Bogo de Clare

Bogo de Clare (also called Beves or Bovo ; * July 21, 1248 ; † October 26, 1294 ) was an English clergyman who became known for his accumulation of offices .

origin

Bogo de Clare came from the Anglo-Norman family Clare . He was the youngest son of Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Gloucester and his wife Maud de Lacy . His eldest brother was Gilbert de Clare , who inherited from their father in 1262.

Advancement as a clergyman

As a child, Bogo was destined for a spiritual career. His father gave him papal dispensation when he was seven years old in 1255 to receive his first benefices , and he was appointed papal chaplain . Together with his brother Thomas he studied in Oxford from 1257 to 1259 . Soon after his studies, Bogo began to collect numerous other church benefices and offices. By 1280, contrary to the provisions of the fourth Lateran Council , he had held thirteen rectorates and three canon positions . Until his death he was also treasurer of the Archdiocese of York , chancellor of the diocese of Llandaff and holder of a total of eleven other canon positions. Although he did not hold a high ecclesiastical office, he had an estimated annual income of about £ 1,500 at the time of his death through this accumulation of offices. In addition, he had received several estates from his father in Usk , a rule in the Welsh Marches .

Activity as a clergyman

Despite his large number of church offices, Bogo had almost no interest in his spiritual duties. He entrusted paid vicars with the performance of his offices throughout England, while he himself was never ordained a priest. When Archbishop William of Wickwane of York asked him in 1283 to recapture his ordination within a year, he simply ignored the invitation. He was hated by many bishops and other prelates, including Archbishop John Peckham of Canterbury, for his high office and disregard for his spiritual duties. He abused his offices for nepotism and bribery and lived in a luxury property in London. He left this only to stand up for new offices or to deal with purely worldly matters, often for his brother Gilbert. He maintained regular contacts with numerous barons, including Roger de Mowbray , Edmund Mortimer of Wigmore and John Hastings of Abergavenny , who were also friends with his brother. In return, they helped him to further church offices. In 1285 Bogo helped his brother Gilbert to arrest the abbot of St Augustine's Abbey in Bristol at Cardiff Castle over a lawsuit . Under the influence of his brother, who was one of the most powerful barons of the Welsh Marches, he became chancellor of the Welsh diocese of Llandaff in 1287. In return Bogo tried the appointment of Philip de Staunton to delay the new Bishop of Llandaff, so Gilbert during the vacancy could keep the proceeds of sites within his dominions goods of the diocese of the diocese. Around 1270 Bogo had arranged the marriage of his sister Margaret to Earl Edmund of Cornwall . When he separated from Margaret, Bogo is said to have asked the king's cousin in 1290 to answer to the Archbishop of Canterbury and to have threatened him with excommunication . For making the threat during Parliament in Westminster Hall , Bogo was severely punished. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London and the king fined 2,000 marks . This is considered to be one of the earliest known cases of a member of parliament enjoying the protection now known as parliamentary immunity . However, at the intercession of Queen Eleonore , Bogo was soon released and the fine was reduced to 1,000 marks. The Queen is even said to have lent him the money, since a few years earlier he had found a pastor in the Archdiocese of York for one of her chaplains. A little later, Bogo again violated the peace obligation during parliament. This time he was supposed to answer to Archbishop John Peckham, but he is said to have forced the messenger who brought him the letter to eat the letter and its seal.

literature

• Michael Altschul: A baronial family in medieval England. The Clares . The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore 1965, pp. 176-187

Web links

• Henry Summerson: Clare, Bogo de (1248-1294). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004

Individual evidence

1. ^ Michael Altschul: A baronial family in medieval England. The Clares . The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore 1965, p. 179.
2. ^ Michael Altschul: A baronial family in medieval England. The Clares . The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore 1965, p. 49.
3. ^ Michael Prestwich: Edward I. University of California, Berkeley 1988, ISBN 0-520-06266-3 , p. 462.
4. ^ Michael Prestwich: Edward I. University of California, Berkeley 1988, ISBN 0-520-06266-3 , p. 462.