Thursday, September 17, 2020

Robert -- Roberto

Robert I of Normandy.
Robert the Devil: "At the beginning of the eleventh century, Robert, called 'the Magnificent,' the fifth in succession from the great chieftain Rollo who had established the Northmen in France, was duke of Normandy. To the nickname he earned by his nobleness and liberality some chronicles have added another and call him 'Robert the Devil,' by reason of his reckless and violent deeds of audacity, whether in private life or in warlike expeditions. . . ." (Guizot: 264)
the Magnificent: The Magnificent refers to Robert I's love of finery.

Robert I Brus, Lord of Annandale (1103–1189/91)
le Meschin

Robert I of Burgundy
the Landless
the Old

Robert I of Flanders
the Frisian

Robert I of Harcourt.
the Strong (Fr. le Fort): "Robert I of Harcourt, called le Fort (the Strong), brother of Errand, whom he succeeded. He too took part in the conquest of England, but returned to Normandy. He built the first château d'Harcourt, and married Colette of Argouges." (Wikipedia)
RoberttheBruce.jpg
Robert the Bruce
@Wikipedia
le Jovenne:
Good King Robert: "Had Robert Bruce done no more than defy the power of Edward I, restore the monarchy and win the battle of Bannockburn, he would still be reckoned among the Titans. But his fame among contemporaries and with posterity has always rested on a broader and more profound achievement. He was known to later generations of his countrymen as 'Good King Robert'. The epithet has been most sparingly distributed among Scottish sovereigns. Contrary to what might be supposed, the title 'good' was not bestowed automatically upon every king of Scots who defeated the English. Its attribution to Bruce sprang from a popular, instinctive feeling that he had achieved a rapport with the community of the realm which was closer. more securely established than any other comparable relationship experienced by his predecessors or successors, even by James IV at the height of his popularity. . . ." (Barrow. Robert Bruce: 370)

Robert the Bruce:

Robert I Bertran, Seigneur de Bricquebec
the Lame (Fr. le Tort)

the Crusader
the Jerusalem-Farer (Fr. le Hierosolymitain): "Robert of Flanders afforded an honourable contrast to the faint-hearted Stephen. He came back splendidly; and henceforward appears in the annals of the Flemish dynasty, distinguished as the Hierosolymitain, an epithet he deservedly earned. The very Turks rendered their tribute of admiration by entitling him the Son of Saint George." (The History of Normandy and of England, Vol 4: 671)
the Lance and Sword of Christendom
the Son of Saint George
the Sword and Lance of the Christians.

the Debonair: "Nor was the character of Robert, who succeeded to the sole kingship in 996, an omen of promise for the future. If Hugh had been the friend of the clergy, Robert, the devout king, was likely to be their slave and tool. His nickname 'Pius,' or 'Debonair,' tells the tale of his life. A kindly man, good-natured to folly, even to a crime, religious, easy-going, he had no chance of raising the monarchy; the wonder is that it did not perish in his hands. He was 'a man of distinguished uprightness and great piety, the ornament of clerks, the supporter of monks, the father of the poor, constant in reverencing God and God's word, humble as David, king not only of his people but of himself.' He was tall, with gentle eyes, and smooth well well-dressed hair, broad open nostrils, a pleasant mouth, well-formed to give the kiss of peace. Her had a beard of comely length, and high shoulders: oft preyed he to God: in the judgment-hall he was modest, helpful to the accused. He read his Psalter daily; gentle, gracious, polished, he sincerely loved to do a kindness. He was right learned in letters; he took delight in music, and would even join in at the singing of the mass. . . ." (Kitchin. A History of France: Down to the year 1453, Vol. 1: 195)
the Devout

the Pious
"Robert was a devout Catholic hence the nickname of Robert the Pious and he had no tolerance for those of different religions. He brought back burning at the stake for heretics and was happy to to along with the forced conversion of the local Jews. . . ." (Sell. Women the power behind the Rulers of France: 36)
the Sage
the Wise.

