Rise and fall (and rise and fall again...)

As the title suggests, Kathryn Warner's latest book is a history of the Despensers, a remarkable medieval family who rose and fell (and rose and fell again) over the course of two hundred years. In common with other noble families of the period, they showed a spectacular lack of imagination when it came to naming male heirs. Just as the Montforts produced so many Simons and Amaurys, the Despensers churned out a bewildering array of Hughs, Thomases and Edwards. For the purpose of this review I have enumerated the two main Hughs as Hugh (1) and Hugh (2).


The narrative begins with the slaughter of Evesham in August 1265, where Hugh (1)'s father – named Hugh, unsurprisingly – was butchered on the field along with Simon de Montfort and many others. If Henry III had possessed the same bloodthirsty tendencies as the later Plantagenet and Tudor kings, the tale might have ended right here. Fortunately, he took pity on Hugh's widow Aline, and in the following decades the Despensers were able to reconstruct their fortunes.


This was largely down to the efforts of Hugh (1). Only a child at the time of Evesham, he made himself useful in the latter reign of Edward I as a soldier and diplomat. As a result plenty of rewards came his way – disproving the notion that Edward was mean with patronage – and he became wealthy and respected. Sadly, Hugh (1)'s talents were offset by a vicious streak. Even by the standards of medieval nobles, he was violent and grasping, and abused his position to prey on his neighbours. Warner cites several examples of men forced into exile so Hugh (1) could steal their lands, or locked up on false charges until they agreed to surrender their inheritance. In the context of the time, there was nothing particularly unusual about this behaviour; however, the Despensers took it to dangerous extremes.


Things got much worse under Edward II. When the rivalry between Hugh (1) and the king's cousin Thomas of Lancaster ended in the defeat and execution of the latter, the Despensers rose to dizzying heights. Hugh (2), the most notorious member of the family, appears to have exploited Edward's vulnerability and even had a sexual relationship with him. Unlike the king's earlier relationship with Piers Gaveston, where mutual affection was involved, this was most likely a means of control. So long as they retained Edward's favour, the Despensers could do what they liked. After 1321 they embarked on a reign of terror, in which they plundered the landed class of England. Instead of restraining his favourites, Edward not only permitted but connived in the wholesale robbery of his own subjects. When an invasion of England was launched by Edward's estranged consort, Isabella of France, and her ally Roger Mortimer, the English refused to fight for their king. Whatever his more amiable qualities, Edward had forfeited the loyalty of his people.


It is an unpleasant tale, and leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Warner rightly points out that Edward's enemies in England were no better, and that the rebellious Marchers plundered and ransacked their way across England. The revolt of the Marchers, given the events of the previous reign, is a fascinating subject in itself and worthy of further study. The role of the Mortimers of Wigmore in particular should be highlighted: in 1282 they conspired to destroy Prince Llywelyn of Wales, and in the next generation made a determined effort to seize power in England. Personally I suspect their revolt had been brewing for a long time: the misrule of Edward II and the Despensers simply handed them an opportunity.


The two Hughs, father and son, had made themselves pariahs. This is shown by the brutality of their downfall. Hugh (1) was hanged, chopped up and fed to dogs. His son was executed with almost delirious cruelty. Yet, once again, the Despensers weathered the storm. Just like their rivals, the Mortimers, they were able to revive under the patronage of Edward III, who did not deal in revenge for its own sake. Hugh (2)'s son, nicknamed 'Huchon', distinguished himself in the French wars and eventually earned the king's respect. A grandson, Edward Despenser, was entrusted with delicate missions to Italy and enjoyed a high reputation as soldier and diplomat. By the 1370s the family were completely rehabilitated, no mean feat in the circumstances.


Warner carries the story onto the reign of Richard II, which reads like a weird echo of Edward II. Once again the Despensers rode high in the favour of an unlucky and inept monarch, and once again paid for it. Just like Edward, Richard ended up riding haplessly around South Wales in the company of a Despenser. After the king's downfall, Thomas Despenser organised a conspiracy against the new monarch Henry IV. The so-called Epiphany Rising was a disaster, and ended in Thomas being lynched and beheaded by an angry mob. This sealed the fate of Richard II, now plain Richard of Bordeaux, who was quietly done away with.


Incredibly, the Despensers continued to endure. By now they were intermarried with other high-ranking families, notably the earls of Warwick, which enabled them to survive. The last section of the book is really the story of Despenser women, who at least could do no worse than the men. Thanks to marriage alliances with the Beauchamps and Ferrers (among other families, the web gets rather tangled), the Despenser bloodline was not extinguished. Indeed, it survives to this day, bubbling away in the veins of various gentlepersons.


This book is an invaluable resource of information on a prominent medieval family. Warner's research and attention to detail is meticulous, and the text is spiced with anecdotes from surviving letters and chronicles. On the debit side, I would have preferred more analysis and commentary at the expense of genealogy. Perhaps this is more an issue of personal taste, but I found the depth of detail regarding births, marriages and deaths unnecessary, and at times a distraction.