Marcher Lord

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Wales 1234, ocher the territories of the Marcher Lords

A Marcher Lord was a Norman or Anglo- Norman feudal lord on the border between England and Wales, the Welsh Marches .

The Marcher Lords conquered areas of the Welsh principalities on royal orders from 1067. As masters of the conquered territories, they were vassals of the English king, but were not subject to English law and had considerable privileges over the English barons. They were allowed to build castles, pass laws, wage war against the Welsh and found cities. Royal decrees did not apply in the march, the Marcher Lords ruled with their own right. They were allowed to maintain their own law firms with their own archives, which, however, have been completely lost. They had their own deputies, or sheriffs, and were judges in all matters except high treason. However, they had no right to mint and therefore did not mint their own coins. Her only risk - besides an uprising against the king - was her demise without a legitimate heir and the title reverting to the crown. In turn, the Marcher Lords bore the brunt of the conquest of Wales . After the final conquest of Wales by King Edward I towards the end of the 13th century, the English kings tried to restrict the power of the Marcher Lords. Large parts of the conquered Welsh principalities remained or came into direct possession of the crown and were not re-granted as fiefs. The Marcher Lords' privileges were finally abolished by the Acts of Incorporation of Wales from 1535.

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