Robert II of Harcourt, Seigneur d'Elbeuf
the Strong
the Valiant
"Robert II of Harcourt, called le Vaillant (the Valiant) or le Fort, son of Guillaume. He accompanied his suzerain Richard I of England on the Third Crusade and was designated by John of England as his surety and hostage in 1200 in the peace concluded with Philip II Augustus. He also became seigneur of Elbeuf by his 1179 marriage to Jeanne of Meulan."

Robert Curthose (Fr. Courte-heuse):
--"Orderic and William of Malmesbury assure us the Robert acquired a series of nicknames . . . Unfortunately for Robert, his nickname referred specifically to his small stature. Robert is described as short and pot-bellied, so there seems little possibility that the nickname 'Curthose' was given ironically in order to emphasis (sic) that he was, in fact, a tall man. . . ." (Aird: 77) 
--" . . . Malmesbury gives the nickname as 'Robelinus Curta Ocrea', which might be rendered 'Little Bobby Short-Pants'. Malmesbury explains that the nickname was given because of his small size but 'in other respects there was nothing to criticize, for he was neither unattractive in feature nor unready in speech, not feeble in courage nor weak in counsel'." (Aird: 77)

Robert III de la Marck (1492-1536)
the Great Boar of the Ardennes: "Messire Robert de la Mark was a soldier of distinction, surnamed the 'Great Boar of the Ardennes,' from the position of his estates, and his constant habit of laying waste all the territory of the emperor, and other princes in the vicinity. He was the original cause of the war between Maximilian and Louis XII., who supported him in his forays. He had adopted as his device a figure of St. Margaret, with a dragon at her feet, representing the great principle of evil; and was in the habit, when he made his orisons to this his patron saint, of burning two candles before her shrine, one of which was dedicated to herself and the other to the dragon, declaring that 'if God would not aid him the devil would not fail to do so.'. . . " (Pardoe: 96)
the Young Adventurer (Self-styled)

Robert III of Dreux (1185–1234)
Gateble, Gasteblé

Robert III of Flanders
Robert of Bethune:

Robert III of Scotland
John of Atholl and Carrick:

Robert IV of Annandale (11290–1245)
the Noble:

Robert V de Bruce.
the Competitor:

Robert VI le Bruce, Earl of Carrick (1243–1304)
le Veil:

Robert VII of Auvergne (d.1325)
the Great:

le Chevalier au Vert Lion: "Robert Bertran, nicknamed 'le Chevalier au Vert Lion', attempted in vain to resist the English army which landed in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue on the 12th of July 1346."


Robert the Strong, Margrave in Neustria, Count of Autun and Nevers, c856, Count of Anjou, 861 (820-866)
Machabeus: 
the Great: " . . . Robert le Fort, Duke of France, and Count of Anjou, Orleans, and Blois . . . earned the name of Great and Machabeus for having prevented the Normans from subduing the country. He was proclaimed duke in 861, and was killed in the moment of victory in 866." (Bingham, Vol. 1: 12)

Robert of France, Duke of Chartres (1840–1910)
the Strong:

Robert of Nevers (d.1098)
the Burgundian: (See Jessee)

Captain Chatters: "The Count of Paris (Louis Philippe Albert D'Orleans, 1838-1894) (on the left) and the Duke of Chartres Chartres (Robert Philippe Louis Eugene Ferdinand D'Orleans) (1840-1910) were French Royalist brothers who fought in the American Civil War. The duke was nicknamed Captain Chatters by General McClellan's men. The Count de Paris was an aide to General McClellan and the author of 'The History of the Civil War in America.'" (Picture History)

Robert of Roucy, 1160–1180
the Cunning:

Robert of Scotland
the Bruce:
the Liberator of Scotland:

Robert Boyd, 1st Lord Boyd
the Great Lord Kilmarnock:

