Robert de Holand, 1st Baron Holand
Robert de Holand, 1st Baron Holand (also Robert Holland ) (* around 1283; † October 15, 1328 in Borehamwood ) was an English nobleman from the Holland family . Through his friendship with Thomas of Lancaster, 2nd Earl of Lancaster , a cousin of the king and most powerful magnate in England, he rose from country noble to peer .
origin
Robert de Holand was the son and heir of the same name Sir Robert de Holand , lord of the Upholland in Lancashire, and his wife Elizabeth de Samlesbury , an heir of Sir William Samlesbury , lord of Samlesbury in Lancashire. His father owned quite stately estates in Lancashire and had considerable influence in the county.
Rise as a henchman to the Earl of Lancaster
Holand's association with Lancaster probably began in 1298 when the youthful Holand served in Lancaster's immediate entourage during a campaign to Scotland and the subsequent Battle of Falkirk . Before 1305 he was knighted . As a result, he rose to be the most important follower and confidante of Lancaster. Presumably he oversaw the administration of Lancaster's lands, negotiated on behalf of Lancaster with the king and supported him in his military and political actions. He took part in the pursuit of Piers Gaveston in 1312 and in 1318 in the wake of Lancaster in the campaign against Scotland. From 1300 at the latest, Lancaster rewarded him for his services with the transfer of lands, until Holand finally owned about 25 estates, from which he received an annual income of about £ 550. Lancaster also arranged an advantageous marriage for him. Around 1308 Holland married Maud la Zouche († 1349), a daughter of Alan la Zouche , a powerful baron from Leicestershire . After his father-in-law died in 1314 without male descendants, his wife and her sister inherited his estate. Maud received extensive land which brought her annual income of nearly £ 720. Probably as a result of these large estates Holand was on 29 July 1314 Writ of Summons first time as Baron Holand in the Parliament appointed. Eventually, at the height of his career, Holand earned over £ 1,300 a year from his estates.
As a baron, Holand also served the king. From 1307 to 1320 he held the office of judge of Chester three times and held various other local offices, including in 1312 that of the governor of Beeston Castle in Cheshire .
Treason of Lancaster and death
When Lancaster openly rebelled against King Edward II in the Despenser War in 1321 , Holand initially supported him. In late 1321 he formed with Lancaster's army, but when Lancaster fled north from royal troops in March 1322 and it became apparent that the rebellion was failing, Holand switched sides. At the head of a 500-strong force that was to strengthen Lancaster's rebel army, he surrendered to the royal troops. This betrayal determined Lancaster's fate, he was defeated shortly afterwards in the Battle of Boroughbridge , captured and shortly afterwards executed as a traitor. Holand had saved his life by betraying Lancaster, but remained in the king's captivity. Even after Edward II was overthrown at the end of 1326, Holand remained in custody at the request of Henry of Lancaster , brother of Thomas of Lancaster. Henry of Lancaster and his followers saw him as a traitor who had deserved no mercy because of his side change from 1322. However, as tensions grew between Henry of Lancaster and Roger Mortimer , who was responsible for the underage King Edward III. who actually ruled, came, Holand was released and received his possessions back on December 23, 1327. As the conflict between Henry of Lancaster and Roger Mortimer came to a head, Holand was believed to have been murdered by Sir Thomas Wyther , a former vassal of Thomas of Lancaster in a Hertfordshire forest . The act probably happened with the approval of Henry of Lancaster, to whom Wyther sent Holand's severed head and who covered Wyther from prosecution.
Holand was believed to be buried in the Franciscan Church at Preston in Lancashire.
Marriage and offspring
From his marriage to Maud la Zouche, Holand had several children including:
- Margaret de Holand († 1349)
- Alianore de Holand († before 1341) ⚭ John Darcy, 2nd Baron Darcy de Knayth
- Robert de Holand, 2nd Baron Holand (around 1312–1373)
- Alan de Holand († around 1339)
- Sir Otes de Holand († 1359)
- Sir John de Holand
- Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent (1314-1360)
- Mathilde de Holland (1319–1361) ⚭ Sir Thomas de Swinnerton (1315–1361)
- Elizabeth de Holand (1320–1387), ⚭ I) Sir Henry FitzRoger, ⚭ II) William le Botiler, 3rd Baron le Botiller
Web links
- JR Maddicott: Holland, Sir Robert (c.1283-1328). 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
- Robert de Holand, 1st Lord Holand on thepeerage.com , accessed January 25, 2016.
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page
Individual evidence
- ^ The battlefields trust: Boroughbridge campaign. Retrieved January 26, 2016 .
- ^ Ian Mortimer: The greatest traitor. The Life of Sir Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, Ruler of England, 1327-1330. Pimlico, London 2003, ISBN 0-7126-9715-2 , p. 172
- ^ Ian Mortimer: The greatest traitor. The Life of Sir Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March, Ruler of England, 1327-1330. Pimlico, London 2003, ISBN 0-7126-9715-2 , p. 213
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| New title created |
Baron Holand 1314-1328 |
Robert de Holand |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Holand, Robert de, 1st Baron Holand |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Holland, Robert, 1st Baron Holand |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English nobleman |
| DATE OF BIRTH | around 1283 |
| DATE OF DEATH | October 15, 1328 |
| Place of death | Borehamwood |