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Daughters of Chivalry

Page 31

by Kelcey Wilson-Lee


  3 On the Welsh Marches at this time, see Davies, Lordship and Society. For the value of the Clare estates, see ibid, p. 196, and for the quotation, p. 74.

  4 For the Dunstable account, see Annales Monastici, ed. Luard, iii (Kraus reprint, Nendeln, 1972), p. 387.

  5 For Gilbert’s campaign to recapture Glamorgan, see Altschul, A Baronial Family, pp. 154–5. Edward’s confiscation of Glamorgan in 1294 is discussed in Davies, Lordship and Society, pp. 90–1.

  6 Joanna’s confirmation of Gilbert’s alienation of estates is preserved in Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1292–1301, p. 140. For Elizabeth’s birth, see Frances A. Underhill, For Her Good Estate: The life of Elizabeth de Burgh (Basingstoke, 1999), p. 5. The letter reinstating their estate to Gilbert and Joanna is summarized in Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1292–1301, p. 154.

  7 For the renewed plans surrounding a marriage between Elizabeth and Johan, see Fœdera, i, p. 841. For Edward’s pledge to pay Brabant to support his war effort against France, see ibid, pp. 808, 820.

  8 For references to messages sent between Edward and Bar, see the king’s wardrobe accounts for 20 November 1296–20 November 1297, which is preserved as British Library Additional MS 7965, ff. 34v, 55, 113.

  9 For the passage from Christine de Pisan, see The Treasure of the City of Ladies, or the Book of the Three Virtues, ed. Sarah Lawson (Harmondsworth, 1985), p. 129.

  10 The French perspective on Henri’s campaign is recorded in Grandes Chroniques de France: selon que elles sont conservée en l’église de Saint-Denis de France, ed. M. Paulin Paris (Paris, 1836–8), v, pp. 119–20. The quotation from Pisan can be found in Treasure of the City of Ladies, p. 129.

  11 Edward’s letter requesting help for Henri is preserved in Fœdera, i, p. 867.

  12 Edward calls Henri ‘a noble man and our dear son’ in a letter of 1297: Foedera, i, p. 871.

  X. UNCONSTRAINED

  1 For Gilbert’s death, see Altschul, A Baronial Family, p. 155 and n.

  2 I am grateful to Nigel Saul for pointing out the location within Tewkesbury Abbey of the Clare burials, and the source for this information. For a ground plan showing the burials, see Tewkesbury Abbey: History, Art and Architecture, ed. R.K. Morris and R. Shoesmith (Almeley, 2003) p. 162.

  3 Edward’s order to take the Clare estate into custody after Gilbert’s death appears in Calendar of Fine Rolls, 1272–1307, p. 368.

  4 For a fuller discussion of the ways in which elite widows might rise above the patriarchal system in medieval England, see Linda E. Mitchell, Portraits of Medieval Women: Family, Marriage, and Politics in England 1225–1350 (New York, 2003), especially Chapter 9.

  5 For the reasons why widows might remarry, see Chrétien de Troyes, Yvain, or The Knight with the Lion, trans. Ruth Harwood Cline (Athens, GA, 1975), p. 59. On second marriages, see d’Avray, Medieval Marriage, p. 143.

  6 See Linda E. Mitchell ‘Noble Widowhood in the Thirteenth Century: Three Generations of Mortimer Widows, 1246–1334’, in Upon My Husband’s Death: Widows in the Literature and Histories of Medieval Europe, ed. Louise Mirrer (Ann Arbor, 1992), pp. 169–92.

  7 For agreements around Gilbert’s debts, see Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1292–1301, p. 183; Green, Lives of the Princesses, ii, p. 341.

  8 For vows spoken during the ceremony of homage, see Frederick Pollock and Frederic William Maitland, The history of English law before the time of Edward I (Cambridge, 1895), pp. 180–3.

