Gilbert
de Clare was the son of Richard Fitz
Gilbert, was born in 1066. He later married Adeliz, the daughter
of Hugh of Clermont.
Gilbert,
like his father, took part in the rebellion against William
Rufus
in 1088. After a two day siege at Tonbridge
Castle, the Clare
family was forced to surrender to the king's forces. The was punished
by having his castle and the town of Tonbridge burnt to the ground.
Richard
Fitz Gilbert was
also forced to live in a monastery where he died three years later.
Gilbert was allowed to
keep the family estates and in June 1095 fought
with William Rufus against the Scots. He is also believed to have
taken part in William's military campaigns in Wales and Normandy.
On 2nd August 1100, William
Rufus
went hunting at Brockenhurst
in the New Forest. Gilbert and his younger brother, Roger
of Clare,
were with the king. Another man in the hunting party was Walter Tirel,
who was married to Richard de Clare's daughter, Adelize. Also present
was William Rufus' younger brother Henry. During the hunt, Walter
Tirel fired
an arrow at a stag. The arrow missed the animal and hit William Rufus
in the chest. Within a few minutes the king was dead. Tirel jumped
on his horse and made off at great speed. He escaped to France and
never returned again to England.
Most people expected Robert
Curthose
to become king. However,
his younger brother Henry
Beauclerk
decided to take quick action
to gain the throne. As soon as he realised William Rufus was dead,
Henry rushed to Winchester where the government's money was kept.
After gaining control of the treasury, Henry declared he was the new
king. Supported by the Clares, Henry was crowned king on 5th August.
Although Robert threatened to invade England, he eventually agreed
to do a deal with Henry. In return for an annual payment of £2,000,
Robert accepted Henry as king of England.
King Henry
I generously
rewarded the Clare family for their loyalty. Although Walter Tirel
never returned to England, his son was allowed to keep his father's
estates. Some people suspected that Henry and the Clare family had
planned the murder of William Rufus. Others accepted that William
Rufus' death was an accident. Whatever the truth of the matter, the
Clare family obtained considerable benefit from the death of William
Rufus.
In 1107 Gilbert led an
army into Wales. After defeating Cadogan King Henry
I allowed
him to take control of Cardigan. It is also believed that Gilbert
became lord marcher of Striguil.
Gilbert
de Clare was the
father of three sons, Richard, Earl of Hertford, Gilbert, Earl of
Pembroke and Walter
de Clare. He
also had a daughter, Rohaise, who married Baderon de Monmouth. Gilbert
de Clare died in
1115.
The
Normans: Classroom Activities
(1)
J. H. Round, Feudal England (1895)
Gilbert and Roger, sons of Richard de Clare, who were present
at Brockenhurst when the King was killed... were brothers-in-law of
Walter Tirel... Richard, another brother-in-law, was promptly selected
to be Abbot of Ely by King Henry I, who further gave the see of Winchester
to William Giffard, another member of the same powerful family circle.
(2)
Frank Barlow, William Rufus (1983)
Historians... have hinted that barons... perhaps led by the
Clares... had arranged William's death. But there is not a shred of
good evidence and the theory merely avoids the obvious. Hunting accidents
were, after all, not uncommon.
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