Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Mortimer of Chirk (c.1256 – 3 August 1326) was a 14th-century
Marcher lord
A Marcher lord () was a noble appointed by the king of England to guard the border (known as the Welsh Marches) between England and Wales.
A Marcher lord was the English equivalent of a margrave (in the Holy Roman Empire) or a marquis (in F ...
, notable for his opposition to
Edward II of England
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 ...
during the
Despenser War
The Despenser War (1321–22) was a baronial revolt against Edward II of England led by the Marcher Lords Roger Mortimer and Humphrey de Bohun. The rebellion was fuelled by opposition to Hugh Despenser the Younger, the royal favourite.Some histor ...
.
Background and early service
![Coat of Arms of Roger Mortimer de Chirk](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Coat_of_Arms_of_Roger_Mortimer_de_Chirk.svg)
Roger was the third son of
Roger Mortimer, a powerful
Marcher lord
A Marcher lord () was a noble appointed by the king of England to guard the border (known as the Welsh Marches) between England and Wales.
A Marcher lord was the English equivalent of a margrave (in the Holy Roman Empire) or a marquis (in F ...
in the Welsh border territories, and
Maud de Braose, Baroness Mortimer
Maud de Braose, Baroness Mortimer of Wigmore (1224 – shortly before 23 March 1301) was a noble heiress, and one of the most important,Mitchell, p.44 being a member of the powerful de Braose family which held many lordships and domains in the We ...
who was also an important Marcher landowner in her own right. The family were from the second rank of ''parvenu'' nobility elevated by the king as a reward for fierce loyalty to the
Plantagenet dynasty
The House of Plantagenet () was a royal house which originated from the lands of Anjou in France. The family held the English throne from 1154 (with the accession of Henry II at the end of the Anarchy) to 1485, when Richard III died in batt ...
. But he was said to be a lecherous and violent man.
He married Lucy de la Wafre, the daughter of Sir Robert la Wavre Lord of Hampton Wafer, Herefordshire, by whom he had one legitimate son, also named Roger. Presumably they were married by 8 June 1286, when Roger de Mortimer presented at the manor of
Tedstone Wafer.
In 1269,
Gruffydd II, prince of
Powys Fadog
Powys Fadog (English: ''Lower Powys'' or ''Madog's Powys'') was the northern portion of the former princely realm of Powys, which split in two following the death of Madog ap Maredudd in 1160. The realm was divided under Welsh law, with Madog's ...
, died, and his lands were divided between his four sons. In 1277, the eldest son,
Madog II, died; his two young brothers, Llywelyn and Owain, were still children, leaving them, and their lands, at the mercy of his eldest brother
Gruffydd Fychan I
Gruffudd Fychan I, Prince of Powys Fadog from 1277 to 1284, was the youngest of the four sons of Prince Gruffydd II ap Madog, Lord of Dinas Bran, Gruffudd ap Madog, Lord of Dinas Bran.
On his father's death in 1269 (or 1270) his share was the Lo ...
. Mortimer was appointed by
King Edward Longshanks to be the guardian of Owain and Llywelyn, but four years later their bodies washed up in the River Dee; Mortimer was accused of their murder. Mortimer, guilty or not, was granted their lands - the Cantref of ''
Swydd y Waun''. It is possible that Mortimer had needed the lands to raise his nephew,
Roger
Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...
, as his guardian.
In 1282, the ruling princes of Gwynedd attacked lands in the
Perfeddwlad
Perfeddwlad or Y Berfeddwlad was an historic name for the territories in Wales lying between the River Conwy and the River Dee. comprising the cantrefi of Rhos, Rhufoniog, Dyffryn Clwyd and Tegeingl. Perfeddwlad thus was also known as the Four ...
granted to King Edward under the
treaty of Aberconwy
The Treaty of Aberconwy was signed on the 10th of November 1277, the treaty was by King Edward I of England and Llewelyn the Last, Prince of Wales, following Edward’s invasion of Llewelyn’s territories earlier that year. The treaty granted p ...
. Consequently, the Welsh wars broke out, and Mortimer, a professional soldier, was a Captain in the victorious royal army. He and his brother,
Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Mortimer of Wigmore
Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Mortimer of Wigmore (c. 1251 – 17 July 1304) was the second son and eventual heir of Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Mortimer of Wigmore. His mother was Maud de Braose.
