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Josce de Dinan (died 1166) was an
Anglo-Norman Anglo-Norman may refer to:
*Anglo-Normans, the medieval ruling class in England following the Norman conquest of 1066
* Anglo-Norman language
**Anglo-Norman literature
* Anglo-Norman England, or Norman England, the period in English history from 10 ...
nobleman who lived during and after the
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
between King
Stephen of England
Stephen (1092 or 1096 – 25 October 1154), often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death in 1154. He was Count of Boulogne '' jure uxoris'' from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 1135 u ...
and his cousin
Matilda
Matilda or Mathilda may refer to:
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* Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder
* Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse
* Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...
over the throne of England. He was a landholder 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 ...
when he was married by Stephen to the widow of
Pain fitzJohn
Pain fitzJohn (before 110010 July 1137) was an Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman nobleman and administrator, one of King Henry I of England's "list of Henry's new men, new men", who owed their positions and wealth to the king.
Pain's family originate ...
, a union that gave Josce control of
Ludlow Castle
Ludlow Castle is a ruined medieval fortification in the town of the same name in the English county of Shropshire, standing on a promontory overlooking the River Teme. The castle was probably founded by Walter de Lacy after the Norman conque ...
. Control of the castle was contested by other noblemen, and the resulting warfare between the nobles forms the background to a late medieval
romance
Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to:
Common meanings
* Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings
* Romance languages, ...
known as ''
Fouke le Fitz Waryn
Fulk FitzWarin (1160x1180 – c. 1258), variant spellings ( Latinized ''Fulco filius Garini'', Welsh ''Syr ffwg ap Gwarin''), the third (Fulk III), was a prominent representative of a marcher family associated especially with estates in Shrops ...
'', which is mainly concerned with the actions of Josce's grandson, but also includes some material on Josce's lifetime. Josce eventually lost control of Ludlow and was granted lands in compensation by Matilda and her son, King
Henry II of England
Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...
, who succeeded Stephen in 1154.
Background and early life
Following King
Henry I's death in 1135, the succession was disputed between the king's nephews—
Stephen
Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...
and his elder brother,
Theobald II, Count of Champagne Theobald is a Germanic dithematic name, composed from the elements '' theod-'' "people" and ''bald'' "bold". The name arrived in England with the Normans.
The name occurs in many spelling variations, including Theudebald, Diepold, Theobalt, Tybal ...
—and Henry's surviving legitimate child
Matilda
Matilda or Mathilda may refer to:
Animals
* Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder
* Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse
* Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...
, usually known as the Empress Matilda because of her first marriage to the
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans ( la, Imperator Romanorum, german: Kaiser der Römer) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period ( la, Imperat ...
,
Henry V Henry V may refer to:
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* Henry V, Duke of Carinthia (died 1161)
* Henry V, Count Palatine of the Rhine (c. 1173–1227)
* Henry V, Count of Luxembourg (121 ...
. King Henry's only legitimate son,
William
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
, had died in 1120. After Matilda was widowed in 1125, she returned to her father, who married her to
Geoffrey, Count of Anjou. All the magnates of England and Normandy were required to declare fealty to Matilda as Henry's heir, but after the king's death in 1135 Stephen rushed to England and had himself crowned before either Theobald or Matilda could react. The Norman barons accepted Stephen as Duke of Normandy, and Theobald contented himself with his possessions in France. But Matilda was less sanguine, and secured the support of her maternal uncle, the Scottish king
David I David I may refer to:
* David I, Caucasian Albanian Catholicos c. 399
* David I of Armenia, Catholicos of Armenia (728–741)
* David I Kuropalates of Georgia (died 881)
* David I Anhoghin, king of Lori (ruled 989–1048)
* David I of Scotland (di ...
, and in 1138 also that of her half-brother
Robert, Earl of Gloucester
Robert FitzRoy, 1st Earl of Gloucester (c. 1090 – 31 October 1147 David Crouch, 'Robert, first earl of Gloucester (b. c. 1090, d. 1147)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 200Retrieved ...
, an illegitimate son of Henry I. Nobles in the Welsh Marches revolted against Stephen in 1136, but the revolt was not settled until 1138. In 1139, Matilda invaded southern England with her half-brother's support and the period of civil war began.
