Gilbert
de Clare, the son of Richard
of Clare,
was born in 1180. He married Isabel, the daughter of the Earl of Pembroke.
In 1200, King
John became involved in a long-drawn out war with France. This
war was expensive and John was forced to introduce new taxes to pay
for his army. This
created a great deal of resentment in England, and John's position
was not helped when, in 1205, the king's army lost control of Normandy,
Brittany, Anjou and Maine.
In 1215, King John made
another desperate attempt to gain control of his lost territory in
France. Once again he was defeated and was forced to pay £40,000
to obtain a truce. When John tried to obtain this money by imposing
yet another tax, the barons rebelled.
Gilbert de Clare was one
of the leaders of the rebellion. Few barons remained loyal, and in
most areas of the country, John had very little support. John had
no chance of victory and on 15th June, 1215, at Runnymede in Surrey,
he was forced to accept the peace terms of those who had successfully
fought against him.
The document the king was
obliged to sign was the Magna Carta. In
this charter the king made a long list of promises, including no new
taxes without the support of his barons, a reduction in the power
of his sheriffs and the right of a fair trial for all freemen.
The barons had doubts whether
King John could be trusted to keep his word.
A small group of barons were given the task of making sure that John
kept the promises he had made in the Magna Carta. Two of the barons
chosen were Gilbert de Clare and Richard of
Clare.
Soon after he signed the
charter the king appealed to Pope Innocent III for help. The pope
was concerned about this rebellion and decided to excommunicate the
barons who had fought against their king. The pope also provided money
to help King John recruit foreign mercenaries to fight against his
disloyal barons. The civil war resumed. One of King John's main targets
was Richard of Clare and in November, 1215, his troops seized his
castle at Tonbridge.
The following year King
John died and was succeeded by his son Henry
III. A year later
Richard of Clare also died and Gilbert
became the 7th Earl of Clare and the 5th Earl of Hertford. Although
the sons of bitter enemies, Gilbert and Henry became close friends
and it was not long before the family were given back Tonbridge Castle.
In 1225 Gilbert inherited
the estates and the title of the Earl of Gloucester. He also inherited
the estates of his grandmother, Maud de St. Hilary. Gilbert de Clare
was now the most powerful magnate in England. He controlled 456 manors
and when requested, had to supply the king with 260 knights. In 1230,
Gilbert de Clare agreed to help Henry III win back land that King
John had lost in France.
Gilbert de Clare was killed
while fighting in the king's army in Brittany on 25th October, 1230.
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