Galéran IV (Meulan)

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Representation of Galéran after a seal

Walram von Beaumont (* 1104 ; † April 19, 1166 in Préaux ) was Lord of Beaumont , from 1118 as Galéran IV. Count of Meulan and from 1138 1st Earl of Worcester .

In French he is called Galéran de Beaumont or Galéran IV de Meulan , in English he is known as Waleran de Beaumont, 1st Earl of Worcester . De Bellomonte or de Wigonia , after the Latin names of Beaumont and Worcester, is also used as an epithet .

He was the son of Robert de Beaumont , Earl of Meulan and 1st Earl of Leicester , and Elizabeth of Vermandois , and the twin brother of Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester . He and his brother Robert are the famous Beaumont twins.

First years

After his father's death in 1118, he received the Norman portion of the inheritance, Meulan and Beaumont. He also owned Vatteville on the left bank of the Seine . In the uprising of September 1118 he was loyal to King Henry I , but was drawn into a conspiracy by Wilhelm Clito , the son of Duke Robert II of Normandy , in 1123 . He was defeated on March 26, 1124 by William de Harcourt at the Battle of Bourgteronde and fled to Brionne . When Heinrich approached, he retired to his castle Beaumont. The king conquered his castles in Brionne and Pont-Audemer , the latter after a siege of seven weeks, and burned the cities of Montfort, Brionne and Pont-Audemer down. In addition, Heinrich withdrew the title of Count von Meulan from him.

The following year, on March 24, 1125, he advanced to the tower of Vatteville together with his brothers-in-law Hugo II of Châteauneuf-en-Thimerais and Hugo IV of Montfort-sur-Risle and William, Lord of Bréval . Very early in the morning they stormed entrenchments that the king had built around the castle and tried to get their hands on a delivery of groceries intended for the besieged. Walram, the two Hugos and around 80 armed men were imprisoned and imprisoned for five years, first in Rouen and later in England. The king had now destroyed all of Walram's fortresses except Beaumont, which he ordered to be surrendered, and Walram accepted. He was later pardoned, but rejoined Wilhelm Clito, the king's nephew, and the royal soldiers again occupied the castles of Brionne and Pont-Audemer.

In 1135 (Wilhelm Clito had died in 1128) he had regained the king's trust to such an extent that he - together with his twin brother - stood at his deathbed. Walram joined the new King Stephen , married his daughter Mathilde von Blois in March 1136, and went to Normandy that same spring , where he captured Roger de Toeni in the autumn , then returned to England in the spring of 1137. In 1138 he was appointed the King's Deputy (Joint Lieutenant) in Normandy, and crossed the English Channel again a short time later to suppress an uprising against English rule. In late 1138 he returned to England and was tasked with going to the north of the country and driving the Scots out of Wark Castle. He probably also participated in the Battle of the Standard at Northallerton in part on 22 August 1138, in which the Scots were completely defeated.

Civil war

By this time he had become chief advisor to the king, whom he defended at the Oxford council in the dispute with the bishops of Salisbury and Ely . In the ensuing escalation, the bishop was deposed and imprisoned, and civil war broke out. Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester , attacked Worcester on behalf of Matilda in October 1139 , destroying a considerable part of the city and taking away large booty. On November 3, Walram struck John FitzHarold, who was serving under the Earl of Gloucester, invaded the city and made many prisoners.

In 1141 he was Commander in Chief at the Battle of Lincoln . Seeing the battle lost, he fled while the king fought until he finally had to surrender to his cousin Robert, who turned him over to Matilda, who in turn imprisoned him in Bristol . Later that year he and his brother negotiated peace with Matilda's husband Gottfried Plantagenet , the Count of Anjou .

During the siege of Rouen in 1143/44 he was then in the service of Gottfried, he conquered Emandreville and burned it down, as well as the church of Saint-Sever, with many refugees perishing in the flames. Matilda took Worcester Castle from him and gave it to William de Beauchamp . In 1144, King Stephen made him Earl of Worcester , giving him the city as well.

He then went on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and then took part in the Second Crusade . On the outward journey to the latter, he took part in the siege of Lisbon (July 1 to October 25, 1147), with the city being conquered for the Christians. After his return to England in 1149 he fell out with the king and went so far as to offer the crown to Theobald II , Count of Champagne , Stephen's brother, who refused. He then moved to Empress Matilda's camp and held Worcester on her behalf. The king conquered the city and burned it down, but failed because of the castle. Two years later he attacked again, this time driving Walram, who fled to Normandy, where he was captured by his nephew Robert von Montfort-sur-Risle (son of Hugo IV), who locked him in the castle of Orbec . He regained his freedom after giving part of his property to his nephew. In 1154 he tried unsuccessfully to conquer Montfort Castle. The king then captured the town of Winchester , owned by Walram, and burned it down.

In 1157 he was at the court of the new King Henry II , and in May 1160 he was one of the witnesses at the conclusion of the treaty between Henry II and the French King Louis VII ; during this time he also witnessed the charter of Coggeshall Abbey .

progeny

Walram married Agnes von Montfort, daughter of Amaury III in 1141 . of Montfort , Count of Évreux , and Agnès de Garlande , who inherited the lordship of Gournay-sur-Marne ; her children were:

  • Robert II. De Beaumont , Count of Meulan .
  • Isabel de Beaumont († May 10, 1220), ⚭ (1) around 1161 Geoffroy, Lord of Mayenne ( House of Mayenne ); ⚭ (2) around 1170 Maurice II, Lord of Craon ( Craon House ).
  • Amaury de Beaumont, Lord of Gournay-sur-Marne .
  • Roger de Beaumont, Vice Count of Évreux.
  • Waleran de Beaumont, Lord of Montfort.
  • Etienne de Beaumont.
  • Hugh de Beaumont, Lord of Blinchefeld.
  • Marie de Beaumont, ⚭ Hugh Talbot, Baron of Cleuville, Lord of Hotot-sur-Mer.
  • Amice de Beaumont, ⚭ Henry, Baron de Ferrieres.
  • Duda de Beaumont, ⚭ William de Molines.

An earlier marriage is reported about Walrams, which he is said to have entered into with Mathilde von Blois, the elder of two daughters of King Stephen, in March 1136, shortly before he left for Normandy; According to another source, Mathilde died in 1135. In any case, she could have been at most ten years old in 1135/36 (King Stephan married in 1125), in 1141 Walram remarried, the alleged marriage in any case remained childless.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The Complete Peerage
  2. ↑ European Family Tables Volume II, 1984, Plate 46
predecessor Office successor
Robert I. Count of Meulan
1118–1166 		Robert II
New title created Earl of Worcester
1138-1166 		Title expired


personal data
SURNAME Galéran IV.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Walram of Beaumont, Walram IV of Meulan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Earl of Meulan and Earl of Worcester
DATE OF BIRTH 1104
DATE OF DEATH April 19, 1166
Place of death Préaux