Robert Clive, 1st Baron Clive (1725-1774)
Clive of India:
the Cortez of India: " . . . R. Clive, sometimes called the Cortez of India and the future Baron of Plassey in the peerage of Ireland, took care to ally himself with the Muslim nabob's local enemies. . . ." (Etemad: 65)
the Heaven-born General: "On February 25, 1760, Clive embarked for England; and on landing, found himself not only one of the most distinguished, but also one of the richest, men in the kingdom. Pitt called him 'the Heaven-born General.' George the Second had told his best soldiers, if they wished to learn the art of war, to go to Clive." (The Englishman in India: 116)

Robert de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Leicester (c1049-1118)
Robert de Bellomonte:
le Prud'homme:
the Ahithopel of His Time (by Henry of Huntingdon):
"Robert de Bellomonte, nicknamed, Prudhomme, Earl of Mellent, Lord of Norton, was knighted on the battlefield 14th October 1066, and became later the first Norman Earl of Leicester, he was the first member of the Norman Beaumonts to be settled in England. . . ." (Beaumont: 12)

Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester
the Hunchback (Fr. le Bossu): "...This earl was known as le Bossu (to distinguish him from his successors), and also, possibly, as le Goozen. . . ." (The Peerage)

the Whitehanded (Fr. Blanchemains): "Robert, nicknamed Blanchemains, from his very white hands, third Earl of Leicester, Lord of Hinckley, Breteuil and Paci, born c. 1135 died 31st August 1190. He was taken ill when in the Mediterranean on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, he died at sea and was buried on the 1st of September at Duras, in Greece. . . ." (Beaumont: 27)

Robert de Beaumont, 4th Earl of Leicester.
FitzPernel: "Robert de Bellomonte, nicknamed Fitzparnell . . . Lord of Hinckley, Breteuil, Paci and Grandmesnil, fourth Earl of Leicester...He was called Fitz Parnell for that he was the son of Petronilla and she was the companion and friend of Richard Coeur de Lion and he went to the Holy Land with King Richard and fought by his side against the Saracens. . . ." (Beaumont: 32/34)


Robert de Berkeley (1165–1220)
the Rebellious:

Brochard:

the Magnificent Dandy:

Robert de Neville
the Peacock of the North:

Robert de Ros
the Surety:

Robert de Vere
the Surety:

Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex
 
the Gypsy: Robert Dudley, Duke of Northumberland. "Dudley was almost six feet tall and very attractive; his skin was so dark as to earn him the nickname of 'the Gypsy', a name used by some to refer to his moral character rather than his face. Sir Robert Naunton described him as 'a very goodly person and singular self-featured, and all his youth was well-favoured, but high-foreheaded.' He had red-brown hair, a reddish beard and moustache, a high-bridged nose and sardonic, heavy-lidded eyes. Elizabeth much admired his long, slender fingers. As a young man he was lean and muscular, with long, shapely legs, and showed his physique off to advantage in fine and fashionable clothes. He was dynamic and energetic: he jousted, rode, played tennis and archery, and enjoyed fishing. He could also dance and sing well, and was an excellent conversationalist. A true Renaissance man, he was fascinated by science, mathematics, geometry, astronomy, cartography and navigation, had read many classical authors and could speak both French and Italian fluently. . . ." (The Life of Elizabeth I: 21)
Two Eyes:

the Handsome Fielding (Fr. le Beau Fielding -- by Charles II): "The Earl of Castlemaine died in July, 1705, and the Duchess of Cleveland, being then a widow, married a few months later Major-General Robert Fielding, who was ten years her junior, and had been thrice married. He was known to his contemporaries as 'Handsome Fielding' and 'Beau Fielding.' He was a thoroughly bad, mercenary character, and had behaved shockingly to his wives. Less than a year after his marriage to the Duchess he was committed to Newgate for threatening and maltreating her. It then became known that one of his earlier wives was alive, and the Duchess in 1707 obtained a decree of nullity, while Fielding was prosecuted for bigamy." (The Windsor Beauties: 74)

