See also
| Husband: | Humphrey VIII + of BOHUN (1275-1321) | |
| Wife: | Elizabeth + of RHUDDLAN (1282-1316) | |
| Children: | Humphrey of BOHUN (1305- ) | |
| John of BOHUN (1306-1336) | ||
| Isabel of BOHUN (1309- ) | ||
| Margaret + of BOHUN (1311-1391) | ||
| Wiliam + of BOHUN (1312-1360) | ||
| Edward of BOHUN (1312- ) | ||
| Marriage | 14 Nov 1302 | Westminster, Middlesex, England |
| Name: | Humphrey VIII + of BOHUN | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Father: | Humphrey VII + of BOHUN (1249-1298) | |
| Mother: | Maud + of FIENNES (1254-1298) | |
| Birth | 1275 | Pleshey Castle, Essex, England |
| Occupation | Earl of Herefore and Essex | |
| Title | Earl of Herefore and Essex | |
| Death | 16 Mar 1321 (age 45-46) | Boroughbridge, Yorkshire, England |
| Cause: Battle of Boroughbridge | ||
| Name: | Elizabeth + of RHUDDLAN | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Father: | Edward I + (1239-1307) | |
| Mother: | Eleanor + of CASTILE (1241-1290) | |
| Birth | 7 Aug 1282 | Rhuddlan Castle, Flintshire, Wales |
| Occupation | Princess of England | |
| Title | Princess of England | |
| Death | 5 May 1316 (age 33) | Querdon, Essex, England |
| Name: | Humphrey of BOHUN | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Birth | 20 Oct 1305 | |
| Name: | John of BOHUN | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Birth | 23 Nov 1306 | St. Clement's, Oxford |
| Death | 20 Jan 1336 (age 29) | |
| Name: | Isabel of BOHUN | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Birth | 1309 | |
Margaret + of BOHUN
| Name: | Margaret + of BOHUN | |
| Sex: | Female | |
| Spouse: | Hugh + of COURTENAY (1303-1377) | |
| Birth | 3 Apr 1311 | Caldecot, Northampton, England |
| Death | 16 Dec 1391 (age 80) | Exeter, Devonshire, England |
| Burial | Cathedral Church of St. Peter at Exeter, Devonshire, England | |
| Name: | Wiliam + of BOHUN | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Spouse: | Elizabeth + of BADLESMERE (1313-1356) | |
| Birth | 1312 | Caldecot, Northampton, England |
| Occupation | Earl of Northumberland | |
| Death | 16 Sep 1360 (age 47-48) | |
| Name: | Edward of BOHUN | |
| Sex: | Male | |
| Birth | 1312 | |
Humphrey (VII) de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford (1276 – 16 March 1321/2) was a member of a powerful Anglo-Norman family of the Welsh Marches and was one of the Ordainers who opposed Edward II's excesses
Humphrey de Bohun's birth year is uncertain although several contemporary sources indicate that it was 1276. His father was Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford and his mother was Maud de Fiennes, daughter of Enguerrand II de Fiennes, chevalier, seigneur of Fiennes. He was born at Pleshey Castle, Essex.
Humphrey (VII) de Bohun succeeded his father as Earl of Hereford and Earl of Essex, and Constable of England (later called Lord High Constable). Humphrey held the title of Bearer of the Swan Badge, a heraldic device passed down in the Bohun family. This device did not appear on their coat of arms, (az, a bend ar cotised or, between 6 lioncels or) nor their crest (gu, doubled erm, a lion gardant crowned), but it does appear on Humphrey's personal seal (illustration).
[edit] ScotlandHumphrey was one of several earls and barons under Edward I who laid siege to Caerlaverock Castle in Scotland in 1300 and later took part in many campaigns in Scotland. He also loved tourneying and gained a reputation as an "elegant" fop. In one of the campaigns in Scotland Humphrey evidently grew bored and departed for England to take part in a tournament along with Piers Gaveston and other young barons and knights. On return all of them fell under Edward I's wrath for desertion, but were forgiven. It is probable that Gaveston's friend, Edward (the future Edward II) had given them permission to depart. Later Humphrey became one of Gaveston's and Edward II's bitterest opponents.
