Mortimer (môr´te-mer), Roger de. Eighth Baron of Wigmore and First Earl of March
1287-1330
Welsh rebel and lover of Edward II's wife, Isabella (1292-1358), with whom he raised an army to invade England from France (1326). They deposed Edward (1327) and ruled until 1330, when Edward III seized power and Mortimer was condemned to death by Parliament.
Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition © 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from INSO Corporation; further reproduction and distribution in accordance with the Copyright Law of the United States. All rights reserved.
English Magnate. He led the baronial opposition to Edward II's favourites (1320-22) and was imprisoned before fleeing to France. There he became the lover of Edwards Queen Isabella with whom he secured Edward's deposition and murder in 1327. He then ruled England in the name of Edwards son Edward III, until the latter caused him to be executed.