Hugh de Mortimer (nobleman, † 1180 or 1181)

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Hugh de Mortimer (also Hugh II de Mortimer ) († 1180 or 1181 in Cleobury Mortimer ) was an Anglo- Norman magnate.

origin

Hugh de Mortimer came from the Anglo-Norman Mortimer family . He was the second son of his father of the same name, Hugh I de Mortimer , his mother is unknown. In the Wigmore Abbey Chronicle he is mistakenly referred to as the son of his grandfather, Ralph de Mortimer . After the early death of his older brother Roger before 1153, he inherited the family's estates in England and Normandy . In the medieval sources it is often not clear whether Hugh de Mortimer or his father of the same name is meant.

Relationship to Heinrich II.

In early 1153, Duke Henry , who later became King Henry II , granted Mortimer the privilege that his Staffordshire fiefs would not fall under the suzerainty of Earl Ranulph of Chester . However, Mortimer soon rebelled against the king's attempts to restore royal sovereignty after the long civil war . The king requested the return of numerous royal castles that had become barons during the Civil War, including Bridgnorth Castle , which Mortimer's father had appropriated during the Civil War. Numerous barons, including Mortimer, resisted the return. The resistance, however, was uncoordinated and there was no collaboration even between Mortimer and the neighboring Earl Roger of Hereford , who also rebelled against the king. Mortimer thought Henry II was young and inexperienced, but in the spring of 1155 he made his castles Cleobury , Wigmore and Bridgnorth defend themselves. Indeed, the king immediately began to siege the castles. He had a siege ring reinforced with ramparts and moats built around Bridgnorth, so that the castle was cut off from reinforcements. Thereupon Mortimer had to surrender to the king on July 7, 1153. The king treated the rebel with indulgence. Although he had Cleobury Castle destroyed, but Mortimer got Wigmore back. When the Earl of Hereford also died, he was even allowed to keep the administration of Bridgnorth Castle and was again accepted into the king's favor as crown vassal . As a result, Mortimer remained a loyal vassal of Henry II, which was certainly reinforced by the king's campaigns against the Welsh princes over the next few years. Henry II came to the Welsh Marches several times for these campaigns and was thus able to monitor the activities of the Marcher Lords.

Wigmore Abbey re-established

After his failed revolt against the king, Mortimer turned to the administration of his possessions in the Welsh Marches. He sponsored Wigmore Abbey. According to the last will of his grandfather Ralph de Mortimer, an Augustiner was initially founded at Shobdon . Hugh's father or himself later relocated it to Aymestrey, northwest of Leominster . However, the younger Hugh now feared that his opponents might use the settlement as a fortified base. He succeeded in persuading the friars to move the monastery again, this time to Wigmore . A small complex with wooden buildings was erected there at a place called Bethun . The friars then moved the settlement back to Shobdon, but Mortimer now offered the friars a building site north of Wigmore, where construction of the new monastery began in 1172. Mortimer himself laid the foundation stone for the church. Originally he only wanted to contribute 10 marks for the construction costs, which he eventually took over in full. To the monastery he gave the estate and the church of Caynham in Shropshire as well as the rights to several other churches and lands in Herefordshire and Shropshire. In 1179 the church was consecrated by Bishop Robert Foliot of Hereford. Mortimer not only confirmed his previous donations, but also donated gold measuring utensils and other valuable items of equipment. In accordance with his last will, he was buried at Wigmore Abbey. The Wigmore Abbey Chronicle incorrectly names February 26, 1185 as the date of his death, but Mortimer had died four or five years earlier, possibly on the date stated in the chronicle.

Marriage and offspring

Mortimer had married Matilda, the widow of Philip de Belmeis and daughter of William le Meschin of Egremont . With her he had four sons:

Since his eldest son Hugh had died before him, his second son Roger became his heir after his death.

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personal data
SURNAME Mortimer, Hugh de
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mortimer, Hugh II de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Anglo-Norman nobleman
DATE OF BIRTH 12th Century
DATE OF DEATH 1180 or 1181
Place of death Cleobury Mortimer