Peter de Rivaux or Peter de Rivallis (died 1262) was an influential Poitevin courtier at the court of

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 ...

. He was related to

Peter des Roches Peter des Roches (died 9 June 1238) ( Latinised as ''Peter de Rupibus'' ("Peter from the rocks")) was bishop of Winchester in the reigns of King John of England and his son Henry III. He was not an Englishman, but rather a native of the Tourain ...

, being a nephew (or possibly a son). From early in his life he was connected to the church hierarchy. In 1204, when still very young he was presented to a host of churches in the diocese of Lincoln once patronised by Gilbert de Beseby. His application to the bishop (possibly his father) was necessary as he was below canonical age. That did not prevent him from becoming one of the king's chamberlains in 1218 when he was a clerk of the wardrobe. For five years he served the king's inner sanctum, a recipient of the king's extravagant generosity. He held the office of

Keeper of the Coast The Wardens of the Coast, originally called the Keepers of the Coast or Keepers of the Sea, were officials appointed in the Kingdom of England and placed under the jurisdiction of one of the regional admiralties of England, those of the Admiral of ...

, the precursor to

Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is a ceremonial official in the United Kingdom. The post dates from at least the 12th century, when the title was Keeper of the Coast, but may be older. The Lord Warden was originally in charge of the Cinqu ...

, from the year 1232, and intermittently up until the outbreak of 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 ...

. Peter was in effect Henry's chief minister, from 1232 onwards for a short period, holding positions in the king's household and being installed as

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

(or granted the power to appoint sheriffs in his stead) for some 21

shire Shire is a traditional term for an administrative division of land in Great Britain and some other English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand. It is generally synonymous with county. It was first used in Wessex from the beginn ...

s. His administration included Stephen Segrave (high sheriff of several counties),

Henry of Bath Henry de Bada (or Henry de Bathonia) (died November 1260) was an English judge and administrator. Life He began his career under his relative Hugh of Bath, who died in 1236, leaving his chattels to Henry. Henry started his administrative c ...

(high sheriff of Gloucestershire), Robert Papelew and

Brian de Lisle Brian de Lisle (de L'Isle, de Insula) (died 1234) was an English soldier. By April 1200 Lisle was in the service of King John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testa ...

, and achieved a centralisation under his hand of much royal revenue. He also held the office of

Lord High Treasurer The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State in ...

from 14 January 1233 to 1234. He fell dramatically from power in April 1234, consequent on the death of

Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke Richard Marshal, 3rd Earl of Pembroke (119115 April 1234), was the son of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and brother of William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, whom he succeeded to the Earldom of Pembroke and Lord Marshal of England upon his ...

, which was attributed to the machinations of Peter des Roches. The Poitevins had fallen from grace due to unpopularity among the Anglo-Norman nobility. For a time Peter de Rivaux and associates were proclaimed traitors, and

Bristol Castle Bristol Castle was a Norman castle built for the defence of Bristol. Remains can be seen today in Castle Park near the Broadmead Shopping Centre, including the sally port. Built during the reign of William the Conqueror, and later owned by Rob ...

and custody of

Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany (c. 1184 – 10 August 1241), also known as Damsel of Brittany, Pearl of Brittany, or Beauty of Brittany, was the eldest daughter of Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany, and Constance, Duchess of Brittany. Her father, ...

was taken by William de Talbot. Some partial rehabilitation followed. They demanded that Peter take the tonsure, surrender his worldly goods and return to monastic chastity. Sent to the Tower of London, he was expelled from the Court on his release, banished to the sanctuary of Winchester. However, his discomfiture did not last long. He was soon asked back to Westminster to resume duties in the wardrobe. By 1251, his debts were all repaid, for Henry of Winchester had forgiven his old friend. On 16 July 1255, he was elevated to be a

Baron of the Exchequer The Barons of the Exchequer, or ''barones scaccarii'', were the judges of the English court known as the Exchequer of Pleas. The Barons consisted of a Chief Baron of the Exchequer and several puisne (''inferior'') barons. When Robert Shute was a ...

after years of training in the law courts. For a brief time he was raised to become Treasurer of all England, but probably died in 1258, having recovered estates near Winchester.

Notes

External links

*Nicholas Vincent
‘Rivallis , Peter de (d. 1262)’
''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, accessed 5 June 2007 {{DEFAULTSORT:Rivaux, Peter De 1262 deaths 13th-century English Navy personnel Lords Warden of the Cinque Ports Lord High Treasurers of England High Sheriffs of Berkshire High Sheriffs of Dorset High Sheriffs of Lancashire High Sheriffs of Staffordshire High Sheriffs of Shropshire High Sheriffs of Sussex High Sheriffs of Surrey High Sheriffs of Somerset High Sheriffs of Yorkshire Year of birth unknown