The original family rose to prominence during the 10th century in the new Duchy of Normandy.
Roger de Montgomery, seigneur of Montgomery, was a relative, probably a grandnephew, of the Duchess
Gunnor, wife of Duke
Richard I of Normandy, member of the
House of Normandy. This Richard was the great-grandfather of
William and a grandson of the Viking
Rollo who had previously founded Normandy. The elder Roger de Montgomery had large holdings in that region, chiefly in the valley of the
Dives in central Normandy, which his son,
Roger, would inherit. This Roger was one of
William the Conqueror's principal counsellors, playing a major role in the
Council of Lillebonne by agreeing to contribute sixty ships for the invasion of England.[2] He joined William in his conquest of England in 1066 with an army. For his services, he was rewarded with estates and titles. Also known as "Roger the Great", he would become the first
Earl of Shrewsbury,
Arundel and
Sussex, and give the family name to the county of
Montgomeryshire, in neighbouring
Wales.[3] Through marriage, he allied himself with the powerful
House of Belleme, from which he would acquire the titles of seigneur de Bellême, count of Alençon and count of Ponthieu.[4] After his death in 1094, the Welsh will organized an attack and conquer all their estates in Wales, leaving only
Pembroke Castle standing to this day.[5]
At the beginning of the 12th century, the family will support
Robert Curthose for the succession to the throne of England, following the death of
William the Conqueror. His brother,
Henry I of England, would end up winning the war and Robert and the Montgomeries would end up losing much of their estates and possessions. This event would be the major reason of their downfall.[6] Many members would be forced to exile, one of which would be
Arnulf de Montgomery, who would make an alliance with the High King of Ireland,
Muirchertach Ua Briain, by marrying his daughter.[7] Thereafter, many members of the Montgomeries will ally themselves with other houses in Europe, notably with the
House of FitzGerald, the
House of Burgundy, the
House of Blois, the
House of Capet, the
House of Warenne, and many others.[8]
Robert de Bellême († 1130), 3rd Earl of Shrewsbury and Count of Ponthieu, was an
Anglo-Norman nobleman, and one of the most prominent figures in the competition for the succession to England and
Normandy between the sons of
William the Conqueror. A member of the powerful
House of Bellême, he held 34 castles and 3
abbeys and was the richest magnate of both England and Normandy.[10][11]
^Oliver, Nixon (December 1998). "Hendomen: the Motte and Bailey Castle at Montgomery". Powys Digital History Project. p. 2. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
^Kenyon, JR (2010). The Medieval Castles of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press
^Lieberman, M (2010). The Medieval March of Wales: The Creation and Perception of a Frontier, 1066–1283. Cambridge Studies in Medieval Life and Thought, Fourth Series. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
^Curtis, E (1921). "Murchertach O'Brien, High King of Ireland, and His Norman Son-in-Law, Arnulf de Mont-Gomery, circa 1100". The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 11 (2): page 116–124.
^Chandler, V (1989). "The Last of the Montgomerys: Roger the Poitevin and Arnulf". Historical Research. 62, 1–14.
^Nicholas Carlisle, A Topographical Dictionary of Wales, a Continuation of the Topography of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
p. 308. Oxford Univ. Press, 1811.
^C. Warren Hollister (2001).
"Henry I". New Haven : Yale University Press. : page 154-155
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surnameMontgomerie family. If an
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