Life
As a younger son, Edmund had been intended for c ...
, have been implicated in the plot that lured
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (c. 1223 – 11 December 1282), sometimes written as Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, also known as Llywelyn the Last ( cy, Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf, lit=Llywelyn, Our Last Leader), was the native Prince of Wales ( la, Princeps Wall ...
, the last native Welsh prince of Wales, out of Gwynedd with promises of allegiance. At some point, probably after 1295, he began work on
Chirk Castle
Chirk Castle ( cy, Castell y Waun) is a Grade I listed castle located in Chirk, Wrexham County Borough, Wales.
History
The castle was built in 1295 by Roger Mortimer de Chirk, uncle of Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March as part of King Edward ...
, possibly designed by
James of St George
Master James of Saint George (–1309; French: , Old French: Mestre Jaks, Latin: Magister Jacobus de Sancto Georgio) was a master of works/architect from Savoy, described by historian Marc Morris as "one of the greatest architects of the European ...
, the architect of
Beaumaris Castle
Beaumaris Castle ( ; cy, Castell Biwmares ), in Beaumaris, Anglesey, Wales, was built as part of Edward I's campaign to conquer north Wales after 1282. Plans were probably first made to construct the castle in 1284, but this was delayed d ...
, but the castle remained unfinished at the time of his death.
Mortimer fought at the
Battle of Falkirk
The Battle of Falkirk (''Blàr na h-Eaglaise Brice'' in Gaelic), on 22 July 1298, was one of the major battles in the First War of Scottish Independence. Led by King Edward I of England, the English army defeated the Scots, led by William Wal ...
, in 1298, when
William Wallace
Sir William Wallace ( gd, Uilleam Uallas, ; Norman French: ; 23 August 1305) was a Scottish knight who became one of the main leaders during the First War of Scottish Independence.
Along with Andrew Moray, Wallace defeated an English army a ...
was finally defeated. On 6 February he was created Lord of Chirk. The Mortimers supported the King's policy in Scotland and on the Marches. Chirk pledged allegiance to Edward II, and was with the young King when he went to negotiate his marriage with
Isabella of France
Isabella of France ( – 22 August 1358), sometimes described as the She-Wolf of France (), was Queen of England as the wife of King Edward II, and regent of England from 1327 until 1330. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving ...
. They arrived at Dover on 19 January 1308, and Mortimer left Edward to cross the channel. On 22 May 1306, Mortimer was knighted at Westminster during Whitsuntide, thus his title made him of a suitable rank as an escort to the king.
The Mortimers acquired huge estates taking ruthless control of Welsh strongholds. Roger was also granted the constableships of Blaenyllfori and Dinas in north Wales. Such was his power he was effectively a surrogate prince of Wales. Anticipating the nobles conflict with
Piers Gaveston
Piers Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall (c. 1284 – 19 June 1312) was an English nobleman of Gascon origin, and the favourite of Edward II of England.
At a young age, Gaveston made a good impression on King Edward I, who assigned him to the househo ...
, Chirk avoided confrontation when the
favourite
A favourite (British English) or favorite (American English) was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In post-classical and early-modern Europe, among other times and places, the term was used of individuals delegated si ...
was appointed Regent of England in the king's absence abroad.
Feud with Griffith de la Pole
Mortimer prepared to attack Griffith de la Pole (anglicized from the Welsh, Gruffydd). The Welshman was from the line of
Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn
Gruffydd ap Gwenwynwyn (died c. 1286) was a Welsh king who was lord of the part of Powys known as Powys Wenwynwyn and sided with Edward I in his conquest of Wales of 1277 to 1283.
Gruffydd was the son of Gwenwynwyn and Margaret Corbet. He was stil ...
, ruler of Powys throughout the thirteenth century. His heir had died as a Royal Ward, leaving only a daughter,
Hawise, who was married to Thomas de Charlton. Griffith was her uncle, and under ancient
Salic law
The Salic law ( or ; la, Lex salica), also called the was the ancient Frankish civil law code compiled around AD 500 by the first Frankish King, Clovis. The written text is in Latin and contains some of the earliest known instances of Old Du ...
s the inheritance was said to be shared amongst men only. Griffith attacked John de Charlton in Welshpool Castle aiming to recover his property; whilst the king ignored pleas for a legal settlement. Griffith sought the help of
Thomas 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 ...
