Nicholas Seagrave, 1st Baron Seagrave (of Barton Segrave and Stowe)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nicholas Seagrave Coat of Arms

Nicholas Seagrave, 1st Baron Seagrave (also Segrave ) (* after 1256; † November 25, 1321 ) was an English military man and nobleman.

origin

Nicholas Seagrave came from the Seagrave family, a family originally from Leicestershire with extensive holdings in several English counties. He was the second son of his father of the same name, Nicholas Seagrave, 1st Baron Seagrave and his wife Matilda.

Rise under Edward I.

As a younger son, Seagrave entered the service of King Edward I. It is believed that he and not his old father was castellan of the castles of Dumbarton and Ayr in Scotland from 1291 to 1292 . While his father was still alive, he was appointed to parliament for the first time in August 1295 by the Writ of Summons , giving him an independent hereditary title as Baron Segrave . To distinguish it from the parallel existing title of his father, his title is supplemented in literature by the addition of Barton Segrave and Stowe . Until his death he was then regularly invited to the parliaments. After his father's death in late 1295, his older brother John inherited the family's estates and the title of Baron Segrave. In the coming years served Nicholas Seagrave during the First Scottish War of Independence continue as military. In 1298 he took part in the Battle of Falkirk and in 1300 in the wake of Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford in the siege of Caerlaverock Castle . On February 12, 1301, he sealed the barons' letter to the Pope, in which they complained about his interference in the war with Scotland.

Conflict with the king and submission

From 1303 to 1304 Seagrave again took part in a campaign by the king to Scotland. There was a heated argument between him and John Cromwell . Seagrave challenged Cromwell to a duel to resolve the dispute. When the king forbade this, Seagrave deserted from the royal army and fled to France. On the king's orders, Robert de Burghersh , the Warden of the Cinque Ports and Commander of Dover Castle, tried to prevent Seagrave from leaving, but was only able to arrest him in Dover on his return from France. It was not until 21 barons stood up for Seagrave that he was able to return to his Stowe estate in Northamptonshire . In January 1305, however, he was asked to answer before Parliament in Westminster . There he submitted to the king's judgment and was apparently sentenced to death. He was not executed but was imprisoned in the Tower of London . However, he was then released and quickly regained the favor of Edward I. In 1307 he took part in the king's last campaign to Scotland.

Favorite of Edward II.

Seagrave was also initially in high favor with Eduard II , the son and successor of Eduard I. On February 23, 1308, the King released Seagrave from his duties to the Crown. When Edward II faced a group of opposition nobles at the beginning of his rule, Seagrave was a staunch supporter of the king. On March 12, 1308, the King appointed Seagrave from the Marshal of England and administrator of Northampton Castle . Seagrave is rarely mentioned as a witness of royal documents and apparently had little influence at the royal court. Nevertheless, in August 1308, the Northampton Parliament demanded that Seagrave, along with three other counselors to the king, leave the court. Perhaps this was only required because he was one of the followers of Thomas of Lancaster , the king's cousin, who at the time was still one of his supporters.

Increasing tension with the king

The office of Marshal Seagrave was denied by William Marshal, 1st Baron Marshal , who viewed it as an inheritance from his family. This claim was rejected by the king, but the dispute between Seagrave and Marshal was so violent that in July 1311 the king forbade both of them to carry arms during parliament. Seagrave's office as Marshal may have led to an initial major argument between the King and Lancaster. As Marshal, Seagrave was allowed to appoint the Marshal of the Exchequer . After Elias de Pouger, whom he had appointed , died in September 1310, Jocelin Brankescombe was appointed his successor. Seagrave was in Scotland at the time, but on his return he confirmed Brankescombe's appointment. However, this was replaced at the end of September 1311 in favor of Arnald de Tilly . Arnald de Tilly came from Gascony and was a friend of the royal favorite Piers Gaveston , who was also from Gascony . A little later Gaveston was exiled from England according to the Ordinances , whereupon Brankescombe was again Marshal of the Exchequer. Seagrave's part in these intrigues is unclear, but after the arbitrary execution of Gaveston by Lancaster and other barons in 1312, he increasingly lost the king's trust. Together with the Earl of Pembroke , the Elder Despenser , Edmund Mauley and John Cromwell , he asked the representatives of the City of London on September 20, 1312 for assistance in defending the city against opponents of the king. On December 20, together with Pembroke and Despenser, he testified for the king's reconciliation with the aristocratic opposition. Until December 6, 1314 he is then occasionally called as a witness of royal documents, then only once at May 20, 1319 in York . As a vassal of the Earl of Lancaster, who had become the king's fiercest opponent, his position at court had apparently become increasingly untenable. In 1316 the king finally gave the office of marshal to his half-brother Thomas of Brotherton .

Last years and death

When the king's conflict with Lancaster came to a head in 1317, the king ordered the seizure of Seagrave and the confiscation of its lands, but these orders were revoked on September 24th after the king's reconciliation with Lancaster. In 1318 he was one of the vassals of Lancasters who were pardoned for their offenses and was appointed to a committee to prepare the next parliament. During the English campaign to Scotland in 1319 he took part in the unsuccessful siege of Berwick with four knights and ten soldiers in the retinue of Lancaster . In October 1320 he again took part in Parliament in Westminster and in January 1321 he was one of the magnates who were to negotiate with the Scottish King Robert Bruce . When Lancaster now led an open rebellion against Edward II, the king, along with other magnates, prohibited Seagrave from participating in rebellious meetings on April 21, 1321. On November 12, 1321, the king again forbade him to attend a rebel meeting. Seagrave died a little later, before the king could put down the Lancaster rebellion the following spring.

Land acquisition, marriage and inheritance

Seagrave had married Alice, a daughter of Geoffrey of Armenters . She was the widow of Gerard Lisle . By marriage he acquired the Stowe estate and Barton Seagrave Castle . He also owned considerable estates in Northamptonshire, Suffolk and Essex . A dispute broke out in 1301 between Seagrave and Bishop Walter Langton of Lichfield over ownership of the Chrishall estate in Essex, which Edward I eventually had to settle. From his marriage to Alice he had a daughter:

  • Maud de Segrave, 2nd Baroness Segrave (around 1296–1334 / 5)

His daughter, who became his heir, married Edmund de Bohun of Church Brampton , Northamptonshire, a younger son of Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford. With her childless death, the title Baron Segrave, of Barton Segrave and Stowe expired.

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. 56
  2. ↑ John Robert Maddicott: Thomas of Lancaster, 1307-1322. A Study in the Reign of Edward II. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1970, p. 90
  3. ↑ John Robert Maddicott: Thomas of Lancaster, 1307-1322. A Study in the Reign of Edward II. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1970, p. 118
predecessor Office successor
New title created Baron Segrave
1295-1312 		Maud de Segrave
personal data
SURNAME Segrave, Nicholas, 1st Baron Segrave of Barton Segrave and Stowe
ALTERNATIVE NAMES De Segrave, Nicholas; Seagrave, Nicholas
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English nobleman
DATE OF BIRTH after 1256
DATE OF DEATH November 25, 1321