Roger de Mortimer (nobleman, † 1214)

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Roger de Mortimer († before August 19, 1214 ) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman.

Origin, youth and heritage

Roger de Mortimer came from the Anglo-Norman Mortimer family . He was the second son of Hugh II de Mortimer and his wife Matilda . As a young knight, he supported King Henry II during the rebellion from 1173 to 1174. The king then rewarded him with a pension that was paid out of royal estates in Worcestershire as long as he continued to serve the king. In 1179, however, Mortimer's followers killed Cadwallon ap Madog , the Welsh prince of Maelienydd . Since he was on his way back from negotiations at the royal court and the king had assured him safe conduct , Roger was arrested. He lost his pension and was still in prison when his father died in 1180 or 1181. Since his older brother Hugh had already died, Roger inherited the family's extensive estates in England, the Welsh Marches and Normandy . Still, he may not have been released until 1182.

Conquest of Maelienydd

Mortimer fought all his life against the Welsh princes for rule in the middle Welsh Marches. In 1195, with the support of the crown, he succeeded in re-conquering the long-contested Maelienydd. To secure his rule, he had Cymaron Castle expanded. 1196 his troops belonged to the English army, which were defeated in a battle near Radnor by the Welsh under Lord Rhys , the prince of Deheubarth and suffered heavy losses. In 1199 he made a donation in favor of Cwmhir Abbey in Powys to commemorate the knights and soldiers who fell in the conquest of Maelienydd. Despite these setbacks and obvious losses, Mortimer was able to maintain his rule in Maelienydd and in 1202 was considered the most important ruler in Mid Wales.

Role during the reign of Richard I and Johann Ohneland

In England, Mortimer was accused by William de Longchamp in 1191 of having allied himself with the Welsh against the king. Since King Richard was on the way on his crusade and Longchamp was representing the king as justiciar , Mortimer had to go into exile. According to the chronicler Richard of Devizes , he remained in exile for three years, but it is likely that his exile was actually shorter. It is possible that he initially supported Count Johann von Mortain , a brother of the king. This succeeded in the fall of 1191 in overthrowing Longchamp, who now had to go into exile himself. John of Mortain rebelled unsuccessfully against his brother Richard in 1194, but apparently Mortimer had previously rejoined the returned king. In 1194 he was part of Richard's army in France, and by order of the king, the Justiciar Hubert Walter supported Mortimer in the battle for Maelienydd in 1195. After Johann von Mortain became king in 1199 as his brother's successor, Mortimer remained loyal to him until his death. In 1202 the king forgave him £ 400 debt that Mortimer had already inherited from his father. Mortimer fought in the King's War against France in Normandy. With the conquest of Normandy by France by 1204, he too lost his possessions in the duchy. In 1205 Mortimer was captured while trying to retake Dieppe . He was only released after paying a ransom of 1,000 marks . Even after that he remained a supporter of the king, against whose rule other nobles increasingly rebelled. Seriously ill, he transferred his lands to his eldest son in 1214 before his death.

Marriage and offspring

Roger de Mortimer had married Isabella de Ferrers , a daughter of Walcheline de Ferrers . He had at least two sons and one daughter, including:

As a young man, Mortimer had tried to reverse his father's donations in favor of Wigmore Priory . However, when he saw how solemnly the monks celebrated the anniversary of his father's death, he changed his relationship with the monastery. After his death he was also buried in Wigmore Priory. His heir became his eldest son Hugh, after whose death his younger son Ralph inherited the family estates.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ JJ Cump: The Mortimer Family and the Making of the March . In: Michael Prestwich (Ed.): Thirteenth century England, 6: proceedings of the Durham conference, 1995 . Boydell, Woodbridge 1997, ISBN 0-85115-674-6 , p. 118
  2. ^ Rees R. Davies: The Age of Conquest. Wales 1063-1415. Oxford University Press, Oxford 1991, ISBN 0-19-820198-2 , p. 85
  3. ↑ JJ Cump: The Mortimer Family and the Making of the March . In: Michael Prestwich (Ed.): Thirteenth century England, 6: proceedings of the Durham conference, 1995 . Boydell, Woodbridge 1997, ISBN 0-85115-674-6 , p. 119
  4. ↑ JJ Cump: The Mortimer Family and the Making of the March . In: Michael Prestwich (Ed.): Thirteenth century England, 6: proceedings of the Durham conference, 1995 . Boydell, Woodbridge 1997, ISBN 0-85115-674-6 , p. 121
  5. ↑ JFA Mason: Mortimer, Hugh de (d. 1181?). 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
personal data
SURNAME Mortimer, Roger de
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mortimer, Roger II de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Anglo-Norman nobleman
DATE OF BIRTH 12th Century
DATE OF DEATH before August 19, 1214