, recently married to the Lincoln heiress Alice de Lacy.
Chirk was ordered by the king to break the siege, but de la Pole refused royal arbitration. John de Cromwell, the Royal Steward, was sent to pacify Griffith, but he refused any help. Abandoned by Lancaster, Griffith found another supporter in the Earl of Arundel, a marcher lord. This act was treason. At last Chirk broke the castle's resistance and took Griffith prisoner. Lancaster seeing his allies wilting, had a furious row with Chirk at the subsequent Commission of Inquiry in Westminster. Lancaster swore the Mortimers everlasting enmity; the debacle causing the ultimate destruction of both Chirk and Lancaster. Gaveston's death only months later left the Mortimers defending their estates from the Lancastrians.
Chirk's role at Bannockburn
In March 1314 the King ordered Chirk to find 3,000 Welshmen for a Scottish campaign. They left the Marches on 27 May and went north. The army mustered at Wark Castle and then Berwick, to converge on
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most important castles in Scotland, both historically and architecturally. The castle sits atop Castle Hill, an intrusive crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill geological ...
. The larger force had set out from
Berwick on 17 June, and reached Edinburgh three days later. That Saturday they left Edinburgh, marching into the highlands towards Stirling. The next day, Sunday 23 June, the lead knights spotted Stirling. One account says they were ambushed in New Park. During the fateful battle on Monday 24 June, Chirk was probably with King Edward's household guard. They rallied around the King amongst 500 knights when all seemed lost. Chirk may have been in the rearguard action led by the Earl of Pembroke, as King Edward fled into the castle.
Chirk had been associated with the Royal Bodyguard since the siege of Caerlaverock in 1300. The heroic knights at Bannockburn, Sir Paine Tibetot and Sir Giles d'Argentein, were part of the same group. Ian Mortimer suggests that Lord Chirk acted as an adviser to the Welsh archers.
York Parliament 1314
Mortimer, Chirk and their friends were in the ascendant at court, confirmed by Parliament at York in November 1314. Their association with Pembroke and Arundel identified the marcher lords with a 'middle party'. This was an attempt to make a genuine baronial party as an alternative to the Despensers hold over government.
John de Charlton was made Chamberlain, and Archbishop of York William Melton became Keeper of the Wardrobe. However the Mortimers made a powerful enemy in the Younger Despenser who vowed to avenge Mortimer's grandfather killing his grandfather 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 ...
, 1265.
Revolt of Llewelyn Bren
On 28 January 1316, the Sheriff of Glamorgan and his men holding court outside the walls of Caerphilly Castle were attacked by a gang of Welshmen led by Llewelyn Bren. He had declared war on the maladministration of Payn de Turberville, a new royal appointee. Years of famine and punitive taxation led Llewelyn to desperate measures in defence of his people. The Earl of Hereford and the Mortimers were ordered to raise men to crush the rebellion. A royal army of 2,150 marched north from Bristol to relieve Caerphilly, and Llewelyn surrendered at the head of the valleys. Just prior to this event Chirk attended his nephew Edmund's wedding at Ernwood, near Kinlet, to Elizabeth Badlesmere, daughter of Lord Badlesmere. It is possible that Chirk was present at the siege of Bristol on 26 July 1316.
Justiciar of Wales
The disturbances in Wales caused the Lancastrians to have Chirk removed from office in January 1315. But when the Principality returned to peace, Chirk was re-appointed to post of Justiciar of North Wales in October 1316.
By the 1320s, Chirk was the leading member of the family and in fierce competition with the Despensers, a rival Marcher family headed by
Hugh Despenser the Elder
Hugh le Despenser (1 March 126127 October 1326), sometimes referred to as "the Elder Despenser", was for a time the chief adviser to King Edward II of England. He was created a baron in 1295 and Earl of Winchester in 1322. One day after being c ...
and his son
Hugh Despenser the Younger
Hugh le Despenser, 1st Baron le Despenser (c. 1287/1289 – 24 November 1326), also referred to as "the Younger Despenser", was the son and heir of Hugh le Despenser, Earl of Winchester (the Elder Despenser), by his wife Isabella de Beauchamp, ...
, the royal favourite and rumored lover of
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 ...
