Robert III, King of Francia

Robert III (1172-1244) was King of Francia from 1214 until his death. His reign was a markedly unstable one, due to the personal mental instability of the King himself.

Robert was the elder son and second child of the very succesful Anglo-Norman King Henry the Conqueror who, in 1183, was named King of the Franks as well. Robert grew up in England, but spent the majority of his time as heir in Francia.

In 1188, Robert fell from a horse in battle, and began to suffer from recurrent and traumatic lapses into a state of madness. Few could approach and calm the prince when these attacks struck: only his mother Adela of Aquitaine could be sure of calming him. In the circumstances, the expectation was that Robert's younger brother Richard would be named Henry's heir instead, but no such provision was made, and Robert was duly crowned King in September 1214, upon his father's death.

Because of his mental state, Robert had never married, but shortly after taking the throne he was seduced by a twenty three year old widow, Margaret of Britanny. Margaret, from a very minor noble house, was widely hated by the court for her birth, but she exercised a degree of power over the King unmatched by anyone since the death of his mother Adela. Queen Margaret went on to deliver five children to the King, although their legitimacy was loudly doubted.

In 1217, a revolt broke out, led by Robert's powerful uncle William of Thetford, which was only eventually placated by granting William a largely autonomous duchy of his own in Eastern England. Despite Thetford's placation, revolt continued to spread, particularly to Ireland, a region that had never been strongly under the Crown's control to begin with. Over the course of nine years of warfare, the Irish were eventually defeated, but the cost was high, and the royal regime became extremely unpopular, with discontent focused on Queen Margaret. In the chaaos, a the hitherto loyalist Dukes of Gascony declared independence and were granted a crown by the Roman Patriarchate.

Further warfare broke out in 1233, this time marked by a German-sponsored uprising by Francian barons against the "witch" Queen Margaret. The heir presumptative to the throne, Henry, was killed in battle in 1234, and another prince, William, was taken hostage. The war eventually ended in 1238 with the rebellious barons claiming significant concessions from the crown, including territories in Ireland and Britanny. Robert's elder daughter Adela was forced to break off her engagement to an English baron and instead marry the third son of the German Emperor.

Robert's mental faculties declined further in his last years. Previously, he had often enjoyed weeks of sanity, and used these to plan ambitious building schemes and tournaments. After 1240, he became almost permanently insane, and was seen in public only twice before his death in 1244. His reign ended with the opening stages of the Francian Civil War.