page_title: Robert of Jumièges
section_title: Royal adviser
hierarchical_section_title: Robert of Jumièges / Royal adviser
caption_attribution_description: English: Bayeux Tapestry - Scene 44 - Duke William and his two half-brothers: to his right, Bishop Odo of Bayeux and to his left, Count Robert of Mortain. Titulus: ODO EP[ISCOPU]S WILLELM ROTBERT (Bishop Odo, William, Robert) Français&#160;: Tapisserie de Bayeux - Scène 44 - Le duc Guillaume et ses deux demi-frères&#160;: à sa droite, l'évêque Odon de Bayeux et à sa gauche, le comte Robert de Mortain. Légende en latin&#160;: ODO EP[ISCOPU]S WILLELM ROTBERT (L'évêque Odon, Guillaume, Robert) Nederlands: Het tapijt van Bayeux - 44ste scène - Willem de Veroveraar en zijn twee halfbroers: rechts van hem bisschop Odo van Bayeux en links van hem Graaf Robert van Mortain. Latijnse uitleg: ODO EP[ISCOPU]S WILLELM ROTBERT (bisschop Odo, Willem, Robert)
context_page_description: Robert of Jumièges was the first Norman Archbishop of Canterbury. He had previously served as prior of the Abbey of St Ouen at Rouen in Normandy, before becoming abbot of Jumièges Abbey, near Rouen, in 1037. He was a good friend and adviser to the king of England, Edward the Confessor, who appointed him Bishop of London in 1044, and then archbishop in 1051. Robert's time as archbishop lasted only about eighteen months. He had already come into conflict with the powerful Godwin, Earl of Wessex, and while archbishop made attempts to recover lands lost to Godwin and his family. He also refused to consecrate Spearhafoc, Edward's choice to succeed Robert as Bishop of London. The rift between Robert and Godwin culminated in Robert's deposition and exile in 1052.
  A Norman medieval chronicler claimed that Robert travelled to Normandy in 1051 or 1052 and told Duke William of Normandy, the future William the Conqueror, that Edward wished for him to become his heir. The exact timing of Robert's trip, and whether he actually made it, have been the subject of debate among historians. The archbishop died in exile at Jumièges sometime between 1052 and 1055.
context_section_description: The Life of Saint Edward claims that while Godwin was in exile Robert tried to persuade King Edward to divorce Edith, Godwin's daughter, but Edward refused and instead she was sent to a nunnery. However, the Life is a hagiography, written soon after Edward's death to show Edward as a saint. Thus it stresses that Edward voluntarily remained celibate, something unlikely to have been true and not corroborated by any other source. Modern historians have felt it more likely that Edward, at Robert's urging, wished to divorce Edith and remarry in order to have children to succeed him on the English throne, although it is possible that he merely wished to be rid of her, without necessarily wanting a divorce.
  During Godwin's exile, Robert is said to have been sent by the king on an errand to William, Duke of Normandy. The reason for the embassy is uncertain. William of Jumièges says that Robert went to tell Duke William that Edward wished William to be his heir. The medieval writer William of Poitiers gives the same reason, but also adds that Robert took with him as hostages Godwin's son Wulfnoth and grandson Hakon (son of Sweyn). The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle is silent on the visit however, so it is uncertain whether Robert visited Normandy or not, or why he did so. The entire history of the various missions which Robert is alleged to have made is confused, and complicated by propaganda claims made by Norman chroniclers after the Norman Conquest in 1066, leaving it unclear if Robert visited Normandy on his way to receive his pallium or after Godwin was in exile, or if he went twice or not at all.
caption: Image of William the Conqueror from the Bayeux Tapestry
exif: {"Image ImageDescription": "Tapisserie de Bayeux - Sc\u00e8ne 44 : Sc\u00e8ne 44: le duc Guillaume et ses deux demi-fr\u00e8res, l'\u00e9v\u00eaque Odon de Bayeux et le comte Robert de Mortain.", "Image Make": "NIKON CORPORATION", "Image Model": "NIKON D90", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Windows)", "Image DateTime": "2013:04:04 01:06:17", "Image ExifOffset": "376", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1122", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "11819", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/6", "EXIF FNumber": "5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Aperture Priority", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "800", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2013:03:07 15:29:23", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2013:03:07 15:29:23", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "2584963/1000000", "EXIF ApertureValue": "290241/62500", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "4", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire", "EXIF FocalLength": "26", "EXIF SubSecTime": "00", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "00", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "00", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2346", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2596", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CVAPattern": "[2, 0, 2, 0, 1, 2, 0, 1]", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "1", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "39", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF GainControl": "Low gain up", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF SubjectDistanceRange": "0", "EXIF BodySerialNumber": "6461655", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[18, 105, 7/2, 28/5]", "EXIF LensModel": "18.0-105.0 mm f/3.5-5.6"}