Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford
Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford , also Humphrey VII. De Bohun (* around 1267, † March 16, 1322 near Boroughbridge ) was an English magnate . His changing political loyalty and his tragic end are typical of the difficult rule of the English King Edward II.
origin
Humphrey VII. De Bohun came from the Anglo-Norman noble family Bohun . He was the only son of Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford and of Maud de Fiennes , a daughter of the French nobleman Enguerrand , Seigneur de Fiennes . After the death of his father, on February 16, 1299, he made King Edward I the feudal oath and inherited his extensive possessions, titles and the office of Constable of England from his father . In addition to the title of Earl of Hereford , he also carried the title of Earl of Essex , to his extensive property belonged lands in England, especially in Essex and Wiltshire, as well as Brecon , Huntingdon , Caldicot and Hay Castle in the Welsh Marches .
Magnate under King Edward I.
As one of the most powerful English barons, he was present at the wedding of the king with Margaret of France in Canterbury on September 10, 1299 . During the Scottish Wars of Independence, he took part in the siege of Caerlaverock Castle in 1300 . In 1301 he was one of the barons who sealed a letter of complaint to the Pope. On November 14, 1302, in Westminster Abbey , he married Elizabeth , the widow of Count John of Holland and a daughter of the King and Eleanor of Castile . For the marriage he had to hand over his possessions and his rights as earl and constable to the king, who then returned them to him and his wife after the wedding. On May 22, 1306, when Eduard von Caernarfon was knighted, he laid the spurs on the heir to the throne. After Robert the Bruce had crowned himself King of Scotland in 1306, Bohun again took part in a campaign to Scotland from 1306 to 1307. King Edward I gave him Lochmaben Castle and other confiscated properties from Robert the Bruce in Annandale . During the campaign, Bohun and Thomas of Lancaster besieged Kildrummy Castle . After conquering the castle, Bruce's wife and other members of his family were taken prisoner.
Member of the aristocratic opposition to Piers Gaveston
After King Edward I died in July 1307, his son Eduard von Caernarfon became the new King of England as Edward II. Bohun was initially well-disposed towards his young brother-in-law and in August 1307 he testified with the elevation of Edward's favorite Piers Gaveston to Earl of Cornwall . Over the next few months, Bohun was often at the royal court, and in December 1307 he took part in the tournament at Wallingford , where he was one of the nobles defeated by Gaveston's troops. However, when Bohun accompanied the king to his wedding with Isabella from France to France in January 1308 , he joined the nobility opposition that was forming against the king, which drafted the Boulogne Agreement . At the coronation of Edward II and Isabella on February 25, 1308, he still carried the scepter with the cross , but in April 1308 he was one of the nobles who, under the leadership of the Earl of Lincoln, put forward their demands to the king during parliament . In 1308 and 1309 he often stayed at the royal court. In 1310 he was elected as one of the Lords Ordainers who were supposed to reform the royal household and government through the ordinances . He is said to have not participated in the campaign to Scotland from 1310 to 1311 because of his opposition to Gaveston. The king then withdrew his office as Constable of England, but reinstated him on August 28, 1311. When Gaveston returned to England from his third exile in 1312, contrary to the express prohibition of ordinances, Bohun was one of the magnates who now took military action against Gaveston. He and his troops guarded eastern England, and after Gaveston's capture, Bohun came to Warwick Castle , where he took part in the deliberations that led to Gaveston's execution on June 19, 1312.
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Reconciliation with King Edward II
Then Bohun took part in the negotiations with the king, who reconciled himself with the aristocratic opposition and forgave Bohun in October 1313. In June 1314 he took part in the king's campaign against Scotland, in which the English army suffered a crushing defeat at the Battle of Bannockburn . At the beginning of the second day of the battle, Bohun had a bitter argument with Gilbert de Clare , the young Earl of Hertford. Bohun led the English vanguard together with Clare , but they are said to have quarreled over their rank and thus over their authority. Gilbert de Clare fell shortly afterwards in a violent attack on the Scottish lines, which is one of the reasons for the English defeat. After the battle, Bohun fled with other nobles to Carlisle , where they sought refuge in Bothwell Castle . The commandant of the castle, a native Scotsman named Walter Fitz Gilbert , ran over to the Scots and handed the castle over to his guests. Bohun was quickly released, however, as he was exchanged for Elizabeth de Burgh , the wife of Robert the Bruce, who had been in English captivity since the capture of Kildrummy Castle in 1306.