  9 On the shift in thinking around women performing homage, see ibid, p. 186.

  10 The order to restore Joanna’s estate is summarized in Calendar of Close Rolls, 1288–96, p. 470. Joanna’s appointment of a representative for her Irish estates can be found in Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1292–1302, p. 179. The whole estate at Gilbert’s death is described in depth in Calendar of Inquisitions Post Mortem, Edward I, iii, no. 371; and see p. 237 for the granting of Thaxted to Alice de Lusignan. For the early fourteenth-century valuation of the estate, see Davies, Lordship and Society, p. 196.

  11 Edward’s instruction to his tax collectors regarding Joanna’s estate is described in Calendar of Close Rolls, 1288–96, p. 471.

  12 For the letter assigning the children to Bristol Castle, see ibid, p. 471.

  13 For the custody of Owain ap Dafydd at Bristol, see ibid, p. 298.

  XI. ACQUIESCENCE AND INSUBORDINATION

  1 For the celebrations surrounding Elizabeth’s wedding and the gifts exchanged by the family, see Green, Lives of the Princesses, ii, pp. 382, 384; iii, pp. 13–5.

  2 For Bartholomew Cotton’s description of the event, see his Historia Anglia, p. 316.

  3 On the treaty negotiated between Holland and Brabant at Elizabeth’s wedding, see Foedera, i, p. 852.

  4 Margaret’s trousseau is discussed in detail in Green, Lives of the Princesses, ii, pp. 383–4; see also BL Add MS 7965, ff. 15, 16, 16v, 134, 135v. On the expected cost of a princess’s trousseau, see Edward’s deathbed provision for the dowry of his youngest daughter, Eleanor (by Margaret of France), which included funds to support a trousseau worth more than three thousand pounds; this sum was probably estimated on his experience by that date of having provided trousseaux for four older daughters: Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1302–7, p. 460. The fleet is described within ‘Willelmi Monaschi & Procuratoris Egmondani Chronicon ab Ann. DC XLVII usque at Ann. MCCCXXXIII’ printed in Antonius Matthaeus Veteris aevi analecta, seu, Vetera monumenta hactenus nondum visa . . ., 2nd edn, 5 vols (Hagæ-Comitum, 1738), ii, p. 541. For Margaret’s English servant who remained with her, see Thomas de Caumvill, who in July 1297 received permission to remain with Margaret for one year: Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1292–1301, p. 295. The other members of Margaret’s entourage are listed in ibid, pp. 226–8.

  5 For the wardrobe entry ordering the replacement of stones in Elizabeth’s crown, see BL Add MS 7965, f. 15v. For the men sent to confirm the value of Elizabeth’s dower, see Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1292–1302, p. 229.

  6 Edward’s parting gift to Margaret is recorded in the king’s wardrobe book for 20 November 1300–20 November 1301, preserved as British Library Additional MS 7596, f. 15v.

  7 Edward’s order to confiscate Joanna’s properties is described in Calendar of Close Rolls, 1296–1302, p. 12. For Edward’s instruction dispatching his confessor to seek out Joanna, see BL Add MS 7965, 9v.

  8 For the order confiscating the property of the bailiff of Tonbridge, see Calendar of Fine Rolls, 1272–1307, p. 383.

  9 Edward’s correspondence with Amadeus regarding the latter’s request to marry Joanna can be read in Foedera, i, pp. 853–6, 861.

  10 For a contemporary response by an unknown chronicler to Joanna’s marriage to Ralph, see Opus Chronicorum, part of the Chronica Monasterii S Albani, ed. Henry Thomas Riley, iii (Kraus reprint, Nendeln, 1972), p. 27. For Rishanger’s reaction, see William Rishanger, Chronica et Annales, part of the Chronica Monasterii S Albani, ed. Henry Thomas Riley, ii (Kraus reprint, Millwood, NY, 1983) p. 416.

  11 For Matthew Paris’s description of the events leading up to the marriage of Eleanor and Simon de Montfort, see Chronica Majora, ed. Luard, iii, pp. 470–1, 475, 487, 566–7.