He would also have been associating with young Robert Bruce during the early campaigns in Scotland, since Bruce, like many other Scots and Border men, moved back and forth from English allegiance to Scottish. Robert Bruce, King Robert I of Scotland, is closely connected to the Bohuns. Between the time that he swore his last fealty to Edward I in 1302 and his defection four years later, Bruce stayed for the most part in Annandale, rebuilding his castle of Lochmaben in stone, making use of its natural moat. Rebelling and taking the crown of Scotland in February, 1306, Bruce was forced to fight a war against England which went poorly for him at first, while Edward I still lived. After nearly all his family were killed or captured he had to flee to the isle of Rathlin, Ireland. His properties in England and Scotland were confiscated.
Humphrey de Bohun received many of Robert Bruce's forfeited properties. It is unknown whether Humphrey was a long-time friend or enemy of Robert Bruce, but they were nearly the same age and the lands of the two families in Essex and Middlesex lay very close to each other. After Bruce's self-exile, Humphrey took Lochmaben, and Edward I awarded him Annandale and the castle. During this period of chaos, when Bruce's queen, Elizabeth de Burgh, daughter of the Earl of Ulster, was captured by Edward I and taken prisoner, Hereford and his wife Elizabeth became her custodians. She was exchanged for Humphrey after Bannockburn in 1314. Lochmaben was from time to time retaken by the Scots but remained in the Bohun family for many years, in the hands of Humphrey's son William, Earl of Northampton, who held and defended it until his death in 1360.
[edit] Battle of BannockburnAt the Battle of Bannockburn (23–24 June 1314), Humphrey de Bohun should have been given command of the army because that was his responsibility as Constable of England. However, since the execution of Piers Gaveston in 1312 Humphrey had been out of favour with Edward II, who gave the Constableship for the 1314 campaign to the youthful and inexperienced Earl of Gloucester, Gilbert de Clare. Nevertheless, on the first day, de Bohun insisted on being one of the first to lead the cavalry charge. In the melee and cavalry rout between the Bannock Burn and the Scots' camp he was not injured although his rash young nephew Henry de Bohun, who could have been no older than about 22, charged alone at Robert Bruce and was killed by Bruce's axe.
On the second day Gloucester was killed at the start of battle. Hereford fought throughout the day, leading a large company of Welsh and English knights and archers. The archers had success at breaking up the Scots schiltrons until they were overrun by the Scots cavalry. When the battle was lost Bohun retreated with the Earl of Angus and several other barons, knights and men to Bothwell Castle, seeking a safe haven. However, all the refugees who entered the castle were taken prisoner by its formerly pro-English governor Walter fitz Gilbert who, like many Lowland knights, declared for Bruce as soon as word came of the Scottish King's victory. Humphrey de Bohun was ransomed by Edward II, his brother-in-law, on the pleading of his wife Elizabeth. This was one of the most interesting ransoms in English history. The Earl was traded for Bruce's queen, Elizabeth de Burgh and daughter, Marjorie Bruce, two bishops amongst other important Scots captives in England. Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan, and who had crowned Robert Bruce in 1306 and for years had been locked in a cage outside Berwick, was not included; presumably she had died in captivity.[1]
[edit] OrdainerLike his father, grandfather, and great-great-grandfather, this Humphrey de Bohun was careful to insist that the king obey Magna Carta and other baronially-established safeguards against monarchic tyranny. He was a leader of the reform movements that promulgated the Ordinances of 1311 and fought to insure their execution.
The subsequent revival of royal authority and the growing ascendancy of the Despensers (Hugh the elder and younger) led de Bohun and other barons to rebel against the king again in 1322. De Bohun had special reason for opposing the Despensers, for he had lost some of his estates in the Welsh Marches to their rapacity and he felt they had besmirched his honour. In 1316 De Bohun had been ordered to lead the suppression of the revolt of Llywelyn Bren in Glamorgan which he did successfully. When Llewelyn surrendered to him the Earl promised to intercede for him and fought to have him pardoned. Instead Hugh the younger Despenser had Llewelyn executed without a proper trial. Hereford and the other marcher lords used Llywelyn Bren's death as a symbol of Despenser tyranny.
