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Maurice de Berkeley, 4th Baron Berkeley (c. 1320 – 8 June 1368), ''The Valiant'', feudal baron of Berkeley, of

Berkeley Castle Berkeley Castle ( ; historically sometimes spelled as ''Berkley Castle'' or ''Barkley Castle'') is a castle in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England. The castle's origins date back to the 11th century, being designated by English ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

, was an English peer. His

epithet An epithet (, ), also a byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) commonly accompanying or occurring in place of the name of a real or fictitious person, place, or thing. It is usually literally descriptive, as in Alfred the Great, Suleima ...

, and that of each previous and subsequent head of his family, was coined by John Smyth of Nibley (died 1641), steward of the Berkeley estates, the biographer of the family and author of "Lives of the Berkeleys".

Career

He was the eldest son and heir of

Thomas de Berkeley, 3rd Baron Berkeley Thomas de Berkeley (c. 1293 or 1296 – 27 October 1361), known as ''The Rich'', English feudal barony, feudal baron of Berkeley, of Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire, England, was a Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. His epithet, and that of ...

by his wife Lady Margaret Mortimer. In the early 1340s he was one of the English knights who joined the forces of

Alfonso XI of Castile Alfonso XI (11 August 131126 March 1350), called the Avenger (''el Justiciero''), was King of Castile and León. He was the son of Ferdinand IV of Castile and his wife Constance of Portugal. Upon his father's death in 1312, several disputes ...

in his crusade against the

Moorish The term Moor is an exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a single, distinct or self-defi ...

kingdom of

Algeciras Algeciras () is a city and a municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Cádiz, Andalusia. Located in the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula, near the Strait of Gibraltar, it is the largest city on the Bay of G ...

. He was subsequently retained by the Black Prince and in 1355 joined his campaign in France. Wounded and captured at

Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...

, it took him over three years to raise the money for his ransom. Ill health apparently prevented his taking an active role in public life, following his return to England.

Marriage and children

In August 1338 Berkeley married

Elizabeth le Despenser Elizabeth Despenser (died 10 April/11 April 1408) was an English noblewoman of the late 14th century. She should not be confused with Elizabeth le Despenser, Baroness Berkeley, who was her great-aunt and who was the daughter of her great-gra ...

, daughter of

Hugh Despenser the younger Hugh Despenser, 1st Baron Despenser (1287/1289 – 24 November 1326), also referred to as "the Younger Despenser", was the son and heir of Hugh Despenser, Earl of Winchester (the Elder Despenser) and his wife Isabel Beauchamp, daughter of Wi ...

by his wife

Eleanor de Clare Eleanor de Clare, ''suo jure'' 6th Lady of Glamorgan (October 1292 – 30 June 1337) was a powerful Anglo-Welsh noblewoman who married Hugh Despenser the Younger, the future favourite of Edward II of England, and was a granddaughter of Edward I ...

. By Elizabeth he had four sons and three daughters: *

Thomas de Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley Thomas de Berkeley, 5th Baron Berkeley (5 January 1352/53 – 13 July 1417), ''The Magnificent'', of Berkeley Castle and of Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire, was an English peer and an admiral. His epithet, and that of each previous and ...

*Sir James de Berkeley (d. 13 June 1405) married Elizabeth Bluet; one of their sons was

James Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley James Berkeley, 1st Baron Berkeley (c. 1394 – 22 October 1463), also known as "James the Just", was an English Peerage, peer. Berkeley was the son of Sir James de Berkeley (d. 1405) and his wife Elizabeth (née Bluet) and by 1410 accepted as ...

*John de Berkeley died on campaign in France in the reign of

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward, Prince of Wales (later known as the Black Prince), and Joan, Countess of Kent. R ...

*Maurice de Berkeley married Jone Hereford *Catherine became a nun at

Wherwell Abbey Wherwell Abbey was an abbey of Benedictine nuns in Wherwell, Hampshire, England. Foundation The nunnery was founded about 986 by Ælfthryth, Queen of England, Ælfthryth, the widow of Edgar the Peaceful, King Edgar. She retired there to live a ...

*Agnes died unmarried *Elizabeth died unmarried

Ancestry

References

Sources

*Richardson, Douglas, Kimball G. Everingham, and David Faris. ''Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. Royal ancestry series.'' (p. 99) Baltimore, Md: Genealogical Pub. Co, 2004. Retrieved April 21, 2008 {{DEFAULTSORT:Berkeley, Maurice de Berkeley, 4th Baron 1320s births 1368 deaths 4 People from Berkeley, Gloucestershire Maurice