The execution of Hugh, the younger Despenser, from a manuscript of Froissart.

Hugh (1286 – November 26, 1326) was sometimes referred to as "the younger Despenser". He was the son and heir of Hugh le Despenser, Earl of Winchester, by Isabel Beauchamp, daughter of William de Beauchamp, 9th Earl of Warwick. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (838x1452, 116 KB)Illustration of Hugh the younger Despensers execution from a manuscript of Froissart (Bibliotheque Nationale MS Fr. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (838x1452, 116 KB)Illustration of Hugh the younger Despensers execution from a manuscript of Froissart (Bibliotheque Nationale MS Fr. ... Jean Froissart (~1337 - ~1405) was one of the most important of the chroniclers of medieval France. ... Events Margaret I of Scotland became queen of Scotland, end of Canmore dynasty. ... November 26 is the 330th day (331st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Osman I (1299-1326) to Orhan I (1326-1359) Aradia de Toscano, is initiated into a Dianic cult of Italian Witchcraft (Stregheria), and discovers through a vision that she is the human incarnation of the goddess Aradia. ... Hugh (1262-1326), son of Hugh le Despenser II, sometimes referred to as the elder Despenser, was for a time the chief adviser to King Edward II of England. ...

He was knight of Hanley Castle, Worcestershire, King's Chamberlain, Constable of Odiham Castle, Keeper of the castle and town of Dryslwyn, and Cantref Mawr, Carmarthenshire, Keeper of the castle and town of Portchester, Keeper of the castle, town and barton of Bristol. He was also Keeper of the castles, manor, and lands of Brecknock, Hay, cantref Selyf, etc., co. Brecon, and Huntington, Herefordshire. He was given Wallingford Castle although this had previously been given to Queen Isabella for life. Hanley Castle is a village formed in Worcestershire, England, between the towns of Malvern and Upton upon Severn and a short distance from the River Severn. ... Worcestershire (pronounced ; abbreviated Worcs) is a county located in the West Midlands region of central England. ... Odiham Castle is a ruined castle situated near Odiham, Hampshire, United Kingdom. ... Carmarthenshire (Welsh: Sir Gaerfyrddin) is a county in Wales. ... Location within the British Isles. ... Barton may refer to several places or people: Places Australia: Barton, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory England: Barton, Cambridgeshire Barton, Cheshire Barton, Chugshire Barton, Cumbria Barton, Devon Barton, Gloucestershire Barton, West Lancashire Barton, Preston, Lancashire Barton, North Yorkshire Barton, Oxfordshire Barton, Warwickshire Barton, Greater Manchester Barton Hartshorn, Buckinghamshire, Barton-upon-Humber... Bristol (IPA: brĭstəl) is a city, unitary authority and ceremonial county in South West England, 115 miles (185 km) west of London at , . With a population of 400,000, and metropolitan area of 550,000, it is Englands sixth, and the United Kingdoms ninth, most... Brecon is a historic market town in south Wales, with a population of roughly 8000 with around 6000 in the surrounding area. ... Second-hand bookshop at Hay-on-Wye Hay-on-Wye (Welsh: Y Gelli Gandryll or Y Gelli), often described as the town of books, is a market town in Brecknockshire, Wales, very close to the border with England, within the Brecon Beacons National Park. ... Brecknockshire, also known as Breconshire or, in Welsh, as Sir Frycheiniog is an inland traditional county of Wales, bounded N. by Radnorshire, E. by Herefordshire and Monmouthshire, S. by Monmouthshire and Glamorgan, and W. by Carmarthenshire and Cardiganshire. ... Herefordshire is a traditional and ceremonial county and unitary district in the West Midlands region of England in the United Kingdom. ... Wallingford Castle 1913. ... Isabella of France (c. ...

In May 1306 Hugh was knighted, and that summer he married Eleanor de Clare, a granddaughter of King Edward I of England. Her grandfather owed Hugh's father vast sums of money, and the marriage was intended as a payment of these debts. When Eleanor's brother was killed at the Battle of Bannockburn, she unexpectedly became one of the three co-heiresses to the rich Gloucester earldom, and in her right Hugh inherited Glamorgan and other properties. In just a few short years Hugh went from a landless knight to one of the wealthiest magnates in the kingdom. Eleanor de Clare (1292 – June 30, 1337) was the eldest daughter of Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Hertford and 3rd Earl of Gloucester, and Joan of Acre. ... Edward I (June 17, 1239–July 7, 1307), popularly known as Longshanks because of his 6 foot 2 inch (1. ... Combatants Scotland England Commanders Robert Bruce Edward II of England Strength About 9,000 25,000 Casualties 4,000 10,000 The Battle of Bannockburn (June 23, 1314 – June 24, 1314) was a significant Scottish victory in the Wars of Scottish Independence. ... Glamorgan or Morgannwg is a maritime traditional county of Wales, UK, and was previously a medieval kingdom or principality. ...

Eleanor was also the niece of the new king, Edward II of England, and this connection brought Hugh closer to the English royal court. He joined the baronial opposition to Piers Gaveston, the king's favorite, and Hugh's brother-in-law, as Gaveston was married to Eleanor's sister. Eager for power and wealth, Hugh seized Tonbridge Castle in 1315. The next year he murdered Llywelyn Bren, a Welsh hostage in his custody. This article or section is missing needed references or citation of sources. ... Piers Gaveston (c. ... Llywelyn Bren (died 1318), or Llywelyn ap Gruffydd ap Rhys was a Welsh rebel during the reign of King Edward II of England. ...

