Lordship of Brecknock facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lordship of Breckock
Teyrnas Brycheiniog
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| 1088–1535 | |||||||||
| Status | Client state of the Kingdom of England | ||||||||
| Capital | Brecon | ||||||||
| Common languages | Welsh, English, Norman | ||||||||
| Government | Marcher Lordship | ||||||||
| Lord | |||||||||
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• 1088–1125
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Bernard de Neufmarche | ||||||||
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• ?–1235
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Peter FitzHerbert | ||||||||
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• 1235–1286
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Sir Reginald Fitz Piers | ||||||||
| Historical era | Middle Ages | ||||||||
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• Norman conquest
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1088 | ||||||||
| 1535 | |||||||||
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The Lordship of Brecknock was an important area in southern central Wales during the Middle Ages. It was an Anglo-Norman marcher lordship, which means it was a special kind of territory on the border between England and Wales, ruled by powerful lords who had a lot of independence from the king.
Contents
How the Lordship Began
Before the Lordship of Brecknock was created, this area was known as Brycheiniog. For about a hundred years, different Welsh families fought to control it. One important Welsh ruler was Bleddyn ap Maenyrch, who was the King of Brycheiniog when the Normans invaded England.
The Normans, led by William the Conqueror, were not happy when many Welsh princes helped the Saxons (English people) rebel against them. After putting down these revolts, the Normans started to push into Wales.
In 1088, a Norman knight named Bernard de Neufmarché attacked Brycheiniog. He likely worked with other Welsh rulers who were also fighting against the powerful King of Deheubarth, Rhys ap Tewdwr. Bernard defeated Bleddyn ap Maenyrch at the Battle of Caer-Bannau.
In 1093, Rhys ap Tewdwr and Bleddyn ap Maenyrch tried to fight back. They attacked Bernard while he was building a castle in Brecon. But their attack failed, and both Rhys and Bleddyn were killed. This allowed Bernard to take full control of Brycheiniog. He then created the Lordship of Brecknock, giving it a Norman name. Bernard kept Bleddyn's eldest son, Gwrgan, at Brecon Castle but also gave him and his brothers some land to live on.
Bernard was later succeeded by his daughter, Sibyl de Neufmarché. This happened because Bernard's wife, Nesta, told King Henry I that their son, Mahel, was not Bernard's true heir. So, the king decided that Sibyl, who was married to his friend Miles Fitz-Walter, should inherit the Lordship.
Brecknock in the 1136 Revolt
A big conflict started in England when Stephen de Blois became king instead of his cousin, Empress Matilda, who was supposed to rule. This led to a time of great chaos in England, sometimes called the Anarchy.
By 1136, many Welsh princes saw this as a chance to win back lands they had lost to the Norman lords. A minor Welsh lord named Hywel ap Maredudd started a revolt. He gathered an army and defeated the Normans in the nearby Lordship of Gower.
This success inspired Gruffydd ap Rhys, the Prince of Deheubarth, to seek help from his father-in-law. While Gruffydd was away, Norman lords tried to take more land in Deheubarth. Gruffydd's wife, Princess Gwenllian, bravely led an army to defend her lands. Sadly, her forces were defeated, and Gwenllian and two of her sons were killed.
Even though Gwenllian's defense failed, it inspired more people to fight against the Marcher Lords. Her son, Rhys ap Gruffydd, later became a very powerful ruler. When the fighting in England ended and Henry II became king, he brought back strong central rule. He pushed the Welsh princes back to their old borders. The Lordship of Brecknock remained strong, and Sibyl's husband, Miles, continued to be its Lord.
Sibyl's Family and the Lordship
Sibyl and Miles had children who inherited parts of the Lordship.
- One of Sibyl's daughters, Bertha, married William de Braose, 3rd Lord of Bramber. She received the area around Hay Castle as a dowry. This land was then joined with her husband's nearby Lordship of Buellt.
- When Sibyl died, the rest of the Lordship of Brecknock went to her son, Roger. Roger had no children. He gave the area around Bronllys Castle to his cousin, Walter Fitz-Richard.
Roger's brothers inherited the Lordship after him, but they also died without children. The last brother, William, died in a castle fire. His lands, including Brecknock, were then divided among his sisters. Bertha received Brecknock, which was again joined with Buellt and the Hay area.
The de Braose Family Takes Over
Bertha's lands were inherited by her eldest son, William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber. William had a big disagreement with King John. As a result, William was forced to leave the country and died poor. His wife and eldest son were tragically starved to death by the king.
In 1208, King John took William's lands. He separated the eastern part of Brecknock and created a new Lordship called Blaenllynfi. He gave this new Lordship to Peter FitzHerbert.
When King John's son, Henry III, became king, he wanted to make peace with the powerful nobles. Henry gave the remaining Lordship of Brecknock back to the Braose family, specifically to William's younger brother, Reginald de Braose.
Reginald's son, also named William, died with only daughters. So, his lands were divided among them:
- Eva received the Lordship of Abergavenny.
- Maud received the Lordship of Radnor. She married Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Mortimer.
- Isabella received the Lordship of Buellt. She married Dafydd ap Llywelyn, the son of Llywelyn Fawr, a powerful Welsh prince.
- Eleanor received the Lordship of Brecknock. She married Humphrey de Bohun.