[Huscroft ''Ruling England'' pp. 71–73]
Josce was the youngest son of Geoffrey de Dinan and Radegonde Orieldis,
[ and had two older brothers, Oliver of Dinan and Alan of Becherel.][Jones ''Family of Dinan'' p. 20] Josce's family was from Brittany, and he was described by the historian Marjorie Chibnall
Marjorie McCallum Chibnall (27 September 1915 – 23 June 2012) was an English historian, medievalist and Latin translator. She edited the ''Historia Ecclesiastica'' by Orderic Vitalis, with whom she shared the same birthplace of Atcham in Shro ...
as an "obscure Breton adventurer".[Quoted in Chibnall ''Empress Matilda'' p. 123] Josce moved from Devon in southern England to the Welsh Marches, the border between England and Wales, because the lords of Monmouth
Monmouth ( , ; cy, Trefynwy meaning "town on the Monnow") is a town and community in Wales. It is situated where the River Monnow joins the River Wye, from the Wales–England border. Monmouth is northeast of Cardiff, and west of London. I ...
were also of Breton extraction. While in the Marches he joined King Stephen's household.
Ludlow Castle
Josce was married to Sybil
Sibyls were oracular women believed to possess prophetic powers in ancient Greece.
Sybil or Sibyl may also refer to:
Films
* ''Sybil'' (1921 film)
* ''Sybil'' (1976 film), a film starring Sally Field
* ''Sybil'' (2007 film), a remake of the 19 ...
, the widow of Pain fitzJohn
Pain fitzJohn (before 110010 July 1137) was an Anglo-Normans, Anglo-Norman nobleman and administrator, one of King Henry I of England's "list of Henry's new men, new men", who owed their positions and wealth to the king.
Pain's family originate ...
. Pain died in 1137 and Sybil held Ludlow Castle against Stephen in 1139, but surrendered after a siege. Ludlow was an important strategic stronghold for control of the Welsh Borders
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 Stephen decided to marry Pain's widow to someone he felt was trustworthy.[Crouch ''Reign of King Stephen'' p. 102 and footnote 55] Upon his marriage Josce also acquired control of the castle, built in the late 11th century.[ Josce probably also received many of the ]de Lacy
de Lacy (Laci, Lacie, Lascy, Lacey, Lassey) is the surname of an old Norman family which originated from Lassy, Calvados. The family took part in the Norman Conquest of England and the later Norman invasion of Ireland. The name is first recorde ...
family's holdings in southern Shropshire,[ but he rebelled against Stephen and fortified Ludlow against the king. Josce's position was so strong that when Stephen granted much of the surrounding lands to Robert de Beaumont, Earl of Leicester, Ludlow was specifically exempted. Stephen told Robert that he would have a royal grant of the castle if he could secure Josce's submission as a vassal.][Chibnall ''Empress Matilda'' pp. 123–124]
Custody of Ludlow was contested not only by Stephen but also by Gilbert de Lacy Gilbert may refer to:
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*Gilbert (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
*Gilbert (surname), including a list of people
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* Gilbert River (Queensland)
* Gilbert River (South A ...
, whose efforts to wrest the castle from Josce are the background to the medieval romance ''Fouke le Fitz Waryn'';[Coplestone-Crow "Payn fitzJohn and Ludlow Castle" ''Shropshire History and Archaeology'' p. 181] the extant prose version dates from the 14th century, but it was originally a 13th-century poem, now lost.[Burgess "Introduction" ''Two Medieval Outlaws'' p. 91] Gilbert claimed the castle through his familial link with Sybil, fitzJohn's widow, who was a member of the de Lacy family.[Coplestone-Crow "Payn fitzJohn and Ludlow Castle" ''Shropshire History and Archaeology'' p. 180] Others trying to take Ludlow were Hugh de Mortimer Hugh de Mortimer (c. 1100 – 26 February 1180/81) was a Norman English medieval lord.
