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Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Historical figures

   Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (c. 1275 – June 23, 1324) was a
   French-English nobleman, with strong connections both to the English
   and French royal houses. One of the wealthiest and most powerful men of
   his age, he was a central player in the conflicts between Edward II and
   his nobility, particularly earl Thomas of Lancaster. He suffered a
   great insult when Piers Gaveston, a prisoner in his custody, was
   removed and beheaded on the instigation of Lancaster. This led Pembroke
   into close and lifelong cooperation with the king. Later in life,
   however, political circumstances combined with financial difficulties
   would cause him problems, driving him away from the centre of power.

   Pembroke left no legitimate issue, but is today remembered through his
   wife's foundation of Pembroke College in Cambridge, and for his
   splendid tomb that can still be seen in Westminster Abbey.

Family and early years

   Arms of de Valence Earls of Pembroke
   Enlarge
   Arms of de Valence Earls of Pembroke

   Aymer was the son of William de Valence, son of Hugh X, Count of La
   Marche and Isabella of Angoulême. William was Henry III’s half-brother
   through his mother’s prior marriage to King John, and as such gained a
   central position in the kingdom of England. He had come to the earldom
   of Pembroke through his marriage to Joan de Munchensy, granddaughter of
   William Marshal. Aymer was the third son of his family, so little is
   known of his birth and early years. He is believed to have been born
   some time between 1270 and 1275.^ As his father was on crusade with the
   Lord Edward until January 1273, a date towards the end of this period
   is more likely.^ With the death in battle in Wales of his remaining
   brother William in 1282 (John, the elder brother, was dead in 1277),
   Aymer found himself heir to the earldom of Pembroke. William de Valence
   died in 1296, and Aymer inherited his father’s French lands, but had to
   wait until his mother died in 1307 to succeed to the earldom. Through
   inheritance and marriages his lands consisted of – apart from the
   county palatine in Pembrokeshire – property spread out across England
   primarily in a strip from Gloucestershire to East Anglia, in south-east
   Ireland ( Wexford), and French lands in the Poitou- and Calais areas.

   In 1297 he accompanied Edward I on a campaign to Flanders, and seems to
   have been knighted by this time.^ With his French connections he was in
   the following years a valuable diplomat in France for the English king.
   He also served as military commander in Scotland, and won an important
   victory over Robert Bruce in 1306 at the Battle of Methven, only to be
   routed himself by Bruce at Loudon Hill the next year.

The Ordinances and Piers Gaveston

   Edward I died in 1307 and was succeeded by his son Edward II. The new
   king at first enjoyed the good will of his nobility, Valence among
   them. Conflict soon ensued, however, connected especially with the
   enormous unpopularity of Edward’s favourite Piers Gaveston. Gaveston’s
   arrogance towards the peers, and his control over Edward, united the
   baronage in opposition to the king. In 1311 the initiative known as the
   Ordinances was introduced, severely limiting royal powers in financial
   matters and in the appointment of officers.^ Equally important, Gaveson
   was expelled from the realm (as Edward I had already done once before).
   Pembroke, who was not among the most radical of the Ordainers, and had
   earlier been sympathetic with the king, had now realised the necessity
   of exiling Gaveston.^

   When Gaveston without permission returned from exile later the same
   year, a baronial council entrusted Pembroke and John de Warenne, earl
   of Surrey, with the task of taking him into custody. This they did on
   May 19, 1312, but not long after Thomas of Lancaster, acting with the
   earls of Warwick, Hereford and Arundel, seized Gaveston and executed
   him on June 19. This criminal act had the effect of garnering support
   for the king, and marginalising the rebellious earls. As far as
   Pembroke is concerned, the seizing and execution of a prisoner in his
   custody was a breach of the most fundamental chivalric codes, and a
   serious affront to his honour. The event must therefore be seen as
   pivotal in turning his sympathies away from the rebels and towards the
   king.

Later years

   Pembroke Castle, Pembrokeshire, Wales.
   Enlarge
   Pembroke Castle, Pembrokeshire, Wales.

   In the following years Pembroke worked closely with the king. He was
   appointed the king’s lieutenant in Scotland in 1314, and was present at
   the disastrous English defeat at the Battle of Bannockburn, where he
   helped lead Edward away from the field of battle. In 1317, however,
   while returning from a papal embassy to Rome, he was taken capture by a
   Jean de Lamouilly, and held for ransom in Germany. The ransom of £
   10,400 was to cause Pembroke significant financial difficulties for the
   remainder of his life.

   Although ostracized by the murder of Gaveston, Thomas of Lancaster had
   regained virtual control of royal government in the period after
   Bannockburn. Proving himself as incapable to rule as Edward, however,
   he soon grew unpopular. Pembroke was one of the magnates who in the
   years 1316-18 tried to prevent civil war from breaking out between the
   supporters of Edward and those of Lancaster, and he helped negotiate
   the Treaty of Leake in 1318, restoring Edward to power. Peace did not
   last long, however, as the king by now had taken on Hugh Despenser the
   younger as another favourite, in much the same position as Gaveston.
   Pembroke’s attempts at reconciliation eventually failed, and civil war
   broke out in 1321. In 1322 Lancaster was defeated at the Battle of
   Boroughbridge, and executed. Pembroke was among the earls behind the
   conviction.

   After Boroughbridge Pembroke found himself in a difficult situation.
   The opponents of Hugh Despenser and his father had lost all faith in
   him, but at the same time he found himself marginalised at court where
   the Despensers' power grew more and more complete. On top of this came
   his financial problems. On June 24, 1324, while on an embassy to
   France, he suddenly collapsed and died while lodging somewhere in
   Picardy.

Legacy

   T.F. Tout, in 1914 one of the first historians to make a thorough
   academic study of the period, considered Pembroke the one favourable
   exception in an age of small-minded and incompetent leaders.^ Tout
   wrote of a 'middle party', led by Pembroke, representing a moderate
   position between the extremes of Edward and Lancaster. This 'middle
   party' supposedly took control of royal government through the Treaty
   of Leake in 1318. In his authoritative study of 1972, J.R.S. Philips
   refutes this view. In spite of misgivings with the king’s favourites,
   Pembroke was consistently loyal to Edward. What was accomplished in
   1318 was not the takeover by a 'middle party', but simply a restoration
   of royal power.^

   Aymer married twice; his first marriage, before 1295, was to Beatrice,
   daughter of Raoul de Clermont, lord of Nesle in Picardy and constable
   of France. Beatrice died in 1320, and in 1321 he married Marie de St
   Pol, daughter of Gui de Châtillon, count of St Pol and butler of
   France. He never had any legitimate children, but he had an
   illegitimate son, Henry de Valence, whose mother is unknown. Pembroke’s
   most lasting legacy is probably through his second wife, who in 1347
   founded Pembroke College in Cambridge. The family arms are still
   represented on the dexter side of the college arms. Aymer de Valence
   was buried in Westminster Abbey, where his tomb can still be seen as a
   splendid example of contemporary architecture.^
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