Mortimer, Roger, 2nd Earl of March

Roger was born on November 11, 1328 in Ludlow Castle ( Shropshire ). His grandfather, Roger Mortimer , 1st Earl of March, a former lover of the English Queen Isabella , played a key role in the overthrow of the husband of Isabella, King of England Edward II , in 1327, after which he actually ruled England on behalf of King Edward III for three years. But in 1330 he was accused by the king of high treason, after which he was executed on November 29 of the same year. All patrimonial possessions and titles were confiscated.

In 1331, Roger's father, Edmund, also died. The prospects of the young Roger were vague, but in 1335 his mother, Elizabeth de Baldlesmer, married one of the close associates of King Edward III - William de Bohun , who in 1337 received the title of Earl of Northampton . Thanks to stepfather Roger, in 1342 some of his grandfather’s possessions in Wales were returned, including the castles of Radnor and Wigmore , as well as the possessions of Gurtvirion, Presteign, Knigkhton and Norton, while Knickclass and other castles were under the care of William de Bohun himself ^{[1 ]} .

September 12, 1344, Roger distinguished himself at a knightly tournament in Hereford ^[1] .

The Hundred Years War between England and France resumed in the 1340s. In 1346, King Edward III went on an expedition to France, where on July 12 he landed in La Hughes (eastern coast of Cotentin ) ^[2] . Roger was also a member of this army, and he demonstrated his prowess, for which the king’s heir, Edward the Black Prince , later knighted him. During the French expedition, Roger took part in the Battle of Crescy (August 26–27), where he fought near the king ^[1] .

In gratitude for the service, Edward III September 6, 1346 returned to Roger the rest of the clan possession. And on November 20, 1348, Roger was called to parliament as Baron Mortimer of Wigmore ^[1] . In the same 1348, Roger became one of the founding knights of the Order of the Garter ^[3] .

In 1349, Roger was part of the detachment of Edward the Black Prince, who prevented the French from recapturing Calais ^[1] .

In 1352, Roger again participated in the hostilities in France ^[3] .

Although Roger and received most of the patrimonial possessions, but some of them remained in other hands. In order to regain the barony of Chirk , Roger concluded an agreement with his current owner, Richard Fitz-Alan , 10th Earl Arundel , that Roger's heir, Edmund , would marry Alice, daughter of Earl Arundel. However, this marriage did not take place. Also in 1354, Roger filed a petition with Parliament for the annulment of the sentence to his grandfather, arguing that he was not given the opportunity to protect. As a result, the parliament annulled the sentence, after which Roger was reinstated as Earl March, and also returned the remaining possessions of his grandfather, which after execution were under the control of the crown. For the first time in parliament as Earl March Roger was called on September 20, 1355 ^{[1] [3]} .

In the same 1355, Roger received a number of posts, including the posts of Constable Dover and the Guardian Lord of the Five Ports , which he held until 1359. In the same year, he was going to take part in the expedition of the Duke of Lancaster to France, which was postponed, and later took part in the expedition of Edward III to Picardy ^[1] .

On October 19, 1356, Jeanne de Geneville died, thanks to which Roger further increased his possessions. In particular, he received Ludlow Castle , which became the main fortress of the Mortimers, and later - the administrative center of the entire English administration in Wales. Roger also inherited the title of Baron Geneville. At the same time, Roger became a member of the Royal Council ^[1] .

In 1359, Roger became constable of Montgomery , Bridnorth and Korf Castle , as well as the keeper of Parbek Chez ^[1] .

In October 1359, Roger as part of the army of Edward III again went to France. There, he, as one of the king's constables, took part in the unsuccessful siege of Reims (December 4, 1359 - January 11, 1360), and then was sent to besiege Saint-Florenten near Auxerre . Roger managed to capture the city, after which he joined the royal army, invading Burgundy . But on February 26, 1360, Roger unexpectedly died in Rouvre near Avalon ^[1] .

Roger's bones were brought to England, where they were buried in the family Wigmore Abbey ^[1] .

Roger inherited his son Edmund .

Wife: Philippe Montague (d. January 5, 1382), daughter of William Montague , 1st Earl of Salisbury , and Katerina Grendison. Children:

• Roger Mortimer (d. Young)
• Edmund Mortimer (February 1, 1352 - December 27, 1381), 3rd Earl of March, 5th Baron of Mortimer from Wigmore and 4th Baron of Geneville from 1360, 6th Earl of Ulster and Lord Connaught and Claire from 1368, Marshal of England with 1369, governor of Ireland from 1379
• Margery Mortimer ; husband: John Toucher (d. June 23, 1372), Baron Audley

• The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom / GE Cokayne, revised and edited GH White. - revised edition. - 1910-1959. - Vol. I. - P. 373.
• Tout Thomas Frederick. Mortimer, Roger de (1327-1360) // Dictionary of National Biography . - 1894. - Vol. 39. - P. 144-145.
• Ustinov V.G. The Hundred Years War and the Wars of the Roses. - M .: AST: Astrel, Guardian, 2007 .-- 637 p. - (Historical Library). - 1,500 copies - ISBN 978-5-17-042765-9 .
• Favier J. The Hundred Years War / Transl. with french M. Yu. Nekrasov. - SPb. : Eurasia, 2009 .-- 656 p. - ISBN 978-5-91852-004-8 .

• Earls of March 1328-1425 (Mortimer ) . Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. Date of treatment December 12, 2012.
• Roger de Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March . thePeerage.com. Date of treatment December 12, 2012. Archived January 18, 2013.
• Mortimer of Chirke, Mortimer of March, Mortimer of Wigmore . Stirnet. Date of treatment December 12, 2012. Archived January 18, 2013.