Edmund, 2nd Earl Of Cornwall
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Edmund of Almain (26 December 1249 – 1300) was the second
Earl of Cornwall The title of Earl of Cornwall was created several times in the Peerage of England before 1337, when it was superseded by the title Duke of Cornwall, which became attached to heirs-apparent to the throne. Condor of Cornwall *Condor of Cornwall, ...
of the fourth creation from 1272. He joined the
Ninth Crusade Lord Edward's Crusade, sometimes called the Ninth Crusade, was a military expedition to the Holy Land under the command of Edward I of England, Prince Edward Longshanks (later king as Edward I) in 1271 – 1272. In practice an extension of t ...
in 1271, but never made it to the Holy Land. He was the regent of the
Kingdom of England The Kingdom of England was a sovereign state on the island of Great Britain from the late 9th century, when it was unified from various Heptarchy, Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, until 1 May 1707, when it united with Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland to f ...
from 1286 to 1289 and the
High Sheriff of Cornwall Sheriffs and high sheriffs of Cornwall: a chronological list: The right to choose high sheriffs each year is vested in the Duchy of Cornwall. The Privy Council of the United Kingdom, Privy Council, chaired by the sovereign, chooses the sheriff ...
from 1289 to 1300.


Early life

Edmund was born at
Berkhamsted Castle Berkhamsted Castle is a Norman motte-and-bailey castle in Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire. The castle was built to obtain control of a key route between London and the Midlands during the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century. Robert of ...
on 26 December 1249 and was the son of the king's brother,
Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall Richard (5 January 1209 – 2 April 1272) was an English prince who was King of the Romans from 1257 until his death in 1272. He was the second son of John, King of England, and Isabella, Countess of Angoulême. Richard was nominal Count of P ...
, and his second wife
Sanchia of Provence Sanchia of Provence (c. 1225 – 9 November 1261) was Queen of the Romans from 1257 until her death in 1261 as the wife of Richard of Cornwall, King Richard. Sanchia was the third daughter of Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence, and Bea ...
, daughter of Ramon Berenguer,
Count of Provence The asterisk ( ), from Late Latin , from Ancient Greek , , "little star", is a Typography, typographical symbol. It is so called because it resembles a conventional image of a star (heraldry), heraldic star. Computer scientists and Mathematici ...
, and sister of Henry III's queen,
Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It was the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages">Provençal dialect ...
. Thus a paternal uncle (with a maternal aunt as consort) sat on the throne, followed by their eldest son from 1272 until Edmund's death. He was baptised by his mother's uncle, Boniface of Savoy, Archbishop of Canterbury, and was named Edmund in honour of Saint Edmund of Abingdon, Boniface's predecessor as archbishop. In 1257, Edmund joined his parents on their first visit to Germany, to pursue Richard's nominal or claimant title as king to the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
, returning in January 1259. In 1264, after his father's capture 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 ...
, Edmund was held prisoner with his father at
Kenilworth Castle Kenilworth Castle is a castle in the town of Kenilworth in Warwickshire, England, managed by English Heritage; much of it is in ruins. The castle was founded after the Norman Conquest of 1066; with development through to the Tudor period. It ...
, being released in September 1265. He and his father returned to Germany in August 1268, and according to a semi-mythical account written many years later, acquired a
relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...
of the
blood of Jesus Christ Blood of Christ, also known as the Most Precious Blood, in Christian theology refers to the physical blood actually shed by Jesus Christ primarily on the Cross, and the salvation which Christianity teaches was accomplished thereby, or the sacram ...
that had belonged to
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...
, before returning to England in August 1269. He is said to have given part of this relic to the monks of his father's foundation at
Hailes Abbey Hailes Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey, in the small village of Hailes, Gloucestershire, Hailes, two miles northeast of Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, England. It was founded in 1246 as a daughter establishment of Beaulieu Abbey. The abbey wa ...
in Gloucestershire, following a ceremony in September 1270, and part to
Ashridge Priory Ashridge Priory was a medieval college of Austin canons called variously the "Brothers of Penitence" or the " Boni Homines". It was founded by Edmund of Almain in 1283 who donated, among other things, a phial of Christ's blood to the abbey. It ...
, Hertfordshire. In February 1271, Edmund sailed with his cousin,
Edmund Crouchback Edmund, 1st Earl of Lancaster (16 January 12455 June 1296), also known as Edmund Crouchback, was a member of the royal Plantagenet Dynasty and the founder of the first House of Lancaster. He was Earl of Leicester (1265–1296), Lancaster (1267 ...
, to join the crusade of the Lord Edward, Crouchback's elder brother. Edmund's father, Richard, already had one surviving son from his marriage to his first wife
Isabel Marshal Isabel Marshal (9 October 1200 – 17 January 1240) was a medieval English countess. She was the wife of both Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford and 5th Earl of Gloucester and Richard, 1st Earl of Cornwall (son of King John of England). Wi ...
,
Henry of Almain Henry of Almain ( Anglo-Norman: ''Henri d'Almayne''; 2 November 1235 – 13 March 1271), also called Henry of Cornwall, was the eldest son of Richard, Earl of Cornwall, afterwards King of the Romans, by his first wife Isabel Marshal. His surnam ...
, fourteen years older than Edmund, who was originally destined to inherit Richard's lands and titles. On 13 March 1271, while attending mass at
Viterbo Viterbo (; Central Italian, Viterbese: ; ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Lazio region of Italy, the Capital city, capital of the province of Viterbo. It conquered and absorbed the neighboring town of Ferento (see Ferentium) in ...
, Henry was attacked and killed by his cousins Guy de Montfort and
Simon de Montfort the Younger Simon VI de Montfort (April 1240 – 1271), known as Simon de Montfort the Younger, was the second son of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester and Eleanor of England. His father and his elder brother Henry were killed at the Battle of Eve ...
, sons of Simon de Montfort, in revenge for the brutal deaths of their father and older brother at
Evesham Evesham () is a market town and Civil parishes in England, parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of England. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, England, Worceste ...
. Hearing of this, the King commanded Edmund not to proceed any further and to return to England.


