Robert I, Count of Dreux


Robert I of Dreux, nicknamed the Great, was the fifth son of Louis VI of France and Adélaide de Maurienne.

Life

In 1137 he received the County of Dreux as an appanage from his father. He held this title until 1184 when he granted it to his son Robert II.
In 1139 he married Agnes of Garlande. In 1145, he married Hawise of Salisbury, becoming count of Perche, as regent to his stepson Rotrou IV. By his third marriage to Agnes of Baudemont in 1152, he received the County of Braine-sur-Vesle, and the lordships of Fère-en-Tardenois, Pontarcy, Nesle, Longueville, Quincy-en-Tardenois, Savigny, and Baudemont.
Robert I participated in the Second Crusade and was at the Siege of Damascus in 1148. He was credited for bringing the Damask rose from Syria to Europe. In 1158, he fought against the English and participated in the Siege of Séez in 1154.

Marriages and children

1. Agnes of Garlande, daughter of Anseau of Garlande, count of Rochefort.
2. Hawise of Salisbury, widow of Rotrou III and daughter of Walter Fitz Edward of Salisbury, Sheriff of Wiltshire
3. Agnes of Baudemont, countess of Braine, widow of Milo III of Bar-sur-Seine.