Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent
Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent (English: /dˈbɜːr/; d'-BER; French pronunciation: [d.buʁ]; c. 1170 – before 5 May 1243) was an English nobleman who served as Chief Justiciar of England (1215–1232) and Justiciar of Ireland (1232) during the reigns of King John and his son and successor King Henry III and, as Regent of England (1219–1227) during Henry's minority, was one of the most influential and powerful men in English politics in the thirteenth century.
"Hubert de Burgh" redirects here. For the Irish cricketer, see Hubert de Burgh (cricketer).
Hubert de Burgh, Earl of Kent
c. 1170
before 5 May 1243
Banstead, England
- William de Burgh (brother)
- Geoffrey de Burgh (brother)
- Thomas de Burgh (brother)
- John de Burgh
- Hubert de Burgh
- Margaret de Burgh
Origins[edit]
Hubert de Burgh was born of unknown parents of Burgh-next-Aylsham, Norfolk.[1] A case has been made for Hubert's father being Walter de Burgh,[2] and his mother was named Alice.[1] The family were minor landholders in Norfolk and Suffolk, from whom Hubert inherited at least four manors.[1] His elder brother was William de Burgh (d. 1206), founder of the de Burgh/Burke/Bourke dynasty in Ireland,[1][3] and his younger brothers were Geoffrey (Archdeacon of Norwich and later Bishop of Ely), and Thomas (castellan of Norwich).[1]
Chief Justiciar of England[edit]
Hubert de Burgh remained loyal to King John during the barons' rebellion in the last years of his reign. In the early stages of that rebellion, John sent de Burgh to London with the Bishop of Coventry, in an unsuccessful attempt to command the people of London to resist the Barons' military advance. De Burgh and Philip d'Aubigny brought together the king's troops at Rochester, but then John made peace with the rebels. In Magna Carta (1215) de Burgh is listed as one of those who advised the king to sign, and his brother, Geoffrey (Bishop of Ely), was a witness. Hubert de Burgh is also listed as the person who would act on the king's behalf if the king were out of the country. Soon after the issuing of Magna Carta, de Burgh was officially declared Chief Justiciar of England and Ireland.[5]
During the First Barons' War (1215–17), Hubert de Burgh served John as sheriff of Kent (1216–25) and Surrey (1215–16), as well as castellan of Canterbury and Dover. He successfully defended Dover Castle during a siege that lasted until John died (in October 1216), and the infant King Henry III was crowned. He denied Louis VIII of France possession of the castle later in 1216.[6] On 24 August 1217, a French fleet arrived off the coast of Sandwich in Kent, in order to provide Prince (later King) Louis of France, then ravaging England, with soldiers, siege engines and fresh supplies.[7][8] Claiming command of the English fleet raised in response, Hubert intercepted the French fleet at the Battle of Sandwich,[9] where he scattered the French and captured their flagship The Great Ship of Bayonne under Eustace the Monk, who was promptly executed.[9] (This command has sometimes led to Hubert being included anachronistically on lists of the lord high admirals.)[10] When the news reached Louis, he entered into fresh peace negotiations.[9]
Trouble with the king[edit]
The marriage of Hubert de Burgh's daughter, Margaret (or Megotta as she was also known), to the young Richard of Clare, Earl of Gloucester, brought de Burgh into some trouble in 1236, for the earl was still a minor and in the king's wardship, and the marriage had been celebrated without the royal licence. Hubert, however, protested that the match was not of his making, and promised to pay the king some money, so the matter passed by for the time. Eventually the marriage came to an end, by way of her death.[13][14][15]
Hubert was initially betrothed to Joan de Redvers (daughter of William de Redvers, 5th Earl of Devon), but the marriage never took place and she later married William Brewer II (d. 1232), eldest surviving son and heir of William Brewer (d. 1226), who was a prominent administrator and judge during the reigns of Richard I, John and Henry III.
Hubert de Burgh married three times:
Death[edit]
Hubert de Burgh died in Banstead, Surrey, in 1243,[16] and was buried in the Church of the Friars Preachers (commonly called Black Friars) in Holborn, London.[13]
His sons did not inherit his earldom, as the inheritance of the earldom was restricted to descendants of Hubert and his third wife, possibly because Henry III granted the title on account of Hubert marrying a Scottish princess.[22][23][24]
Fictional portrayals[edit]
Hubert is a character in Shakespeare's play King John. On screen, he has been portrayed by Franklyn McLeay in the silent short King John (1899), which recreates John's death scene; by Jonathan Adams in the BBC TV drama series The Devil's Crown (1978); and by John Thaw in the BBC Shakespeare version of The Life and Death of King John (1984). The story of his daughter's marriage is told in Edith Pargeter's novel The Marriage of Meggotta (1979).[25]