Edmund Mortimer, 1st Baron Mortimer (1251–1304)

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Edmund Mortimer, 1st Baron Mortimer (* 1251 ; † July 17, 1304 in Wigmore Castle ) was an English nobleman .

Origin and training as a clergyman

Edmund Mortimer came from the Mortimer family , a respected family of the Anglo-Norman aristocracy, whose extensive possessions were mainly in the Welsh Marches . He was the second son of Roger Mortimer and his wife Maud de Braose . As a younger son, he should first become a clergyman. As early as 1265, after the king's victory in the Second War, he was the successor of Amaury de Montfort by King Henry III. Appointed Treasurer of York Minster . He then studied theology at Oxford University , where he was allowed to live in Oxford in the house of Walter Giffard , the Archbishop of York.

Legacy and role in the death of Llywelyn ap Gruffydd

After the death of his older brother Ralph in 1274, he became his father's heir, but initially stayed in Oxford. It was not until his father died in 1282 that he returned to the Welsh Marches. Edmund Mortimer was handed over his inheritance on November 24, 1282, which included Wigmore Castle, the Welsh dominions Maelienydd and Gwrtheyrnion . King Edward I was concerned that after the death of Roger Mortimer, the Welsh uprising could spread to his Welsh territories. Therefore, the king initially had the Mortimers occupy the territory. The uncertainty about the loyalty of his subjects is said to have induced Edmund Mortimer to lure the Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Gruffydd into an ambush in the Welsh Marches. By defeating the prince, Mortimer wanted to win the king's favor. In fact, Llywelyn was killed in a battle on December 11, 1282 near Builth in Mid Wales, the exact circumstances of which are unclear.

Further activity as a military and politician

After the conquest of Wales, Mortimer was knighted in Winchester by Edward I. He was regularly invited to parliaments , which is why he is considered Baron Mortimer . In addition, he served as a military during the Franco-English War from 1294 in Gascony and after 1296 in the war with Scotland . In 1290, however, there was a conflict with the crown. Bogo de Knoville , the royal bailiff of Montgomery , accused Mortimer of arbitrarily convicting and executing a criminal, although Knoville had requested the criminal's transfer. During parliament in the autumn of 1290, Mortimer had to submit to the king's grace. The king withdrew Wigmore from him, but this severe sentence was considerably eased shortly afterwards. Mortimer was now to pay a fine of 100 marks and give Knoville a plaque on his behalf, which Knoville was supposed to hang symbolically in place of the already executed criminal. When Mortimer did not obey this requirement, the king again ordered the confiscation of Wigmore. Mortimer got his possessions back in the end, and his right to judge as Marcher Lord was preserved. When Edward I asked his magnates to campaign in Flanders during the war with Flanders in 1297, a revolt broke out, led by the Earl of Norfolk and the Earl of Hereford . A meeting of the magnates took place in Montgomery, in which Mortimer also took part. In the face of resistance, the king had to make concessions to the magnates. Mortimer maintained a good relationship with the powerful Earl of Gloucester . He supported his brother Bogo de Clare , who was his successor as treasurer in York, in the accumulation of benefices. In 1304 he was seriously wounded in an attack near Builth. He was taken to Wigmore Castle, where he died a little later; he was buried in Wigmore Priory .

Family and offspring

In September 1285 Mortimer had married Margaret de Fiennes († 1334), a daughter of the northern French nobleman Guillaume de Fiennes († 1302) and of Blanche de Brienne . Her father was a second cousin of Queen Eleanor of Castile . He had six children with her, including:

  • Isolda (also Isolt) Mortimer
  1. ⚭ Sir Walter de Balun
  2. ⚭ Hugh Audley, 1st Baron Audley of Stratton Audley

His heir became his eldest son, Roger Mortimer.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ian Mortimer: The greatest traitor. The Life of Sir Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, Ruler of England, 1327-1330. Pimlico, London 2003, ISBN 0-7126-9715-2 , p. 10
  2. ^ JJ Crump: Mortimer, Roger (III) de, lord of Wigmore (1231-1282). 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
  3. ^ A b Ian Mortimer: The greatest traitor. The Life of Sir Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, Ruler of England, 1327-1330. Pimlico, London 2003, ISBN 0-7126-9715-2 , p. 11.
  4. ↑ Michael Prestwich: Edward I . Berkeley, University of California Press, 1988, ISBN 0-520-06266-3 , p. 351.
  5. ↑ Michael Prestwich: Edward I . Berkeley, University of California Press, 1988, ISBN 0-520-06266-3 , p. 419.
  6. ^ Michael Altschul: A baronial family in medieval England. The Clares . The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore 1965, p. 179.
  7. ^ Ian Mortimer: The greatest traitor. The Life of Sir Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, Ruler of England, 1327-1330. Pimlico, London 2003, ISBN 0-7126-9715-2 , p. 16.
  8. ^ JJ Crump: Mortimer, Roger (III) de, lord of Wigmore (1231-1282). 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
predecessor Office successor
New title created Baron Mortimer (of Wigmore)
1295-1304 		Roger Mortimer
personal data
SURNAME Mortimer, Edmund, 1st Baron Mortimer
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English nobleman
DATE OF BIRTH 1251
DATE OF DEATH July 17, 1304
Place of death Wigmore Castle