de Bohun family
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| de Bohun family | |
|---|---|
| Name | de Bohun family |
| Caption | Arms attributed to the Bohun family |
| Region | England, Normandy |
| Founded | 12th century (Norman origin) |
| Founder | Humphrey de Bohun (ancestor) |
| Final remnant | Earldom merged into Crown and other houses |
de Bohun family The de Bohun family were a medieval noble house of Anglo-Norman origin prominent in England and Normandy from the 12th to the 14th centuries. They produced earls, justiciars, marshals and bishops who played central roles in events such as the Angevin Empire, the Second Barons' War, the First Barons' War, and the Hundred Years' War. Their alliances connected them with dynasties including the Plantagenet dynasty, the House of Lancaster, and the House of Savoy.
Origins and Ancestry
The family's putative progenitor, a Norman lord often identified as Humphrey of Bohun, held lands in Calvados and came to England after the Norman Conquest of England. Early genealogies tie the family to manors in Bohon and to kinship networks that include families such as the d'Aubigny family, the Montgomery family, and the de Clare family. The de Bohun descent merged continental origin with English feudal tenure under monarchs like Henry I of England and Stephen of England. Marital ties connected them to heiresses related to houses including the Bigod family, the FitzGeralds, and the Mortimer family, shaping their patrimony and influence.
Notable Members and Lineage
Prominent figures include Humphrey de Bohun, 1st Earl of Hereford, who served as hereditary Constable of England and royal councillor under Henry II of England and Richard I of England; Humphrey IV de Bohun, a leader during the Barons' Wars and one of the sureties of the Magna Carta; and Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford and 2nd Earl of Essex, who fought in the Welsh campaigns under Edward I of England. Other significant members include Henry de Bohun, who died at the Battle of Bannockburn; Margaret de Bohun, wife of Waleran de Beaumont, 4th Earl of Worcester and ancestor of the House of York; and Elizabeth de Bohun, who married into the Courtenay family. Clerical kin such as Richard de Bohun advanced to bishoprics like Hereford and London. Marriages linked the family with the Beauchamp family, the Mowbray family, the Percy family, and the FitzAlan family.
Landholdings and Castles
The de Bohuns held key castles and estates including Pleshey Castle, Hedingham Castle (via marriage ties), Saffron Walden, Montacute Castle (through alliances), and holdings in Hampshire and Somerset. Their seats in Herefordshire and Essex anchored their role as Marcher lords and county magnates. Manorial possessions extended to Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Gloucestershire, and their properties were recorded in documents related to the Pipe rolls and royal writs issued by monarchs such as King John of England and Henry III of England.
Political Influence and Royal Connections
Holding the hereditary office of Constable of England, the de Bohuns were key in royal military administration under Henry II of England, Richard I of England, King John, and Henry III of England. They intervened in national politics during constitutional crises like the Provisions of Oxford and the conflicts involving Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester. Through marriage the family allied with royal houses, linking to the Plantagenet dynasty, the House of Anjou and, via later female lines, the House of Lancaster and House of York. Their status brought them into the royal councils, parliamentarian assemblies such as Model Parliament, and into rivalry with magnates like the Fitzwalter family and the de Lacy family.
Military Campaigns and Crusades
Members fought in major medieval campaigns including the Third Crusade and military operations in Wales and Scotland. Humphrey de Bohun took part in actions during the Welsh Wars led by Edward I of England and at the Siege of Caerlaverock. Henry de Bohun famously clashed with Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn, and other Bohuns served under royal commanders such as Edmund, Earl of Lancaster and Edward, the Black Prince in phases of the Hundred Years' War. They also participated in continental expeditions tied to the Angevin Empire and in border skirmishes involving Marcher Lords.
Decline, Inheritance, and Legacy
The male line waned in the 14th century, and extensive Bohun inheritances were partitioned among heirs and absorbed into dynastic houses including the Stafford family, the Courtenay family, and the House of Lancaster through heiresses like Mary de Bohun, who married Henry Bolingbroke, later Henry IV. Titles such as the Earldoms of Hereford and Essex merged into royal and noble lines, affecting succession disputes like those leading to the Wars of the Roses. The Bohun heraldry and tomb effigies influenced funerary art in St Paul's Cathedral, Tewkesbury Abbey, and parish churches such as All Saints' Church, Hastedon through commemorative monuments. Their legal records appear in rolls tied to the reigns of Edward II of England and Edward III of England, and their estates shaped later county boundaries and peerage creations.