Geoffrey de Geneville, 1st Baron Geneville
Geoffrey de Geneville | |
---|---|
1st Baron Geneville | |
Heir | Roger Mortimer and Joan |
Born | c. 1226 Champagne |
Died | 21 October 1314 Trim, County Meath |
Buried | The Black Friary, Trim |
Wife | Maud de Lacy, Baroness Geneville (1252–1304) |
Issue | 5 (or more), including Geoffrey, Peter (Piers), and Simon |
Father | Simon of Joinville |
Mother | Beatrix d'Auxonne |
Geoffrey de Geneville, 1st Baron Geneville (c. 1226 – 21 October 1314) also known as Geoffrey de Joinville and Geoffroi de Joinville, was an Anglo-French noble, supporter of
Family and marriage
Geoffrey was Seigneur of Vaucouleurs in Champagne, second son of Simon of Joinville and Beatrix d'Auxonne (daughter of Stephen III of Auxonne), and younger brother of Jean de Joinville.[1][2]
Geoffrey’s mother, Beatrice of Auxonne had been previously married to Aymon de Faucigny by which they had a daughter, Agnes of Faucigny. Agnes was married to Peter II, Count of Savoy. This made Geoffrey a half-brother-in-law to Peter II, Count of Savoy This relationship explains the role played by Geoffrey de Joinville at the English court and their preferment in England.[3] Geoffrey was thus one of the "Savoyards" who arrived in England in the retinue of Eleanor at the time of her marriage to King Henry III in 1236.
Some time between 1249 and 8 August 1252, Henry III arranged Geoffrey's marriage to Maud (or 'Mathilda') de Lacy, widow of another Savoyard, Pierre de Genève, himself also a relative of Queen Eleanor, who had died in 1249. Maud had been co-heiress to vast estates and lordships in Ireland, Herefordshire, and the Welsh Marches, and the marriage is considered typical of Henry's 'policy' of appointing such 'aliens' to retain control of the outlying regions of the kingdom.[1] Geoffrey thus came to control vast estates in Ireland centred at Trim, the Welsh borders at Ludlow, Ewyas Lacy and others in England. Maud and Geoffrey had at least four sons, Geoffrey, Simon, William and Peter (or Piers).[3]
Political and military career
Geoffrey was both a military figure and political negotiator. He successfully pacified the Irish pro-
With another of his brothers, William, he accompanied Edward on the
In 1282, he was assistant to the
In 1297, he supported Edward in the crisis caused by royal demands for men and money for the war in France. Edward appointed Geoffrey as Marshal of England in place of the main dissenter Roger Bigod, Earl of Norfolk until the crisis was over. Geneville subsequently received a number of summonses to parliaments between February 1299 and November 1306.[3]
Later life
Geoffrey's wife and their eldest son pre-deceased him, Maud dying on 11 April 1304.[3] In 1308, aged about eighty, he conveyed most, but not all, of his Irish lordships to Roger Mortimer, husband of his eldest granddaughter and heir, Joan. He retired to the Dominican Black Friary at Trim, which he had established in 1263.[4] He died on 21 October 1314, and was buried there.[2] Upon his death, Joan succeeded him as "suo jure" Baroness Geneville.
References
- ^ S2CID 163248842.
- ^ a b c "Geoffrey de Geneville", The Oxford Companion to Irish History, retrieved 22 March 2013
- ^ doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/37448. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^ Mandal, Stephen; O’Carroll, Finola. "A New Model for Site Preservation and Archaeological Practice" (PDF). Archaeological Institute of America. Retrieved 23 March 2013.