Robert I, Count of Artois
Count of Artois
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Robert I (25 September 1216 – 8 February 1250), called the Good, was the first Count of Artois. He was the fifth (and second surviving) son of King Louis VIII of France and Blanche of Castile.[1]
Mansoura, Ayyubid Sultanate
| Robert I | |
|---|---|
| |
| Count of Artois | |
| Reign | 1237 – 1250 |
| Successor | Robert II |
| Born | 25 September 1216 |
| Died | 8 February 1250 (aged 33) Mansoura, Ayyubid Sultanate |
| Spouse | |
| Issue | Blanche, Queen of Navarre Robert II, Count of Artois |
| House | Capet |
| Father | Louis VIII of France |
| Mother | Blanche of Castile |
Life
He received Artois as an appanage, in accordance with the will of his father (died 1226) on attaining his majority in 1237 (aged twenty-one).[2] In 1240 Pope Gregory IX, in conflict with Emperor Frederick II, offered to crown Robert as emperor in opposition to Frederick, but the French count refused to pretend to such a title.
Marriage
On 14 June 1237 Robert married Matilda, daughter of Henry II of Brabant and Marie of Hohenstaufen.[3]
They had two children:
Death
While participating in the Seventh Crusade, Robert died while leading a reckless attack on Al Mansurah, without the knowledge of his brother King Louis IX.[6] After fording a river, he and a group of Knights Templars charged a Mamluk outpost, during which the Mamluk commander, Fakhr-ad-Din Yusuf, was killed.[6] Emboldened by his success, Robert, the Templar knights, and a contingent of English troops charged into the town and became trapped in the narrow streets.[6] According to Jean de Joinville, Robert defended himself for some time in a house there, but was at last overpowered and killed.
