Mortimer (family)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coat of arms of the Mortimer of Wigmore family

The Mortimer family was an Anglo-Norman aristocratic family that belonged to the leading noble families of the Welsh Marches from the 11th century to 1425 in direct male succession . During the conquest of Wales at the end of the 13th century, the family rose to become one of the most important noble families in England. In 1326, Roger Mortimer, 2nd Baron Mortimer , overthrew the English King Edward II. In fact, he took over the reign himself and assumed the title of Earl of March before he was overthrown in 1330. His grandson was able to regain the title and position of the family in the middle of the 14th century. Although the next heads of families all died young, the family continued to belong to the leading English noble families until they died out in 1425 as a direct male line of succession. In England, but also in France, branch lines of the family had been established, some of which existed until the 16th century. However, their relatives no longer achieved greater political importance.

The family originated in Normandy and acquired properties in England

The progenitor of the family was Roger , who owned large estates in Normandy with the center of Saint Victor-en-Caux . Until 1054 he had managed the castle of Mortemer on the border with the county of Amiens for Duke Wilhelm II , after which he was named. His son Ralph de Mortimer was able to acquire numerous estates in a total of twelve English counties as a result of the Norman conquest of England up to 1086 , so that he rose to become an important magnate in England . In addition to lucrative goods in southern England and other goods in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire , he mainly acquired extensive estates in the Welsh Marches , the center of which was Wigmore Castle .

The ruins of Wigmore Castle, the former headquarters of the Mortimer family. Photograph from 2009

The family continued to rise as Marcher Lords

From the 12th century, the family was one of the leading Marcher Lords who tried in constant battle against the Welsh princes to expand their possessions further into Wales . Ralph's son Hugh de Mortimer managed to occupy Bridgnorth Castle during the so-called Anarchy . Roger II de Mortimer was able to conquer the Welsh rule Maelienydd after changeful battles towards the end of the 12th century . However, after the conquest of Normandy by France in 1204, he had to give up his goods there. After his death in 1214, the Welsh recaptured Maelienydd during the First War of the Barons around 1215. Only Ralph II de Mortimer was able to conquer Maelienydd again in 1241, but around 1262 the area was lost again due to an uprising of the Welsh population. During the Second War of the Barons, Roger III Mortimer was one of the most important supporters of the future King Edward I. After the conquest of Wales , he rewarded him by handing him not only Maelienydd and the neighboring Gwrtheyrnion , but also Ceri and Cedewain in 1279 . His eldest son Edmund Mortimer was probably involved in the Battle of Orewin Bridge , in which the Welsh prince Llywelyn ap Gruffydd was killed in late 1282 . He was regularly invited to parliaments , which is why he is considered Baron Mortimer .

Rise to Earl of March and temporary overthrow of the family

Edmund's son Roger Mortimer acquired Ludlow Castle and other areas in the Welsh Marches by marriage , as well as extensive estates in Ireland . There he distinguished himself as a military man and administrator during the reign of Edward II. However, he was driven to rebellion by the favoritism of the king and in 1321 was one of the leaders during the Despenser War . At the beginning of 1322 he had to surrender to the king. He was incarcerated in the Tower of London , from which he escaped in August 1323. In France he allied himself in 1325 with Isabelle , the wife of Edward II, whose lover he became. In the autumn of 1326 Mortimer and Isabelle landed in England with a small army, and within a short time they succeeded in overthrowing the unpopular Edward II. As a result, Mortimer took over in place of the minor Eduard III. the actual reign of England. He rose to Earl of March in 1328, before his autocratic rule was ended in October 1330 by a coup d'état by the young king. Mortimer was executed as a traitor and his possessions were confiscated. However, his eldest son Edmund Mortimer managed to get part of the family property back before his untimely death in 1331.

Again ascent to the Earl of March and end in the direct male line

Edmund's son Roger Mortimer was able to get back to Earl of March in 1354 and to get back most of his grandfather's estates. His son Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March , became Earl of Ulster in Ireland through his marriage to Philippa , heiress to Lionel of Antwerp . He died in Ireland as early as 1381. His younger son Edmund Mortimer was taken prisoner by the rebels while serving in the army during the Owain Glyndŵr rebellion. He switched sides, married a daughter of Owain Glyndŵr, and died before the rebellion's ultimate failure during the siege of Harlech Castle . His brother, the 4th Earl of March , died in Ireland at the age of 24. His son Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March, was supposed to be brought to the English throne by the Southampton Plot in 1415 , but betrayed the plan to the king. He died childless as King's Lieutenant in Ireland in 1425 of the plague. After his death, his extensive inheritance fell to his nephew Richard of York , the eldest son of his sister Anne Mortimer .

