William Bardolf

William Bardolf coat of arms

William Bardolf (* before 1206; † before January 5, 1276 ) was an English nobleman. He was a loyal supporter of King Henry III for many years . until he supported the nobility opposition to the king from 1258. During the Second War of the Barons , however, he again sided with the king.

Origin and youth

William Bardolf was a son of Doun Bardolf and his wife Beatrice , a daughter of William de Warenne, Lord of Wormegay . After the death of his father in 1205 he inherited his property in Shelford in Nottinghamshire , and through his mother he could also expect his grandfather's inheritance with properties near Wormegay in Norfolk . After his father's death, his mother married an unspecified Ralph , who, however, died around 1210. In her third marriage, she married Hubert de Burgh , who became his guardian after the death of William's mother in 1214. As a loyal official, De Burgh became royal justiciar in 1215 , and although Bardolf was granted his inheritance in 1215, the Honor of Wormegay , his mother's inheritance, remained in his administration until de Burgh's death in 1243. Because of his legacy, Bardolf was still considered a middle crown vassal .

Baron in the service of Heinrich III.

In 1230 Bardolf took part in the unsuccessful French campaign of King Henry III. part. In 1242 he was in command of the expedition that captured William de Marisco and other outlaws on Lundy Island . In 1244 he served in Wales during the Anglo-Welsh War , and in August 1244 he was part of the king's army when a political crisis almost led to war against Scotland . However, this crisis was resolved by the Newcastle Treaty. In 1254, Bardolf was part of Queen Eleanor's entourage of Provence when she traveled to France. The king rewarded him for his services with market rights and other privileges for his goods as well as with more favorable conditions for the repayment of his debts to the crown.

Role during the Second War of the Barons

When a noble opposition rebelled against the king in 1258, Bardolf was elected to one of the twelve representatives of the barons who were to work out a reform program for the king's government. Under the terms of this program, the Provisions of Oxford , Bardolf was appointed in command of the royal Nottingham Castle on June 22, 1258 . Before March 1259 he was elected to one of the twelve representatives who, together with the fifteen-member State Council , were to form parliament . When it came to further conflicts between the aristocratic opposition and the king, Bardolf blocked the work of the royal sheriff in Norfolk as an influential baron in 1261 . In December 1263 he agreed to a settlement of the conflict by the French King Louis IX. to. After this arbitration, the Mise of Amiens , it came to the open Second War of the barons against the king in the spring of 1264. After the royal troops defeated the rebels at Northampton in April 1264 , Bardolf changed sides and belonged to the royal army that was defeated by the rebels under Simon de Montfort in May 1264 at the Battle of Lewes . Bardolf was captured in the battle. After the royal party had decisively defeated the aristocratic opposition in August 1265 at the Battle of Evesham , Bardolf received only small shares from the confiscated properties of the rebels. He died shortly before January 5, 1276.

Marriage and inheritance

Before 1230, Bardolf was married to Nichola , whose origin is unknown. His heir became his son of the same name, William Bardolf .

Web links

• William Bardolf on thepeerage.com , accessed July 9, 2018.
• Clive H. Knowles: Bardolf, William (b. In or before 1206, d. 1275/6). 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