  12 For the arrival of Joanna’s children at court, see BL Add MS 7965, f. 33.

  13 For Joanna’s maintenance grant, see Calendar of Close Rolls, 1296–1302, p. 30. For Edward’s men travelling into Joanna’s Welsh dominion to hear complaints directly from her tenants, see Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1292–1302, p. 249, and for the significance of this, see Davies, Lordship and Society, pp. 268–9. For Edward’s grant of income from Joanna’s estates to his men, see Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1292–1302, p. 292. Anthony Bek’s guidance that Edward accept Joanna’s remarriage is recorded in The Chronicle of Walter of Guisborough, ed. H. Rothwell (London, 1957), p. 259.

  14 Joanna’s speech is preserved in Opus Chronicorum, ed. Riley, p. 27.

  15 For a discussion of Capellanus’ views on marriage and social status, see Peter Coss, The Lady in Medieval England, 1000–150
0 (Stroud, 1998), p. 150.

  16 The restoration of Joanna’s estate is described in Calendar of Fine Rolls, 1272–1307, pp. 389–90.

  XII. CRISIS

  1 For the items Elizabeth took to Holland, see BL Add MS 7965, ff. 22, 23, 28, 142.

  2 For Elizabeth’s travel and entertainment, see BL Add MS 7965, ff. 27v, 52. For Elizabeth and Mary’s commissioning of Mass for Eleanor of Castile, see Green, Lives of the Princesses, ii, p. 420.

  3 For a description of the fleet that sailed with Elizabeth, see Bryce and Mary Lyon, ‘The Logistics for Edward I’s ill-fated campaign in Flanders (1297–8)’, in Handelingen der Maatschappij voor Geschiedenis en Oudheidkunde te Gent, 55 (2001), pp. 77–92; Bryce Lyon, ‘The Failed Flemish Campaign of Edward I in 1297: A case study of efficient logistics and inadequate military planning’, in Handelingen der Maatschappij voor Geschiedenis en Oudheidkunde te Gent, 59 (2005), pp. 31–42; Prestwich, Edward I, Chapter 16, passim.

  4 Margaret’s gift to her father is recorded in BL Add MS 7965, f. 57, while the offerings made by the king and his daughter can be found at f. 10.

  5 Joanna likely delivered her daughter Mary Monthermer at Windsor Castle, where her father directed the houses in the outer bailey for the use of her and Ralph in September: Calendar of Close Rolls, 1296–1302, p. 63. Her father’s gift on news of the birth appears in ibid, p. 72.

  6 For the foods provided for Elizabeth and her father, see BL Add MS 7596, f. 28.

  7 Eleanora’s gift to her father is noted in BL Add MS 7596, f. 57v. Edward’s contribution to Henri’s ransom is discussed by Green in Lives of the Princesses, ii, p. 312. Marie’s gifts to Edward in Ghent are recorded in BL Add MS 7966, f. 148.

  8 Eleanora’s gifts to her father are recorded in Green, Lives of the Princesses, ii, pp. 312–3; BL Add MS 7966, f. 148.

  9 Margaret’s intercessory efforts while in Ghent are described in Green, Lives of the Princesses, ii, p. 388.

  10 The chaos at court in Ghent is described by Green, at ibid, pp. 313–4, and 314 n1.

  11 For Edward’s delight at seeing Brussels, see ibid, pp. 388–9, and 389 n1.

  12 Green discusses the episode in which Edward pays off Mary’s substantial debts to Martin in Lives of the Princesses, ii, p. 421.

