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Birth:          ABT 1092 of Great Waltham, Essex, England
Death:          14 Sep 1144 Suffolk, England
Burial:         New Temple Church, Holborn, Suffolk, England

Notes
http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~edburton/fam01344.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_de_Mandeville,_1st_Earl_of_Essex
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Geoffrey de Mandeville II, 1st Earl of Essex (died September 1144) was a prominent 
figure during the reign of King Stephen of England. His biographer, the 19th-century 
historian J. H. Round, called him "the most perfect and typical presentment of the 
feudal and anarchic spirit that stamps the reign of Stephen." That characterization 
has been disputed since the later 20th century.
Early career[edit]

He succeeded his father, William, sometime before 1129, possibly as early as 1116. A 
key portion of the family patrimony in Essex was in the King's hands. William had 
incurred a debt to the crown, perhaps in part due to a large fine levied by Henry I due 
to his displeasure at the escape of an important political prisoner when William was in 
charge of the Tower of London. The King also held the substantial estate of 
Geoffrey's maternal grandfather Eudo le Dapifer to which Geoffrey laid claim.

Geoffrey gained Eudo's lands and his father's offices during the shifting tides of 
fortunes of the two competitors for the English throne after King Henry I's death in 
1135. He initially supported Stephen, who sometime in 1140 (most likely May of that 
year) made him Earl of Essex. By 1140 or 1141 Stephen had returned to him the 
lucrative manors in Essex.

He founded a Benedictine priory (later Walden Abbey) at Walden, Essex and 
constructed a castle there. He also contributed to Hurley Priory in Berkshire, which 
had been founded by his grandfather Geoffrey de Mandeville I.

After the defeat and capture of Stephen at Lincoln early in 1141, Earl Geoffrey, like 
many barons, acknowledged Stephen's rival Empress Matilda as his sovereign lady. 
She confirmed his custody of the Tower, forgave the large debts his father had 
incurred to the crown, granted him the Norman lands of Eudo le Dapifer, and 
appointed him Sheriff of Essex and Hertfordshire, Middlesex and London.

When Stephen was released in December of that year, Earl Geoffrey returned to his 
original allegiance. There has been much scholarly debate over the dating of the 
charters he received from King Stephen and Empress Matilda. Depending on the order 
and timing of those documents, either Geoffrey appears to have been playing off one 
against the other to get what he wanted or his support was courted by the rival 
claimants to the throne. The king arrested the earl in 1143 and, threatened with 
execution, Geoffrey surrendered his castles of Pleshey and Saffron Walden as well as 
custody of the Tower of London to Stephen. In reaction, Earl Geoffrey launched a 
rebellion .

Outlaw activity and death[edit]

In 1143-1144 Earl Geoffrey maintained himself as a rebel and a bandit in the fen-
country, using the Isle of Ely and Ramsey Abbey as his headquarters. He was 
besieged by King Stephen and met his death at Burwell, Cambridgeshire in September 
1144 in consequence of an arrow wound received in a skirmish. Because he had died 
excommunicate, his body initially was denied burial at the monastery he had founded, 
Walden Priory. Wrapped in lead, it was accepted eventually by the Templar community 
in London for burial within the Temple Church in London. His son Geoffrey III arranged 
for an effigy to be placed on the floor, where it can still be seen today.

Significance[edit]

His career is interesting for several reasons. The charters he received from King 
Stephen and Empress Matilda illustrate the ambitions of English barons. The most 
important concessions are grants of offices and jurisdictions, which had the effect of 
making Mandeville almost a viceroy with full powers in Essex and Hertfordshire, 
Middlesex and London, but these were based on offices and jurisdictions his 
ancestors had held. His career as an outlaw exemplifies the worst excesses of the 
civil wars of 1140-1147, and it is possible that the deeds of Mandeville inspired the 
rhetorical description of this period in the Peterborough Chronicle, when "men said 
openly that Christ and his saints were asleep." He had seized Ramsey Abbey (near 
Peterborough) in 1143, expelling the monks and using Ramsey as a base for forays 
into the surrounding region.

Marriage and offspring[edit]

Geoffrey married Rohese de Vere (c. 1110-1167 or after), daughter of Aubrey de Vere 
II and sister of the first earl of Oxford. He had four sons:
Arnulf/Ernulf de Mandeville, illegitimate, supported his father in rebellion and was 
exiled shortly after the earl's death. He returned to England, probably in the reign of 
King Henry II, and there witnessed several charters issued by his half brothers, the 
2nd and 3rd earls of Essex.[1]
Geoffrey III, 2nd earl of Essex (d. 1166) By a fresh grant from Henry II he was created 
Earl of Essex.
William II, 3rd earl of Essex and Count of Aumale (d. 1189)
Robert (d. before 1189)

Historical fiction[edit]

An account of Geoffrey's outlaw actions and the taking of the Ramsey Abbey provides 
for elements of the backstory for two of Ellis Peters' "Brother Cadfael" books, The 
Potter's Field and The Holy Thief.

In his 1969 novel Knight in Anarchy, George Shipway describes the life of Humphrey 
de Visdelou as he follows de Mandeville to his doom.

Parents
DE MANDEVILLE William (ABT 1062 - ABT 1130)
DE RIE Margaret (ABT 1075 - )

Siblings
DE MANDEVILLE Geoffrey (ABT 1092 - 14 Sep 1144)
DE MANDEVILLE Beatrix (1105 - 19 Apr 1197)

Marriage To DE VERE Rohese (ABT 1110 - AFT 21 Oct 1166)
    m.  

Notes

Parents
DE VERE Aubrey II (ABT 1082 - 15 May 1141)
DE CLARE Adeliza (ABT 1079 - ABT 1163)

Children by DE VERE Rohese ABT 1110 - AFT 21 Oct 1166
DE MANDEVILLE Maud (ABT 1138 - )

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