Isabel le Despenser

Notes:

Confusingly, her two husbands were both named Richard de Beauchamp. The two Richards de Beauchamp were first cousins, both being grandchildren of Thomas de Beauchamp and Katherine de Mortimer.

Isabel married Richard de Beauchamp on 27 Jul 1411 in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England. Richard (son of William Beauchamp and Joan Arundel) was born about 1397; died on 18 Mar 1422 in Meaux, Seine-et-Marne, Île-de-France, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Isabel married Richard de Beauchamp on 26 Nov 1423 in Hanley Castle, Worcestershire, England. Richard (son of Thomas Beauchamp and Margaret Ferrers) died on 30 Apr 1439 in Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Normandy, France; was buried in St. Mary's, Warwick, Warwickshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. Anne Beauchamp was born on 13 Jul 1429; died about 20 Sep 1492.

Thomas married Constance of York about 7 Nov 1379. Constance (daughter of Edmund of Langley and Isabella of Castile) was born about 1374; died on 28 Nov 1416. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Countess of Gloucester.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: 24 Mar 1336, Essendine, Rutland, England

Notes:

From The Ancestry of Dorothea Poyntz:

Accompanied the Prince of Wales into Gascony, Sept 1355, and fought at the battle of Poitiers (France, Hundred Years' War), 17 Sept 1356, at which time he was already a knight. He was with the King in the invasion of France 1359-1360. Made a Knight of the Garter, 1361. Took part in the war in Lombardy, 1368-1372; fought in France, 1372-1373, was Constable of the Army in the Duke of Lancaster's unsuccessful expedition to France 1373-1374, and assisted the Duke of Brittany in his campaign in that province, 1375.

From Wikipedia:

He was a friend and patron of Jean Froissart and the eldest brother of Henry le Despenser, Bishop of Norwich.

There is a statue of him on the top of the Holy Trinity Chantry Chapel in Tewkesbury Abbey, renowned as the "Kneeling Knight."

Edward le Despenser (1335-1375)
Elizabeth le Despenser (1365-1408)
Thomas Arundel (1388-1430)
Alianor Arundel
Katherine Browne
Richard Sackville
Richard Sackville
Anne Sackville
Henry Shelley
Richard Shelley
John Shelley
(Unknown) Shelley
John Shelley
Timothy Shelley (b. 1700)
Byssche Shelley (1731-1815)
Timothy Shelley (1753-1844)
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)

Edward married Elizabeth Burghersh before 2 Aug 1354. Elizabeth (daughter of Bartholomew de Burghersh and Cecily de Weyland) was born in 1342; died on 26 Jul 1409; was buried in Tewkesbury Abbey, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: Abt 26 Jul 1409

Notes:

Earl of Cambridge. 1st Duke of York.

"[C]ampaigned in France and Spain during the Hundred Years War, sharing in the sack of Limoges in 1370, king's lieutenant of Brittany, where his siege of St. Malon was frustrated by du Guesclin, served as regent during Richard II's absences." [The Ancestry of Charles II, King of England (citation details below)]

Edmund married Isabella of Castile between 1 Jan 1372 and 30 Apr 1372 in Hertford, Hertfordshire, England. Isabella (daughter of Pedro I, King of Castile and Maria García de Padilla) was born in 1355; died on 23 Dec 1392; was buried in Church of the Dominicans, Langley, Hertfordshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Slain at the Battle of Morlaix.

Edward married Anne de Ferrers on 20 Apr 1335 in Groby in Ratby, Leicestershire, England. Anne (daughter of William de Ferrers and (Unknown) de Segrave) died on 8 Aug 1367. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: Abt 1323, of Ewyas Lacy, Herefordshire, England

Notes:

Steward and Constable of Wallingford and St. Valery. Justiciar of Chester. One of the most distinguished warriors of his age.

From Wikipedia:

His recorded career begins in 1339, when he accompanied Edward III in his expedition to Flanders and took part in the first invasion of French territory. We find his name also as attending the king on his third inglorious and unprofitable campaign in Brittany in 1342-3. In 1346, he was one of the retinue of Edward the Black Prince, then in his fifteenth year, in the Battle of Crécy, and in the following year was present at the siege of Calais, being rewarded for his distinguished services there by a rich wardship. In 1349, he was in the campaign in Gascony.