Disputed Lands
Mortimer's Claim
Roger Mortimer, Maud's husband, felt he didn't get enough land compared to the others. He was a strong supporter of King Henry III. Over 25 years, Mortimer managed to get the king to agree that he should receive parts of the Lordship of Brecknock. However, the de Bohun family, who held Brecknock, delayed giving up the land.
Meanwhile, Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, a Welsh prince and nephew of Dafydd ap Llywelyn, took advantage of the king's weakness. He expanded his territory, taking control of Radnor, Buellt, and Brecknock.
In 1263, King Henry's son, Edward, fought back and defeated Llywelyn. Edward then gave the entire Lordship of Brecknock to Mortimer, who was his ally, instead of to de Bohun, who had opposed the king.
Soon after, a major conflict called the Second Barons' War broke out. Mortimer and de Bohun were on opposite sides. In 1266, Mortimer's army suffered a big defeat. But later that year, the war ended with the king winning. Mortimer and de Bohun then made peace, and Mortimer gave the Lordship of Brecknock back to de Bohun.
Llywelyn's Return
During the Barons' War, Llywelyn had allied with Simon de Montfort, the king's main enemy. Simon promised to give Llywelyn back the lands he had lost. This was agreed in the Treaty of Pipton. Llywelyn used this, and Mortimer's weakened state, to expand his power again. This meant that even though Mortimer had agreed, de Bohun still couldn't fully control the Lordship of Brecknock.
After the war, the king and Llywelyn signed the Treaty of Montgomery. Under this treaty, Llywelyn became a vassal (a ruler under the king) but received the Lordship of Brecknock.
However, about ten years later, after Edward became king, Llywelyn married Simon de Montfort's daughter. King Edward saw this as an act of rebellion and attacked Llywelyn. In 1277, Llywelyn was forced to sign the Treaty of Aberconwy, which limited his power to Gwynedd only. Finally, de Bohun became the undisputed Lord of Brecknock.
Dispute with de Clare
Towards the end of his life, in 1291, Humphrey de Bohun had a disagreement with Gilbert de Clare about the border between their lands. Humphrey was Lord of Brecknock and Earl of Hereford, while Gilbert was Lord of Glamorgan and Earl of Gloucester. To stop them from fighting a war (which Marcher Lords were allowed to do), King Edward insisted they bring the matter to his court.
Unfortunately, Gilbert's tenants (people who lived on his land) stole cattle from Humphrey's tenants. Humphrey's tenants then attacked back. The king was very angry and ordered that both the Lordships of Brecknock and Glamorgan be taken away from them. Later, Humphrey and Gilbert settled their differences and convinced the king to give their lands back in exchange for large sums of money.
Edward II and Hugh Despenser
When King Edward II began his rule, a man named John Fitz-Reginald, who had no children, gave all his lands, including the Lordship of Blaenllynfi, to the king. In 1309, the king gave these lands to Rhys ap Hywel, a descendant of Gwgan, because Rhys's family had been loyal to Edward's father.
Humphrey de Bohun was succeeded by his son, Humphrey. This Humphrey was a strong opponent of King Edward II's close advisors, Piers Gaveston and later Hugh Despenser. During a revolt against Hugh Despenser at the Battle of Boroughbridge, Humphrey was killed. King Edward then took Humphrey's lands, including the Lordship of Brecknock, and gave them to Hugh Despenser. Rhys ap Hywel had also rebelled, so Edward took Rhys's lands too and gave them to Hugh, bringing the whole Lordship of Brecknock back together under one person.
The leader of the revolt (besides Humphrey) was Roger Mortimer. He had been renting the Lordship of Buellt from Queen Isabella, who supported the revolt because she felt Hugh Despenser had ruined her marriage to Edward. So, the King also seized Buellt and added it to Hugh's Lordship.
Five years later, in 1326, Roger Mortimer and Queen Isabella returned to England and launched a coup against Edward and Hugh. They were caught in Wales. Roger Mortimer then took control of the country. He tried to restore things to how they were before. Rhys ap Hywel got his part of the Lordship of Brecknock back, and Humphrey's son, John de Bohun, received the rest.
Later De Bohun Lords
John de Bohun was succeeded by his brother, Humphrey. Rhys ap Hywel was succeeded by his son, Philip ap Rhys. However, King Edward III, who had taken control from Roger Mortimer, decided that the Lordship of Brecknock should be ruled by a powerful lord like Humphrey, not a less powerful one like Philip. So, Edward transferred Philip's part of the Lordship to Humphrey, uniting it once again. Philip was given other lands as compensation.
Humphrey's son, also named Humphrey, inherited the Lordship. This Humphrey only had daughters, so the land's ownership became uncertain for a while. However, Humphrey's younger daughter, Mary, married Henry Bolinbroke. Henry later took the throne by force, becoming King Henry IV. He used his power to claim the lands for himself through his wife.
Despite this, Anne of Gloucester, the daughter of Mary de Bohun's elder sister, argued that her grandfather's lands should rightfully be hers. The Lordship of Brecknock was then ruled by Anne's descendants, the Earls of Buckingham.
Eventually, Anne's great-great-grandson, Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, was executed for supposedly plotting against King Henry VIII. The Lordship was then taken by the crown (the king) and combined with Buellt, which the king also owned.
Finally, through his Laws in Wales Acts, King Henry VIII changed the combined territory of Brecknock and Buellt into Brecknockshire. This meant it would now follow standard English law, ending its time as a special Marcher Lordship.
