Earl of Northumbria
Encyclopedia
Earl of Northumbria was a title in the Anglo-Danish, late Anglo-Saxon, and early Anglo-Norman
period in England
. The earldom of Northumbria
was the successor of the ealdormanry of Bamburgh, itself the successor of an independent Bernicia
. Under the Norse
kingdom of York, there were earls of Deira. Eventually all Northumbria was united under the Bernician dynasty. This dynasty held onto Bernicia until 1041, but from 1016 there were other earls in York who were appointed by King Canute the Great
over all Northumbria. It was itself broken up in the early Norman
period and dissolved into the earldoms of York
and Northumberland
, with much land going to the prince-bishopric of Durham.
The earls were:
Vacant during the Harrying of the North
until...
Vacant until Stephen
was pressured by David of Scotland
to grant to ...
Purchased by Hugh de Puiset
, the Bishop of Durham in 1189, and held until 1191 or so.
Vacant until the First Barons' War
, when the barons of Northumberland and York did homage to ...
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...
period in 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...
. The earldom of Northumbria
Northumbria
Northumbria was a medieval kingdom of the Angles, in what is now Northern England and South-East Scotland, becoming subsequently an earldom in a united Anglo-Saxon kingdom of England. The name reflects the approximate southern limit to the kingdom's territory, the Humber Estuary.Northumbria was...
was the successor of the ealdormanry of Bamburgh, itself the successor of an independent Bernicia
Bernicia
Bernicia was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom established by Anglian settlers of the 6th century in what is now southeastern Scotland and North East England....
. Under the Norse
Norsemen
Norsemen is used to refer to the group of people as a whole who spoke what is now called the Old Norse language belonging to the North Germanic branch of Indo-European languages, especially Norwegian, Icelandic, Faroese, Swedish and Danish in their earlier forms.The meaning of Norseman was "people...
kingdom of York, there were earls of Deira. Eventually all Northumbria was united under the Bernician dynasty. This dynasty held onto Bernicia until 1041, but from 1016 there were other earls in York who were appointed by King Canute the Great
Canute the Great
Cnut the Great , also known as Canute, was a king of Denmark, England, Norway and parts of Sweden. Though after the death of his heirs within a decade of his own and the Norman conquest of England in 1066, his legacy was largely lost to history, historian Norman F...
over all Northumbria. It was itself broken up in the early Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
period and dissolved into the earldoms of York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
and Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, with much land going to the prince-bishopric of Durham.
The earls were:
- Osulf I (954-963), Earl of Bernicia from 930
- Oslac of Northumbria, exiled in 975
- Waltheof IWaltheof of BerniciaWaltheof was high-reeve or ealdorman of Bamburgh . He was the son of Osulf I. His name is Scandinavian and implies that he had Viking ancestors. It remained in his family when Earl Siward married his great-granddaughter and named his son Waltheof. This son of Siward became Waltheof, Earl of...
(963-995) - Uhtred the Bold (1006-1016)
- Eric of Hlathir (1016-1023)
- Siward (1031-1055), without underlings in Bernicia from 1041
- Tostig (1055-1065)
- MorcarMorcar of NorthumbriaMorcar was the son of Ælfgār and brother of Ēadwine. He was himself the earl of Northumbria from 1065 to 1066, when he was replaced by William the Conqueror with Copsi....
(1065-1066) - CopsiCopsi of NorthumbriaCopsi [d.1067] was a Northumbrian magnate in late Anglo-Saxon England. He was a supporter of Tostig, and was exiled along with him in 1065. Copsi soon fled to Orkney . The next year , he joined Tostig at Sandwich, in Kent, with 17 ships...
(1067) - Osulf II (1067)
- GospatricGospatric, Earl of NorthumbriaGospatric or Cospatric , , was Earl of Northumbria, or of Bernicia, and later lord of sizable estates around Dunbar...
(1067-1068) - Robert ComineRobert ComineRobert Comine was very briefly earl of Northumbria. His name suggests that he originally came from Comines, then in the County of Flanders, and entered the following of William the Conqueror. He was sent to the north as earl from 1068 to 1069 after the deposition of Gospatric...
(1068-1069)
Vacant during the Harrying of the North
Harrying of the North
The Harrying of the North was a series of campaigns waged by William the Conqueror in the winter of 1069–1070 to subjugate Northern England, and is part of the Norman conquest of England...
until...
- GospatricGospatric, Earl of NorthumbriaGospatric or Cospatric , , was Earl of Northumbria, or of Bernicia, and later lord of sizable estates around Dunbar...
(1070-1072, again - Waltheof II (1072-1075)
- William WalcherWilliam WalcherWilliam Walcher was the bishop of Durham from 1071, a Lotharingian, the first non-Englishman to hold that see and an appointee of William the Conqueror....
(1075-1080), also prince-bishop of Durham - Aubrey de CoucyAubrey de CoucyAubrey de Coucy was the earl of Northumbria from 1080, by appointment of William the Conqueror, until he resigned it. After the rebellion and suppression of Earl Waltheof in 1075, William Walcher, prince-bishop of Durham, was installed temporarily. In 1080, the Conqueror gave the earldom to...
(1080), perhaps formally until 1086 - Robert de MowbrayRobert de MowbrayRobert de Mowbray , a Norman, was Earl of Northumbria from 1086, until 1095, when he was deposed for rebelling against William Rufus, King of England. He was the son of Roger de Mowbray and nephew of Geoffrey de Montbray, bishop of Coutances...
(1086-1095)
Vacant until Stephen
Stephen of England
Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
was pressured by David of Scotland
David I of Scotland
David I or Dabíd mac Maíl Choluim was a 12th-century ruler who was Prince of the Cumbrians and later King of the Scots...
to grant to ...
- Henry of Scotland, 1139-1152
- William of ScotlandWilliam I of ScotlandWilliam the Lion , sometimes styled William I, also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough", reigned as King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214...
, 1152-1157- Deprived of title and lands by Henry II of EnglandHenry II of EnglandHenry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
, 1157
- Deprived of title and lands by Henry II of England
Purchased by Hugh de Puiset
Hugh de Puiset
Hugh de Puiset was a medieval Bishop of Durham and Chief Justiciar of England under King Richard I. He was the nephew of King Stephen of England and Henry of Blois, who both assisted Hugh's ecclesiastical career...
, the Bishop of Durham in 1189, and held until 1191 or so.
Vacant until the First Barons' War
First Barons' War
The First Barons' War was a civil war in the Kingdom of England, between a group of rebellious barons—led by Robert Fitzwalter and supported by a French army under the future Louis VIII of France—and King John of England...
, when the barons of Northumberland and York did homage to ...
- Alexander II of ScotlandAlexander II of ScotlandAlexander II was King of Scots from1214 to his death.-Early life:...
, 1215-1217- Surrendered to Henry III of EnglandHenry III of EnglandHenry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
, 1217
- Surrendered to Henry III of England