Geoffrey Fitz Peter was an earl of Essex and chief justiciar of England.
Background
There is no exact information about Geoffrey's birth. It is known that he was the son of the knight Peter (Pierre, Pierce) de Lyutshargal. His older brother Simon was at various times the sheriff of Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire.
Career
Last five years of the reign of Henry II (1184 - 1189) Jeffrey served as sheriff in Northamptonshire. After the death of his father-in-law William de Say in 1184, Jeffrey shared his possessions with his brother-in-law William Bockland. When the preparations for the Third Crusade began, Jeffrey expressed his willingness to participate in it, but later abandoned the idea because of the large fine imposed on him by King Richard. In the absence of the monarch, he was one of five judges sitting in the royal court, and the lord of the treasury, as well as the adviser to the Justiciary Hugo de Puise.
In 1189, died without leaving heirs, William de Mandeville, the 3rd Earl of Essex. Geoffrey's wife was a count of a first cousin, being the grand daughter of Sister Geoffrey de Mandeville. On her behalf, Geoffrey announced the rights to inheritance. His rival was Jeffrey de Say, Uncle Beatrice and the cousin of the deceased count respectively. Lord Chancellor William Longchamp first ruled in favor of de Say, who pledged to pay 7, 000 marks for it; When de Say was not able to find such a sum, the legacy, which included the vast lands of the Mandeville, passed for three thousand marks to Geoffrey Fitz-Peter. In subsequent years there was a feud between the new Earl of Essex and the Bishop of London because of the Abbey of Walden, as a result of which an interdict was even imposed on the Count. In 1198, King Richard appointed Geoffrey Fitz-Peter the Justiciary of England. In this capacity, Geoffrey defeated Prince Powys Gwenwynwin, who invaded the domain of the Brazos. His main task was to finance the wars of Richard the Lionheart. To do this, the new justice officer raised taxes, set a payment for confirming documents with the royal seal, and increased fines. After Richard's death, Geoffrey went straight to Northampton to greet John as the new king. On the day of his coronation (May 27, 1199), he restored the title of Earl of Essex to Jeffrey. Later, other awards followed: the earl became the sheriff of York, received a number of estates. Until the end of his life, he remained a faithful servant of the king, defending his interests, 2 for which he received a reputation as a "bad adviser" for those dissatisfied with the policy of John Barons. When the king went on a campaign to France (1213), Jeffrey remained a regent with Pierre de Roche. At a meeting of the nobility in St. Albans on August 4, he urged the barons to observe the laws established by Henry Bockler. Shortly thereafter, the Earl of Essex died.
Connections
Geoffrey Fitz-Peter was married twice. His first wife was Beatrice de Say, the daughter of William de Say. In this marriage were born:
Geoffrey FitzGeoffrey de Mandeville, 2nd Earl of Essex.
William FitzGeoffrey de Mandeville, 3rd Earl of Essex.
Henry, Dean of Wolverhampton.
Maud Fitzgeoffrey, who married Henry de Bohun, 1st Earl of Hereford.
The second marriage of Geoffrey Fitz-Peter married Eveline de Claire, daughter of Roger de Claire, 2nd Earl of Hartford, and Maud de Saint Hilard. In this marriage were born:
John Fitzgeoffrey, Lord of Shere and Justiciar of Ireland.