Robert fitz John
Robert fitz John (? - ?) was a Flemish-born son of an expatriate Norman blacksmith.
He travelled to Normandy to seek his fortune as a mercenary in the invasion army gathered by Duke William.
Chronicle
fitz John is the subject of various documents in an enigmatic collection of letters between monks in the service of Harold and those in the service of William.
Monastery
ANONYMOUS reports:
If I recall correctly, there was a Norman monastery in Sussex near where William's troops landed. That may have been a reason for landing there — the monks could have reported on the lie of the land. Those monks would have had a foot in both camps, as it were, since Sussex was part of Harold's personal demesne.
In the News
October 13, 1066: King Harold instructs his clerks to "Write a letter to our beloved learned friend with all haste, thanking him for his service, and asking that he pray that God be with us at dawn."
Fiction cross-reference
Nonfiction cross-reference
External links
- Duke William @ Wikipedia
- Harold Godwinson @ Wikipedia