• William the Conqueror, David C. Douglas, University of California Press, Berkley and Los Angeles, 1964.
• Medieval Lands Project on Robert the Archbishop of Rouen & Count of Évereux