Roger de Mortimer (nobleman, † after 1080)

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Roger de Mortimer (also Roger I de Mortimer or Mortemer ) ( bl. 1054 – around 1080) was a Norman magnate. He was the progenitor of the Anglo-Norman family Mortimer .

Origin and possessions in Normandy

The origin of Roger de Mortimer is not exactly clear. He came from Normandy and was definitely related to the Rollonids . It is most likely that he was a son of Ralph I de Warenne and his wife Beatrice . His mother is said to have been a niece of Duke Richard II of Normandy . That would have made Roger a distant cousin of Duke Wilhelm II . He gave the castle of Mortemer on the border between Normandy and Amiens to the young Roger , and Roger later named himself after this castle. In addition, Roger owned extensive land holdings in the Pays de Caux , where he had close ties to the local nobility.

Vassal of Duke Wilhelm II.

Roger also swore as a vassal homage to the neighboring Count Ralph de Crépy . In 1054, however, the French King Henry I attacked Normandy. Ralph de Crépy was part of the French army that advanced towards Mortemer. To ward off the invasion, Duke Wilhelm sent, among others, Roger de Mortimer and Count Robert von Eu , who were able to defeat the French in the Battle of Mortemer . Count Ralph was captured. Roger treated his liege lord chivalrously. He took him to his castle so that he could protect him from the claims of other Normans and eventually escorted him back to his possessions. In doing so, he provoked the wrath of Duke Wilhelm, who banished Roger from Normandy and confiscated his possessions. Roger was able to reconcile himself with Wilhelm, who then returned his goods to him, but not the castle of Mortemer. This received the related to Roger Guillaume de Warenne . Roger then moved his main residence to Saint Victor-en-Caux . The Duke had probably given him back most of his possessions, but Roger was still out of favor. He was probably excluded from the ducal court, because until 1066 he no longer attested to any documents from the duke. Mortimer's son Ralph , but not Roger , probably took part in the conquest of England by Duke Wilhelm .

The church of Saint-Victor-l'Abbaye, originally donated by Roger

As a reward for participating in the conquest, Ralph received extensive estates in England, but Roger was probably never there. Little is known about his subsequent life. He attested to the charter issued between 1078 and 1080 , with which the foundation of Lewes Priory by Guillaume de Warenne was confirmed by King Wilhelm. However, this document may not have been issued in England, but in Normandy. The year Roger died is also unknown. His son Ralph owned the English property in 1086, but this does not clarify whether Roger had already died, as he could still have owned the property in Normandy.

heritage

Roger had married the Norman noblewoman Hawise, who inherited estates in the area of ​​the Diocese of Amiens . Together with her he founded a priory in Saint Victor-en-Caux , which was converted into an abbey in 1074 with the permission of Archbishop John II of Rouen . His son Ralph became his heir.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ David Charles Douglas: William the Conqueror: the Norman impact upon England. Los Angeles: University of California Press, Berkeley 2012. ISBN 978-0-520-00350-7 , p. 68
  2. ^ David Charles Douglas: William the Conqueror: the Norman impact upon England. Los Angeles: University of California Press, Berkeley 2012. ISBN 978-0-520-00350-7 , p. 100
personal data
SURNAME Mortimer, Roger de
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Mortimer, Roger I de; Mortemer, Roger de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION norman nobleman
DATE OF BIRTH before 1054
DATE OF DEATH after 1080