CHAPTER IV
Reign
of Richard I. A.D. 1189 to A.D. 1199.
RICHARD, in
consequence of his great valour, surnamed Ceur de Lion, succeeded his
father on the throne of England. It seems, however, that his brother,
John, retained the government of Ireland, in pursuance of the donation
of 1177, already mentioned. During the reign of Richard, (long absent in
the Holy Land), and part of that of John, the country was plunged into
continued commotion ; confederacies were formed against the English, who
suffered many reverses; but disunion among the natives, combined with
skill and firmness on the part of the government, at length restored a
temporary peace.
In the first year of
this reign, Isabel, only daughter and heir of Strongbow, by Eva,
princess of Leinster, was married to William Maxfield, Lord Maxfield,
earl marshal of England. This nobleman descended thus: Walter Maxfield
accompanied William the Conqueror to England, as his marshal; this
Walter had issue William, who had issue, Walter, whose son was John,
whose son was William, married to Isabel. He was greatly in favour with
king Richard, and at his coronation carried the royal sceptre, on which
was a cross of gold. A.D. 1191. This year, the aforementioned William,
earl marshal, was appointed lord justice, or governor of Ireland; in
which office he continued for six years; a long period in those
unsettled times. He was a man of much personal valour, and from his
princely possessions in Ireland, was considered the most eligible
governor; at a time when the higher powers seemed to abandon all care of
the country. He was also the third of the temporal co-adjuters appointed
by Richard to assist the bishop of Ely in the administration of affairs
in England.
King Richard
returned from the Crusades in 1194. One Fulco, a priest, spoke very
boldly to him on the vices of his court. "Thou hast, O mighty king,"
said he, "three daughters of very vicious and evil dispositions; take
good heed of them, and betimes provide them with good husbands; I mean
Pride, Covetousness, and Lechery."The king smiled, and calling his lords
and barons, said: "Here before you all, I do presently bestow my three
daughters. First, I give my daughter, swelling Pride, to tie proud
Templars; my greedy daughter, Avarice, to the covetous order of the
Cistercian monks; and my daughter, Lechery, to the wanton prelates of
the church." This dialogue, assuredly, presents no very flattering
picture of the state of morals, either of clergy or laity, in those
days. The Knights Templar’s soon afterwards established themselves in
our county; the record of which event will be found in its proper place.
In the year
1197,Hamo de Valoniis, or Hanno de Valois, (a gentleman of an ancient
family in Suffolk), succeeded William, Earl marshal, in the governorship
of Ireland. This deputy, finding the Irish treasury nearly exhausted,
did not hesitate attempting to effect its replenishment, by an invasion
of ecclesiastical property, about the same period, John, a Cistercian
monk, and abbot of the monastery.
De Rosea Vatle,
otherwise Monasterevan, was appointed to the bishopric of Leighlin, by
the charter of that diocese; sand, in consequence of the absence of the
archbishop of Dublin, John Comin, (who was either in England or
Normandy), he was duly confirmed by Mathew O'Heney, archbishop of Cashel,
and apostolic legate of Ireland. Hanno de Valois, however, opposed the
election of John, seized the temporalities of the cathedral of Leighlin,
and took possession of the property of the canons. Under these
circumstances, archbishop O'Heney was deterred from consecrating John;
who, finding he had no other resource, proceeded to Rome, where he was
well received by Innocent III., who immediately performed the ceremony
of consecration. The pope then handed the newly appointed bishop a
letter, addressed to the chapter, clergy, and people of the town and
diocese of Leighlin; in which, among other matters, he mentions, that he
has consecrated John, that he now sends him to his church, and commands
that he may be obeyed. Pope Innocent also wrote a very severe letter to
John, lord of Ireland, in which he complains of the violent and
unjustifiable proceedings of his deputy, Hanno, in presuming to oppose
the election of the cannons, and taking possession of their goods.
He censures John,
for detaining the archbishop of Dublin in Normandy, and commands him not
to molest the bishop whom he had consecrated, in the performance of his
duty, nor permit him to be injured by any other person either in
spirituals or temporal. He further desires him to compel Hanno to
surrender to the church and canons of Leighlin, the property of which
they had been deprived; and threatens, that in case of refusal, certain
wishes of his will not meet with compliance, by another epistle, his
holiness orders, that the bishop shall not be subject to
excommunication, except by the pope, unless for manifest and reasonable
cause. These letters were written in September, 1198, being the first
year of the pontificate of Innocent III., and are to be seen among the
decretal epistles of that pontiff, John, Bishop of Leighlin, enjoyed his
new dignity but two years, having died in 1201. Hanno de Valois
continued governor till the death of Richard when he was recalled. At a
subsequent period, he granted twenty plough lands to John Comin,
archbishop of Dublin, and his successors, as compensation for the
detriment which the metropolitan see had sustained at his hands.
Richard I.
died at Chalons, in France, on the 6th of April, 1199.("Spelling are as seen in the book")
CHAPTER V
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