[edit] Death at BoroughbridgeMain article: Battle of Boroughbridge
The rebel forces were halted by loyalist troops at the wooden bridge at Boroughbridge, Yorkshire, where Humphrey de Bohun, leading an attempt to storm the bridge, met his death on 16 March 1322.
Although the details have been called into question by a few historians, his death may have been particularly gory. As recounted by Ian Mortimer[2]:
"[The 4th Earl of] Hereford led the fight on the bridge, but he and his men were caught in the arrow fire. Then one of de Harclay's pikemen, concealed beneath the bridge, thrust upwards between the planks and skewered the Earl of Hereford through the anus, twisting the head of the iron pike into his intestines. His dying screams turned the advance into a panic."'
Humphrey de Bohun may have contributed to the failure of the reformers' aims. There is evidence that he suffered for some years, especially after his countess's death in 1316, from clinical depression.[3]
[edit] Marriage and childrenHis marriage to Elizabeth of Rhuddlan (Elizabeth Plantagenet), daughter of King Edward I of England and his first Queen consort Eleanor of Castile, on 14 November 1302, at Westminster gained him the lands of Berkshire.
Elizabeth had an unknown number of children, probably ten, by Humphrey de Bohun.
Until the earl's death the boys of the family, and possibly the girls, were given a classical education under the tutelage of a Sicilian Greek, Master "Digines" (Diogenes), who may have been Humphrey de Bohun's boyhood tutor.[citation needed] He was evidently well-educated, a book collector and scholar, interests his son Humphrey and daughter Margaret (Courtenay) inherited.
Mary or Margaret (the first-born Margaret) and the first-born Humphrey were lost in infancy and are buried in the same sarcophagus in Westminster Abbey. Since fraternal twins were known in the Castilian royal family of Elizabeth Bohun, who gave birth to a pair who lived to manhood, Mary (Margaret?) and Humphrey, see next names, may have been twins, but that is uncertain. The name of a possible lost third child, if any, is unknown—and unlikely.
1.Hugh de Bohun? This name appears only in one medieval source, which gives Bohun names (see Flores Historiarum) and was a probably a copyist's error for "Humphrey". Hugh was never used by the main branch of the Bohuns in England.[4] Date unknown, but after 1302, since she and Humphrey did not marry until late in 1302.
2.Eleanor de Bohun (17 October 1304 - 1363),[5] married James Butler, 1st Earl of Ormonde and Thomas Dagworth, 1st Baron Dagworth.
3.Humphrey de Bohun (birth and death dates unknown. Buried in Westminster Abbey with Mary or Margaret) Infant.
4.Mary or Margaret de Bohun (birth and death dates unknown. Buried in Westminster Abbey with Humphrey) Infant.
5.John de Bohun, 5th Earl of Hereford (About 1307 – 1336)
6.Humphrey de Bohun, 6th Earl of Hereford (About 1309 to 1311 – 1361).
7.Agnes (or Aeneas) de Bohun (1309–1391), married Robert de Ferrers, 2nd Baron Ferrers of Chartley who inherited the title Baron Ferrers of Chartley upon his father's death from poisoning in Gascony in 1324. Robert served frequently in the Scottish and French wars of Edward III as well as participating the victory at Cressy. They had a son John de Ferrers, 3rd Baron Ferrers of Chartley who married Elizabeth Stafford, daughter of Ralph Stafford, 1st Earl of Stafford and Margaret de Audley. John died on 3 April 1367 at the Battle of Najera in Castille.
8.Margaret de Bohun (3 April 1311 - 16 December 1391), married Hugh Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon Gave birth to about 16 to 18 children (including an Archbishop, a sea commander and pirate, and more than one Knight of the Garter) and died at the age of eighty.