Secondary lines

Hugh Mortimer († around 1273), a younger son of Ralph II de Mortimer, inherited the Chelmarsh estate in Shropshire from his father . He married Agatha de Ferrers († 1306), a daughter of William de Ferrers, 5th Earl of Derby and his first wife Sybil Marshal . His wife brought the Luton estate in Bedfordshire into the marriage as her mother's heir . With her he founded a branch line of the family, which died out in male succession with Hugh Mortimer , who died in 1403 as a supporter of King Henry IV in the Battle of Shrewsbury . His heir became his cousin John de Cressi († 1407).

Coat of arms of Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Mortimer of Chirk

Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Mortimer of Chirk , a younger son of Roger III Mortimer, founded the Mortimer of Chirk family . During the conquest of Wales he received from King Edward I, the North Wales reign Chirk . Because of his involvement in the Despenser War and the subsequent rebellion against Edward II, the rule was confiscated by the crown. His nephew Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, kept Chirk for himself after the fall of Edward II and thus effectively disinherited his eponymous cousin Roger Mortimer († before 1331), the son of Roger Mortimer of Chirk. All that remained was his mother's legacy to Tedstone Wafer in Herefordshire. His grandson John Mortimer († after 1361) had to waive all claims to Chirk in 1359. His descendants held Tedstone Wafer and other estates until the line with Sir John Mortimer died out in male succession in 1504.

Geoffrey Mortimer , a younger son of Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, inherited the French rule Couhé and other estates in France from his maternal grandmother in 1323 . He founded a branch of the family there, which consisted of male succession until after 1559.

Trunk list (selection)

  1. Roger I de Mortimer († after 1080)
    1. Ralph I de Mortimer († after 1104)
      1. Hugh I de Mortimer († between 1148 and 1150)
        1. Roger de Mortimer († before 1153)
        2. Hugh II de Mortimer († 1180 or 1181)
          1. Hugh († before 1181)
          2. Roger II de Mortimer († 1214)
            1. Hugh III de Mortimer († 1227)
            2. Ralph II de Mortimer († 1246)
              1. Roger III Mortimer (1231-1282)
                1. Ralph III Mortimer († 1274)
                2. Edmund Mortimer, 1st Baron Mortimer (1251–1304)
                  1. Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March (1287-1330)
                    1. Edmund Mortimer, 1st Baron Mortimer (1302–1331 / 2)
                      1. Roger Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March (1328-1360)
                        1. Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March (1352-1381)
                          1. Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March (1374-1398)
                            1. Anne Mortimer (1390-1411) ⚭ Richard of Conisburgh, 1st Earl of Cambridge
                            2. Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March (1391-1425)
                          2. Edmund Mortimer (1376–1409) ⚭ Catherine Glyndŵr
                    2. Geoffrey Mortimer (1308 / 9–1372 / 6)
                3. Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Mortimer of Chirk († 1326)
              2. Hugh de Mortimer, Lord of Chelmarsh († around 1274) ⚭ Agatha de Ferrers († 1306)
          3. Ralph de Mortimer
          4. William de Mortimer

literature

  • 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
  • JJ Cump: The Mortimer Family and the Making of the March . In: Michael Prestwich (Ed.): Thirteenth century England, 6: proceedings of the Durham conference, 1995 . Boydell, Woodbridge 1997, ISBN 0-85115-674-6 , pp. 117-126

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Rees R. Davies: The Age of Conquest. Wales 1063-1415. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1991, ISBN 0-19-820198-2 , p. 279
  2. ^ 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. 22
  3. ^ Rees R. Davies: The Age of Conquest. Wales 1063-1415. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1991, ISBN 0-19-820198-2 , p. 442
  4. ^ CP Lewis: Mortimer, Roger de (fl. 1054-c. 1080). 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
  5. ↑ JFA Mason: Mortimer, Hugh de (d. 1181?). 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
  6. ^ Rees R. Davies: The Age of Conquest. Wales 1063-1415. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1991, ISBN 0-19-820198-2 , p. 326
  7. ^ JJ Crump: Mortimer, Roger (III) de, lord of Wigmore (1231-1282). 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
  8. ^ David Walker: Medieval Wales . Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1990. ISBN 0-521-32317-7 , p. 58
  9. ^ History of Parliament Online: MORTIMER, Hugh (d.1416), of Weldon, Northants. Retrieved August 23, 2018 .