William de Cantilupe († 1239)

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Coat of arms of William de Cantilupe

William de Cantilupe (also William I de Cantilupe or Cantelupe ) († April 7, 1239 ) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman and civil servant.

origin

William de Cantilupe came from an Anglo-Norman family who originally came from Cantelupo near Rouen . He was believed to be the son of Walter de Cantilupe , who owned estates in Essex and Lincolnshire in 1166 .

Rise to the bad advisor of Johann Ohneland

Before 1198, Cantilupe served as the manager of the household of Johann Ohneland , who at the time was Count of Mortain in Normandy . After he became King of England in 1199, Cantilupe became royal steward , Cantilupe served as sheriff of Worcestershire from 1200 to 1204 , and in 1204 in Herefordshire , where he was supposed to guard one of the king's treasures. In 1205 he took part in the failed campaign of Johann in Poitou . Johann rewarded him with the award of the estate of Eaton Bray in Bedfordshire , which became the center of the Cantilupe rule . After Bishop Mauger of Worcester fled into exile in France after the imposition of the interdict over England in 1208, the king appointed Cantilupe as administrator of the lands of the diocese. He served as a judge in Northamptonshire and from 1209 as sheriff of Warwickshire and Leicestershire . During this time, Kenilworth Castle became Cantilupe's primary residence. After the repeal of the interdict, he supervised together with William Brewer in 1214 the episcopal elections in the Archdiocese of York and the Diocese of Carlisle .

Role in the war of the barons

During the First Barons' War , the king gave him a number of occupied properties belonging to the rebel barons, and the king instructed him to negotiate with the rebels who wanted to submit to the king again. Cantilupe also served as the overseer of numerous hostages that the loyal barons had to give to the king to ensure their loyalty. The chronicler Roger von Wendover therefore counted Cantilupe among the king's poor advisers . According to Wendover, Cantilupe's loyalty itself wavered after the rebel occupation of London in 1215, but this is only a guess. After the death of King Johann in October 1216, Cantilupe also served his son and successor Heinrich III. He took part in the siege of Mountsorrel Castle in 1217 and the subsequent Battle of Lincoln , which became an important victory for the king's party and helped the royal party to end the war victoriously in 1217. In 1217 and 1218 Cantilupe was Baron of the Exchequer . In 1218 he testified in Worcester with the peace treaty with the Welsh prince Llywelyn from Iorwerth , to which he served as a judge in Bedfordshire. In 1219 he investigated encroachments in the royal woods in Oxfordshire , Buckinghamshire and Herefordshire . In gratitude he received in 1218 Calne and Calstone in Wiltshire , which had previously belonged to his late uncle Fulk de Cantilupe .

Baron under Heinrich III.

It was not until 1223 that Cantilupe was replaced as sheriff of Warwickshire and Leicestershire. Since he also saw his estates of Kenilworth as well as Calne and Calstone threatened, he was one of the barons who appeared armed under Ranulf of Chester in November 1223 in front of the Tower of London to protest against the government of Hubert de Burgh . On December 30, 1223, however, he submitted to the king in Northampton and supported him in the summer of 1224 during the rebellion of Falkes de Bréauté at the siege of Bedford Castle , whereupon he was able to keep Calne and Calstone. In 1225 the Treasury granted him £ 1,084 in reimbursement of the expenses he had incurred during the War of the Barons, in addition to being exempted from shield money and other fees. In 1228 he took part in Hubert de Burgh's campaign to Wales and in 1230 in the king's campaign to France . In 1231 he served again in Wales.

Cantilupe stayed out of the power struggles between Hubert de Burgh and his rival Peter des Roches as much as possible . Nevertheless, as a royal steward in the service of the king, he often had contact with the royal court, for example he occasionally testified to letters from the young king with his seal. This closeness to the king helped Cantilupe survive the fall of both de Burgh and des Roches, while his son William was given the opportunity to pursue a career in the king's service. Cantilupe himself was able to take over numerous administrations and guardianships from underage heirs and thereby improve the position of his family.

Family and offspring

Cantilupe married Mazilla, who brought property in Kent as a dowry into the marriage. With her he had several sons, including:

He was buried in Studley Priory in Warwickshire. His heir became his eldest son, William de Cantilupe . In 1299, his grandson William Cantilupe , a son of his younger son Nicholas Cantilupe, was promoted to Baron Cantilupe.

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personal data
SURNAME Cantilupe, William de
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cantelupe, William de; William I de Cantilupe
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Anglo-Norman nobleman
DATE OF BIRTH 12th Century
DATE OF DEATH April 7, 1239