List of Henry I's new men
Encyclopedia
Henry I's new men are considered by historians to be those men that rose to prominence during the reign of King Henry I of England
(reigned 1100-1135) and whose families had not previously been prominent in royal service.
Although the use of the actual phrase "new men" dates from the writings of William Stubbs
around 1874, the group of men was first singled out in the writings of writers contemporary with the men. The chronicler Orderic Vitalis
in his Historia Ecclesiastica
said that Henry had "enobled others of base stock who had served him well, raised them, so to say, from the dust, and heaping all kinds of favours on them, stationed them above earls and famous constables." Orderic went on to mention a number of men that he considered "new men".
Orderic's list of new men included:
The medieval writer Henry of Huntingdon
, writing in his De Contemptu Mundi, mentioned a number of the above and added:
The author of the Gesta Stephani, a chronicle of the reign of King Stephen of England
, Henry's successor, named the following as new men during Henry's reign:
To these men, the modern historian H. F. Doherty, writing for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, adds:
The historian and biographer of Henry I, Judith Green
adds the following:
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
(reigned 1100-1135) and whose families had not previously been prominent in royal service.
Although the use of the actual phrase "new men" dates from the writings of William Stubbs
William Stubbs
William Stubbs was an English historian and Bishop of Oxford.The son of William Morley Stubbs, a solicitor, he was born at Knaresborough, Yorkshire, and was educated at Ripon Grammar School and Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated in 1848, obtaining a first-class in classics and a third in...
around 1874, the group of men was first singled out in the writings of writers contemporary with the men. The chronicler Orderic Vitalis
Orderic Vitalis
Orderic Vitalis was an English chronicler of Norman ancestry who wrote one of the great contemporary chronicles of 11th and 12th century Normandy and Anglo-Norman England. The modern biographer of Henry I of England, C...
in his Historia Ecclesiastica
Historia Ecclesiastica
Historia Ecclesiastica is the name of many different works, documenting the history of Christianity.These include books by:*Alexander Natalis*Bartholomew of Lucca, Historia Ecclesiastica Nova...
said that Henry had "enobled others of base stock who had served him well, raised them, so to say, from the dust, and heaping all kinds of favours on them, stationed them above earls and famous constables." Orderic went on to mention a number of men that he considered "new men".
Orderic's list of new men included:
- Geoffrey de ClintonGeoffrey de ClintonGeoffrey de Clinton was an Anglo-Norman noble, chamberlain and treasurer to King Henry I of England. He was foremost amongst the men king Henry "raised from the dust". He married Lescelina.-Life:Clinton's family origins are a little obscure...
- Ralph BassetRalph BassetRalph Basset was a medieval English royal justice during the reign of King Henry I of England. He was a native of Normandy, and may have come to Henry's notice while Henry held land in Normandy prior to becoming king...
- Hugh of Buckland
- Guillegrip
- Rainer of Bath
- William Trussebut
- Haimo of Falaise
- Wigan Algason
- Robert of Bostare
The medieval writer Henry of Huntingdon
Henry of Huntingdon
Henry of Huntingdon , the son of a canon in the diocese of Lincoln, was a 12th century English historian, the author of a history of England, Historia anglorum, "the most important Anglo-Norman historian to emerge from the secular clergy". He served as archdeacon of Huntingdon...
, writing in his De Contemptu Mundi, mentioned a number of the above and added:
- Richard BassetRichard Basset (royal justice)Richard Basset was an English royal judge and sheriff during the reign of King Henry I of England. His father was also a royal justice. In about 1122 Basset married the eventual heiress of another other royal justice; the marriage settlement has survived. In 1129 and 1130 Basset was sheriff of a...
- Geoffrey RidelGeoffrey Ridel (royal justice)Geoffrey Ridel was a landholder and royal justice during the reign of King Henry I of England.Ridel is mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book as holding land in Norfolk, and is probably also the same Geoffrey who held land in Derbyshire in Domesday...
The author of the Gesta Stephani, a chronicle of the reign of King Stephen of England
Stephen of England
Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
, Henry's successor, named the following as new men during Henry's reign:
- Pain fitzJohnPain fitzJohnPain fitzJohn was an Anglo-Norman nobleman and administrator, and one of King Henry I of England's "new men". The son of a minor nobleman, Pain, along with his brothers, rose through their ability to become important royal officials during the reign of King Henry...
- Miles of GloucesterMiles de Gloucester, 1st Earl of HerefordMiles de Gloucester, 1st Earl of Hereford, Lord of Brecknock was the son of Walter de Gloucester, who served as hereditary sheriff of that county between 1104 and 1121....
To these men, the modern historian H. F. Doherty, writing for the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, adds:
- Eustace fitzJohnEustace fitz JohnEustace fitz John was a powerful magnate in northern England during the reigns of Henry I, Stephen and Henry II. From a relatively humble background in the south-east of England, Eustace made his career serving Henry I, and was elevated by the king through marriage and office into one of the most...
- Walter de Beauchamp
- John MarshallJohn Marshal (Earl Marshal)John FitzGilbert the Marshal was a minor Anglo-Norman nobleman during the reign of King Stephen, and fought in the 12th century civil war on the side of the Empress Matilda. Since at least 1130 and probably earlier, he had been the royal marshal to King Henry I...
- Brien fitzCountBrien FitzCountBrien FitzCount , held the lordships of Wallingford and Abergavenny, and was a staunch supporter of the Empress Matilda during the Anarchy of King Stephen's reign in England in the 1140s.- Illegitimate Birth :He was the illegitimate son of Alan IV, Duke of Brittany...
The historian and biographer of Henry I, Judith Green
Judith Green (historian)
Judith Green is an English medieval historian, who is Emeritus Professor of Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh. A graduate of King's College, London and Somerville College, Oxford, she held a research fellowship and then a lectureship at the University of St Andrews before transferring...
adds the following:
- William de Pont-del-l'Arche
- Osbert the priest
- Richard of Winchester
- Nigel d'AubignyNigel d'AubignyNigel d'Aubigny was a Norman nobleman, and supporter of Henry I of England. He is described as "one of the most favoured of Henry’s 'new men'", and after the Battle of Tinchebrai in 1106 was largely rewarded by Henry with the lands of Robert de Stuteville, who had followed Robert...
- Roger of SalisburyRoger of SalisburyRoger was a Norman medieval Bishop of Salisbury and the seventh Lord Chancellor and Lord Keeper of England.-Life:...