General Notes

REFN: 3410AN
Odo, the son of Herluin of Conteville and Herleva of Falaise, was born in
abo ut 1036. Herleva was also the mother of William of Normandy, Richard
Fitz Gil bert and Robert of Mortain.
In 1049 William of Normandy appointed Odo bishop o f Bayeux and over the
next few years organized the rebuilding of Bayeux Cathe dral.
When William decided to invaDe England in 1066, he invited his three
h alf-brothers, Odo, Richard Fitz Gilbert and Robert of Mortain to join
him. On e Norman chronicler claims that Odo of Bayeux contributed 100
ships to Willia m's invasion fleet.
He fought at the Battle of Hastings and afterwards was giv en the title of
Earl of Kent and the castle at Dover. After his coronation in 1066,
William the Conqueror claimed that all the land in England now belonge d
to him. William retained about a fifth of this land for his own use. The
rest was distributed to those men who had helped him defeat Harold. Odo
was g ranted manors in thirteen counties which gave him an income of over
£3,000 pe r year, making him the richest tenant-in-chief in the kingdom.
In 1067 William the Conqueror appointed Odo as regent while he spent time
in Normandy. For t he next fifteen years Odo he was second in power to
William in England. It is believed that Odo commissioned the Bayeux
Tapestry.
William was in Normandy in 1073 and Odo of Bayeux had the task of dealing
with the rebellion led by Waltheof and Ralph, Earl of Norfolk. On his
return in 1076, Waltheof was exec uted - the only time capital punishment
was inflicted on an English leader du ring his reign. However, the Earl of
Norfolk managed to escape to Brittany.
In 1082 William heard complaints about Odo's rule. He returned to England
and Odo was arrested and charged with misgovernment and oppression. Found
guilty he was kept in prison until Robert of Mortain achieved his release
on the De ath of William the Conqueror in 1087.
Robert Curthose, William's eldest son, w as expected to become king of
England when his father died. However, William preferred William Rufus,
who, unlike Robert, had remained loyal to his father . William Rufus
became king of England in 1087 and the following year, Odo, G eoffrey of
Coutances, Robert of Mortain and Richard Fitz Gilbert led a rebell ion
against his rule. Many Normans remained loyal and William defeated the
rebels when he captured Tonbridge Castle.
Odo was forced to flee to Normandy. He now became an adviser to Robert
Curthose, the Duke of Normandy. Odo was pr esent at the council of
Clermont in November 1095, when Pope Urban II proclai med the First
Crusade. In September 1096 Odo accompanied Robert, Duke of Norm andy, on
the crusade. Odo of Bayeux died in Palmero in February, 1097, while
visiting his friend, Roger, Count of Sicily. Odo of Bayeux is buried in
the cathedral on Sicily.