Pro-Angevin Houses in the First Barons' War?

Jan 29, 2012 16:15

Setting: England & Normandy, 1200-1220 ( Read more... )

~middle ages, uk: history: middle ages

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sollersuk January 30 2012, 08:24:08 UTC
The combination of "Anglo-Norman" and "transparently of noble bloodd" is a bit of an iffy area. The idea of nobility was really only just getting going at that time, being the descendants of men to whom William gave large amounts of land. These men were not of what would later be seen as particularly noble; at the very best, the Normans were the descendants of Viking poachers-turned-gamekeepers, and many of the followers who were given land included what I've seen described as "the riff-raff of Northern France". For a very long time the word "baron" retained its basic meaning of "armed man" though it was getting narrowed down to "lord of a significant territory". As you will have seen from the career of William the Marshal, right up to his time extreme upward mobility was possible ( ... )

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transemacabre January 30 2012, 08:47:02 UTC
Ooooh, well, during this period almost everyone deserted John by the end -- even his half-brother, William de Longespee. But there were a handful who held out against Louis, or at least remained loyal to John if there was nothing they could do to stop Louis. They included:

Hugh de Balliol, held Barnard castle for John against the Scots army (King Alexander having taken the opportunity to invade)
Engelard de Cignogne, held Windsor castle for John
Nicola de la Haye held Lincoln castle for John
Philip d'Albini in Rye
Hubert de Burgh in Dover
William Marshal and Ranulph of Chester in the Midlands
There was also one William de Kensham, alias Willikin of the Weald, who led a pack of loyalist 'guerrillas' in Sussex and Kent

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transemacabre January 30 2012, 09:07:49 UTC
Oh damn, I forgot to mention Savari de Mauléon, who was more or less John's right-hand-man through much of this, and an interesting character in his own right. Savary had originally been an associate of John's ill-fated nephew Arthur, was captured and thrown in prison by John along with Arthur, but then released and made governor of Poitou. Let's say he had a flexible sense of duty.

Savari's father, Raoul, was a French baron who Bertrand de Born called "a fair knight, courageous, learned and generous above all generous men. He was fonder than anyone in the world of ladies, of love and tournaments, of songs and composing songs... he was the best fighter that ever there was in the world." Savari was himself a noted troubadour and warrior. He led the mercenary army that John had gathered to defend himself, and it was Savari who burned Winchester when Louis invaded.

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old_george February 3 2012, 17:21:08 UTC
Balliol is a well known college of Oxford, which hits your "strike readers as Anglo-Norman and transparently of noble blood" button.

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