The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire · Character
Robert Curthose
Also known as Duke Robert, Robert Duke of Normandy, Robert of Normandy
- Supporting
- First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 261
There's a certain noble melancholy about this Duke of Normandy who carries the weight of his father's conquests while struggling to maintain his own inheritance. His bearing suggests both the valor of a crusader and the burden of a man who has lost more than he has gained. When he leads, men follow not from fear but from recognition of his inherent nobility.
- Gender
- male
- Age
- Adult
- First appears
- Book 1 · Ch. 261
- Books
- 1
Robert Curthose began as the eldest son of William the Conqueror and Duke of Normandy who was deprived of England through his own indolence. He mortgaged Normandy for ten thousand marks to fund his crusading ambitions, becoming a leader whose personal valor sustained the Christian forces at Dorylaeum. Ultimately, he chose to return to his inheritance in the West rather than compete for the uncertain prize of Jerusalem, preferring the certainty of his Norman duchy to the gamble of Eastern conquest.
Description
An adult Norman nobleman of ducal bearing, eldest son of William the Conqueror, wearing the regalia appropriate to his rank as Duke of Normandy combined with the cross of a crusader. His appearance reflects both inherited nobility and the marks of a man who has experienced both triumph and loss. He carries himself with the dignity of ancient Norman lineage while maintaining the practical demeanor of one accustomed to leading men in both court and battlefield.
Story so far
BOOK 1The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire / Table of Contents with links in the HTML file to the two Project Gutenberg editions (12 volumes)
Appearances
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