Henry de Bohun Hereditary Lord Constable of England and 1st Earl of Hereford Date of Birth: 01.01.1176 Country: Dive

1. Hereditary Lord High Constable of England and 1st Earl of Hereford
2. Rebellion and the Great Charter
3. Death and Legacy
4. Marriage and Children
5. Henry (died young)
6. Ralph
7. (?) Margaret; married Henry d'Oyly of Hook Norton

Hereditary Lord High Constable of England and 1st Earl of Hereford

Henry de Bohun was the hereditary Lord High Constable of England and the 1st Earl of Hereford from 1199/1200. His father, Humphrey de Bohun, Lord of Trowbridge and Lord High Constable of England, died around 1180/1182. Henry inherited his father's estates in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, as well as the hereditary title of Lord High Constable of England. Henry also inherited land from his grandmother, Margaret of Hereford, who had inherited a portion of her brother, Roger Fitz-Miles, Earl of Hereford. From his mother, Henry inherited estates in northern England, including Huntingdonshire.

Shortly after King John ascended the English throne, he revived the title of Earl of Hereford for Henry, which had been dormant since the death of Earl Roger Fitz-Miles in 1075. This occurred on April 28, 1199 or 1200, making Henry the first member of the Bohun family to hold a title that yielded an annual income. In 1201, he was among the nobles present at Lincoln to pay homage to his uncle, King William I the Lion of Scotland.

In 1203, Henry witnessed a charter of King John confirming Queen Isabella's dowry. The Bohun family's main holdings were in England, but they also had some possessions in Normandy, including lands in Quarentaine and Pont d'Ouilly. In 1204, Henry's Norman lands were confiscated by the French King Philip II Augustus, likely due to Henry's support for King John.

Rebellion and the Great Charter

King John's policies, including oppressive taxation and arbitrary rule, led to the First Barons' War in 1215. Henry de Bohun emerged as one of the leaders of the rebelling barons. Under pressure from the insurgents, King John signed the Magna Carta on June 15, 1215, and Henry became one of the 25 baronial guarantors appointed to enforce its provisions. Conflict soon resumed between the king and the barons. The barons initially gained an advantage by recognizing Louis, the Dauphin of France, as the new king of England. Henry was among the barons who supported Louis and served as one of the commanders of his army.

Following King John's death in 1216, Henry remained loyal to Louis, unlike many other barons who switched their allegiance to John's young son, Henry III. However, at the Battle of Lincoln on May 20, 1217, the Dauphin's army was defeated by William Marshal, and Henry was taken prisoner. Henry made pious donations to churches in England and appointed a pension for St. Nicholas' Hospital in Salisbury.

Death and Legacy

Henry de Bohun died on June 1, 1220, while on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. His body was brought back to England and buried in the family vault at Llanthony Secunda Priory in Gloucestershire. His son, Humphrey, inherited his estates. His widow, Maud de Mandeville, remarried Roger de Donstenay.

Marriage and Children

Henry's wife was Maud de Mandeville, the 4th Countess of Essex. Their children included:

Henry (died young)

Humphrey (c. 1208-1275), 2nd Earl of Hereford and Lord High Constable of England

Ralph

Matilda (or Margery) (c. 1210-?); married Waleran de Beaumont, 4th Earl of Warwick

(?) Margaret; married Henry d'Oyly of Hook Norton