Editing Robert Curthose (section)

== Reign as Duke of Normandy ==
[[File:Robert de Normandie at the Siege of Antioch 1097-1098.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3|Robert Curthose during the [[Siege of Antioch]], as imagined by [[Jean-Joseph Dassy]]]]

In 1087, the elder William died of wounds suffered from a riding accident during a siege of Mantes. At his death he reportedly wanted to disinherit his eldest son but was persuaded to instead divide the Norman dominions between his two eldest sons. To Robert he granted the [[Duchy of Normandy]] and to William Rufus he granted the [[Kingdom of England]]. The youngest son, Henry, was given money to buy land. Of the two elder sons Robert was considered to be much weaker and was generally preferred by the nobles who held lands on both sides of the [[English Channel]] since they could more easily circumvent his authority.{{Sfn|David|1920|pp=42–118}}

When their father died, the two brothers agreed to be each other's heirs. This agreement lasted less than a year, when barons joined with Robert to displace Rufus in the [[Rebellion of 1088]]. It failed in part because Robert never showed up to support the English rebels. Two years later, Rufus [[Rouen Riot|tried to gain control]] of Robert's capital city, Rouen, but Robert was able to prevent this with the help of forces loyal to him, among them his brother Henry.{{sfn|Aird|2008|pages=134–136}}

Robert took on [[Ranulf Flambard]] as his adviser, who had been previously a close adviser to his father. Flambard later became an astute but much-disliked financial adviser to [[William Rufus]] until the latter's death in 1100.