Roger Mortimer, Earl of March (* 25 April 1287; † 29 November 1330) was the eldest son of Edmund Mortimer and Margaret de Fiennes. In 1301 he married Joan de Geneville, through whose family he received not only Ludlow Castle but also extensive possessions in Ireland and the Welsh Marches. The Welsh Marches were the border region between Wales and England. (The conquest of Wales by Edward I had only been completed in 1283). After his father died in 1304, Edward II
appointed Gaveston as Mortimer’s guardian for less than two years. It is not known that there were any differences between him and the royal favourite. In 1308 Mortimer went to Ireland, where he was successful in numerous battles. He did not return to England until 10 years later. On his return, there were already signs of trouble between the Marcher Lords and Despenser, which was to culminate in war from 1321.
The Marcher Lords ruled almost autonomously in their territories, which was encouraged by numerous privileges. They had settled any conflicts among themselves. By the king backing Despenser for his land theft, the lords saw their existence threatened. The rebellion of the Marcher Lords was put down by Edward II. Mortimer was arrested in 1322 and imprisoned in the Tower. In the summer of the following year, he managed to escape to France, where he met Isabella and the heir to the English throne in 1325. Mortimer was instrumental in the preparations for an invasion of England to remove the Despensers from power. At some point during this period, the affair between Mortimer and the Queen of England began and continued after the Despensers were executed and Edward II passed the crown to his son. Mortimer held no official office, but remained at court and probably exercised actual power in the following years with the support of the Queen. In any case, he appropriated land, riches and titles during this time, entirely in the tradition of the Despensers. When, together with Isabella, he pressed for the execution of the Earl of Kent in 1330, he lost all support among the nobility and the population. On 19 October 1330 he was arrested by order of Edward III. At the subsequent trial, he was charged with treason, embezzlement and, suggestively, the murder of Edward II. Although Isabella interceded for Mortimer with her son, he was hanged at Tyburn on 29 November 1330.
Roger Mortimer remained attached to his wife during his liaison with Isabella to the extent that he visited her and provided for her financially. Until 1321, Joan de Geneville bore him at least 12 children. Therefore, Mortimer is a direct ancestor of Elizabeth I over 10 generations.
Edward II
Until [Scene 19], there is nothing to suggest an intimate relationship between Mortimer and Isabella. Nor are there any signs that Mortimer wants to gain dominion over England. After the deposition of Edward II, he takes on almost Machiavellian qualities. For Edward III, he is a traitor, but Mortimer himself does not see himself as such.1 In his eyes, he meets the fate of a ruler in Machiavelli’s sense:
"Base fortune, now I see, that in thy wheele There is a point, to which when men aspire, They tumble hedlong downe, that point I touchte, And seeing there was no place to mount up higher, Why should I greeve at my declining fall? Farewell faire Queene, weepe not for Mortimer, That scornes the world, and as a traveller, Goes to discover countries yet unknowne."2
Marlowe’s characters often have such extreme breaks. Barabas mutates from a successful merchant to a mass-murdering power-monger, while Guise begins as a successful Machiavellian and ends as a jealous cuckold. Like them, Mortimer makes serious mistakes at the height of his power. Apart from the unnecessary execution of Kent, he has Lightborn killed, but fails to eliminate the other two accomplices, Maltravers and Gurney.