From 1315 to 1320 Bohun was again frequently present at the royal court. His reconciliation with the king was arguably sincere as he attended the funeral of Gaveston in Kings Langley on January 2, 1315 . On February 11, 1316, he became commander of the royal army that was supposed to put down the rebellion of Llywelyn Bren in Glamorgan, Welsh . Bohun asked the king for leniency towards Llywelyn Bren, after the suppression of the rebellion he got into an argument with Hugh le Despenser , who had Llywelyn Bren arbitrarily executed. Bohun later supported the widow and children of Llywelyn Bren. In 1316 Bohun was again a member of a committee that was supposed to reform the royal court and the kingdom. In 1318 he was present at the negotiations for the Treaty of Leake , an agreement between the King and the Earl of Lancaster. 1318 to 1319 Bohun again took part in a campaign against Scotland.
Opponent of the Despensers and rebellion against the king
From 1318 the influence of the young Despenser and his father of the same name on the king increased enormously. As a favorite of the king, Hugh le Despenser the Younger began to establish territory in South Wales at the expense of the other Marcher Lords . As one of the most powerful barons of the Welsh Marches, Bohun was the natural leader of the other barons who banded against Despensers. Around 1320 there was a dispute over the succession of the Gower barony in South Wales . Bohun had also shown interest in the acquisition of Gower, and after the king intervened in the dispute, contrary to the rights and privileges of the Marcher Lords, Bohun became a bitter opponent of the king. On January 30, 1321, the king forbade him to attend meetings with other magnates, especially with the Arundel and Surrey . Presumably Bohun soon formed an alliance with Lancaster. Since Bohun did not appear for a meeting with the Earl of Norfolk , the Earl Marshal , the king occupied Builth Castle on March 16, 1321 , a castle in Bohun in Mid Wales. The conflict escalated, and on May 4th, the forces of Bohun and the other Marcher Lords began the Despenser War , the conquest and sacking of Despenser territories in Wales. The king finally had to give in to pressure from the aristocratic opposition and banish the Despensers in August 1321, but began a military counter-attack in September 1321. Before the approaching royal army, Bohun occupied Gloucester in December and burned Bridgnorth with the bridge over the Severn to block the royal troops from entering Wales. The royal army then moved north on the east bank of the Severn and crossed the river at Shrewsbury on January 14, 1322 , whereupon many of the Marcher Lords surrendered. Bohun withdrew to Pontefract Castle , whereupon the king ordered the confiscation of his lands on January 23, 1322. Lancaster, Bohun and the remaining rebels fled to northern England, where they were decisively defeated by royal troops on March 16, 1322 in the Battle of Boroughbridge . In battle, Bohun led the rebel infantry to battle for the bridge over the River Ure . In the front line of the battle he was killed by the overwhelming force of the opposing pikemen . He was buried in the Dominican Church in York .
progeny
From his marriage to the king's daughter Elisabeth Bohun had eleven children:
- Hugh de Bohun († 1305 as a child)
- Mary de Bohun († 1305 as a child)
- John de Bohun, 5th Earl of Hereford (1306-1336)
- Humphrey de Bohun, 6th Earl of Hereford (1309-1361)
- Edward de Bohun (around 1311-1334)
- William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton († 1360)
- Eleanor de Bohun († 1363) ⚭ I 1327 James Butler, 1st Earl of Ormonde ; ⚭ II Thomas Dagworth
- Margaret de Bohun († 1391) ⚭ Hugh de Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon
- Edmund de Bohun ⚭ Maud de Bohun, 2nd Baroness Segrave († around 1334)
- Eneas de Bohun († before 1343)
- Isabella de Bohun († 1316)
On his death his son John inherited his titles and possessions.
Web links
- JS Hamilton: Bohun, Humphrey (VII) de, fourth earl of Hereford and ninth earl of Essex (c.1276-1322). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004
Individual evidence
- ^ TF Tout, RA Griffiths: Llywelyn Bren (d. 1318). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of 2004
- ^ Boroughbridge Community Website: Battle of Boroughbridge & Myton. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on May 27, 2015 ; accessed on May 6, 2015 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Humphrey de Bohun |
Lord High Constable Earl of Hereford Earl of Essex 1298-1322 |
John de Bohun |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Essex |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English nobleman and Lord High Constable of England |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1267 |
| DATE OF DEATH | March 16, 1322 |
| Place of death | at Boroughbridge |