Helias of Saint-Saens

Helias of Saint Saens, Count of Arques was a Norman nobleman of the eleventh and twelfth century, who came into conflict with Henry I of England.

Helias was a relative by marriage and guardian of William Clito, son of Robert Curthose. ["Duke Robert made a dependable ally of one important upper-Norman baron, Elias of Saint-Saens, by giving him an illegitimate daughter in marriage, with the lordship of nearby Bures-en-Bray and the county of Arques as her maritagium. Elias reciprocated with a lifelong devotion to the duke and, in later years, to his son, William Clito." [http://www.deremilitari.org/resources/articles/hollister.htm] ] Henry in 1111 ordered Robert de Beauchamp ["According to Orderic Vitalis, after King Henry "returned victorious to England", he commanded Robert de Beauchamp Vicomte d'Arques to arrest Guillaume, who was taken into "exile among foreigners" by Hélie and helped by Robert de Bellême [229] ." [http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/NORMANDY.htm] ] to seize the castle of Helias. Previously Henry had tolerated the arrangement for William with Helias. [ "At Falaise Robert's young son William, known afterwards as William Clito, was captured and brought before Henry. Not wishing himself to be held responsible for his safety, Henry turned him over to the guardianship of Elias of Saint-Saens, who had married a natural daughter of Robert's. […] By August, 1111, King Henry's stay in England was over, and he crossed again to Normandy. […] At any rate, at this time, Henry ordered Robert of Beauchamp to seize the boy in the castle of Elias of Saint-Saens, to whom he had committed him five years before. The attempt failed. William was hastily carried off to France by friendly hands, in the absence of his guardian. Elias joined him soon after, shared his long exile, and suffered confiscation of his fief in consequence." [http://www.fullbooks.com/The-History-of-England-From-the-Norman3.html] .] The consequence was exile for Helias, whose lands were forfeited, to the benefit of William de Warenne, 2nd Earl of Surrey.

Family

His father was Lambert of Saint-Saens, who was a son of Richard, viscount of Rouen. [http://www.rootsweb.com/~medieval/gunnor.htm] Helias may have been born around 1070.

Notes