Ralph Basset (nobleman, before 1230)

Sir Ralph Basset (also Ralph Basset, 1st Baron Basset of Drayton ) (* before 1230; † August 4, 1265 at Evesham ) was an English knight and rebel. He was among the leaders of the Barons 'Party during the Second Barons' War .

origin

Ralph Basset came from the Basset family, an extensive knightly family that was mainly based in the Midlands . He was probably born before 1230 to a fairly wealthy family. His parents had extensive family connections. His father died between 1255 and 1257, from whom Basset inherited five estates in Staffordshire , Leicestershire , Nottinghamshire and Dorset , giving him an annual income of over £ 100. Its headquarters were Drayton Hall at Drayton Bassett in Staffordshire, from where it got its nickname. Probably before 1245 he married Margaret , daughter of Roger de Somery of Dudley , Worcestershire . His wife was a co-heir of the property of the Aubigny family through her mother Nichole d' Aubigny .

Role in the war of the barons

When in the spring of 1258 against the policy of King Heinrich III. formed an opposition to the nobility, Basset initially continued to support the king. In the early summer of 1263 he changed sides and joined the anarchic uprising of Roger of Leybourne , Roger de Clifford , Hamo le Strange and other knights who had been excluded from the household of the heir to the throne Edward . They attacked the possessions of their opponents at the royal court, including the lands of the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of Hereford , which is why they were all excommunicated on October 3, 1263 by Archbishop Boniface in Boulogne . However, they were subsequently pardoned by the first government of the barons under Simon de Montfort . Despite an invitation from King Henry III. from October 28, 1263 Basset did not change back to the king's side. After the Battle of Lewes , in which he presumably did not take part, he was commissioned on June 7, 1264 by the party of barons to restore peace in Shropshire and Staffordshire. On December 24, 1264 he was called to De Montfort's Parliament , in which he participated. He is thus also referred to as Baron Basset de Drayton , although this title is not recognized due to the rebellion of the barons. In December 1264, Basset was named constable of Shrewsbury Castle and Bridgnorth Castle . In this position he was able to harass followers of the king and capture his predecessor Hamo le Strange prisoner for the next six months. Why he became such a clear supporter of Simon de Montfort is uncertain. Montfort's influence in the Midlands after the Battle of Lewes and his campaign against the foreigners are possible reasons, but Basset also had arguments with local supporters of the king, particularly his father-in-law Roger de Somery. Roger de Somery had been his predecessor as administrator of Shropshire and Staffordshire in 1263, and Basset was indebted to Somery. In addition, he was in dispute with him over the estate of Barrow upon Soar , which Basset claimed as part of the inheritance of the Aubignys, but which had been retained by Somery. Another opponent of Basset was his cousin Robert de Tattershall , who was also a co-heir to the Aubignys. After Tattershall was captured at the Battle of Lewes, Basset occupied his estates in Leicestershire. From these goods he earned about £ 70 a year. Basset also had an argument with his cousin Phillip Marmion, Lord of Tamworth , who was also on the king's side. From Montfort, however, Basset had received no direct rewards, but after his death it was alleged that Robert de Ferrers, 6th Earl of Derby had given him the estate of Breedon in Leicestershire, which had previously belonged to Tattershall . Basset served as Knight Banneret in the Army of Montfort and fell in the Battle of Evesham in 1265 . After his death, the king first gave his goods to his supporters Roger de Clifford, Robert de Tibetot , Robert de Tattershall and William Bagot .

progeny

Basset's widow Margaret, however, soon received the goods of Basset back as a reward for the loyalty of her father Roger de Somery, which then fell to her son Ralph Basset († 1299). Margaret married Ralph of Cromwell († 1289) for the second time in 1270 . After his death she entered a monastery as a nun in 1293.

Web links

• Sir Ralph Basset on thepeerage.com , accessed August 21, 2015.
• HW Ridgeway: Basset, Sir Ralph (d. 1265). 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