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- Arnulf of Montgomery (c. 1068-1118/1122) was an Anglo-Norman aristocrat, who played a role in the history of England, Wales, and Ireland.
Lineage
He was the youngest son of Roger de Montgomerie, 1st Earl of Shrewsbury and Mabel de Bellême.
Early career
Around 1093 he was part of the invasion of South Wales following the death in battle of Rhys ap Tewdwr. the last king of South Wales. Arnulf built a castle at Pembroke in West Wales, described by Giraldus Cambrensis as a "slender fortress of turf and stakes" under the command of one of his young officers, Gerald FitzWalter (aka Gerald de Windsor), who held it for Arnulf in the face of the great Welsh uprising of 1093. In 1094 king William II of England rewarded Arnulf with the formal lordship of Pembroke; some historians say that he was in fact created Earl of Pembroke. In any case the lordship was smaller than the later Pembrokeshire.
Arnulf's holdings were greatly expanded in 1096 when Rufus gave him the lordship of Holderness, which in addition to that part of Yorkshire included land in Lincolnshire.
Rebellion & Banishment
It is likely that Arnulf had been designated heir of his brother Hugh of Montgomery, 2nd Earl of Shrewsbury, but after Hugh's death in 1098 Arnulf was outmaneouvered by their eldest brother, Robert of Belleme, 3rd earl of Shrewsbury. This caused some rift between the brothers; nevertheless Arnulf participated in their 1101 rebellion against Henry I of England. As a result, they lost their English and Welsh lands, and were exiled from England.
Ireland
Arnulf turned his attention to Ireland, where, prior to the Montgomery rebellion, he had sent Gerald de Windsor to secure for him the hand in marriage of Lafracoth, daughter of the Irish king Muircheartach Ua Briain; by 1102, Arnulf was mentioned by Muirchertach as his son-in-law in a letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury Anselm of Bec. Muirchertach provided support for the Montgomerys' rebellion; as a result King Henry I of England placed a trade embargo on Ireland.
Orderic Vitalis states that Arnulf went to Ireland after the rebellion failed and served for Muirchertach Ua Briain, although the Irish Annals make no mention of this. He further relates that Arnulf was used by Muirchertach to defeat Magnus Barelegs. Then, "when the Irish had tasted blood by killing King Magnus and his companions they grew more unruly and suddently turned to kill the Normans. Their king took his daughter away from Arnulf and gave the wanton girl in unlawful marriage to one of his cousins. He resolved to murder Arnulf himself as a reward for his alliance, but the latter, learning of the execrable plots of this barbarous race, fled to his own people and lived for twenty years afterwards with no fixed abode."
Later life
In later years Arnulf was in the entourage of count Fulk V of Anjou.
A tombstone in Tulsk, Ireland bears the name Arnoulf and the date 1122.
Arnulf died sometime between 1118 and 1122. Some sources list him as having died without issue[1], although other sources list him as having left two daughters.
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Abt 1068 - Abt 1120 (~ 52 years)