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Birth:          ABT 1054 of Marche, Poitou, France
Death:          1123 

Notes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_the_Poitevin
Roger the Poitevin (Roger de Poitou) was born in Normandy in the mid-1060s and died 
before 1140.[1] He was an Anglo-Norman aristocrat, possessing large holdings in both 
England and through his marriage in France.

He was the third son of Roger of Montgomery, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and Mabel de 
Bellême. The appellation "the Poitevin" was for his marriage to an heiress from 
Poitou.[2]

Roger acquired a great lordship in England,[when?] with lands in Salfordshire, Essex, 
Suffolk, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire, Hampshire and North Yorkshire.[3] 
The principal part of the Lordship was in what was then called inter Mersam et Ripam, 
that is, "between the Mersey and the Ribble"[4] and is now part of divided into 
Lancashire, Merseyside, and Greater Manchester. After 1090, he also assumed the 
title 1st Lord of Bowland.

Before 1086, he had married Almodis, daughter of Count Aldebert II of La Marche in 
Poitou, and sister and presumptive heiress of count Boso III who was childless and 
unmarried.
Roger's lordship extends beyond the Ribble as far as Cumberland[edit]

Around 1091, Roger's brother-in-law Boso died, but Roger was apparently preoccupied 
with Norman and English affairs, and his wife's uncle Odo became count of La 
Marche.[5]

In 1092 Roger acquired a large part of what is now north Lancashire. These grants 
gave Roger effective control of all the lands north of the River Ribble to the River 
Lune, which formed a natural border between the secure Norman lands in England and 
the strongly contested Scottish frontier lands in Cumberland. Due to long established 
lines of communication across Morecambe Bay, Roger also assumed authority over the 
regions of Furness and Cartmel; these remained a part of Lancashire until as recently 
as 1974. The expansion of Roger's lands followed his support of King William II 
Rufus's invasion of Cumbria in AD1092, where Dolfin of Dunbar probably ruled as a 
vassal of Scottish King Malcolm Canmore. Dolfin was driven out and the Anglo-
Scottish border was established north of Carlisle.

Roger also acquired the great honour of Eye centered in Suffolk.[6]

1088 and after[edit]

In 1088, he led a military force with Alan Rufus and Odo of Champagne, against 
William de St-Calais, bishop of Durham, at the request of William Rufus when the 
bishop was implicated in a revolt against the king; Roger also negotiated with the 
bishop on the king's behalf before the bishop went to trial.[1]

Roger's father Roger de Montgomery died in 1094.

In 1094 Rufus sent Roger to hold the castle at Argentan in Normandy, but Roger 
surrendered it to Philip I of France on the first day of the siege; Roger and his men 
were held for ransom and purchased their freedom.[5] Though Philip I was an ally of 
Curthose, it is thought that this action was less a betrayal of Rufus and more a result 
of Roger's dual vassalage between the King of England and the King of France.[1] 
Roger did not lose his English lands as a result of this action but held no position in 
Rufus' government from this point.[6] Roger continued to be loyal to Rufus but in 1102 
joined his brothers' failed rebellion against Henry I of England in favor of Robert 
Curthose. As a result Roger de Poitou lost his English holdings. The King put those in 
Craven into the governance of Robert de Romille.[7]

Roger then went to his wife's holdings in Poitou. Almodis's uncle Odo was ousted as 
count of La Marche in 1104, and subsequently the sons of Roger and Almodis are 
styled as count. In 1109, Roger was permitted to briefly return to England to the court 
of Henry I,[1] though he did not recover his earlier English holdings. After ca. 1109, 
Roger appears to have either lost interest in governing in La Marche, or lost the 
political power itself as he is only seen once in the documents of La Marche as his 
wife and sons held the authority in the region.[5]

Offspring[edit]

The children of Roger and Almodis include:
Aldebert IV of La Marche
Boso IV of La Marche
Odo II of La Marche
Pontia of La Marche, who married Wulgrin II of Angoulême
Avice de Lancaster

Parents
DE MONTGOMERY Roger II (ABT 1024 - 27 Jul 1094)
TALVAS (DE ALENCON) Mabel (ABT 1024 - 2 Dec 1079)

Siblings
DE MONTGOMERY Maude (Matilda) (ABT 1041 - ABT 1085)
DE BELLEME (DE ALENCON) (MONTGOMERY) Robert II "Talvas" (ABT 1050 - 8 May 1131)
MONTGOMERY Roger "the Poitevin" (ABT 1054 - 1123)
DE MONTGOMERY Hugh (ABT 1055 - 31 Jul 1098)
DE MONTGOMERY Sibyl (ABT 1058 - 1107)
DE MONTGOMERY Arnulph (ABT 1066 - ABT 1120)

Marriage To DE LA MARCHE Almodis (ABT 1062 - 1116)
    m. BEF 1086 

Notes

Parents
____ Adalbert II (ABT 1030 - AFT 1076)
____ Poncia (ABT 1030 - )

Children by DE LA MARCHE Almodis ABT 1062 - 1116
DE LA MARCHE (DE MONTGOMERY) Pancia (Ponce) (1091 - )

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