Hugh Despenser (justiciar)

Hugh le Despenser
Hugh le Despenser
	Arms of Despenser: Quarterly 1st & 4th: Argent; 2nd & 3rd: Gules, a fret or, over all a bend sable
Chief Justiciar
	In office; 1260 – May 1261
Monarch	Henry III
Preceded by	Hugh Bigod
Succeeded by	Philip Basset
Chief Justiciar
	In office; July 1263 – 4 August 1265
Monarch	Henry III
Preceded by	Philip Basset
Succeeded by	none
Personal details
Born	1223
Died	4 August 1265; Evesham
Political party	Barons
Spouse	Aline Basset
Children	Hugh le Despenser; Eleanor le Despenser
Parents	Hugh le Despenser (father); Mary de Quincy (mother);

The fully clothed and armed dead body of Hugh le Despencer at the Battle of Evesham (with his arms on his surcoat and on his discarded shield), above the naked and dismembered body of Simon de Montfort. Near contemporary drawing, British Library Cotton MS Nero D ii, f. 177

Hugh le Despenser, 1st Baron le Despenser (1223 – 4 August 1265) was an important ally of Simon de Montfort during the reign of Henry III. He served briefly as Justiciar of England in 1260 and as Constable of the Tower of London.

Despenser first played an important part in 1258, when he was prominent on the baronial side in the Mad Parliament of Oxford. In 1260 the barons chose him to succeed Hugh Bigod as Justiciar, and in 1263 the king was further compelled to put the Tower of London in his hands.

He was the son of Hugh le Despenser and was summoned to Parliament by Simon de Montfort. Hugh was summoned as Baron le Despenser on 14 December 1264 and was Chief Justiciar of England and a leader of the baronial party, and so might be deemed a baron, though the legality of that assembly is doubtful. He remained allied with Montfort to the end, and was present at the Battle of Lewes. He was killed fighting on de Montfort's side at the Battle of Evesham in August 1265. He was slain by Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Wigmore; this caused a feud to begin between the Despencer and Mortimer families.

By his wife, Aline Basset, he was father of Hugh Despenser 'the elder', who became an advisor to Edward II and was made Earl of Winchester. Aline was the daughter of Philip Basset, who had also served as Justiciar. They also had a daughter named Eleanor le Despenser, who married Sir Hugh de Courtenay, feudal baron of Okehampton.

References

1 2 3 Susan Higginbotham. "The Last Justiciar: Hugh le Despenser in the Thirteenth Century". Archived from the original on 29 June 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2008.

External links

Inquisition Post Mortem of Aline wife of Hugh Despencer #389, dated 1280.

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[shb-1] 1 2 3 Susan Higginbotham. "The Last Justiciar: Hugh le Despenser in the Thirteenth Century". Archived from the original on 29 June 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2008.

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