Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex

Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex (* before 1130 - † September 1144 ) was one of the most important actors in the time of King Stephen († 1154).

In 1130 he had succeeded his father William de Mandeville . At the time, most of the family's estates in Essex were confiscated in the hands of the king, as was a substantial part of the property of Eudo Dapifer , Geoffrey's maternal grandfather, of whom Geoffrey was heir.

Geoffrey's goal in the first years of the Civil War (1135–1154) seems to have been to regain this property - which he also succeeded in during troubled times by changing his loyalty several times. He began as a supporter of King Stephen, (but perhaps as early as December 1139) him in 1140 for his achievements in the fight against Empress Matilda the Earl of Essex appointed. In 1140 or 1141 he received the confiscated property back in Essex. In 1141 he was also appointed guardian of the Tower of London .

After Stephen's defeat and capture in Lincoln (Lincolnshire) in 1141, Geoffrey - like many of his comrades in arms - recognized Mathilde as sovereign. She confirmed his office in the Tower, forgave him the great debts his father had amassed with the Crown, gave him the possession of Eudo Dapifer and made him Sheriff of Essex, Middlesex , London and Hertfordshire . Before the end of the year, however, he returned to the service of King Stephen, who had meanwhile been released again. In 1142 he seems to have been allied with Mathilda again. In September 1143 he was imprisoned by Stephan and had to hand over all of his castles. Released, he revolted against the king. Until his death in 1144 Geoffrey stayed in the Fens , used the Isle of Ely and Ramsey Abbey as headquarters and carried out raids. As he did not spare churches and monasteries either, he was banned from church. Stephan now warred him; During a fight, when Geoffrey briefly took off his helmet, he was seriously injured by an arrow shot. He died in September 1144. Since he was excommunicated , his body was placed in a lead coffin and was not buried. Only when Pope Alexander III. granted absolution posthumously in 1163, he was buried in Temple Church in London. The spot was marked and can still be seen today.

Geoffrey married Rohese de Vere , daughter of Aubrey II. De Vere . With her he had three sons:

• Geoffrey de Mandeville, 2nd Earl of Essex († 1166)
• William de Mandeville, 3rd Earl of Essex († 1189)
• Robert († before 1189)

In addition, Geoffrey had an illegitimate son, Ernulf, who was exiled for helping his father in the rebellion.

See also: House of Mandeville

literature

• Charles Warren Hollister: The Misfortunes of the Mandevilles. In: History. Vol. 58, 1973, pp. 18-28.
• Ralph H. Davis, John O. Prestwich: The Treason of Geoffrey de Mandeville. In: The English Historical Review. Vol. 103, No. 407, 1988, pp. 283-317.
• John O. Prestwich: Geoffrey de Mandeville: A Further Comment. In: The English Historical Review. Vol. 103, No. 409, 1988, pp. 960-966.
• John O. Prestwich, Ralph H. Davis: Last Words on Geoffrey de Mandeville. In: The English Historical Review. Vol. 105, No. 416, 1990, pp. 670-672.
• John H. Round: Geoffrey de Mandeville, a Study of the Anarchy. London 1892.

predecessor	Office	successor
New title created	Earl of Essex 1140-1144	Geoffrey de Mandeville