  13 For the notice of Eleanora’s death, see the Hagnaby chronicle: British Library Cotton MS Vespasian B XI, f. 46.

  14 Eleanora’s monument at Westminster is described in John Stow and John Strype, A Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster: containing the original, antiquity, increase, modern estate and government of those cities . . . in six books (London, 1720), vi, p. 14. Katherine and Joanna, born around 1261 and 1265 respectively, were both dead before John’s birth in 1266. In addition to those whose burials are listed at Westminster, at least one other sibling died abroad, the girl born to Eleanor of Castile during her first year in residence at Acre, one year before Joanna’s birth in the same city. Her burial location is unknown. An unnamed daughter is also thought to have been born to Eleanor in her first year of marriage, buried at Bordeaux.

  15 Elizabeth’s role in the Borselen episode is recounted in Matthaeus Vossius, Annales Hollandiae Zelandiaeque . . . (Amsterdam, 1680), p. 199; Antoine-Marie Cerisier, Tableau de l’histoire general des province-unies (Utrecht, 1777–84), i, p. 358. The quotation appears in Cerisier.

  16 Green discusses the Borselen episode and its aftermath for Elizabeth, including her elevated position, in Lives of the Princesses, iii, p. 27. For the attendance of English servants on Elizabeth after Johan’s death, see Foedera, i, p. 918; Calendar of Close Rolls, 1296–1302, pp. 382–3. Vossius describes Elizabeth’s departure for England in his Annales Hollandiae, p. 204.

  XIII. HOMECOMING

  1 Messages to and from Brabant are attested in the king’s wardrobe book for the twenty-eighth year of Edward’s reign, preserved as British Library Additional MS 35291, f. 71v; BL Add MS 7966, ff. 66, 66v, 69.

  2 For the description of Ralph at Caerlaverock, see The Siege of Carlaverock, ed. Nicholas Harris Nicolas (London, 1828), pp. 48–9. For the feast at Westminster where Joanna presided, see Green, Lives of the Princesses, ii, p. 349.

  3 For Edward’s anxiety on Margaret’s early delivery, see The Chronicle of Pierre de Langtoft, in French verse, from the earliest period to the death of Edward I, ed. Thomas Wright, 2 vols, (Kraus reprint, Wiesbaden, 1964), ii, pp. 324–5. A full account of the baby’s birth can be found in K. Staniland, ‘Welcome, Royal Babe! The Birth of Thomas of Brotherton in 1300’, Costume (1985), pp. 1–13. For Robert Mannyng of Brunne’s effusive compliment of Marguerite, see John Carmi Parsons, ‘Margaret of France (1279–1318)’, in Historical Dictionary of Late Medieval England, 1272–1485, ed. Ronald H. Fritze and William B. Robison (Westport, CT, 2002), p. 337. An example of Marguerite and Elizabeth joining together to intercede with the king is recorded in Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1301–7, p. 38.

  4 For Prince Edward’s introduction to Piers Gaveston, see Johnstone, Edward of Carnarvon, p. 54.

  5 For the royal gifts to the messenger who brought news of Margaret’s successful delivery, see John Topham, Liber quotidianus contrarotulatoris garderobae. Anno regni regis Edwardi primi vicesimo octavo . . . (London, 1787), pp. 170, 182. For Margaret’s diplomacy, see Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1292–1301, pp. 557–8; Calendar of Close Rolls, 1296–1302, p. 474.

  6 The Masses said for Johan’s anniversary are recorded in Topham, Liber quotidianus, p. 43; as are the necessary payments associated with Elizabeth’s trip to Kirkby Fleetham, at p. 75. (Cf. Green, Lives of the Princesses, iii, p. 32, in which in a rare error, Green records Elizabeth having travelled to Kirkletham on the east coast, rather than Kirkby Fleetham [‘Kirkebifletham’ in the wardrobe book], on her way to Ripon.) Payment for Elizabeth’s new gown is noted at BL Add MS 7966, f. 34v. For Elizabeth’s intercession on behalf of her deceased mother’s associates, see Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1301–7, p. 36.

  7 The purchase and transport of items for Elizabeth to wear appear throughout BL Add MS 7966, including at, e.g., ff. 31, 31v, 32, 32v. For the Christmas entertainments and gifts at Northampton, see ibid, ff. 66v, 67.

