Hamo Chigwell

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Hamo Chigwell (actually Hamond Dene ) († after June 16, 1332 ) was an English merchant. From October 1319 to February 1329 he was the leading politician in the City of London . During this time he served as major several times .

Origin and advancement as a businessman

Hamo Chigwell was born to Thomas and Cecilia Dene . He became a fishmonger in London, where the successful fishmonger Richard Chigwell bequeathed part of his property to him for life. Hamo then took his name. Presumably, like other fishmongers in Great Yarmouth , he owned fishing boats and facilities where the herring caught were salted . On September 21, 1314 he was elected Sheriff of Great Yarmouth. He also traded in wine as well as grain, oil and spices. He lived with his wife Maud as a respected fish and grain merchant in the parish of St Mary Mounthaw in Queenhithe, where he served as Alderman from 1315 to 1329 .

Mayor under Edward II.

King Edward II granted the City of London a new charter in 1319 . Nevertheless, in the next few years the king, supported by his favorite Hugh le Despenser , tried to gain political control over the English capital, which as the largest and most economically important city in the empire also had considerable political influence. The citizens of London, on the other hand, tried to take advantage of the king's political difficulties to obtain further privileges and rights for the city. A respected merchant and Alderman, Chigwell was first elected Mayor of London on October 28, 1319 . Chigwell proved to be a skilled politician and diplomat, who for a long time managed to retain popular support as well as to win the favor of the king. After his tenure as Mayor ended after a year, his successor Nicholas de Farndone was exposed to an attack by the king on the privileges of the City. At the beginning of January 1321, the king sent royal judges to the city who, from January 13th to May 20th, received lawsuits and complaints from citizens, but also checked the legality of privileges and rights. On February 23, Farndone was deposed as Mayor, and a royal official took over the management of the city instead. Chigwell managed to successfully defend himself and other fishmongers from suspicion of conspiracy against the king. The king then tried to involve the influential Chigwell in his politics. After an election manipulated by the king, he served again as Mayor on May 26, 1321. After the Marcher Lords rebellion , the City of London hired five hundred soldiers in the autumn of 1321 to assist the king in the siege of Leeds Castle . Still, the king doubted the loyalty of the London population. Chigwell wrote several letters to the king and promised him to provide another 500 soldiers for the campaign in the Welsh Marches , but the king continued to distrust the Londoners. After the rebellion of the Marcher Lords and the Earl of Lancaster was put down in March 1322, the King appointed Chigwell a member of the commission to condemn captive rebels. In July 1322, Chigwell was a member of the court that sentenced Barons Roger Mortimer of Wigmore and Roger Mortimer of Chirk to death. He was then pardoned to life imprisonment in the Tower , from which he was able to escape in August 1323, presumably with the support of two opponents of Chigwell. On April 4, 1323, Chigwell was deposed as Mayor by the King. Then he had to stay with three other London merchants at the royal court, where he was practically a prisoner, before he was reinstated as Mayor on December 6, 1323.

Through his personality and his diplomatic skills, but also with unfair means, Chigwell, supported by a group of leading merchants, was able to satisfy the conflicting interests of the citizens and the king for a long time. He initially had the support of large parts of the population of the City of London. The citizens agreed that the privileges of the city must be restored and that they must, in particular, be given the right to confer citizenship again. But the rich merchants had their own, mainly economic, interests. In 1322 the king declared the Carta mercatoria , which had been suspended since 1311, to be valid again, so that foreign merchants were again under the protection of the king. This gave London merchants, who had been doing more direct overseas trade in recent years, competition again. The Italian Bardi family , with whom the king was heavily indebted, received tax privileges and tried to maintain a monopoly over wool exports. According to this, English wool should only be allowed to be exported to the Netherlands by the Bardis, while many London merchants wanted to be able to export wool themselves. In addition, there were other interests within the citizenship. Chigwell therefore had numerous opponents, some of whom accused him of cheating on the citizens. However, he retained the favor of Edward II, although the city council under his leadership rejected the king's demands for more money and soldiers. His attempts to regain the right to freely elect the mayor for the city from the king were unsuccessful.