. They seized the lordship of Gower and many others in a brazen land grabbing war.
The Despenser war
With the Despensers in exile, Queen Isabella was eager to assist the King. She led an army with Earl of Arundel to besiege Baron Badlesmere, a crony of Lancaster's in Leeds Castle, Kent. This was settled in October with the surrender of Badlesmere.
On 8 December 1321, the King arrived in Cirencester. Moving up the Severn valley from Gloucester, he was joined by the recalled Despensers. They crossed the river at Shrewsbury. Seeing the situation was hopeless, the Mortimers surrendered in January 1322. Others like Roger Damory fled north to join Lancaster. Chirk and his nephew were sent to the Tower; their henchmen to Wallingford Castle. Ian Mortimer disagrees with Paul Doherty's thesis that Chirk was mortally wounded, suggesting that Chirk lived on another three years.
Death
Outnumbered, Roger Mortimer of Chirk and his nephew,
Roger Mortimer, 3rd Baron Mortimer of Wigmore, later the lover and ally of
Isabella of France
Isabella of France ( – 22 August 1358), sometimes described as the She-Wolf of France (), was Queen of England as the wife of King Edward II, and regent of England from 1327 until 1330. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving ...
, negotiated a surrender, thereby avoiding instant execution. They were sent to the
Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
where they were kept in poor conditions. Lord Chirk died in the Tower, apparently of injuries sustained during the war, on 3 August 1326. He was buried in St Augustine's Priory, Bristol.
His nephew, Roger Mortimer, managed to escape the Tower and fled to France, from where he ultimately joined Isabella in successful rebellion against Edward II in 1326. Roger Mortimer of Wigmore eventually completed
Chirk Castle
Chirk Castle ( cy, Castell y Waun) is a Grade I listed castle located in Chirk, Wrexham County Borough, Wales.
History
The castle was built in 1295 by Roger Mortimer de Chirk, uncle of Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March as part of King Edward ...
before his death in 1330.
[Pettifer, p.60.]
In fiction
Roger Mortimer of Chirk is a supporting character in ''La Louve de France'' (''The She-Wolf of France''), a novel in
Maurice Druon
Maurice Druon (23 April 1918 – 14 April 2009) was a French novelist and a member of the Académie Française, of which he served as "Perpetual Secretary" (chairman) between 1985 and 1999.
Life and career
Born in Paris, France, Druon was the s ...
's series of French
historical novel
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...
s ''
Les Rois maudits
''The Accursed Kings'' (french: Les Rois maudits ) is a series of historical novels by French author Maurice Druon about the French monarchy in the 14th century. Published between 1955 and 1977, the series has been adapted as a miniseries twice ...
'' (''The Accursed Kings''). He was portrayed by
Samson Fainsilber
Samson Fainsilber (18 June 1904, Iași – 19 December 1983, Paris) was a Romanian-born French film actor. During his career he appeared in around sixty films and television series. He featured in the 1933 historical drama '' Roger la Honte''.Goble ...
in the 1972
French miniseries adaptation of the series.
References
Bibliography
* Doherty, Paul, ''Isabella and the Strange Death of Edward II.'' London: Robinson, 2003.
* Morris, J.E., ''The Welsh Wars of Edward I'' Oxford, 1901.
* Pettifer, Adrian, ''Welsh Castles: a Guide by Counties.'' Woodbridge: Boydell Press, 2000.
* Pratt, Derek, "The Marcher lordship of Chirk, 1329-1330", ''Trans of Denbighshire Hist Soc., XXXIX, 1990''
* Prestwich, W, ''The Three Edwards: War and State in England, 1265-1377'', London, 2003.
* Prestwich, M, ''Plantagenet England, 1215-1377'', London, 2005.
* Smith, J. B., ''Llywelyn Ap Gruffudd: Prince of Wales. United Kingdom: University of Wales Press, 1998.''
* Weir, A, ''Isabella, she-wolf of France, Queen of England'', London: Jonathan Cape, 2005.
{{DEFAULTSORT:De Chirk, Roger
Mortimer de Chirk, Roger Mortimer, Baron
People knighted at the Feast of the Swans
13th-century English people
14th-century English people
1326 deaths
Prisoners in the Tower of London
Year of birth uncertain
Roger
Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...
Younger sons of barons