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Updated: June 24, 2025
It was hard for the head of a devout Sisterhood to have three of the great ones of the earth set upon her at once, one of them being her own brother. She was daughter of Roger of Montgomery, afterwards Earl of two shires in England, and of his first wife, Mabel of Bellême, who bears so evil a reputation for bloodshed and treachery.
As soon as the king had retired, William came to the relief of his castle, reprovisioned it, and shut up the king's men in their defences. Then Henry advanced in turn with his own forces and his allies, and began a regular siege of the castle. The next move was William's, and he summoned to his aid Duke Robert and Robert of Belleme, and all the friends they had left in Normandy.
He arrested Robert of Belleme, his constant enemy and the enemy of all good men, "incomparable in all forms of evil since the beginning of Christian days." He had come to meet the king at Bonneville, to bring a message from Louis, thinking that Henry would be obliged to respect his character as an envoy.
Robert of Bellême, it must be remembered, is the man of whom it was said that he refused ransom for his prisoners, despising gain, compared with the keener pleasure of tormenting them. The Duke then and his following set forth to do something against the hateful tyrant "odibilis tyrannus" he is called, a phrase in which we must not forget the ancient sense of "tyrannus."
He had the gallantry to announce to Madame Martin, first, the good news he was bringing: "The decrees are signed. Your husband has the Finances. It is a good portfolio." "The President of the Republic," inquired M. Martin Belleme, "made no objection when my name was pronounced?"
But all plans were in vain, because a "sane head" was lacking. Duke Robert was totally defeated, and obliged to make important concessions to Robert of Belleme.
They mark the triumph of Henry's skill, of his vigorous determination, and of his ready disregard of the legal rights of others, if they would not conform to his ideas of proper conduct or fit into his system of government. The occupation of Belleme required a campaign.
Henry of Navarre, our own Talbot, William the Lion, Robert of Bellême, all fail to kindle the same emotions as are aroused by the spot which was the favourite dwelling-place of the pilgrim of Jerusalem, the birthplace of the Conqueror of England. Local tradition of course affirms the existing building to be the scene of William's birth.
From the fall of Robert of Belleme to the end of Henry's reign, the domestic history of England is almost a blank.
He had the gallantry to announce to Madame Martin, first, the good news he was bringing: "The decrees are signed. Your husband has the Finances. It is a good portfolio." "The President of the Republic," inquired M. Martin Belleme, "made no objection when my name was pronounced?"
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