The Contrariants were an aristocratic faction in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

in the early 14th century. They favoured the policies of the Lords Ordainers (1311) and opposed the Despensers, Hugh the Elder and Hugh the Younger. They were most prominent in the

Welsh Marches The Welsh Marches ( cy, Y Mers) is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods. The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ...

and northern England. During the civil war of 1321–1322, they fought against the Despensers and King

Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also called Edward of Caernarfon, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir apparent to t ...

. In war, however, they displayed marked disunity. Defeated, many were executed or else had their lands confiscated. Among those executed for treason were

Thomas, 2nd Earl of Lancaster Thomas of Lancaster, 2nd Earl of Lancaster, 2nd Earl of Leicester, 2nd Earl of Derby, ''jure uxoris'' 4th Earl of Lincoln and ''jure uxoris'' 5th Earl of Salisbury (c. 1278 – 22 March 1322) was an English nobleman. A member of the House of Pl ...

;

Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford Humphrey (VII) de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford (1276 – 16 March 1322) was a member of a powerful Anglo-Norman family of the Welsh Marches and was one of the Ordainers who opposed Edward II's excesses. Family background Humphrey de Bohun's b ...

; and Bartholomew Badlesmere. One of the Contrariant leaders who escaped to France, Roger Mortimer, led an invasion of England in 1326, overthrowing Edward and executing the Despensers.

Ronald H. Fritze Ronald H. Fritze (born 1951) is an American encyclopedist, historian, and writer known for his criticism of pseudohistoric ideas. Biography Fritze earned his BA in history at Concordia College in 1974. He obtained a master's degree from Louisiana ...

, "Contrariants", in Ronald H. Fritze and William B. Robison (eds.), ''Historical Dictionary of Late Medieval England, 1272–1485'' (Greenwood Press, 2002), p. 125–126.

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