Role in the fall of Edward II, activity under Edward III. and death

Because of its policy towards the City of London, the government of Edward II and his favorite Despenser in the city became increasingly unpopular. Although Despenser tried to accommodate the wool merchants in May 1326, when Roger Mortimer, supported by Queen Isabelle , landed with an army in England in September 1326 , he quickly received support. In October there was violent unrest in London, which is why the King and Despenser fled the city. A mob dragged Chigwell into the Guildhall , where he only saved his life by swearing to support Isabelle. In fear of death he had made Treasurer Walter Stapeldon and others responsible for the king's policy. A little later, the mob killed Stapeldon. Under the pressure of the masses, the city council now supported the invaders and the minor heir to the throne, Eduard , who had been proclaimed imperial administrator in place of his father who had fled . The new rulers quickly confirmed the old privileges of the City of London and granted it again the right to freely elect a Mayor. Chigwell had been replaced as Mayor on November 15, 1326 by order of the Queen, but he retained so much influence that he was re-elected Mayor on October 28, 1327 in free election. Chigwell was considered a supporter of Henry of Lancaster , the main domestic political opponent of the government ruled by Roger Mortimer and Queen Isabelle. Under Chigwell's leadership, the City of London now supported Lancaster's policies. In October 1328 he wanted to run again as Mayor for election, against which there was so much resistance that in his place with John de Grantham, a compromise candidate who was considered neutral was elected. Chigwell now openly supported Henry of Lancaster. When Mortimer asked for an explanation, Chigwell sent him a letter listing Lancaster's complaints against Mortimer. As an armed confrontation between Lancaster and Mortimer was inevitable in December 1328 promised the City of London Lancaster, him with a 600-strong contingent to support. Chigwell was also involved in a conflict between the City and Bury St Edmunds Abbey . Londoners captured the abbot and plundered the abbey properties. After the failure of the Lancaster revolt, a judicial commission set up by Mortimer took action against the supporters of Lancaster in the City of London. Chigwell was charged as a traitor, found guilty on February 13, 1329, and taken to the Tower of London. Only the intercession of the clergy saved him from execution. He spent the next few months in the custody of Bishop Stephen Gravesend of London. In July 1329, Queen Isabelle promised a pardon for Chigwell if the City of London showed their loyalty to the government, but it was not until late January 1330 that Chigwell was able to return to London. The Aldermen, who continued to oppose Mortimer's policy, welcomed him publicly and led him back to his home. Politically, however, he no longer appeared. In his will, dated June 16, 1332 and opened on February 22, 1333, he made a donation in favor of St Paul's Cathedral , where he was buried after his death. His wife survived him, but apparently he had no children.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ John Robert Maddicott: Thomas of Lancaster, 1307-1322. A Study in the Reign of Edward II. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1970, p. 298.
  2. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , pp. 399.
  3. ^ 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. 126.
  4. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , pp. 440.
  5. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , p. 506.
  6. ^ 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. 155.
  7. ↑ Seymour Phillips: Edward II . Yale University Press, New Haven 2010. ISBN 978-0-300-15657-7 , p. 508.
  8. ↑ Alison Weir: Isabella. She-Wolf of France, Queen of England . Pimlico, London 2006, ISBN 0-7126-4194-7 , p. 314.
  9. ^ 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. 212
  10. ^ 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. 213
  11. ^ 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. 220
  12. ↑ Alison Weir: Isabella. She-Wolf of France, Queen of England . Pimlico, London 2006, ISBN 0-7126-4194-7 , p. 339.
  13. ^ 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. 228
personal data
SURNAME Chigwell, Hamo
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Dene, Hamond
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English merchant, Lord Mayor of London
DATE OF BIRTH 13th Century
DATE OF DEATH after June 16, 1332