Philip d'Aubigny
| Philip d'Aubigny | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coat of arms | Gules, four fusils conjoined in fess argent |
| Noble family | D'Aubigny |
| Father | Ralph d'Aubigny |
| Mother | Sybil Valoignes |
| Born |
1166 Ingleby, Lincolnshire |
| Died |
1236 Kingdom of Jerusalem |
| Buried | Jerusalem |
Philip d'Aubigny, sometimes Phillip or Phillipe Daubeney (c.a. 1166 – c.a. 1236), a knight and royal chancellor, was one of 5 sons of Ralph d'Aubigny and Sybil Valoignes,[1] whose ancestral home was Saint Aubin-d'Aubigné in Brittany. He was lord of the manor of Chewton Mendip, South Petherton, Bampton, Waltham and Ingleby and Keeper of the Channel Islands.
Life and career
Following his fathers death, Philip's elder brother, Ralph, inherited estates at Belvoir, Ingleby, Saxilby and Broadholme. Ralph, however, later defected to the French in 1205 following King John's loss of Normandy. Philip and at least two of his brothers entered the service of Robert de Breteuil, earl of Leicester; Oliver was granted the manor of Enderby and Philip the manor of Waltham. With the Earl's assistance, Philip was married to the widow of William de Bouquetot, Joan, and acquired land held of the abbey of St Wandrille in Normandy and also at Horsmonden in Kent.
Philip, unlike his elder brother, remained loyal to John and served as the constable of Ludlow in 1207, and was also appointed the keeper of the Channel Islands that same year, a title he retained until it was transferred to his nephew and namesake, Philip d'Aubigny the younger, son of Ralph d'Aubigny, in 1219. Philip was appointed as a marshal of a proposed expedition to France in 1213, and served in the King's campaign in Poitou the following year. Present at the signing of the Magna Carta as a member of the king's party, even being mentioned within the document, he was soon appointed the Constable of Bristol after the outbreak of the First Barons War but a month later. Being the leader of the royalist forces in Kent and Sussex, he attained the title 'Commander of the Knights of Christ', and led various attacks upon the rebels from his stronghold at Rye. He partook in the Battle of Lincoln in 1217, and commanded a ship during the Battle of Sandwich later that same year.
Following the Pro-Angevin victory in the war, Philip was appointed Keeper of the Honour of Leicester and Constable of Devizes Castle. He was also the tutor of the young Henry III, most likely responsible for teaching him the skills of riding and knighthood. For his role in the boy king's education, d'Aubigny was granted several escheats, including the manor of Chewton Mendip and South Petherton in Somerset, and Bampton in Oxfordshire. He also served as ambassador to extend the truce with France in 1221, and the following year was permitted to farm his estates in England in return for service in the Fifth Crusade. However he only arrived in time to witness the crusaders defeat at Damietta. Upon his return in 1222 and again in 1223 he was sent on embassies to Brittany, Poitou, and the court of France. In 1223 he was responsible for entertaining the King of Jerusalem (then Isabella II) amid a fund-raising mission to England, and in the same year helped defend the Abbot of Westminster against an attack by the London mob.
In 1225 he accompanied Richard, the younger brother of Henry III, in an expedition to Gascony and Poitou, remaining overseas for the following 2 years. He was ambassador to the court of France in 1227 and 1228, and served as Sheriff of Berkshire and Keeper of the Honour of Wallingford from 1227 to 1229. In July 1228 he was granted 500 marks by the king to join Emperor Frederick II's crusade, however he most likely didn't serve in such as he was in the service as a royal emissary, with missions to France in November 1228 and May 1229. In 1230 he joined the king's expedition to Brittany and Poitou, and at sometime between 1232 and 1234, regained the Channel Islands and played a prominent part in negotiations between the king and Pierre, Duke of Brittany.
In 1235, d'Aubigny set out on crusade with his brother Oliver, however died in the Holy Land a year later, and was subsequently buried in front of the Church of the Holy Sepulchral Jerusalem. As Philip left no legitimate children, his estate in South Petherton and a majority of his Lincolnshire lands were granted to his nephew, Ralph d'Aubigny, brother of Philip the younger. This is due to either Philip the younger's defecting to France like his father, or dying, in 1225. This saw the estate of Ingleby being transferred to Philip the elder years prior.[2]
Philip d'Aubigny was a celebrated knight during his illustrious career, known for his vast knowledge and skills with arms,[3] as well as excising his diplomatic mastery with talks between England and France. During his times as a crusader, Philip was the epitome of the archetypal zealous and idealistic crusader, who truly achieved something in his long life and was graced by being buried beside one of the holiest of sites.[4]
Family
Philip d'Aubigny was the son of Ralph d'Aubigny and Sybil Valoignes, and grandson of William d'Aubigny. He was of brother of Oliver d'Aubigny, Alice d'Aubigny, John d'Aubigny, Gunnora de Gaunt, William De Stuteville, Matilda d'Aubigney, Ralph d'Aubigny and Elias d'Aubeny[1]
Oliver d'Aubigny married the widow of the leading royalist Philip of Oldcoates in 1221, and later bequeathed land at Enderby in Leicestershire upon his death to the canons of Croxton Abbey, where he was buried.
Philip d'Aubigny was the cousin of William d'Albigny, one of the twenty-five executors of the Magna Carta in 1215.
The d'Aubigny lands of Ingleby and South Petherton remained under their families possession until 1554, when they were granted to John Bourchier, earl of Bath.[2]
References
- 1 2 "Phillip (Aubigny) d'Aubigny | WikiTree: The FREE Family Tree". www.wikitree.com. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
- 1 2 "Philip d Aubigny". www.oxforddnb.com. Retrieved 2016-02-13.
- ↑ Payne, James Bertrand (1859). Armorial of Jersey. Jersey. p. 69.
- ↑ Folda, Jaroslav (2005). Crusader Art in the Holy Land, From the Third Crusade to the Fall of Acre. Cambridge University Press. p. 162. ISBN 0521835836.