Leicester

Who he is

Name

Robert de Beaumont IV (Robert FitzParnell, Robert de Breteuil)

Title

Earl of Leicester; hereditary steward of England

Since

Succeeded his father, who died at Durazzo in 1190 on the way to the crusade; invested at Messina on 2 February 1191

Born

Not pinned

Family

Son of Earl Robert III (Blanchemains) and Petronilla de Grandmesnil, through whom came Hinckley and the Grandmesnil lands. Married Loretta de Braose, daughter of William de Braose, after his release in 1196. No children. His heirs are his sisters: Amice, widow of Simon III de Montfort and mother of Simon de Montfort (the later crusader), and Margaret, wife of Saer de Quincy.

Confidence

high

He defended Rouen against Philip in 1193 and was captured trying to retake Pacy; he spent about three years in prison, so Pacy has been French since then.

Overlord

King John (and John as duke for the Norman lands)

What it holds

• Leicester castle and the lordship of the borough of Leicester, with its gild merchant and courts (see Leicester)
• The forest (frith) of Leicester west of the town
• Hinckley castle and the Grandmesnil honour, with Earl Shilton
• Mountsorrel castle on the Soar (a castle the earls of Chester also claimed under Stephen)
• Whitwick and Groby in north-west Leicestershire
• Brackley in Northamptonshire, a market borough of the earl
• In Normandy: the honour of Breteuil, Grandmesnil and Pont-Saint-Pierre; Pacy is in Philip's hands
• The hereditary stewardship of England

How it was acquired

The Beaumont earls of Leicester since 1107; Hinckley and Grandmesnil by Earl Robert III's marriage.

Allies and rivals

Brother-in-law of Saer de Quincy (Margaret); uncle of Simon de Montfort. Neighbours: the earl of Chester (Barrow upon Soar and the old quarrel over Mountsorrel), the Ferrers earl of Derby, William d'Aubigny of Belvoir, Mowbray at Melton.

How things stand that morning

Holds the honour in peace. His Norman lands at Breteuil lie close to Philip's frontier on the Eure; Pacy is French. Where he spends the winter is not pinned.

Wealth

The borough of Leicester and its tolls; the wool and corn of the Leicestershire uplands; the forest; Brackley's market.

Military

Leicester, Hinckley and Mountsorrel castles. The family's record: his father's rebellion of 1173-74 (with Flemish mercenaries, defeated at Fornham) cost the family their walls at Leicester; he himself fought for Richard in Normandy.

Threats

• No children: his inheritance will be partitioned after his death (he dies in October 1204)
• Philip's frontier near Breteuil

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

1. 22 May 1200The treaty of Le Goulet confirms Philip in the Evrecin; Pacy stays French and the earl's Breteuil lands remain on John's side of the line.Depends on: John and Philip both willing to settle Stopped by: a renewed war in Normandy

Places of note

• Leicester castle: Earl's castle and hall
• Hinckley castle: Grandmesnil caput
• Mountsorrel castle: Castle on the Soar

Where the sources disagree

Evidence: The earl's succession, captivity and heirs are firm; the list of his English manors here is partial.

On the map: The earl's knights' fees spread over several shires; only the demesne centres are drawn.

Primary sources for England

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

• Chronicle of Jocelin of Brakelond, Jocelin of Brakelond (about 1198 to 1203). An inside account of Bury St Edmunds under Abbot Samson, written while the events were fresh. Read online
• Chronicle of Melrose, Anonymous (monks of Melrose abbey) (about 1173 to 1270, in many hands; the 1200 entries are near contemporary). The main Scottish annal for the year, kept at a Cistercian house on the Tweed. Read online
• Chronicle of Roger of Howden, Roger of Howden (about 1192 to 1201). The fullest single narrative for the year. Read online
• Chronicle of the Princes, Anonymous (Welsh translation of a lost Latin chronicle kept at Strata Florida) (Latin original to about 1282, compiled from contemporary annals; Welsh versions about 1300 and later). The native Welsh record of the year. Read online
• Chronicle; Deeds of the Kings, Gervase of Canterbury (Chronica about 1188 to 1199; Gesta Regum about 1199 to 1210). The Chronica stops in 1199, so for 1200 the witness is the briefer Gesta Regum, which notes John's peace with Philip, the coronation of Isabella at Westminster on 8 October 1200, and matters touching Canterbury: the archbishop Hubert Walter as chancellor, the cathedral priory's quarrel with him, and the Lambeth college dispute lately settled by the pope. Read online
• English Chronicle of Ralph of Coggeshall, Ralph of Coggeshall (about 1200 to 1224, in stages). Short but independent entries for 1200 from a Cistercian house in Essex: John's levy on the Cistercians and the carucage, the peace with Philip, the king's new marriage and the queen's coronation, and the death of Hugh of Lincoln. Read online
• Flowers of History, Roger of Wendover (about 1220 to 1235 at St Albans). For 1200 Wendover is mostly Howden rewritten, so he is a second witness only where he adds St Albans material: a long account of Hugh of Lincoln's last months, death and funeral, and anecdotes about John's conduct toward the Cistercians and his new queen. Read online
• Images of History, Ralph de Diceto (about 1188 to 1202). A London view of the year from the dean of St Paul's, who knew the justiciar and the bishops personally. Read online

22 more in the sources library for The British Isles.