Hugh Despenser the Younger

Lore & Background

Hugh le Despenser the Younger was the son and heir of Hugh Despenser, Earl of Winchester, and Isabel Beauchamp. He was knighted around May 1306 alongside Prince Edward, though not at the Feast of the Swans ceremony, and that summer married Eleanor de Clare, daughter of Gilbert de Clare and Joan of Acre. Through Eleanor's inheritance after her brother's death at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, Despenser eventually gained the Lordship of Glamorgan and other properties, but the division was not finalized until 1317 and he did not gain full control until after that settlement, transforming him from a landless knight into one of the wealthiest magnates in the kingdom. He became royal chamberlain in 1318, managing the king's domestic finances and court affairs, and his rise contributed to the eclipse of the previous favourite, Roger d'Amory, who was captured after the Battle of Boroughbridge in 1322 and died in prison under unclear circumstances, not specifically of wounds.

His greed and influence earned him enemies across society, including Queen Isabella and the barons, leading to an alleged plot against his life involving a wax effigy, though this story is legendary rather than historically confirmed. In August 1321, the barons forced Despenser and his father into exile, but they returned in January 1322 before Edward II crushed the rebellion at the Battle of Boroughbridge. Despenser was reinstated as favourite, and the period that followed was marked by unchecked maladministration.

Reader's Guide

Hugh Despenser the Younger's significance lies in his role as a central figure in the political turmoil of Edward II's reign. As chamberlain and royal favourite, he wielded extraordinary influence, managing the royal household and accumulating vast estates in Wales and England through marriage and royal grants. His actions, including the seizure of lands from his wife's co-heirs and the extrajudicial killing of Llywelyn Bren, generated widespread hostility.

The accusation of sodomy, recorded by the chronicler Jean Froissart and Bishop Adam Orleton, further tarnished his reputation and was cited at his execution, where his penis was severed and burned. His downfall came with the invasion of Queen Isabella and Roger Mortimer in 1326; he was captured, tried for high treason, and executed. His legacy is that of a divisive and ultimately doomed favourite whose greed and ambition contributed to the collapse of Edward II's rule.

Did You Know?

• During his exile in 1321, Despenser and his father briefly engaged in piracy in the English Channel, though the extent and duration of this activity are not precisely documented.
• He was accused of robbing two great ships to the value of £60,000.
• At his execution, his penis was severed and burned as part of the mutilation, though Jean Froissart's chronicle does not specify that the burning was specifically for sodomy and heresy.