Hugh Despenser became royal chamberlain in 1318. As a royal courtier, Hugh manoeuvred into the affections of King Edward, displacing the previous favorite, Roger d'Amory. By 1320 his tyranny was running free. Hugh seized the Welsh lands of his wife's inheritance, ignoring the claims of his two brothers-in-law. He forced Alice de Lacy, Countess of Lincoln, to give up her lands, cheated his sister-in-law Elizabeth de Clare out of Gower and Usk, and allegedly had Lady Baret's arms and legs broken until she went insane. He also supposedly vowed to be revenged on Roger Mortimer because Mortimer's grandfather had murdered Hugh's grandfather, and once stated (though probably in jest) that he regretted he could not control the wind. By 1321 he had earned many enemies in every strata of society, from Queen Isabella to the barons to the common people. There was even a bizarre plot to kill Hugh by sticking pins in a wax likeness of him. This article or section is missing needed references or citation of sources. ... Roger dAmory (b. ... Elizabeth de Clare (September 16, 1295 – 1360) was the heiress to the lordships of Clare, Suffolk in England and Usk in Wales. ... The electoral ward of Gower, City and County of Swansea, South Wales, consists of some or all of the following areas, Ilston, Upper Killay, Bishopston, Cheriton, Fairyhill, Horton, Knelston, Landimore, Llanddewi, Llangennith, Llanmadoc, Llanrhidian, Middleton, Nicholaston, Oldwalls, Overton, Oxwich Green, Oxwich, Parkmill, Penmaen, Pennard, Penrice, Port Eynon, Reynoldston, Rhossili, Fforest... Usk (Welsh: Brynbuga) is a small picturesque town in Monmouthshire, Wales, situated 10 miles northeast of Newport. ... Roger de Mortimer, 1st Earl of March (25 April 1287 – 29 November 1330), grandson of the 1st Baron Wigmore, was the best-known of his name. ...

Finally the barons prevailed upon King Edward and forced Hugh and his father into exile in 1321. His father fled to Bordeaux, and Hugh became a pirate in the English channel, "a sea monster, lying in wait for merchants as they crossed his path". The pair returned the next year and King Edward quickly reinstated Hugh as royal favorite. His time in exile had done nothing to quell his greed, his rashness, or his ruthlessness. While Queen Isabella was in France to negotiate between her husband and the French king, she formed a liaison with Roger Mortimer and began planning an invasion. Hugh supposedly tried to bribe French courtiers to assassinate Queen Isabella. When Mortimer and the queen invaded England in October 1326, King Edward was deposed, Hugh's father was executed, and Hugh himself was captured.

Hugh tried to starve himself before his trial, but face trial he did on November 24, 1326, in Hereford. He was judged a traitor and a thief, and sentenced to public execution by hanging, drawing and quartering. Immediately, he was dragged behind four horses to his place of execution, where a great fire was lit. He was hanged from a gallows fifty feet high, but cut down before he could choke to death and tied to a ladder, in full view of the crowd. A man climbed up beside him, and sliced off his penis and testicles which were then burnt before him, still alive and conscious. Subsequently, the executioner plunged his knife into his abdomen, and cut out his entrails and heart, which were likewise burnt before the delighted crowd. Finally, he was beheaded, and his body cut into four pieces, and his head was mounted on the gates of London. November 24 is the 328th day (329th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events Change of emperor of the Ottoman Empire from Osman I (1299-1326) to Orhan I (1326-1359) Aradia de Toscano, is initiated into a Dianic cult of Italian Witchcraft (Stregheria), and discovers through a vision that she is the human incarnation of the goddess Aradia. ... To be hanged, drawn, and quartered was the penalty once ordained in England for treason. ...

No book-length biographical study of Hugh Despenser exists, although The Tyranny and Fall of Edward II: 1321-1326 by historian Natalie Fryde is a study of Edward II's reign during the years that the Despensers' power was at its peak. Fryde pays particular attention to the subject of the Despensers' ill-gotten landholdings. The numerous accusations against the younger Despenser at the time of his execution have never been the subject of close critical scrutiny, although historian Roy Martin Haines called them "ingenuous" and noted their propagandistic nature.

Despite the crucial and disastrous role he played in the reign of Edward II, Despenser is almost a minor character in Christopher Marlowe's play Edward II, where as "Spencer" he is little more than a substitute for the dead Piers Gaveston. An anonymous portrait, often believed to show Christopher Marlowe. ... Piers Gaveston (c. ...

Trivia

In 2006, he was selected by the BBC History Magazine as the 14th century's worst Briton. (BBC) 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... BBC History is a magazine devoted to history enthusiasts of all levels of knowledge and interest. ... This 14th-century statue from south India depicts the gods Shiva (on the left) and Uma (on the right). ... A list of the Worst Britons, according to ten English historians, was compiled by the BBC History Magazine in late 2005. ...

In 2006, he was selected by the BBC History Magazine as the 8th worst Briton in the last 1000 years. 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... BBC History is a magazine devoted to history enthusiasts of all levels of knowledge and interest. ...

Sources

• Fryde, Natalie. The Tyranny and Fall of Edward II: 1321-1326
• Haines, Roy Martin. King Edward II: His Life, His Reign, and Its Aftermath, 1284-1330.
• Mortimer, Ian. The Greatest Traitor
• Underhill, Frances. For Her Good Estate
• Vita Edwardi Secundi