William Clito
| William Clito | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Count of Flanders | |
| Reign | 2 March 1127 – 28 July 1128 |
| Predecessor | Charles I |
| Successor | Thierry |
| Born |
25 October 1102 Rouen, Caux, Normandy |
| Died | 28 July 1128 (aged 25) Abbey of St. Bertin, Saint-Omer, Flanders |
| Burial | Abbey of St. Bertin |
| Consort |
Sibylla of Anjou m. 1123; ann. 1124 Joanna of Montferrat m. 1127; wid.1128 |
| House | House of Normandy |
| Father | Robert Curthose |
| Mother | Sybilla of Conversano |
William Clito (25 October 1102 – 28 July 1128) reigned as Count of Flanders and claimed the Duchy of Normandy. His surname "Clito" was a Latin term equivalent to the Anglo-Saxon "Aetheling" and the Germanic "Adelinus" (used to refer to his first cousin, William Adelin). Both terms signified "man of royal blood" or, the modern equivalent, "prince".
William was the son of Robert Curthose, Duke of Normandy, by his marriage to Sybilla of Conversano, daughter of Geoffrey, Count of Conversano. After his defeat and capture by Henry I of England at the Battle of Tinchebrai (1106), Robert Curthose accompanied his brother Henry I to Falaise where Henry met his nephew the young William Clito for the first time. Henry placed his nephew in the custody of Helias of Saint Saens, Count of Arques, who had married a natural daughter of Duke Robert, his friend and patron. The boy William stayed in his sister’s and Helias's care until August 1110, when the king abruptly sent agents to demand the boy be handed over to him. Helias was at the time away from home, so his household concealed the boy and smuggled him to their master, who fled the duchy and found safety among Henry's enemies.
William’s first refuge was with King Henry’s great enemy, Robert de Bellême, who had extensive estates south of the duchy. On Robert’s capture in 1112, William and Helias fled to the court of the young Count Baldwin VII of Flanders, William’s cousin. In 1118 a powerful coalition of Norman counts and barons were sufficiently disenchanted with King Henry to ally with Count Baldwin and rebel. They took up William Clito’s cause and commenced a dangerous rebellion.
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