Arnulf of Montgomery
Encyclopedia
Arnulf of Montgomery was an Anglo-Norman
aristocrat
, who played a role in the history of England
, Wales
, and Ireland
.
and Mabel of Bellême.
. the last king of South Wales. Arnulf built a castle
at Pembroke
in West Wales
, described by Giraldus Cambrensis as a "slender fortress of turf and stakes" under the command of one of his young officers, Gerald FitzWalter (aka (Gerald de Windsor
), who held it for Arnulf in the face of the great Welsh uprising of 1093. In 1094 king William II of England
rewarded Arnulf with the formal lordship of Pembroke
; some historians say that he was in fact created Earl of Pembroke. In any case the lordship was smaller than the later Pembrokeshire
.
Arnulf's holdings were greatly expanded in 1096 when Rufus gave him the lordship of Holderness
, which in addition to that part of Yorkshire
included land in Lincolnshire
.
, but after Hugh's death in 1098 Arnulf was outmaneouvered by their eldest brother, Robert of Belleme, 3rd earl of Shrewsbury. This caused some rift between the brothers; nevertheless Arnulf participated in their 1101 rebellion against Henry I of England
. As a result, they lost their English and Welsh lands, and were exiled from England.
, where, prior to the Montgomery rebellion, he had sent Gerald de Windsor
to secure for him the hand in marriage of Lafracoth, daughter of the Irish king Muircheartach Ua Briain
; by 1102, Arnulf was mentioned by Muirchertach as his son-in-law in a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury
Anselm of Bec. Muirchertach provided support for the Montgomerys' rebellion; as a result King Henry I of England
placed a trade embargo on Ireland.
Orderic Vitalis
states that Arnulf went to Ireland after the rebellion failed and served for Muirchertach Ua Briain, although the Irish Annals
make no mention of this. He further relates that Arnulf was used by Muirchertach to defeat Magnus Barelegs. Then, "when the Irish had tasted blood by killing King Magnus and his companions they grew more unruly and suddently turned to kill the Normans. Their king took his daughter away from Arnulf and gave the wanton girl in unlawful marriage to one of his cousins. He resolved to murder Arnulf himself as a reward for his alliance, but the latter, learning of the execrable plots of this barbarous race, fled to his own people and lived for twenty years afterwards with no fixed abode."
By his wife, Lafracoth, he was the father of Philip "the Welshman, and two daughters, Alice and Marie, who married the two oldest legitimate sons of Gerald, his former officer. Through his daughters, Arnulf is another of the Norman progenitors of the famous Geraldine clan of Ireland.
A tombstone in Tulsk, Ireland bears the name Arnoulf and the date 1122.
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
aristocrat
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
, who played a role in the history of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
.
Lineage
He was the youngest son of Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of ShrewsburyRoger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury
Roger de Montgomerie , also known as Roger the Great de Montgomery, was the first Earl of Shrewsbury. His father was also Roger de Montgomerie, and was a relative, probably a grandnephew, of the Duchess Gunnor, wife of Duke Richard I of Normandy...
and Mabel of Bellême.
Early career
Around 1093 he was part of the invasion of South Wales following the death in battle of Rhys ap TewdwrRhys ap Tewdwr
Rhys ap Tewdwr was a Prince of Deheubarth in south-west Wales and member of the Dinefwr dynasty, a branch descended from Rhodri the Great...
. the last king of South Wales. Arnulf built a castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
at Pembroke
Pembroke Castle
Pembroke Castle is a medieval castle in Pembroke, West Wales. Standing beside the River Cleddau, it underwent major restoration work in the early 20th century. The castle was the original seat of the Earldom of Pembroke....
in West Wales
West Wales
West Wales is the western area of Wales.Some definitions of West Wales include only Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, an area which historically comprised the Welsh principality of Deheubarth., an area called "South West Wales" in the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics....