Robert Rufus
Robert of Caen (Fr. Robert de Caen):
the Bastard: 
the Consul: 
the Father of England: " . . . Probably the most prominent of Henry I's illegitimate children in terms of English history was Robert Fitzroy, Earl of Gloucester (?11090-1147). Incidentally, Robert Fitzroy had many descendants, and had been described by one author as the 'father of England'. It is probable that Robert had a well-born mother (maybe Nest of South Wales), though his mother is not named in any surviving source. When his father died leaving no legitimate son and heir, Robert, who was a very intelligent and able man, even seems to have been considered a potential candidate for the throne. However: 'when he was advised, as the story went, to claim the throne of his father's death, deterred by sounder advice he by no means assented, saying it was fairer to yield it to his sister's son [the future Henry II] than presumptuously to arrogate it to himself.'" (Royal Marriage Secrets: Consorts & Concubines, Bigamists & Bastards)
the King's Son
the Consul


Ambassador Keith:
the Ambassador:



Robert Sale.
Fighting Bob: "In 1839 the British Army invaded Afghanistan and took control of Kabul. One small part of that vast army was the Taunton-based Somerset Light Infantry, led by Major-General Sir Robert Sale -- or 'Fighting Bob', as he was better known. On the way to Kabul the Somersets found themselves caught up in a bitter night-time battle at a place called Ghuznee. Sale himself was badly wounded, but by dawn the city was in British hands -- and only 200 of the 700 corpses littering its streets wore British uniforms." (Bloody British History: Somerset)

Sir Robert Shirley, 7th Baronet
Robert Shirley, 13th Baron Ferrers of Chartley

Robert Sidney (Col.).
the Handsome Sidney:

Comical Spencer: "Lord Robert Spencer – Brother of the Duke of Marlborough, Lord Robert was a charming wastrel known as Comical Spencer. He lost his fortune at the gambling tables, yet managed to secure the favors of such celebrated courtesans as Polly Jones, Perdita Robinson and Mrs. Armistead in the strength of his charm alone." (Other World Diner)

Robert Umfravill, Lord of Ridlesdale, 1076
Robert with the Beard:

Robert le Bruce, 2nd Lord of Annandale (1124–1196)
Meschin:

--" . . . The surname of Guiscard was applied to this master of political wisdom, which is oo often confounded with the practice of dissimulation and deceit, and Robert is praised by the Apulian poet for excelling the cunning of Ulysses and the eloquence of Ciceoro. . . ." (Gibbon: 112)
--" . . . Robert . . . was called Guiscard because of his cunning. This Robert surpassed his brothers, who were all dukes or counts, in courage, intellect and eminence, for he conquered Apulia, Calabria and Sicily and crossed the sea to invade a great part of Greece. . . He also performed many good deeds and restored many bishoprics and monasteries. . . ." (Van Houts: 246)
--" . . . Attracted by their success, the younger brothers in turn repaired to Italy, and Robert, who was surnamed Guiscard, the prudent or adroit, showed so much valor and address that on the death of his brother Humphrey in 1057 he was proclaimed count of Apulia, to the exclusion of the young son of the latter. He soon after overran Calabria, and received from Pope Nicholas II the title of duke of both provinces, with the additional grant of whatever portions of Italy or Sicily he could wrest from the Greek schismatics or the Saracens. . . ." (New American Encyclopedia, Vol. 8: 562)
--" . . . Robert was known by his nickname, 'Guiscard', from the Old French viscart, 'cunning'. His biographer, Malaterra, said that he had been given this name at birth, so we cannot safely infer anything from his character from it. It had, however, gained in popularity as a first name in south Italy by the twelfth century. In his adult life, Guiscard had a fearsome and negative reputation -- like many of the early Normans in south Italy -- for plundering that wrought devastation on the countryside. . . ." (Metcalfe: 91)
the Baron Thief
the Cunning
the Fox (Fr. Guiscard, Lat. Viscardus)
the Resourceful
the Weasel
the Wily.

