Richard de Montfichet

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coat of arms of Richard de Montfichet

Richard de Montfichet (* after 1190; † 1267 ) was an English nobleman and rebel. He was one of the East English barons who took over the leadership of the aristocratic opposition in the conflict with King John Ohneland after the Magna Carta was recognized .

Origin and youth

Richard was the eldest son of Richard de Montfichet († 1203), a follower of King Richard the Lionheart , and his wife Millicent, so he was a descendant of William de Montfichet († before 1156), who was Lord of Stansted Mountfitchet in Essex had served the king with nearly 50 knights' fee . Therefore, he inherited a claim to the administration of the royal forests in Essex, which his grandfather Gilbert de Montfichet († around 1186) had probably forfeited because of his participation in the rebellion of Henry the Younger from 1173 to 1174. Upon the death of his father in 1203, Roger de Lacy , Constable of Chester, acquired the guardianship of Richard from the King for a fee of £ 1,000, but that fee was probably never paid in full. In 1210 his mother acquired guardianship for a fee of 1,100 marks ; she paid the sum within a year. Richard came of age before 1214, in that year he took part in the failed campaign of King John Ohneland to Poitou .

Rebel against the king

Shortly after his return from France, Richard joined the aristocratic opposition to the king. Perhaps he was influenced by his relatives, since William de Forz was his brother-in-law, he was also related to Robert FitzWalter , the leader of the aristocratic opposition, and Richard de Clare . Perhaps Montfichet also hoped to get back the family estates that his grandfather had lost under Henry II . Indeed, on June 21, 1215, shortly after the Magna Carta was recognized, King John assured him that he would administer the royal forests of Essex. For this he was elected one of the 25 barons who were supposed to monitor the king's compliance with the provisions of the Magna Carta. When the barons started an open war against the king again in the autumn of 1215 , Richard remained on the side of the rebels, whereupon the king had his estates occupied. In May 1217 he was captured at the Battle of Lincoln . He remained in captivity until, after the Peace of Lambeth in October 1217, he became the new King Henry III. subjugated. In return, he was given back his own lands and the administration of the royal forests in Essex.

Next life

In 1225 and again in 1237 Richard testified that the Magna Carta was again recognized by the king. In 1230 he took part in the unsuccessful French campaign of Henry III. part. From 1236 he was chief judge for the royal forests in 19 counties in southern England. In 1234 he became Baron of the Exchequer , and in 1244 he was a member of Parliament , being one of the spokesmen for the barons. When the king asked parliament to approve a new tax, the barons imposed conditions, including influence on the composition of the Great Officers of State , which the king in turn refused. The king's attempt to get new taxes approved failed. Richard was Sheriff of Essex and Hertfordshire from 1242 to 1246 . As an old man, he did not join either party during the turmoil of the Second War of the Barons , but remained judge of the royal forests. As the last of the 25 barons of the Magna Carta from 1215, he died at the end of 1267.

Marriage and inheritance

Richard was married at least twice, around 1217 to an Alice and later to a woman named Jousa or Joyce who survived him. Still, he left no children. Shortly before his death, with the consent of the king, he handed over his position as hereditary overseer of the Essex forests to Thomas de Clare, who was distantly related to him . After his death, his possessions were divided among the children and grandchildren of his three sisters.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Richard de Montfichet
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English nobleman and rebel
DATE OF BIRTH after 1190
DATE OF DEATH 1267