|
Eustace fitz John (died 1157) was a powerful magnate in northern England during the reigns of Henry I, Stephen and Henry II. From a relatively humble background in the south-east of England, Eustace made his career serving Henry I, and was elevated by the king through marriage and office into one of the most important figures in the north of England. Eustace acquired a great deal of property in the region, controlled Bamburgh Castle, and served jointly with Walter Espec as justiciar of the North. After Henry I's death in 1135, Eustace became involved in the warfare between the supporters of Stephen and his rival the Empress Matilda, the latter led by Matilda's uncle David, King of Scotland. He surrendered Alnwick Castle and Malton Castle temporarily to David, while Bamburgh was taken by Stephen. Eustace became a supporter of David, fighting and suffering defeat at the Battle of the Standard in 1138. He maintained most of his lands in the north however, and from around 1144 became one of the main followers of Ranulf II, Earl of Chester, through whom he gained even more land. Eustace subsequently founded three religious houses, and died on campaign with Henry II in 1157. ==Origins and early career== Eustace's family came from the south-east of England.〔Tout and Dalton, "Eustace fitz John"〕 His father John fitz Richard was a tenant-in-chief who appeared in the ''Domesday Book'' owning estates in Essex and Norfolk.〔 The family was not of exalted origin, representing the middle rank of society.〔Dalton, "Eustace Fitz John", p. 359; Green, ''Henry I'', p. 244〕 Eustace had two known sisters, Agnes and Alice. He also had two brothers, Pain (Payne) and William, and it is thought that Pain—whose career was as successful as Eustace's— was probably the eldest.〔Mason, "Pain fitz John"; in many respects, Eustace's career in the north paralleled that of his brother Pain in the south-west of England; Dalton, "Eustace Fitz John", p. 360〕 Eustace likely did not inherit much from his father, but instead depended on success as a royal servant.〔Dalton, ''Conquest'', pp. 96–97; Dalton, "Eustace Fitz John", pp. 359–60〕 Eustace is witnessing royal charters from at least 1119, but may have been at Henry's court as early as 1114.〔Dalton, "Eustace Fitz John", p. 359; Tout and Dalton, "Eustace fitz John"〕 Through Henry's patronage, Eustace married two heiresses, both of whom brought him lands. Beatrix de Vesci, daughter and heiress of Ivo de Vesci, brought him control of Alnwick Castle and the barony of Alnwick in Northumberland.〔Crouch, ''Reign of King Stephen'', p. 164; Dalton, ''Conquest'', 97–98〕 He probably received, in addition, land in Lincolnshire as well as five and a half knight's fees in Yorkshire previously belonging to Ranulf de Mortimer (died 1104).〔Dalton, ''Conquest'', p. 98; Dalton, "Eustace Fitz John", p. 362〕 Although it has often been claimed that this marriage brought Eustace the lordship of Old Malton, a former royal manor in the North Riding of Yorkshire, this was probably a separate gift from the king.〔Dalton, "Eustace Fitz John", p. 362〕 Eustace's marriage to Beatrix occurred some time before 1130.〔Dalton, ''Conquest'', p. 97〕 The other marriage, which also occurred before 1130, was to Agnes daughter of the constable of Chester William fitz Nigel, and this eventually brought Eustace more land in Yorkshire at Bridlington as well as in Northamptonshire at Loddington. Both landholdings were held from the earl of Chester.〔Dalton, ''Conquest'', p. 99〕 Eustace would gain control of many other sub-tenancies, held from a number of lords, including the Archbishop of York, Bishop of Durham, Nigel d'Aubigny, and the count of Aumale,〔Dalton, ''Conquest'', p. 99; Dalton, "Eustace Fitz John", pp. 363–64 for a more extensive list〕 and in Henry's reign he held lands at Aldborough, Tickhill and Knaresborough from the king as a tenant-in-chief.〔Kapelle, ''Norman Conquest'', p. 199〕 Eustace had thus emerged as one of the key players in Henry's reordering of Northumbrian society following the destruction of the earldom of Northumbria in the late 11th-century.〔Green, ''Henry I'', p. 317〕 According to historian William Kapelle, Eustace was one of the "three mainstays of Henry's new regime in the North", the other two being Walter Espec and King David of Scotland.〔Kapelle, ''Norman Conquest'', p. 198〕 In Northumberland he is known to have commanded authority over at least ten local notables, including John FitzOdard lord of Embleton and Robert II de Umfraville lord of Redesdale.〔Dalton, "Eustace Fitz John", p. 365〕 Eustace's barony of Alnwick stretched across the potential Scottish invasion routes of the Tweed basin, and was one of the two largest baronies in the county, holding between 14 and 17 knight's fees by 1166, nearly three times the size of the average lordship in the county.〔 Henry I's only surviving pipe roll, for 1129–30, shows that Eustace served jointly as justiciar of the north along with Walter Espec, and had custody of the former capital of the Northumbrian earldom, Bamburgh Castle.〔 Allowances made to Eustace for the repair of the gate of Bamburgh Castle and the construction of fortifications at Tickhill and Knaresborough in Yorkshire are also recorded in this pipe roll.〔 This and evidence of royal writs show that Eustace and Walter Espec had justiciar responsibility for the counties of Cumberland, Northumberland, Durham, and Yorkshire, a role that involved hearing pleas and conveying instructions from central government.〔Dalton, "Eustace Fitz John", p. 360〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Eustace fitz John」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|