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| Earl of Northampton (William de Bohun) | |
|---|---|
| Name | William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton |
| Birth date | c. 1312 |
| Death date | 16 September 1360 |
| Title | Earl of Northampton |
| Nationality | English |
| Spouse | Margaret de Clare |
| Family | House of Bohun |
| Occupation | Soldier, nobleman, diplomat |
Earl of Northampton (William de Bohun)
William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton (c. 1312–1360), was an English nobleman, military commander, diplomat, and administrator during the reign of Edward III of England. A scion of the House of Bohun, he served in major campaigns of the Hundred Years' War and held key offices including Constable of England and Lord High Steward; his career connected him with principal figures and institutions of 14th-century England.
Born into the Anglo-Norman House of Bohun at a turbulent moment in the reign of Edward II of England, William was the younger son of Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford and Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, daughter of Edward I of England. His kinship network included the Earls of Hereford, the House of Plantagenet, and alliances with the de Clare family, the FitzAlan family, and the Mortimer family. His upbringing placed him within households connected to Edward III of England, the Black Prince’s generation, and the royal court at Westminster, exposing him to patrons such as Hugh Despenser the Elder and adversaries like Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March. Siblings and close relations included Humphrey de Bohun, 6th Earl of Hereford and ties by marriage to Elizabeth de Bohun, which linked him to the Courtenay family, the Beauchamp family, and continental nobles encountered at Amiens and Calais.
William’s military career began in the 1330s under Edward III of England and notable commanders like Henry of Grosmont, 1st Duke of Lancaster and Sir Andrew Harclay. He fought in the Scottish Wars and in the Hundred Years' War, distinguishing himself at the Battle of Morlaix, the Crecy campaign, and the Siege of Calais (1346–47), serving alongside the Black Prince, John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, and Earl of Salisbury. Bohun led troops at the Battle of Winchelsea and commanded naval contingents tied to the Cinque Ports and the Admiralty of the North. As a commander he coordinated with captains such as Sir Walter Manny, Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford, and William Montagu, 1st Earl of Salisbury; his reputation was comparable to contemporaries like Edward, the Black Prince and Hugh Despenser the Younger. Campaign logistics brought him into contact with military engineers from Flanders and marshals of France, and his campaigns intersected with events at Bordeaux, Gascony, Amiens, and Rheims.
For his services, Edward III created William de Bohun Earl of Northampton in the mid-1340s, elevating him into the higher nobility alongside peers such as William de Montagu, 1st Earl of Salisbury and Roger Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March. The earldom tied Bohun to territorial interests in Northamptonshire, alignments with the House of Lancaster, and ceremonial roles at coronations and parliaments in Westminster Hall. His investiture involved interaction with officers of state including the Chamberlain of England, the Treasurer of England, and the Lord Chancellor of England.
Beyond martial command, Bohun served as Constable of England and in diplomatic missions to France, Castile, and the Papacy at Avignon. He attended royal councils with Edward III of England, sat in Parliament of England sessions, and administered royal commissions in Warwickshire, Hertfordshire, and Bedfordshire. He worked with ministers like William de la Zouche, Richard Norton, and Walter Manny on muster rolls, ordnance provision, and muster reforms that affected garrisons at Calais and fortifications at Dover Castle. As steward of royal expeditions he coordinated with the Exchequer of the Jews-era officials and chancery clerks, interacting with legal authorities such as Sir John de Benstede and judges of the King's Bench.
Bohun’s landed base included manors and parks at Northampton, estates in Hertfordshire and Sussex, holdings in Suffolk, and properties acquired by marriage and royal grant in Berkshire and Wiltshire. His patronage extended to religious houses like St Albans Abbey, Cluniac priories, and Benedictine foundations, and he endowed chantries in dioceses overseen by bishops such as William Edington and Thomas de Lisle. He maintained retinues of household knights drawn from families including the de Vere, FitzHugh, and Percy households, and supported artisans, masons, and chroniclers linked to the courts at Calais and Winchester.
William married Margaret de Clare, widow of Hugh de Audley, 1st Earl of Gloucester and daughter of Thomas de Clare and Juliana FitzGerald, cementing ties to the de Clare family and the FitzGeralds of Munster. Their children included Humphrey de Bohun (d. 1361), through whom the Bohun lineage connected to later peers like the Earls of Hereford and allied houses including the Stafford family, Suffolk, and Beaufort associations. Marital alliances linked Bohun to the Mortimer and Arundel networks and to continental kin among the Counts of Flanders and Dukes of Burgundy by marriage diplomacy.
William died on 16 September 1360 during the period between the Treaty of Brétigny negotiations and continued Anglo-French hostilities; his death was recorded in chronicles alongside events narrated by chroniclers such as Froissart and Jean le Bel. He was interred with honors in a monastic setting reflecting ties to St Albans Abbey and regional priories, and his memory persisted in legal records at the Court of Common Pleas, rolls of the Exchequer, and genealogies preserved in heraldic visitations. Bohun’s military and political career influenced the development of English chivalry and aristocratic service under Edward III, and his descendants played roles in the dynastic conflicts culminating in the Wars of the Roses.
Category:1360 deaths Category:Earls in the Peerage of England Category:House of Bohun Category:14th-century English nobility