"As the patron of poets and painters, as the quickener of the arts, as the lover of justice and of learning, Robert was a romantic monarch in his glory, and so far he undoubtedly merited the epithets of 'good' and 'wise,' with which he was universally honoured by his friends and allies; but as a man of business, of practical statecraft, he was contemptible, and as fully deserved the epithet 'mad.' He was a shining example of a king whose amiability, or whose anger, in  fact, whose self-love usually got the better of his common-sense, and in political affairs invariably hoodwinked his judgment. Anxious for glory of every kind, although his tastes, by nature and education, were academic and aesthetic, he desired to be considered a great soldier and a great politician. Great he was, dispensing justice and ameliorating the condition of his grateful subjects: but almost all his foreign schemes were foolish,---almost all his expeditions, failures. . . When, however, he undertook to act upon his own political ideas, from being a fairly blameless and sensible man, he became unconsciously one of the most dangerous and mischievous of monarchs. He then mentally resembled an Oriental overcome by the maddening influence of bhang, whose frenzy causes him to stab right and left, not only the most inoffensive of people, but even those most near and dear to him. Inasmuch then as in Italy he was the representative of a clan of royal families, it was clearly lamentable, in a difficult and delicate period, that King Robert should happen to be the arbiter of destinies." (Queen Joanna I of Naples: 32)
Robert d'Anjou (It. Roberto d'Angio)

the Good King Robert ( (It. il Buon Re Roberto): . " . . . She was the granddaughter of Robert of Taranto, King of Naples, known to fame as 'il buon Re Roberto,' the patron of Boccaccio, the friend of Petrarch, himself a distinguished man of science and letters, a wise monarch, a munificent protector of artists and learned men---one of the most interesting personalities of his day. . . ." (Hare. The Most Illustrious Ladies of the Italian Renaissance: 76)

the Good (It. il Buono)
the Mad (It. il Pazzo)
the New Solomon: "By the time of his death at the beginning of 1343, Robert had established himself a superb reputation. "The wise King Robert", "the new Solomon", "the peace-maker of Italy" may have failed to live up to the hopes of those who thought he might achieve the unification of Italy, but he had built largely on those advantages established by the first two Angevin Kings. Naples was now beginning to look like a mediaeval capital due to the splendid buildings and monuments bestowed by these monarchs, who freely availed themselves of craftsmen and artists from the great artistic centres of mediaeval Italy. Many traders and craftsmen from other Italian states and overseas had also set up operations in and around the capital city, adding to its vitality." (Taylor)
the Wise: "Robert was a man of illustrious reputation, much admired throughout Europe for his devotion to learning, his prowess at expanding his dominions at his neighbors' (and the emperor's) expense, and his ability to manage such far-flung and diverse territories as Naples and Provence. He was universally referred to as 'Robert the Wise,' a sobriquet acquired not out of respect for his judgment, but rather for his ability to compose and deliver some three hundred sermons in Latin, a talent that eluded his counterparts on the other thrones of Europe. Ironically, Boccaccio reported that, as a child, Robert much preferred to throw stones than to study. A contemporary who knew the family went so far as to call him a dullard. Robert refused to learn to read until someone in the household hit upon the idea of teaching him, not with the pious psalms of an ordinary Psalter, which was how most medieval children learned their letters, but with the inspired merriment of Aesop's Fables. The scheme worked; Robert learned to read and, eventually, to love books. During his reign he amassed a great library and was known for his patronage of scholars and writers. 'Who in Italy and indeed throughout Europe is more outstanding than Robert?' wrote Petrarch to a friend in 1339." (The Lady Queen: 19)
the Wisest Christian of the Last Five Hundred Years: " . . . Robert's reign is generally regarded as successful. Giovanni Villani praised him as: 'the wisest Christian of the last five hundred years' and the 'peacemaker of Italy'. Giovanni Conversini of Ravenna wrote that 'King Robert encouraged doctors, theologians, poets and orators with prolific honours and abundant largesse. All in the world who sought the rewards of the study of letters poured into his kingdom, and not in vain, for it lay open as a sacred domicile of scholars.' Under Robert, known as 'the Wise,' and his queen, Sancia of Majorca, a period of cultural flowering further enhanced the prestige of medieval Naples. . . . " (Lancaster: 62)
the Wise King Robert.

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