ROB 



named the Short, born in 1352, was count palatine at the 

 time of the demolition of Wenceflaus ; and Frederic, duke 

 of Brunfwick, who was firft elected by the German princes 

 to fupply the vacancy, having been aH'affinated, Robert 

 was chofen in his (lead in 1400. Wenceflaus had fold the 

 dukedom of Milan to John Galeazzo, who had withdrawn 

 his date from the fovereignty of the empire, and by force of 

 arms had annexed to it ieveral neighbouring towns and dif- 

 tridts. Robert, therefore, invited by the pope and Floren- 

 tines, led an army into Italy, and entered the duchy of 

 Milan ; but he was fo much haraffed, as to be obliged to 

 march back to Germany, without having effected any tiling. 

 On his return he was involved in fome petty wars with 

 princes and ftates, who dilputed his authority ; and a con- 

 federation was formed againft him, which fublifted during 

 the whole of his reign. The moll inveterate of his op- 

 ponents was the elector of Mentz, who began to build a 

 caftle at Hochft, in defiance of him. Robert affembled 

 troops to reduce him to obedience ; but having advanced to 

 Oppenheim, was feized with a fever, which proved fatal to 

 him in 1410, at the age of 58. He was a prince of more 

 prudence than enterprize, but poffeffed qualities which 

 would have rendered his reign happy in lefs turbulent times. 

 He was juft, clement, and pious, an enlightened politician, 

 and a lover of learning, as he manifeiled by founding the 

 univerfity of Heidelberg. 



_ Robert, king of France, fon of Hugh Capet, was alio . 

 ciated by his father to the crown in 988, and Succeeded him 

 in 997, being then in his 27th year, and highly eiteemed 

 for his qualities both of body and mind. He had married 

 Bertha, daughter of Conrad, king of Burgundy, and 

 widow of Eudes, count of Blois. As he was diftantly re- 

 lated to his queen, and had alfo itood god-father to one of 

 her children by her former hufband, his marriage was con- 

 lidered as invalid by Gregory V. ; the parties were com- 

 manded to quit each other, and to fubmit to feven years' 

 penance, on pain of excommunication. The king refilling 

 to comply with this mandate, the fentence was ilfued againit 

 him, and the greater part of his own bilhops joined in it. 

 The effefts of this excommunication are a linking example 

 of the fuperrtition of the age. The lords of his co°urt broke 

 off all intercourfe with him, and the fervants, who remained 

 to wait upon him, ihewed their horror of his (ituation by 

 throwing to the dogs all the relics of food touched by the 

 king or queen, and burning the veffels they had ufed. It 

 was even reported that the queen was delivered of a rr.onfter. 

 At length the king gave way, and parting with Bertha, by 

 whom he had no iffue, efpoufed Conllance, daughter of the 

 count of Aries, a beautiful woman, but violent and ca- 

 pricious, who difquieted all the remainder of his life. 



The death of the duke of Burgundy, the king's uncle, 

 without lawful heirs, in 1002, caufed that rich inheritance 

 to fall to the crown of France ; and after a war carried on 

 for fome years with another claimant, Robert obtained 

 poffefiion of the country, with which he inverted his fecond 

 fon, Henry. The termination of this war gave much fatif- 

 faftion to the king, who was more inclined to the arts of 

 peace than to military exploits ; and he occupied himfelf in 

 cares for the regulation of his court and houiehold, and the 

 cultivation, of letters and religion among his people. He 

 built and repaired many magnificent religious edifices, and 

 merited the title of the devout. By the perfuafion of the 

 queen, he affociated his eldeft fon, Hugh, in the govern- 

 ment, in his 1 8th year. This prince, difgufted with the 

 haughtinefs and avarice of his mother, withdrew from court, 

 and was guilty of fome diforders ; but by the mild treat- 

 ment of his father, he was brought back to his duty. In 



ROB 



1022, Robert dilplayed his attachment to orthodoxy, bv 

 caufing a council to aifemble at Orleans, for the purpofe of 

 inquiring into a herefy introduced from Italy, which had been 

 embraced even by fome diltinguiihed eccletiaftics. Several 

 of the culprits were burnt alive, in the prefence of the king 

 and queen ; the hitter of whom manifelted the fury of her 

 zeal, by thrulting out an eye of one who had been her con- 

 leilbr, as he was led to execution. On the death of the em- 

 peror Henry I!., in 1024, an Italian party offered the im- 

 perial crown and kingdom of Italy to Robert, or his foo ; 

