Hugh Despenser the Younger and Edward II: Downfall of a King’s Favourite

242 Pages·2018·58.86 MB·English

by  Kathryn Warner

Hugh Despenser the Younger and
Edward II
Downfall of a King’s Favourite

Hugh Despenser the
Younger and Edward II
Downfall of a King’s Favourite
Kathryn Warner
First published in Great Britain in 2018 by
Pen & Sword History
An imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
Yorkshire - Philadelphia
Copyright © Kathryn Warner, 2018
Hardback ISBN: 9781526715616
Paperback ISBN: 9781526751751
The right of Kathryn Warner to be identified as Author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988.
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Contents
Genealogical Tables vi
A Note on Names/A Note on Chapter Headings ix
Introduction xi
Chapter 1 A Plethora of Hugh Despensers 1
Chapter 2 Early Life 9
Chapter 3 Knighthood and Wedding 18
Chapter 4 The New King 28
Chapter 5 Assaulted and Powerless 36
Chapter 6 A Death is an Opportunity 44
Chapter 7 A Three-Year Pregnancy 52
Chapter 8 Power at Last 63
Chapter 9 War, Exile and Piracy 73
Chapter 10 Executions and Extortion 85
Chapter 11 Magical and Secret Dealings 94
Chapter 12 Directing the War 111
Chapter 13 The Queen’s Hatred 124
Chapter 14 The Last Summer 135
Chapter 15 The End 144
Appendix 1 Hugh’s Children 158
Appendix 2 Hugh’s Itinerary 164
Abbreviations 179
Endnotes 180
Bibliography 207
Index 214

(1) Bassets, Beauchamp, Despensers
Hugh Despenser Philip Basset (d.1271)
(d.1238) m(1) Hawise Lovaine
m.Maud FitzJohn
William Beauchamp (d.1301) Hugh Despenser, Aline m(2) Roger Bigod,
earl of Warwick (1217/23-1265) earl of Norfolk
(d.1298) m(1) justiciar (d.1306)
(1240s-1281)
Guy, earl of Patrick m(1) Isabella m(2) Hugh Despenser 'the Elder'
Warwick Chaworth (1263/6-1306) (1261-1326)
(1271/5-1315) (d.1283)
Maud(1282-1322)
m.Henry of Lancaster,
nephew of Edward I
Alina (d.1363) HUGH DESPENSER Isabella Philip Margaret Elizabeth
m.Edward THE YOUNGER (d.1334) (d.1313) (d.before 1330) (d.1335)
Burnell (C.1288/9-1326) m(2) m.Margaret m.John m.Ralph
m.Eleanor Clare John Hastings Goushill St Amand Camoys
(1292-1337)
Hugh d.1349
Edward d.1342
Gilbert d.1382
John d.1366
Isabella d.after 1356
Joan d.1384
Eleanor d.1351
Margaret d.1337
Elizabeth d.1389
Leonor of Castile m(1) Edward I, king of m(2) Marguerite of France
(c.1241-1290) England (1239-1307) (1278/9 - 1318)
Thomas, earl of Norfolk (1300-1338)
Edmund, earl of Kent (1301-1330)
Joan of Acre (1272-1307) Eleanor 1269-98 Edward II 'of
m(1) Gilbert 'the Red' Clare Margaret 1275-c.1333 Caernarfon', king of
earl of Gloucester Mary 1279-1332 England(1284 - after 1327)
(1243-95) Elizabeth 1282-1316
Edward III b.1312
John b.1316
Gilbert earl of ELEANOR Margaret Elizabeth Eleanor b.1318
Gloucester (1292-1337) (1293/4-1342) (1295-1360) Joan b.1321
(1291-1314) m(1) Hugh m(1) Piers Gaveston m(1) John Burgh
m. Maud Despenser the (d.1312) (d.1313)
Burgh (d.1320) Younger m(2) Hugh Audley m(2) Theobald Verdon
(c.1288/9-1326) (d.1347) (d.1316)
m(3) Roger Damory
(d.1322)
A Note on Names
Hugh’s family name in the fourteenth century was always written
‘le Despenser’, and female family members were called ‘la Despensere’.
I have omitted the ‘le’ and ‘la’, and the ‘de’ in noble family names such
as de Clare and de Bohun.
A Note on Chapter Headings
All the quotations in italics at the start of chapters are from Hugh’s own
letters (in French in the original). ‘We’, ‘our’, ‘us’ and ‘ourselves’ mean
Hugh himself; this was a convention of the era.