Sir Walter Bentley | |
|---|---|
| English Knight | |
 Blason of Sir Walter Bentley | |
| Born | circa 1310 Yorkshire, England |
| Died | December 1359 Hennebont, Brittany |
| Nationality | English |
| Spouse(s) | Jeanne de Clisson (Lioness of Brittany) |
| Father | Sir John Bentley |
Sir Walter Bentley (died 1359) was an English knight who fought during the Hundred Years' War.
Bentley was a son of Sir John Bentley, of Yorkshire, and may have been born in or around Beverley, Yorkshire.
Bentley is known to have fought during the early stages of the Second War of Scottish Independence.
Bentley served as King Edward III of England's sergeant in France during 1339. [1]
As part of William de Bohun, Earl of Northampton's retinue, Bentley served in Brittany in 1342. Forming his own mercenary band, he had control of Tristan and a number of castles in western Brittany.
Bentley held many lands in England, as well as in Brittany and France such as: Beauvoir-sur-Mer, Ampant, Barre, Blaye, Chateauneuf, Villemaine, the Île-Chauvet and islands of Noirmoutier and Bouin.
Bentley, to control excessive pillaging by his men in the countryside used a process of restauro equorum, sought a third of the profits of his men, in receipt of the Kings pay who were serving without the benefit of appraised war assets such as horses etc. [2]
Bentley became involved in a feud with Raoul de Caours, the English lieutenant of Bas-Poitou, over the possession of Jeanne de Clisson's castles that Caours had seized from the French. [3] To prevent a private war between Bentley and Caours, Edward III ordered them to accept his arbitration and in October 1349, Edward III returned these castles to Bentley. As a result, Caours defected to the French. Caours is also said to have subsequently arranged a ambush of the then English Lieutenant of Brittany, Sir Thomas Dagworth in 1350.
Bentley was subsequently appointed as the King's Lieutenant of Brittany on 8 September 1350, as the successor of Thomas Dagworth. [3]
During June 1351, a French army laid siege to the town of Ploërmel, Bentley was able to relieve the town, raiding into Maine and along the Loire Valley. [3]
While Bentley was in England, a French army under Guy II de Nesle, raided into Brittany. Returning to Brittany, Walter raised an English-Breton army and defeated Guy II during the battle of Mauron. [3] Many French nobles were captured. Bentley was also severely injured during the battle. He was dismissed as the King's Lieutenant in early 1353.
Later that same year, Edward III ordered Bentley to surrender his wife's castles, part of a treaty with Charles, Duke of Brittany. [3] Bentley refused to hand over the castle and travelled to England to plead his case, before Edward III. Walter was imprisoned in the Tower of London, while his case was heard. Eventually he was released and allowed to return after a period of having to stay in England. In January 1357, he and his wife were granted the barony of La Roche-Moisan.
Bentley died in December 1359 in Hennebont, his wife, Jeanne, a few weeks later. [3]
Bentley married Jeanne, [3] the widow of Geoffrey de Châteaubriant VIII, Guy of Penthièvre and Olivier IV de Clisson, she was the daughter of Maurice IV Montaigu of Belleville and Palluau and Létice de Parthenay, they had no issue.
Some French records use the French term Gautier, to refer to Walter Bentley.
Philip VI, called the Fortunate or the Catholic and of Valois was the first king of France from the House of Valois, reigning from 1328 until his death in 1350. Philip's reign was dominated by the consequences of a succession dispute. When King Charles IV of France died in 1328, his nearest male relative was his nephew, King Edward III of England, but the French nobility preferred Charles's paternal cousin, Philip.
Joan of Penthièvre reigned as Duchess of Brittany together with her husband, Charles of Blois, between 1341 and 1364. Her ducal claims were contested by the House of Montfort, which prevailed only after an extensive civil war, the War of the Breton Succession. After the war, Joan remained titular Duchess of Brittany to her death. She was Countess of Penthièvre in her own right throughout her life.
The War of the Breton Succession was a conflict between the Counts of Blois and the Montforts of Brittany for control of the Sovereign Duchy of Brittany, then a fief of the Kingdom of France. It was fought between 1341 and 12 April 1365. It is also known as the War of the Two Jeannes due to the involvement of two rival duchesses of that name.
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Olivier V de Clisson, nicknamed "The Butcher", was a Breton soldier, the son of Olivier IV de Clisson. His father had been put to death by the French in 1343 on the suspicion of having willingly given up the city of Vannes to the English.
The Battle of Mauron was fought in 1352 in Brittany during the Breton War of Succession between an Anglo-Breton force supporting the claim of Jean de Montfort and a Franco-Breton force supporting the claim of Charles de Blois. The Anglo-Bretons were victorious. The battle took place in the context of the Hundred Years War.
Sir Thomas Dagworth was an English knight and soldier, who led the joint English-Breton armies in Brittany during the Hundred Years' War.
Events from the 1350s in England.
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Jeanne de Clisson (1300–1359), also known as Jeanne de Belleville and the Lioness of Brittany, was a French/Breton noblewoman who became a privateer to avenge her husband after he was executed for treason by King Philip VI of France. She crossed the English Channel targeting French ships and often slaughtering their crew. It was her practice to leave at least one sailor alive to carry her message of vengeance.
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The Treaty of Guînes was a draft settlement to end the Hundred Years' War, negotiated between England and France and signed at Guînes on 6 April 1354. The war had broken out in 1337 and was further aggravated in 1340 when the English king, Edward III, claimed the French throne. The war went badly for France: the French army was heavily defeated at the Battle of Crécy, and the French town of Calais was besieged and captured. With both sides exhausted, a truce was agreed that, despite being only fitfully observed, was repeatedly renewed.
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Olivier IV de Clisson (1300–1343), was a Breton Marche Lord and knight who became embroiled in the intrigue of Vannes and was subsequently executed by the King of France for perceived treason. He was the husband of Jeanne de Clisson who eventually became known as the Lioness of Brittany.
Amaury de Clisson (1304–1347), was a Breton knight who became the chief emissary for Jeanne de Penthièvre to the court of Edward III of England.