Ralph de Mortimer (nobleman, † after 1104)

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Ralph de Mortimer (also Ralph I de Mortimer , Raoul or Ranulph de Mortemer ) (* before 1080, † after 1104) was an Anglo- Norman magnate . He established the position of the Mortimer family in England .

Origin and heritage

Ralph de Mortimer was the eldest son of the Norman nobleman Roger de Mortimer and his wife Hawise . Presumably Ralph was named after Count Raoul von Amiens and Vexin , who was at times his father's fief. His father probably did not take part in the conquest of England , presumably he had never been to England himself. However, Ralph received extensive possessions in England from King Wilhelm I during his father's lifetime. The year of his father's death is unknown, but after 1080 Ralph also inherited his property in the Pays de Caux and his mother's inheritance in the county of Amiens .

Acquisition of extensive estates in England

In England, Ralph had initially received the goods of the Anglo-Saxon Thegn Cypping of Worthy in Hampshire from the king . In addition, Ralph received Hullavington in Wiltshire , which was a previous possession of Harold of Wessex . He then probably acquired properties in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire that had belonged to the Anglo-Saxons Eadgifu , Orm, and Copsi before the conquest . After the failed rebellion of Earl Roger of Hereford in 1075, Mortimer received his confiscated goods in Herefordshire , including Wigmore Castle , as well as several goods from Queen Edith, who died in 1075, in the Welsh Marches . Of the confiscated estates of the rebel Eadric the Wild , the king gave Amport in Hampshire, Osbaston and Weston in Leicestershire and Stretton Baskerville in Warwickshire to Mortimer. In addition, Mortimer held possessions in Shropshire as a vassal of Earl Roger of Shrewsbury . Mortimer did not testify to any documents of the Earl, nor is there any evidence that Mortimer served as the Earl's administrator in the Welsh Marches, as claimed by a chronicle in the late Middle Ages. Mortimer divided his holdings, which were spread over twelve counties , into three parts. In the south of England, mainly in Hampshire, there were several scattered but profitable estates centered on Headbourne, near Winchester . He owned other estates in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. The third part of his possessions formed the estates in the Welsh Marches around Wigmore, but in the fight against the Welsh princes he apparently had no success or played no major role.

In 1086 Mortimer served about eighteen knights as vassals in England. His main followers were the Normans Odilard and Richard de Barre , both of whom received goods from him in the Welsh Marches as well as in other parts of England. His other vassals included relatives, but overall only a few Normans were among his vassals. Possibly this was due to the fact that his father was still master of the family estates in Normandy, which is why only a few Normans followed him from there. Therefore Mortimer gave part of his possessions to Anglo-Saxons as a fief .

Crown vassal under Wilhelm I, Wilhelm II. And Heinrich I.

Despite his extensive possessions, Mortimer had little political importance under King Wilhelm I. He only testified to the Royal Charter , with which the King confirmed the establishment of Lewes Priory by Mortimer's relative William de Warenne , and together with other barons from Hampshire and Wiltshire another royal charter. When, after the death of Wilhelm I in 1086, there was a dispute over the succession between his sons Robert Curthose and Wilhelm , Mortimer supported Robert. He was one of his entourage when Robert planned an invasion of England in Normandy in late March 1088. In the same year Mortimer returned to England and rebelled against King William II along with other leading Marcher Lords. Together with Roger de Lacy , Bernard de Neufmarché and troops of Earl Roger of Shrewsbury, he advanced from the Welsh Marches to Worcestershire , where they advanced several Looted goods. An attack on the city of Worcester was repulsed under the leadership of Bishop Wulfstan , whereupon the rebellion collapsed. Presumably Mortimer then retired to Robert in Normandy. In 1090 the king achieved that Mortimer recognized him, but a few years later Mortimer again supported Robert Curthose's claim to the throne. However, after he set out on the First Crusade, Mortimer and Wilhelm II became reconciled. After the death of Wilhelm II in 1104, Mortimer and other leading Anglo-Norman barons were among the supporters of the new King Heinrich I against Robert Curthose, who had returned from the crusade . After that, Mortimer is no longer mentioned, the year of his death is unknown.

Marriages and offspring

Ralph de Mortimer had been married twice. After the death of his first wife Millicent , he married Mabel before 1088 . He had at least two sons and a daughter:

Mortimer's estates in England and Normandy inherited from his eldest son, Hugh de Mortimer. His second son, William, was possibly out of wedlock and received only a small estate in the Welsh Marches from his father. His daughter Hawise married Stephan von Aumale, with whom Mortimer was politically allied from the 1090s and who was also a nephew of King Wilhelm I.

Like other Anglo-Norman magnates, Mortimer was a believer, but he made no major donations of land to the Church. He gave a small estate in Hampshire to the monastery of Saint Victor-en-Caux , which his father had founded , and confirmed his mother's donations to the monastery. In England he concentrated his foundations on the parish church of Wigmore . According to tradition, he is said to have converted the church into a collegiate monastery with three benefices in 1100 , after which the bishop of Hereford consecrated the church in 1105. There is no evidence for this tradition, especially since the Hereford diocese was vacant in 1105 . Mortimer also confirmed donations from his vassals to Jumièges Abbey and the Cathedral Priory of Worcester .

Web links

Remarks

  1. ↑ See also: Companion of Wilhelm the Conqueror
personal data
SURNAME Mortimer, Ralph de
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mortimer, Ralph I de; Mortimer, Raoul de; Mortemer, Ranulph de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Anglo-Norman magnate
DATE OF BIRTH before 1080
DATE OF DEATH after 1104