, described by Giraldus Cambrensis as a "slender fortress of turf and stakes" under the command of one of his young officers, Gerald FitzWalter (aka (Gerald de Windsor
Gerald de Windsor
Gerald de Windsor, also known as Gerald FitzWalter, was the nobleman in charge of the Norman forces in Wales in the late 11th century. Notably, he was the progenitor of the FitzGerald and de Barry dynasties of Ireland...
), who held it for Arnulf in the face of the great Welsh uprising of 1093. In 1094 king William II of England
William II of England
William II , the third son of William I of England, was King of England from 1087 until 1100, with powers over Normandy, and influence in Scotland. He was less successful in extending control into Wales...
rewarded Arnulf with the formal lordship of Pembroke
Earl of Pembroke
Earl of Pembroke is a title created ten times, all in the Peerage of England. It was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, which is the site of Earldom's original seat Pembroke Castle...
; some historians say that he was in fact created Earl of Pembroke. In any case the lordship was smaller than the later Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
.
Arnulf's holdings were greatly expanded in 1096 when Rufus gave him the lordship of Holderness
Holderness
Holderness is an area of the East Riding of Yorkshire, on the east coast of England. An area of rich agricultural land, Holderness was marshland until it was drained in the Middle Ages. Topographically, Holderness has more in common with the Netherlands than other parts of Yorkshire...
, which in addition to that part of Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
included land in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
.
Rebellion & Banishment
It is likely that Arnulf had been designated heir of his brother Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of ShrewsburyHugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury
Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury was an Anglo-Norman aristocrat.-Lineage:He was the second surviving son of Roger of Montgomery, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and Mabel of Bellême...
, but after Hugh's death in 1098 Arnulf was outmaneouvered by their eldest brother, Robert of Belleme, 3rd earl of Shrewsbury. This caused some rift between the brothers; nevertheless Arnulf participated in their 1101 rebellion against Henry I of England
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
. As a result, they lost their English and Welsh lands, and were exiled from England.
Ireland
Arnulf turned his attention to IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, where, prior to the Montgomery rebellion, he had sent Gerald de Windsor
Gerald de Windsor
Gerald de Windsor, also known as Gerald FitzWalter, was the nobleman in charge of the Norman forces in Wales in the late 11th century. Notably, he was the progenitor of the FitzGerald and de Barry dynasties of Ireland...
to secure for him the hand in marriage of Lafracoth, daughter of the Irish king Muircheartach Ua Briain
Muircheartach Ua Briain
Muircheartach Ua Briain , son of Toirdelbach Ua Briain and great-grandson of Brian Bóruma, was King of Munster and later self declared High King of Ireland.-Background:...
; by 1102, Arnulf was mentioned by Muirchertach as his son-in-law in a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
Anselm of Bec. Muirchertach provided support for the Montgomerys' rebellion; as a result King Henry I of England
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
placed a trade embargo on Ireland.
Orderic Vitalis
Orderic Vitalis
Orderic Vitalis was an English chronicler of Norman ancestry who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th and 12th century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England. The modern biographer of Henry I of England, C...
states that Arnulf went to Ireland after the rebellion failed and served for Muirchertach Ua Briain, although the Irish Annals
Irish annals
A number of Irish annals were compiled up to and shortly after the end of Gaelic Ireland in the 17th century.Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days...
make no mention of this. He further relates that Arnulf was used by Muirchertach to defeat Magnus Barelegs. Then, "when the Irish had tasted blood by killing King Magnus and his companions they grew more unruly and suddently turned to kill the Normans. Their king took his daughter away from Arnulf and gave the wanton girl in unlawful marriage to one of his cousins. He resolved to murder Arnulf himself as a reward for his alliance, but the latter, learning of the execrable plots of this barbarous race, fled to his own people and lived for twenty years afterwards with no fixed abode."
By his wife, Lafracoth, he was the father of Philip "the Welshman, and two daughters, Alice and Marie, who married the two oldest legitimate sons of Gerald, his former officer. Through his daughters, Arnulf is another of the Norman progenitors of the famous Geraldine clan of Ireland.
Later life
In later years Arnulf was in the entourage of count Fulk V of Anjou.A tombstone in Tulsk, Ireland bears the name Arnoulf and the date 1122.