Lineage
The son of Ranulph de Mortimer, he was Lord of Wigmore Castle, Stratfield Mortimer, Cleobury Mortimer and at times, Bridgnorth, Bishop's Castle and ...
and Gilbert de Lacy.[ According to the ''Chronicle of Wigmore Abbey'', some time after September 1148 Mortimer and Josce became embroiled in a private war, during which Josce seized Mortimer while the latter was travelling. Josce imprisoned his captive in Ludlow and demanded a ransom of 3,000 silver ]marks
Marks may refer to:
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,[ as well as, according to the ''Chronicle'', Mortimer's "plate, his horses, and his birds".][Quoted in Coplestone-Crow "From Foundation to the Anarchy" ''Ludlow Castle: Its History & Buildings'' p. 32] Presumably, Mortimer met the ransom, as he is later known to have been a free man.[
While Josce was absent from Ludlow, Gilbert de Lacy was able to take the castle. Josce laid siege to the castle but was unsuccessful in his attempt to retake it,][Pettifer ''English Castles'' p. 212] and retreated to Lambourn
Lambourn is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. It lies just north of the M4 Motorway between Swindon and Newbury, and borders Wiltshire to the west and Oxfordshire to the north. After Newmarket it is the largest centre of ra ...
with his military forces.[ Although the exact date of this event is unknown, it appears to have been some time about 1150 or shortly before.][Coplestone-Crow "From Foundation to the Anarchy" ''Ludlow Castle: Its History & Buildings'' p. 34] Matilda gave Josce some lands around Lambourn after Ludlow's fall as compensation.[Chibnall ''Empress Matilda'' p. 125] Later he was given land in Berkshire by King Henry II (became king in 1154), Matilda's son, as further recompense for the loss of Ludlow.[Keats-Rohan ''Domesday Descendants'' p. 434] In 1156 Josce held lands in Berkshire, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Devonshire and Somerset. These holdings included the manor of Lambourn, worth £76 in income per year, as well as the manor of Stanton (now known as Stanton Fitzwarren in Wiltshire) in addition to the lands scattered in other counties.[Jones ''Family of Dinan'' p. 28]
Josce's grandson Fulk fitzWarin
Fulk FitzWarin (1160x1180 – c. 1258), variant spellings ( Latinized ''Fulco filius Garini'', Welsh ''Syr ffwg ap Gwarin''), the third (Fulk III), was a prominent representative of a marcher family associated especially with estates in Shrops ...
, who died in 1258, is ostensibly the hero of a lost romantic poem
As a literary genre, the chivalric romance is a type of prose and verse narrative that was popular in the noble courts of High Medieval and Early Modern Europe. They were fantastic stories about marvel-filled adventures, often of a chivalric kn ...
called ''Fouke le Fitz Waryn''. The work survives as French prose in a loose corpus of medieval literature known as the Matter of England
''Matter of England'', romances of English heroes and romances derived from English legend are terms that 20th century scholars have given to a loose corpus of Medieval literature''Medieval insular romance: translation and innovation'', Judith Weis ...
.[Cartlidge ''Boundaries in Medieval Romance'', pp. 29–42] However, it appears to confuse events of Fulk fitzWarin's lifetime with those of his grandfather's.[ Other errors in the work include transposing some of the Welsh Marcher barons of King ]Henry I of England
Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry Beauclerc, was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in ...
's reign into nobles of William the Conqueror
William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first House of Normandy, Norman List of English monarchs#House of Norman ...
's time, and omitting an entire generation of fitzWarins.[Hathaway, et al. "Introduction" ''Fouke le Fitz Warin'' p. xxviii] Although scholars believe ''Fouke le Fitz Waryn'' draws on genuine tradition, the difficulty in separating the fitzWarin biographies makes it a problematic source.[Jones ''Family of Dinan'' p. 30]
Family
Josce died in 1166. He was survived by two daughters: Sibil, who married Hugh de Pulgenet and died in 1212, and Hawise who married Fulk fitzWarin
Fulk FitzWarin (1160x1180 – c. 1258), variant spellings ( Latinized ''Fulco filius Garini'', Welsh ''Syr ffwg ap Gwarin''), the third (Fulk III), was a prominent representative of a marcher family associated especially with estates in Shrops ...
, who died in 1197.[ In 1199 his two daughters petitioned the king regarding the ownership of the town and castle of Ludlow but were turned down.][Coplestone-Crow "End of the Anarchy to the de Genevilles" ''Ludlow Castle: Its History & Buildings'' pp. 36–37]
Notes
Citations
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dinan, Josce De
Anglo-Normans
Norman warriors
1166 deaths
12th-century English people
Year of birth unknown
History of Ludlow