 but the king had too much wifdom to involve himfelf in a 

 war on inch a project. In 1026 he loll his eldeft fon 

 Hugh ; on which event, he affociated in the crown his next 

 fon, Henry, notwithstanding the oppofition of Conllance, 

 who preferred her fon Robert. He died at Melun, in 103c' 

 or 1031, about the age of 60, after a reign of 33 years. 

 This prince was extremely beloved by his fubjecls, on ac- 

 count of his nuldnefs, juftice, and piety. 



Robert was contemporary with Guido d'Arezzo. He 

 was a great mufician, and a good poet : he wrote feveral 

 hymns for the chnrch, and fet them to mufic. They have 

 been preferved among the ecclefiailical chants, and are ilill 

 the moll agreeable in its fervice. Conllance, his fecond 

 wife, prell'ed him to write a hymn in her praife ; and he 

 made her believe that the hymn " Conllantia Martyruin" 

 had been written for her, and (he was fatisfied. 



Trithemius writes, that Robert made a pilgrimage to 

 Rome, and depofited on the altar himfelf, at St. Peter's, 

 his hymns, in the prefence of the pope. 



One of his befl hymns is " Veni, Sancle Spiritus." To 

 him is likewife afenbed " Chorus Nova: Jerufalem ;" the 

 " Profe on the Afcenfion ;" " Rex omnipotens Die odi- 

 erna ;" " Sandi Spiritus adfit nobis Gratia." Laborde. 



Robert I., king of Scotland, of the family of Bruce, 

 memorable as the reflorer of the independence of his country, 

 was grandfon of that Robert Bruce who was the unfuc- 

 cefsful competitor with John Baliol for the crown of Scot- 

 land. But the death of his father, who left him heir to his 

 eilates and pretenfions, with that of John Baliol, whofe fon 

 was a captive with the Englilh, infpired him with high de- 

 iigns both for himfelf and his country, which was then in a 

 Hate of fubjeftion to Edward ; and having left the Englilh 

 court, to which, it is faid, his purpofes had been betrayed, 

 he arrived in Scotland about the clofe of 1 305, with the re. 

 folution of declaring himfelf. The Scottifn writers mention 

 Comyn as the perfon who had given information againft 

 him ; but whether this were the fact, or fome other caufe of 

 quarrel rofe between them, it is certain that at an interview 

 at Dumfries, in February 1306, Bruce with his dagox-r 

 rtabbed Comyn, -who was afterwards difpatched by one of 

 his allociates. This deed of violence could be julliiied only 

 by greater daring; and Bruce immediately proceeded to 

 feize the caltle of Dumfries, to confine the Englilh judges 

 affembled there, to affert his claim to the crown, and to 

 fummon all the friends of his family to his affiftance. He 

 was foon at the head of a body of troops, with which he 

 penetrated as far as Perth, the Englilh every where flying 

 before him ; and in March he was folemnly crowned at 

 Scone, in prefence of fome bilhops and nobles, and a great 

 number of gentlemen. The king of England, highly en- 

 raged at the news of thefe events, ordered all the forces of 

 the northern counties to enter Scotland, and join the family 

 of Comyn, in order to take vengeance on the rebel, as he 

 was termed. The earl of Pembroke marched to Perth, 

 where he furprifed and defeated Bruce's troops at Methven, 

 m June, their leader himfelf efcaping with difficulty. The 

 broken remnant of his army was again routed by lord Lorn, 



the 