  8 For Elizabeth’s journey to Hailes, see BL Add MS 7966, f. 35. Her intercessory efforts are detailed in Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1292–1301, pp. 589, 590. For Lady de Saux’s departure, see Green, Lives of the Princesses, iii, p. 35. For the ongoing efforts to obtain Elizabeth’s dower, see Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1292–1301, p. 587; Calendar of Close Rolls, 1296–1302, p. 442.

  9 For the order requesting Gilbert de Clare join the royal household, see Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1292–1301, p. 606.

  10 For the restoration of Tonbridge, see Calendar of Close Rolls, 1296–1302, p. 473.

  XIV. COMPANIONSHIP

  1 Green surmises Elizabeth had known Humphrey since her childhood: Lives of the Princesses, iii, p. 36.

  2 For the terms governing Humphrey’s estate upon his marriage to Elizabeth, see Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1301–7, p. 96. Perhaps in order to avoid Elizabeth having the same freedoms regarding the Bohun estate that Joanna had enjoyed and exploited with the Clare estate, Humphrey’s estate – in the event his marriage with Elizabeth proved childless and he predeceased his wife – would default to his usual heirs, rather than to Elizabeth: see McFarlane, ‘Had Edward I a “Policy”’, p. 261. For a description of Elizabeth’s bridal crown, see Green, Lives of the Princesses, iii, p. 38–9.

  3 For the 1302 tax associated with Joanna’s first wedding, see Prestwich, Edward I, p. 529.

  4 Edward’s purchase of armour for his eldest grandson is noted in Green, Lives of the Princesses, ii, p. 353 n6.

  5 Green details the installation of the royal women at Tynemouth, at ibid, p. 353.

  6 For this episode, see Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1301–7, p. 50.

  7 See for Elizabeth’s post-partum gift giving, and the breaking of the minstrel’s instrument, Green, Lives of the Princesses, iii, pp. 39–40. The anniversary of Joanna de Mer
eworth’s death on 13 August is recorded (as are those of Elizabeth’s mother, grandmother, and sisters who predeceased her) in the calendar affixed to Elizabeth’s psalter, BL Add MS 24686, 8v.

  8 For Ralph’s good standing with his father-in-law by this date, see Green, Lives of the Princesses, ii, p. 352.

  9 Margaret’s letter to her father is transcribed within Green, Lives of the Princesses, ii, p. 392. For further detail surrounding this episode, see Calendar of Close Rolls, 1302–7, pp. 4, 6, 17, 22, 40, 110.

  10 Sara Cockerill dicusses how Eleanor of Castile’s decision to travel with Edward on campaign was likely influenced by the choice of her own mother, Jeanne de Dammartin; to accompany her husband, Ferdinand III of Castile, on his military campaigns in her Eleanor of Castile, p. 49. Elizabeth’s household during this period is detailed in Green, Lives of the Princesses, iii, p. 41 n1.

  11 Joanna’s intercession at Jedburgh is recorded in Calendar of Patent Rolls, 1301–7, p. 254. For Elizabeth’s equipment at Knaresborough, see Green, Lives of the Princesses, iii, pp. 41–2.

  12 For Aveline’s death, see Trivet, Annales sex regum, p. 294; see also Margaret Howell, Eleanor of Provence: Queenship in Thirteenth-Century England (Oxford, 2001), p. 246. On medieval childbirth and fear, see Roberta Gilchrist, Medieval Life: Archaeology and the Life Course (Cambridge, 2013), Chapter 4.

  13 For the Westminster Girdle, see J. Perkins, Westminster Abbey, its Worship and Ornaments (London, 1938–52), ii, p. 57.

  14 On the use of the Westminster Girdle, see Women of the English Nobility and Gentry: 1066–1500, ed. Jennifer Ward (Manchester, 1995), pp. 68–9.

 

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