Succession and marriage

Following Richard's death on 2 April 1272, Edmund was recognised as his heir, and swore homage to the king for his father's estates on or before 1 May 1272. In the July of that year, Edmund obtained a four-year lease of the town and Lordship of
Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...
from Edmund Crouchback, who was still abroad on the crusade. On 6 October 1272, Edmund married Margaret, sister of Gilbert de Clare, at the chapel in
Ruislip Ruislip ( ) is a suburb in the London Borough of Hillingdon in northwest London. Prior to 1965 it was in Middlesex. Ruislip lies west-north-west of Charing Cross, London. The manor of Ruislip appears in the Domesday Book, and some of the ear ...
. On 13 October, on the feast of
Edward the Confessor Edward the Confessor ( 1003 – 5 January 1066) was King of England from 1042 until his death in 1066. He was the last reigning monarch of the House of Wessex. Edward was the son of Æthelred the Unready and Emma of Normandy. He succeede ...
, Edmund was knighted by Henry III at
Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...
and invested with his father's honours and titles as Earl of Cornwall. Although his father's claim to the German crown and title of
Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...
lapsed with his father's death, Edmund continued to style himself 'Edmund of Almain', or 'Edmund earl of Cornwall, son of Richard the king of Germany'.


Royal service

When Henry III died in November 1272, Edmund took a post in the governing council in England, and was among the councillors who wrote to Edward I to advise him of his father's death. Having inherited vast wealth from his own father, Edmund began making loans to prominent members of the court. In June 1273 he travelled to France to meet Edward I, and two months later, in Paris, acknowledged the repayment of 2,000 of the 3,000
marks Marks may refer to: Business * Mark's, a Canadian retail chain * Marks & Spencer, a British retail chain * Collective trade marks A collective trademark, collective trade mark, or collective mark is a trademark owned by an organization (such ...
that the king owed him. Edmund was present at Edward's coronation in Westminster Abbey, and in summer 1277 took fourteen of his knights to join Edward's expedition to Wales. In 1279 Edmund was appointed, along with
Thomas de Cantilupe Thomas de Cantilupe (25 August 1282; also spelled ''Cantelow, Cantelou, Canteloupe'', List of Latinised names, Latinised to ''de Cantilupo'') was Lord Chancellor, Lord Chancellor of England and Bishop of Hereford. He was canonised in 1320 by P ...
,
Bishop of Hereford The Bishop of Hereford is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Hereford in the Province of Canterbury. Until 1534, the Diocese of Hereford was in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church and two of its bishop ...
, and Godfrey de Giffard,
Bishop of Worcester The Bishop of Worcester is the Ordinary (officer), head of the Church of England Anglican Diocese of Worcester, Diocese of Worcester in the Province of Canterbury, England. The title can be traced back to the foundation of the diocese in the ...
, to the regency council formed to govern England when Edward and
Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It was the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages">Provençal dialect ...
, the
Queen consort A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but hi ...
, travelled to France to take possession of
Ponthieu Ponthieu (; ; ) was one of six feudal counties that eventually merged to become part of the Province of Picardy, in northern France.Dunbabin.France in the Making. Ch.4. The Principalities 888-987 Its chief town is Abbeville. History Ponthieu p ...
. Edmund also lent the king 3000 marks that year, to aid a re-coinage. In May 1280 he travelled abroad with the abbot of
Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in northeastern Essex, England. It is the second-largest settlement in the county, with a population of 130,245 at the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 Census. The demonym is ''Colcestrian''. Colchester occupies the ...
, and in June, with the assistance of Eleanor and Robert Burnell,
Bishop of Bath The Bishop of Bath and Wells heads the Church of England Diocese of Bath and Wells in the Province of Canterbury in England. The present diocese covers the overwhelmingly greater part of the (ceremonial) county of Somerset and a small area of Do ...
