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William Longchamp (died 1197), sometimes known as William de Longchamp or William de Longchamps, was a medieval Lord Chancellor, Chief Justiciar, and Bishop of Ely in England. Born to a humble family in Normandy, he owed his advancement to royal favour. Although contemporary writers accused Longchamp's father of being the son of a peasant, he held land as a knight. Longchamp first served an illegitimate son of King Henry II, but quickly transferred to the service of Richard I, Henry's eldest surviving son. When Richard became King in 1189, Longchamp paid £3,000 for the office of Chancellor, and was soon named to the see, or bishopric, of Ely and appointed legate by the pope. Longchamp governed England while Richard was on the Third Crusade, but his authority was challenged by Richard's brother, John, who eventually succeeded in driving Longchamp from power and from England. Longchamp's relations with the other leading English nobles were also strained, which contributed to the demands for his exile. Soon after Longchamp's departure from England, Richard was captured on his journey back to England from the crusade and held for ransom by Henry VI, Holy Roman Emperor. Longchamp travelled to Germany to help negotiate Richard's release. Although Longchamp regained the office of Chancellor after Richard's return to England, he lost much of his former power. He aroused a great deal of hostility among his contemporaries during his career, but he retained Richard's trust and was employed by the king until the bishop's death in 1197. Longchamp wrote a treatise on the law, which remained well known throughout the later Middle Ages. ==Background and early life== Longchamp's ancestors originated in the village of Longchamps, Normandy,〔Balfour "Origins of the Longchamp Family" ''Medieval Prosopography'' p. 78〕 but he was born near the Norman village of Argenton.〔Spear "Norman Empire and the Secular Clergy" ''Journal of British Studies'' p. 6〕 His father, Hugh de Longchamp, also held land in England, as did many other Norman nobles after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Hugh Nonant—one of Longchamp's opponents—declared that the elder Longchamp was the son of a peasant, which seems unlikely, as Hugh de Longchamp appears to have held a knight's tenancy in Normandy.〔Turner "Longchamp, William de" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''〕 The family was originally of humble background, but rose through service to King Henry II.〔Barlow ''Feudal Kingdom of England'' pp. 352–353〕 The elder Longchamp also held land in Herefordshire in England, including the manor of Wilton near Ross in Wales.〔Balfour "Origins of the Longchamp Family" ''Medieval Prosopography'' p. 82〕 Hugh married a woman named Eve, a relative of the Lacy family. Historian David Balfour suggests that Eve was the daughter of Gilbert de Lacy, the son of Roger de Lacy, exiled by King William II in 1095 for rebellion.〔Balfour "Origins of the Longchamp Family" ''Medieval Prosopography'' p. 84〕 Longchamp's sister, Richeut, married the castellan of Dover Castle.〔〔 A second sister, Melisend, came to England with Longchamp, but otherwise is unknown.〔 A sister is recorded as having married Stephen Devereux, but whether this is Melisend is unclear. Of Longchamp's brothers, Osbert remained a layman, and owed much of his advancement to William;〔 Stephen served King Richard I on crusade; Henry, another layman, became a sheriff along with Osbert; and Robert became a monk. Two of Longchamp's brothers became abbots.〔Balfour "Origins of the Longchamp Family" ''Medieval Prosopography'' p. 91〕 Longchamp entered public life at the close of Henry II's reign, as an official for the King's illegitimate son Geoffrey. He soon left Geoffrey's service,〔 and served in Henry II's chancery, or writing office, before he entered service with Henry's son Richard.〔Gillingham ''Richard I'' pp. 121–122〕 Richard, who was Duke of Aquitaine at the time, named Longchamp chancellor of the Duchy of Aquitaine.〔Poole ''Domesday Book to Magna Carta'' p. 351 footnote 3〕 Longchamp first distinguished himself at the court of King Philip II of France in Paris in 1189, when he acted as Richard's envoy in a dispute with William Marshall, King Henry's envoy. By that time, Longchamp was already one of Richard's trusted advisors.〔Gillingham ''Richard I'' p. 98〕 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「William Longchamp」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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