Robert Baldock

Robert Baldock († May 28, 1327 in London ) was an English clergyman. From 1320 to 1323 he was the keeper of the lord's seal , after which he served as royal chancellor until he was deposed after the overthrow of King Edward II .

Origin and education

The exact origin of Robert Baldock is unknown, but it is believed that he was born in Baldock , Hertfordshire . He was probably a relative, probably a nephew of Ralph Baldock , the Bishop of London, who died in 1313, and of whose executors he was one of the executors. Baldock's brother Richard also served as a royal official. Robert Baldock studied at Oxford , where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in canon law in 1294 . Then he entered the service of the king.

Rise to Lord Seal Keeper

Baldock served King Edward II several times as envoy in France and Scotland before the king appointed him Lord Keeper of the Seal in January 1320 . As the king's confidante, who occasionally referred to him as his secretary, Baldock was the first incumbent to achieve greater political importance. Apparently Baldock was promoted by the younger Hugh le Despenser , the leading royal favorite. Baldock was also Controller of the Wardrobe , disregarding a provision of the Ordinances of 1311 , which gave him a leading role at the royal court. In the spring of 1320 he was asked to accompany the king on his visit to France, which is why he had his household moved to Wissant, France . He himself traveled to France with the king in June. In September 1320 he was back in England. Edward II. Commissioned him, negotiations with the Scottish King Robert I lead. When the rebellious barons met in Sherburn in Elmet on June 28, 1321 after the successful Despenser War in Wales , they also complained that the Lord Seal Keeper and other officials had been appointed contrary to the provisions of the Ordinances. In July, Baldock was mentioned as the first name on a list drawn up by the rebels from the bad and false advisers of the king . By the spring of 1322, however, the king was able to put down the rebellion militarily.

Royal Chancellor

After the elimination of the aristocratic opposition, there was no longer any open opposition to the king in England. On July 7, 1323 Baldock was replaced as Lord Keeper of the Seal because he was appointed the new royal chancellor on August 20. In November 1324 the king instructed him to conduct peace negotiations with Scotland again. As a close confidante of the king and the despensers, Baldock was unpopular with the nobility and the population. He was made jointly responsible for the action of the king against the bishops Stratford , Orleton , Burghersh , Hotham and Droxford . The king rewarded Baldock's services by providing him with a number of spiritual benefices and eventually the office of Archdeacon of Middlesex . However, this led to numerous legal disputes. The attempt of the King, 1322 Baldock to canon at the cathedral of Lincoln to appoint, led to a bitter dispute with the Curia in Avignon . Despite the efforts of the king, Baldock was therefore not made a bishop. Given Baldock's unpopularity with the Curia and the cautious policy of Pope John XXII. failed attempts to have Baldock elected Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield in 1321 , Bishop of Winchester in 1323 and Bishop of Norwich in 1325 . Instead, Baldock was appointed to the Curia in Avignon and finally excommunicated in 1324 .

Fall and death

When Queen Isabelle , who had fled into exile, landed in England with Roger Mortimer and an army in September 1326 to overthrow Edward II, Baldock accompanied the king and Despenser on their flight to West England and on to Wales. On October 26, 1326, Baldock was declared deposed as Chancellor, and on November 16, 1326, the King and Despenser were captured with the few remaining followers, including Baldock, at Llantrisant . In Hereford , Bishop Orleton claimed that Baldock, as a clergyman, had to answer not before a secular, but before a spiritual court. Orleton reportedly took him to London. However, in Monthalt , the bishop's London townhouse, Baldock was seized by an angry mob invoking the rights of the City of London . Baldock was taken to Newgate Prison, where he died a few months later as a result of his injuries and abuse. He was buried in the cemetery of the canons of St Paul's Cathedral .

Web links

• Roy Martin Haines: Baldock, Robert (d. 1327). 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

predecessor	Office	successor
Thomas Charlton	Lord Seal Keeper 1320-1323	Robert Wodehouse
John Salmon	Lord Chancellor of England 1323-1326	William Airmyn