, resolved a long-standing dispute with the
bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The current bishop is Mike Harrison (bishop), Mike Harrison, since 2024. From the first bishop until the sixteent ...
over rival jurisdictions. Between April 1282 and December 1284 Edmund served as Edward I's lieutenant in the government whilst the king conducted a campaign in Wales, mediated the collection of the clerical subsidy towards the costs of the proposed crusade, ensured the exchequer rolls were transported to
Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is sited on the River Severn, northwest of Wolverhampton, west of Telford, southeast of Wrexham and north of Hereford. At the 2021 United ...
, attended a clerical
convocation A convocation (from the Latin ''wikt:convocare, convocare'' meaning "to call/come together", a translation of the Ancient Greek, Greek wikt:ἐκκλησία, ἐκκλησία ''ekklēsia'') is a group of people formally assembled for a specia ...
in Northampton in January 1283 as the king's representative, as well as taking custody of wardships and estates on his personal account. Between 13 May 1286 and 12 August 1289, Edward I crossed the channel to restore order in
Gascony Gascony (; ) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part of the combined Province of Guyenne and Gascon ...
and mediate between Alfons,
King of Aragon This is a list of the kings and queens of Aragon. The Kingdom of Aragon was created sometime between 950 and 1035 when the County of Aragon, which had been acquired by the Kingdom of Navarre in the tenth century, was separated from Navarre in ...
and Charles the lame,
King of Sicily The monarchs of Sicily ruled from the establishment of the Kingdom of Sicily in 1130 until the "perfect fusion" in the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies in 1816. The origins of the Sicilian monarchy lie in the Norman conquest of southern Italy which oc ...
, Edmund acted as regent in England. When
Rhys ap Maredudd Rhys ap Maredudd ( 1250 – 2 June 1292) was a senior member of the Welsh royal house of Deheubarth, a principality of Medieval Wales. He was the great grandson of The Lord Rhys (died 1197), prince of south Wales, and the last ruler of a un ...
of Dryslwyn captured
Llandovery Castle Llandovery Castle () is a late thirteenth-century, Grade II*-listed, castle ruin in the town of Llandovery in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It occupies a knoll overlooking the River Towy and the land surrounding it. The Normans built a castle in th ...
in June 1287, Edmund suppressed the rebellion, taking Dryslwyn in September; Rhys, however, evaded capture and went into hiding. Edmund met the cost of this campaign with loans from Italian merchants of about £10,000. In June 1289 Edmund mediated between Humphrey de Bohun,
Earl of Hereford Earl of Hereford is a title in the ancient feudal nobility of England, encompassing the region of Herefordshire, England. It was created six times. The title is an ancient one. In 1042, Godwin, Earl of Wessex severed the territory of Herefordshir ...
, and Gilbert de Clare,
Earl of Gloucester The title of Earl of Gloucester was created several times in the Peerage of Peerage of England, England. A fictional earl is also a character in William Shakespeare's play ''King Lear.'' Earls of Gloucester, 1st Creation (1121) *Robert, 1st Earl ...
, in a dispute over the Welsh
marches In medieval Europe, a march or mark was, in broad terms, any kind of borderland, as opposed to a state's "heartland". More specifically, a march was a border between realms or a neutral buffer zone under joint control of two states in which diffe ...
between their lands, and forbade de Clare to build a castle at Morlais in
Brecknockshire Brecknockshire ( or ), also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon, was Historic counties of Wales, one of the thirteen counties of Wales that existed from 1536 until their abolishment in 1974. It was created in 1 ...
. Edward's return to England was followed by an inquiry into wrongdoings by the government during his absence, and though several judges and officials were disgraced, Edmund was retrospectively pardoned for any forest offences and allowed to answer by proxy any complaints against his administration in Cornwall, where he was High Sheriff from 1289 to 1300.


