Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Gloucester

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Gilbert de Clare depicted on a stained glass window of Tewkesbury Abbey.

Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Gloucester and 4th Earl of Hertford (* around 1180 - † October 25, 1230 in Penrose in Brittany ), was an English magnate .

Life

Rebel against the King during the War of the Barons

Gilbert de Clare came from the Anglo-Norman family Clare . He was the eldest son of Richard de Clare, 3rd Earl of Hertford , and of Amicia , the second daughter of William FitzRobert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester . In 1215 he actively supported the barons' rebellion against King John Ohneland and, along with his father, was one of the twenty-five barons who, according to the provisions of the Magna Carta , were supposed to monitor compliance with the agreements. After the war between the barons and the king broke out despite the recognition of the Magna Carta , Gilbert fought despite threats of excommunication from Pope Innocent III. on the side of the barons. In December 1215 he was excommunicated, in March 1216 King John declared his father and him expropriated. Even after the death of King John in October 1216, he continued to support the French Prince Ludwig , who claimed the English throne with the support of a group of English barons. His father-in-law, the regent William Marshal, tried in vain in March 1217 to get his father and him on the side of the new King Henry III. to pull. On May 20, 1217 Gilbert was captured by William Marshal at the Battle of Lincoln . It was only after this defeat that he switched to the side of the king's supporters, and in July 1217, through negotiations with William Marshal in Gloucester , he and his father would not be punished for supporting Prince Ludwig. However, he was only released after the Peace of Lambeth , which ended the War of the Barons in 1217. Shortly afterwards, in September 1217, his confiscated goods were returned to him. In addition to his relationship with William Marshal, who was not only his father-in-law but also a cousin of his father, the old age of his father and the prospect of the inheritance of his aunt Isabel of Gloucester were certainly decisive for his reconciliation with the king. He did not want to jeopardize this prospect of two rich inheritances by opposing the king. Isabel of Gloucester actually died in October 1217, so Gilbert became the heir to the extensive estates of his grandfather William FitzRobert, 2nd Earl of Gloucester in Wales and the Welsh Marches . Only a few weeks later, his father died, so that he inherited the extensive estates of his family and the title of Earl of Hertford . He was also given the title of Earl of Gloucester , which his aunt Isabel suo jure had led. This made him one of the most powerful and richest English magnates. In January 1218 he was one of the barons responsible for the good treatment of William de Braose's children who had been released from royal captivity . In 1224 he supported the king in the fight against the rebellious Falcon de Bréauté , and in 1225 he witnessed the renewed recognition of the Magna Carta by the king.

Participated in fighting in Wales

Gilbert's main focus in the next few years, however, was to secure and expand his Welsh possessions. In his reign of Glamorgan , the mountainous hinterland was still in the hands of semi-autonomous Welsh lords like Morgan Gam von Afan . This and other Welsh lords had allied themselves with Llywelyn ab Iorwerth , the princes of Gwynedd , and raided Margam Abbey and Newcastle Castle several times , on which they made claims. Gilbert, on the other hand, renewed the patronage of the Earls of Gloucester over Margam Abbey and took action against the Welsh several times, sometimes together with his brother-in-law William Marshal the Younger . In 1228 he took part in the campaign of King Heinrich III. after Ceri , and until October of that year he then led his own campaign against Afan, in which Morgan could take Gam prisoner. He probably had Morgan Gam imprisoned in Clare Castle in East England , but his cousin Hywel ap Maredudd von Meisgyn took over the leadership of the Welsh people of Glamorgan and continued the resistance against the Earl of Gloucester.

Follower of the King and Death

In 1227 Gilbert and other barons such as William de Forz belonged to an English embassy that visited the Roman Emperor Frederick II in Antwerp . In 1230 he accompanied the king on his campaign in Brittany to support the rebellion of French nobles around Peter Mauclerc against the regent Blanka of Castile . However, this enterprise ended with the military defeat of the rebels against the still young King Louis IX. of France . The English troops were not involved in any major combat operations, but Gilbert died shortly before his planned departure in Brittany. His body was taken to Plymouth and eventually buried in Tewkesbury Abbey .

Family and offspring

In 1214 Gilbert had married Isabel Marshal († 1240), a daughter of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke. He had at least six children with her, including:

His heir became his eldest son Richard de Clare. However, since he was only eight years old when his father died, the king first entrusted the administration of his possessions to Justiziar Hubert de Burgh and appointed him guardian of the young heir. Gilbert's widow Isabel married Richard of Cornwall , the king's brother and later Roman-German king , in 1231 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Michael Altschul: A baronial family in medieval England. The Clares . The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore 1965, p. 53
  2. ^ Michael Altschul: A baronial family in medieval England. The Clares . The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore 1965, p. 54
  3. ^ Welsh Biography Online: Clare. Retrieved March 11, 2015 .
  4. ^ Michael Altschul: A baronial family in medieval England. The Clares . The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore 1965, p. 59
  5. ^ Michael Altschul: A baronial family in medieval England. The Clares . The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore 1965, p. 55
  6. ^ Michael Altschul: A baronial family in medieval England. The Clares . The Johns Hopkins Press, Baltimore 1965, p. 60
predecessor Office successor
Richard de Clare Earl of Hertford
1217-1230 		Richard de Clare
Isabel Earl of Gloucester
1217-1230 		Richard de Clare
personal data
SURNAME De Clare, Gilbert, 4th Earl of Gloucester
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Gloucester, Gilbert de Clare 4th Earl of; Hertford, Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English magnate
DATE OF BIRTH around 1180
DATE OF DEATH October 25, 1230
Place of death Penrose, Brittany