9.William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton (About 1310-1312 –1360). Twin of Edward. Married Elizabeth de Badlesmere, daughter of Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere and Margaret de Clare, by whom he had issue.
10.Edward de Bohun (About 1310-1312 –1334). Twin of William. Married Margaret, daughter of William de Ros, 2nd Baron de Ros, but they had no children. He served in his ailing elder brother's stead as Constable of England. He was close friend of young Edward III, and died a heroic death attempting to rescue a drowning man-at-arms from a Scottish river while on campaign.
11.Eneas de Bohun, (Birth date unknown, died after 1322, when he's mentioned in his father's will). Nothing known of him. Name may reflect his father's classical education or the Earl's Welsh connections; could be either.
12.Isabel de Bohun (b. ? May 1316). Elizabeth died in childbirth, and this child died on that day or very soon after. Buried with her mother in Waltham Abbey, Essex.
Elizabeth of Rhuddlan (sometime anachronistically Elizabeth Plantagenet; 7 August 1282 – 5 May 1316) was the eighth and youngest daughter of Edward I of England and Eleanor of Castile. Of all of her siblings, she was closest to her younger brother Edward II of England, as they were only two years apart in age.
In April 1285 there were negotiations with Floris V for Elizabeth's betrothal to his son John I, Count of Holland. The offer was accepted and John was sent to England to be educated. On 8 January 1297 Elizabeth was married to John at Ipswich. In attendance at the marriage were Elizabeth's sister Margaret, her father, Edward I of England, her brother Edward, and Humphrey de Bohun. After the wedding Elizabeth was expected to go to Holland with her husband, but did not wish to go, leaving her husband to go alone.
After some time travelling England, it was decided Elizabeth should follow her husband. Her father accompanied her, travelling through the Southern Netherlands between Antwerp, Mechelen, Leuven and Brussels, before ending up in Ghent. There they remained for a few months, spending Christmas with her two sisters Eleanor and Margaret. On 10 November 1299, John died of dysentery, though there were rumours of his murder. No children had been born from the marriage.
Second marriageOn her return trip to England, Elizabeth went through Brabant to see her sister Margaret. When she arrived in England, she met her stepmother Margaret of France, whom Edward had married whilst she was in Holland. Reportedly, they became inseparable. On 14 November 1302 Elizabeth was married to Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford, 3rd of Essex, also Constable of England, at Westminster Abbey.
IssueThe children of Elizabeth and Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford are:
1.Hugh de Bohun (September 1303 - 1305)
2.Lady Eleanor de Bohun (17 October 1304 - 1363), married James Butler, 1st Earl of Ormonde and Thomas Dagworth, 1st Baron Dagworth.
3.Humphrey de Bohun (b&d 1305) (buried with Mary or Margaret)
4.Mary or Margaret de Bohun (b&d 1305) (buried with Humphrey)
5.John de Bohun, 5th Earl of Hereford (23 November 1306 - 1335)
6.Humphrey de Bohun, 6th Earl of Hereford (6 December c. 1309 - 1361)
7.Agnes (1309–1343), married Robert de Ferrers, 2nd Baron Ferrers of Chartley (1309–50) and had issue
8.Margaret de Bohun, 2nd Countess of Devon (3 April 1311 - 1391), married Hugh Courtenay, 2nd Earl of Devon
9.William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton (1312–1360). Twin of Edward. Married Elizabeth de Badlesmere.
10.Edward de Bohun (1312–1334). Twin of William.
11.Eneas de Bohun, (1314 - after 1322), when he's mentioned in his father's will.
12.Isabel de Bohun (b&d 5 May 1316)
Later lifeDuring Christmas 1315, Elizabeth, who was pregnant with her eleventh child, was visited by her sister-in-law Isabella of France. This was a great honour, but the stress of it may have caused unknown health problems that later contributed to Elizabeth's death in childbirth. On 5 May 1316 she went into labour, giving birth to her daughter Isabella. Both Elizabeth and her daughter Isabella died shortly after the birth, and were buried together in Waltham Abbey.