Church and state

In 1288 Edmund had a chapel built in Abingdon in honour of St Edmund Rich. The monks of the abbey there saw Edmund as 'a kind of bounteous defender and protector' and undertook to provide two priests to say masses for the souls of Edmund and his ancestors in the chapel.''Accounts of the Obedientiaries'', xxxix–xl In September 1289 he visited
Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...
to attend the translation of Frideswide's relics. In April 1290 a writ was served on Edmund demanding his presence at the
Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the Primus inter pares, ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the bishop of the diocese of Canterbury. The first archbishop ...
's court; this became one of the earliest recorded breaches of what was later termed
parliamentary privilege Parliamentary privilege is a legal immunity enjoyed by members of certain legislatures, in which legislators are granted protection against civil or criminal liability for actions done or statements made in the course of their legislative duties ...
, and the archbishop was fined £10,000. Edward I celebrated Christmas of that year at Edmund's manor at
Ashridge Ashridge is a Estate (land), country estate and stately home in Hertfordshire, England. It is situated in the Chiltern Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, about north of Berkhamsted and north west of London. The estate comprises ...
in Hertfordshire, where he held parliament and discussed the business of Scotland. Edmund's loans were vital to the Crown: he had lent Edward £4,000 that year, and he lent a further £4,000 to Antony Bek,
Bishop of Durham The bishop of Durham is head of the diocese of Durham in the province of York. The diocese is one of the oldest in England and its bishop is a member of the House of Lords. Paul Butler (bishop), Paul Butler was the most recent bishop of Durham u ...
, to be repaid from the revenue of Howden Manor. In May 1296 the king entrusted prisoners captured in the Scottish campaign to Edmund's castles at Wallingford and Berkhampsted; it is said he also ordered Edmund's treasure to be moved from Berkhampsted to London. In 1297 Edmund was summoned to Gascony and was absent during the crisis between the king and barons. Later that year Edmund promised the output of his mines in Cornwall and Devon as repayment for 7,000 marks the king owed the men of
Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...
, and served as councillor to the king's son,
Edward Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...
, who was governing England during the king's absence. By 1299 the Crown owed Edmund £6,500 and borrowed a further 2,000 marks, to be repaid from the profits of the vacant archbishopric of York.


Death

In July 1297 Edmund was granted licence to make a will, his poor health is mentioned in a summons of December 1298, and by 1300 he was terminally ill. The date Edmund died is unknown, but was before 25 September 1300 when Edward I commanded celebration of exequies for the late earl. The following day the royal
escheat Escheat () is a common law doctrine that transfers the real property of a person who has died without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in "limbo" without recognized ownership. It originally applied t ...
ors were ordered to take hold of Edmund's estates. Edmund's heart and flesh were buried at Ashridge, attended by the king's son Edward, and on 23 March 1301 his bones were placed in
Hailes Abbey Hailes Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey, in the small village of Hailes, Gloucestershire, Hailes, two miles northeast of Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, England. It was founded in 1246 as a daughter establishment of Beaulieu Abbey. The abbey wa ...
, attended by the king in person. Since he left no children, Edmund's entire estate passed to the crown, excepting a
dower Dower is a provision accorded traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support should she become widowed. It was settlement (law), settled on the bride (being given into trust instrument, trust) by agreement at the time of t ...
for his widow.


References

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Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edmund, 2nd Earl Of Cornwall 1249 births 1300 deaths 13th-century English landowners 13th-century English nobility 13th-century regents People from Berkhamsted *02 House of Plantagenet Regents of England Medieval Cornish people High sheriffs of Cornwall High sheriffs of Rutland Holders of the Honour of Wallingford Sons of kings