Bernard I de Brus (died 22 November 1268), Lord of Connington and Exton was an English Lord from

Huntingdonshire Huntingdonshire (; abbreviated Hunts) is a non-metropolitan district of Cambridgeshire and a historic county of England. The district council is based in Huntingdon. Other towns include St Ives, Godmanchester, St Neots and Ramsey. The popul ...

and

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

. He was the second son of

Robert de Brus, 4th Lord of Annandale Robert de Brus, ''the Noble'' (ca. 1195–1245) was 4th Lord of Annandale. He was the son of William de Brus, 3rd Lord of Annandale and Christina mac UchtredDictionary of National Biography Robert had the same name as both his uncle and hi ...

and his wife Isabella of Huntingdon.Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Volume 14, page 345 (2020) The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland ata-set York: Archaeology Data Service istributor Bernard was the younger brother of

Robert de Brus, 5th Lord of Annandale Robert V de Brus (Robert de Brus), 5th Lord of Annandale (ca. 1215 – 31 March or 3 May 1295), was a feudal lord, justice and constable of Scotland and England, a regent of Scotland, and a competitor for the Scottish throne in 1290/92 in the G ...

, however, is sometimes incorrectly reported to be his son. A charter by Bernard's son, Sir Bernard de Brus II, dated 1283 clearly identifies Bernard II as the grandson of Isabella de Brus (Isabella of Huntingdon), wife of Robert de Brus 4th Lord of Annandale, and the son of Bernard de Brus of Exter. In 1264, Bernard fought on the side of

Simon de Montfort Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester ( – 4 August 1265), later sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from his namesake relatives, was a nobleman of French origin and a member of the English peerage, who led the ...

in the

Second Barons' War The Second Barons' War (1264–1267) was a civil war in England between the forces of a number of barons led by Simon de Montfort against the royalist forces of King Henry III, led initially by the king himself and later by his son, the fut ...

, while his older brother sided with the King. Along with Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, Bernard negotiated the terms of the ransom of his brother, Robert de Brus, 5th Lord of Annandale, who had been captured, along with

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry a ...

and Lord Edward at the

Battle of Lewes The Battle of Lewes was one of two main battles of the conflict known as the Second Barons' War. It took place at Lewes in Sussex, on 14 May 1264. It marked the high point of the career of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, and made h ...

. Following the defeat of Monfort’s forces at the

Battle of Evesham The Battle of Evesham (4 August 1265) was one of the two main battles of 13th century England's Second Barons' War. It marked the defeat of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, and the rebellious barons by the future King Edward I, who led the ...

, in August 1265, Bernard was seized of his lands, however, they were later returned to him. Bernard de Brus I is recorded as having died on 22 November, the Thursday after St Edmund's day, in 1268.

Marriage and issue

Bernard de Brus married firstly Alicia de Beauchamp, daughter of William de Beauchamp of Elmley and Isabel Mauduit, they had the following known issue. *Sir Bernard de Brus II of Connington and Exton *John de Brus of Thrapston He married, secondly about 1266 Constance de Merston, widow of John de Morteyn, and daughter of Ralph FitzJohn de Merston, Bedfordshire. Bernard and Constance are not known to have had children. Constance survived Bernard and married a third time to Robert de Wotton.

Citations

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bruce, Bernard I of Connington Year of birth unknown 1268 deaths 13th-century English people