Robert II (September 1250 – 11 July 1302) was the Count of Artois, the posthumous son and heir of Robert I and Matilda of Brabant. He was a nephew of two kings; Louis IX of France and Charles I of Sicily.
A capable military commander and administrator, Robert was involved in a number of conflicts involving the French Capetian dynasty, including the War of the Sicilian Vespers and the Franco-Flemish War. He died during the latter conflict while leading a French army at the Battle of the Golden Spurs.
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Life
A close confidant of the Capetian royal family and experienced soldier, Robert served as a military commander and administrator under the rule of his cousin, Philip III of France and Philip's son, Philip IV. During the former Philip's early reign, he dispatched Robert and a French army to Iberia to suppress a rebellion in the Kingdom of Navarre. At the behest of his uncle, Charles I of Anjou, he led Angevin troops against Ghibelline and Genoese troops in Piedmont. Charles eventually named Robert as his Vicar in Provence, but the latter was ultimately defeated and forced to withdraw.
In 1285, he was named as regent of the Angevin Kingdom of Naples while the kingdom was engaged in the War of the Sicilian Vespers against Aragon. The Angevin kingdom had suffered several major defeats early in the war and the un-crowned king of Naples, Charles II, was an Aragonese prisoner. Robert rebuilt the Angevin treasury and worked to rebuild the Angevin kingdom's navy. Also in 1285, Robert took part in the French-led Aragonese Crusade (which ended in defeat) and attempted an invasion of Sicily in 1287. The release of Charles II from Aragonese custody in 1287 ended his rule as regent of Naples.