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Birth:          ABT 1120 
Death:          23 Sep 1193 Holy Land

Notes
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne,_Dame_de_Chateaudun
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marguerite_de_Sabl%C3%A9
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_IV_of_Sabl%C3%A9
Robert IV de Sablé (died 23 September 1193) was the eleventh Grand Master of the 
Knights Templar from 1191 to 1192 and Lord of Cyprus from 1191 to 1192.
Personal life[edit]

He was born to a respected military family in Anjou and was "a leading Angevin vassal 
of the King".[1] His lordship was based in a cluster of lands in the River Sarthe valley, 
which he inherited in the 1160s.[1] He married Clemence de Mayenne (died before 
1209). He was succeeded in Anjou by his daughter Marguerite de Sablé, who by 
marriage passed the entire estate to William des Roches, also a knight of the Third 
Crusade. Robert died in the Holy Land on 23 September 1193. Although there are no 
exact records of his birth date, it is believed that he was relatively old at the time of 
his death compared to the average life expectancy of the 12th century.[2]

Military record[edit]

Angevin Civil War[edit]

In 1173, Sablé supported Henry the Young King, heir apparent to the throne of the 
Kingdom of England and duchy of Normandy, in a revolt against his father Henry II 
during the Revolt of 1173-1174. The uprising was crushed but Robert must have 
remained in favour with the Angevin Kings, as Richard would later be instrumental in 
his appointment as Grand Master.[1] He contributed money to French monastic houses 
in 1190 as a way of making amends.[1]

Third Crusade[edit]

Despite only having a short tenure, Sablé's reign was filled with successful 
campaigning. Before his election as Grand Master, he led King Richard I's navy from 
England and Normandy to the Mediterranean, getting involved in the Reconquista in 
passage. The combined might of Richard the Lionheart's strategy, seasoned troops, 
and the elite Templar knights scored many victories. During the Third Crusade, they 
laid siege to the city of Acre, which soon fell. Throughout August 1191, they also 
recaptured many fortresses and cities along the Levantine coast in the Eastern 
Mediterranean, which had been lost previously.

The new coalition's finest hour was the Battle of Arsuf, on 7 September 1191. 
Saladin's Muslim forces appeared to have become far stronger than the Christians, 
and a decisive victory was desperately needed. Pooling all of the crusader's strength, 
the Knights Hospitaller joined the ranks, plus many knights from Sablé's native Anjou, 
Maine, and Brittany. They met Saladin's troops on the dry plains and soon broke his 
ranks. Those who stayed to fight were killed, and the remaining Islamic troops were 
forced to retreat.

Acquisition of Cyprus[edit]

At the end of 1191, Richard the Lionheart agreed to sell Cyprus to the Templars for 
25,000 pieces of silver. Richard had plundered the island from the Byzantine forces of 
the tyrant Isaac Comnenus of Cyprus some months earlier and had no real use for it. 
The Hospitallers would later establish solid bases on the islands of Rhodes and Malta, 
but Sablé failed to do the same with the island of Cyprus. He was lord for two years, 
until he gave (or sold) the island to Guy de Lusignan, King of Jerusalem, as he was 
without a kingdom.

Sablé did manage to establish a Chieftain House of the Order in Saint-Jean d'Acre, 
which remained for almost a century.

Delayed election[edit]

Sablé was lucky to have been Grand Master at all, as at the time of Gerard de 
Ridefort's death, he was not even a member of the Templar Order. However, the 
senior knights had become increasingly opposed to Masters fighting on the front line, 
and the capture and beheading of Grand Master Gerard de Ridefort became the final 
straw. They delayed elections for over a year so that the rules regarding active 
service of Grand Masters could be reviewed. During this hiatus, Sablé did join the 
order, just in time to be considered for election. When he was made Grand Master, he 
had been a Templar knight for less than a year.

In popular culture[edit]

Robert de Sablé is a character in the 2007 video game Assassin's Creed, He is 
presented as the leader of the Knights Templar within the game's story. However, the 
game dates Robert's assassination in 1191, at the Battle of Arsuf, whereas in actuality 
he died in 1193, in addition to presenting him as being far younger than his historical 
counterpart.

Parents
DE SABLE Robert III ()
____ Hersende ()

Siblings
DE SABLE Robert (ABT 1120 - 23 Sep 1193)

Marriage To DE MAYENNE Clemence (ABT 1160 - BEF 1209)
    m.  

Notes

Parents
DE MAYENNE Geoffrey (ABT 1120 - 1169)
DE MEULAN Isabelle (ABT 1148 - 10 May 1220)

Children by DE MAYENNE Clemence ABT 1160 - BEF 1209
DE SABLE Marguerite (ABT 1179 - AFT Jun 1238)

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