Bellême (lords of)

The lordship of Bellême assumed some importance under William Talvas, lord of Bellême and Domfront († 1033) who rebuilt the castle and church, and established numerous strongholds in the vicinity. Of William’s sons, one was Bishop of Sées, another illegitimate son, was bishop of Le Mans and a third, William II, succeeded him. The domain of Bellême is one of the rare lordships consisting of single tenant in a border zone and, as such, was a continual source of problems for the Dukes of Normandy. In the years 1045/1060, a number of violent vendettas set them against the neighbouring Giroie and Grentemesnil families. The lordship of Bellême was passed on through the marriage of Mabel, daughter of William II Talvas, to Roger of Montgomery, a companion of William the Conqueror, who together with Matilda was entrusted with the safety of the duchy in 1066 during the invasion of England. Roger’s son Robert was made a seneschal of Normandy (1089), but was chiefly occupied in retaining the lordships in Normandy and England during the conflicts between the heirs of William the Conqueror. Robert was as an expert in the field of military architecture. In particular he built Gisors for William Rufus (1097). However, the lord of Bellême often changed alliances to suit his own ends and in 1106 he fought at Tinchebray for Robert Curthose. His lordship was finally dismantled by the Treaty of Gisors (1113) between the King of France and Henry I Beauclerc.

Bibliography :

- François Neveux. - La Normandie des ducs aux rois, Xe-XIIe s. - Rennes : Ouest-France, 1998.
- Gérard Louise. - La seigneurie de Bellême, Xe-XIIe s. - Flers : Le Pays d'Argentan, n° 199-200, 1990 & 201-202, 1991.