History Is Present

Hugh Bigod

1^st Earl of Norfolk

Hugh Bigod was not the nicest man you could meet.

He was the second son of Roger and was born in 1095 at Belvoir Castle. After the death of his older brother William, Hugh became heir to the Bigod fortune. Hugh succeeded his aunt Albreda, heiress of her brother Berengar de Tosny, in holding lands in Yorkshire and in Normandy and in 1122 he became Constable of Norwich Castle.

When King Henry I died he supported Stephen’s claim to the throne over the legitimate heir, Matalida. Suprise, suprise. He claimed that Henry had wanted Stephen to become King over Matilda. He like so many other barons didn’t want to follow a woman and a man should sit on the throne.

Civil War

Civil war began as Matalida fought her usurping cousin for the crown. Her greatest triumph was in Febuary 1141, when her forces defeated and captured King Stephen at Lincoln; he was made a prisoner and effectively deposed. Her advantage lasted only until July of that year, and she released Stephen in December in return for her half brother, Robert Duke ofGloucester, who was captured by the enemyu. In 1147, Maud was finally forced to return to her husband Geoffrey in Anjou after the death of her brother who was her strongest supporter.

In 1136 Stephen was stricken with sickness and word was that he was on his death bed was quickly spread abroad. A rising of the turbulent barons necessarily followed, and Bigod was the first to take up arms. Hugh seized and held Norwich; but Stephen, who was quickly recovering laid siege to the city and Hugh was compelled to surrender. Stephen spared the Bigod who in return remained faithful.

In 1140 Bigod declared for the empress, but documents show that by the next year he is in the ranks of Stephen's army fighting in the disastrous First Battle of Lincoln, after which the Earl deserted him and assumed a position of armed neutrality during the rest of the war.

In 1153, Matilda’s eldest son Henry, Duke of Normandy, landed in England to assert his claim to the throne and Bigod vested his interests with the rising power, and held out in Ipswich against Stephen's forces.

On Henry II's coronation in December 1154, Bigod at received confirmation of the possession of the earldom and stewardship by charter issued in January of the next year. The first years of the new reign were spent in restoring order to the shattered kingdom, and in breaking the power of the independent barons, which had grown out of control during King Stephen's reign.

It was not before long before Bigod started to go against the king. He grew restless with measures such as the scutage, a fee paid by vassals in lieu of military service, which became the central feature of Henry II's military system of operation by 1159. The Earl showed signs of resistance, but was at once put down. In 1157 Henry II marched into the eastern counties and received the earl's submission.

After this incident Hugh Bigod makes no significant appearances in the chronicles for some time; he is named among those who had been excommunicated by Becket, in consequence of his retention of lands belonging to the monastery of Pentney in Norfolk.

The Bigod Family Tree

In 1173, the young crowned Prince Henry raised a revolt against his father. This gave Hugh Bigod, yet another chance for rebellion, along with the league of the English barons with the kings of France and Scotland in his favour. He at once became a leader in the cause, perhaps eager to revive the feudal power, which Henry II had curtailed. Norwich Castle was promised by the young prince as his reward.

The rebellion was crushed and Hugh was punished. He was compelled to surrender his castles but Bigod kept his lands and his earldom, and lived at peace with Henry II until his death reportedly in 1177 in Palestine.

Hugh had three sons by two wives. His first wife was Juliane de Vere, the daughter of Aubrey de Vere  II and Adeliza de Clare, who he married 1140. They had one son together Roger and the marriage was dissolved in 1468 when Roger was 7. Juliane had been beaten by her husband and able to conceive any more children.

Hugh married again to the daughter of Roger de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Warwick. Gundreda gave him two sons, Hugh and William.

Hugh even death created problems in his family as we will soon find out.