thewritingpossum:Edward le Despenser, born at Essendine on the 24th march 1336, was the eldest son o
thewritingpossum:Edward le Despenser, born at Essendine on the 24th march 1336, was the eldest son of another Edward and of his wife Anne Ferrers. His paternal grandfather Hugh was infamous for his romantic relationship with King Edward II, a relationship that allowed him to become the de facto king of England himself. After his brutal execution in 1327, the Despenser’s sons worked hard to bring back their family in the new King’s graces and generally succeeded. Edward’s father himself fought in many of Edward III’s military campaigns in France until he was ultimately killed in the Battle of Morlaix. Edward was then eight years old. The rest of his childhood was apparently fairly peaceful, with his late father’s lands and the rest of his inheritance being managed for him by close family members under the supervision of various royal emissaries including Bartholomew de Burghersh, an influential courtier as well as a renowned soldier. Around 1346, Edward was engaged to de Burghersh’s only child and heir, his daughter Elizabeth, who were respectively ten and four years old. They probably spent most of their childhood together and officially got married about ten years later, before the 2d of August 1354. They had a total of six living children together. In 1349, Edward inherited the lands and most of the material possessions of his uncle Hugh, who had died without an heir, making him a very rich man before he had even reached the age of fifteen years old. That of course made him an influential figure at court, especially as he gained more ad more favors with the princes. He started his military career in 1355 when he fought alongside Edward of Woodstock, the Black Prince. He was present at Battle of Poitiers on the 19th of September 1356, a battle where he started to gain his reputation as an outstanding military man. He later served in Gascony for a little less than a year, until he sailed back to London. He was rewarded for his work shortly after his return when he was created first baron le Despenser in December 1357. A few years later, he also accompanied Edward III in the Reims Campaigns, where he must have made an impression on him as he was made a knight of the Order of the Garter in 1361. Edward was present when Lionel of Antwerp was made duke of Clarence and quickly befriended him, becoming a permanent fixture of the duke’s entourage. He was part of the party that accompanied Lionel to Milan when he went to marry Violante Visconti in may 1368. It may have been the time when Edward befriended French chronicler Jean Froissart, who was also present during this expedition, though it’s possible that they already knew each other at this point. What’s sure is that they remained close friends after, Froissart describing Edward as “one of the greatest baron of all England, a dashing, kind and valiant knight and a great military captain”. The marriage itself was a lavish affair, with celebrations including jousts and feasts lasting for weeks on. Unfortunately, it all ended when Lionel fell ill and died shortly after on the 17th of October 1368. Contemporary sources mention that the duke had not adapted his habits to the warm Italian weather and his sudden disease may have been caused by dehydration and heat exhaustion. Edward was apparently not able to accept this and convinced himself that his friend had been murdered by his new family-in-law. He consequently joined Pope Urban V in his fight against the Visconti family and spent the next years fighting for him. Once again, Edward stood out, as we know based on a letter sent to John of Gaunt by Urban V where he praised Edward’s fighting skills and courage. He kept on fighting in Milan until the same John of Gaunt asked him to come back to England during the summer of 1372. By then, Edward’s father-in-law had passed away and he inherited all of possessions and capital, including lands in Suffolk and in the Welsh Marches. Edward was unsurprisingly chosen by John of Gaunt to be constable of England shortly after his is return he and led his troops during the great chevauchée of 1373, the biggest chevauchée led by the British army on the continent. While it actually accomplished very little in the great scheme of things, it was another occasion for Edward to further is reputation as an outlandish military figure. In 1375 he fought in Brittany, where he remained for a few months, until he came back in September. Edward immediately went to visit his Welsh lands. He died at Llanblethian a few weeks later, on the 11th of November and was put to rest at Tewkesbury Abbey, a church that had been patroned the Despenser’s family for over a century. The feelings of his contemporary regarding his death may have been captured by Jean Froissart, who wrote: “Sir Despenser was most cried and most regretted by all of his friends, as he was a gentle heart and a great knight, generous and courteous. May God have good mercy on him!”. While in his days Edward’s fame was mostly based on his military achievement, history mostly remember him in an artistic context. His friendship with Froissart gained him a place in the history of medieval literature and he was the second British man (that we know of) to be depicted in an Italian painting, a fresco painted by Andrea di Bonaiuto da Firenze that can still be seen at Santa Maria Novella in Florence. Edward’s effigy, known as The Kneeling Knight also survived and is a typical and beautiful example of the British funeral art of the 14th century that can still be seen today at Tewkesbury Abbey (Some) Sources: Keep reading -- source link