On the institution of the Order of the Garter in 1350, he was chosen to be one of the first knights companions. In 1354, he fulfilled a religious vow by taking a journey to the Holy Land.

On his return home he joined the Black Prince in the expedition, in 1355. He was one of the most eminent of the commanders of the invading army, and had a leading share in the events of the campaign, especially in the battle of Poitiers, 19 September 1356. A daring exploit of Burghersh is recorded by Froissart shortly before the battle. In company with Sir John Chandos and Sir James Audley, and attended by only four-and-twenty horsemen, he made an excursion from the main body of the army, and, falling on the rear of the French army, took thirty-two knights and gentlemen prisoners. His prowess and skill were again tried about the same time, when, on his return with a small foraging party at Romorantin near Berry, he was attacked from an ambuscade by a much more formidable force, which, however, he managed to keep at bay till relieved by the Black Prince. During this campaign his father, Lord Burghersh, died, and he received livery of his lands as his heir.

In 1359, he again accompanied Edward III on his last and most formidable invasion of France, ending in the decisive treaty of Bretigny, 8 May 1360. He was deputed to aid in the negotiation of this treaty between 'the firstborn sons of the kings of England and France' at Chartres, for which letters of protection were given him. He and his brother commissioners were taken prisoners in violation of the bond, and Edward had to interpose to obtain their liberation. During this campaign Knighton records his successful siege of the castle of Sourmussy in Gascony, in which he appears to have evidenced no common skill.

In 1362, he was appointed one of the commissioners on the state of Ireland. When, in 1364, King John II of France, to make atonement for the Louis I, Duke of Anjou's breach of faith, determined to yield himself back to captivity, to die three months alter his Landing at the Savoy Palace, Burghersh was one of the nobles deputed to receive him at Dover and conduct him by Canterbury to Edward's presence at Eltham. In 1366 he was one of the commissioners sent to Urban V, who had rashly demanded the payment of the arrears of the tribute granted by King John.

Bartholomew married Cecily de Weyland before 10 May 1335. Cecily (daughter of Richard de Weyland and Joan de Ufford) was born about 10 Oct 1318; died after 2 Aug 1354. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: 1319
• Alternate death: Between Aug 1354 and Aug 1366

Edward married Philippa of Hainault, Queen Consort of England on 24 Jan 1328 in York Cathedral, York, Yorkshire, England. Philippa (daughter of William III of Hainault and Jeanne de Valois) was born about 1314; died on 15 Aug 1359 in Windsor, Berkshire, England; was buried in Westminster Abbey, Westminster, Middlesex, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Genealogist Martin Hollick has pointed out that the marriage of Edward III and Philippa of Hainault marks the point at which descent from William the Conqueror was united with descent from Harold Godwinson, who lost to William at Hastings in 1066:

Harold II Godwinson, King of England (~1022-1066) = Ealdgyth of Mercia (d. >1066)
Gytha of Wessex = Vladimir II Monomakh, Grand Prince of Kiev (1053-1125)
Mstislav I, Grand Prince of Kiev (1076-1132) = Ljubawa Dimitriewna Sawiditsch (d. 1167)
Euphrosine of Kiev (~1130-1186) = Geisa II, King of Hungary, Croatia, Dalmatia, and Rama (1130-1161)
Béla III, King of Hungary, Croatia, Dalmatia, and Rama (~1148-1196) = Anna de Châtillon (1154-1184)
András II, King of Hungary (1176-1235) = Yolanda of Courtenay (~1200-1233)
Violant of Hungary (d. 1251) = James I, King of Aragón (1208-1276)
Isabella of Aragón (d. 1271) = Philippe III, King of France (1245-1285)
Charles of France (1270-1325) = Margaret of Anjou (1272-1299)
Jeanne de Valois (~1294-1342) = William III of Hainault) (~1286-1337)
Philippa of Hainault (~1314-1359)

Pedro married Maria García de Padilla in 1353. Maria (daughter of Juan Garcia de Padilla and Maria González de Henestrosa) was born about 1335; died in Jul 1361 in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Also called María Díaz de Padilla, Maria de Padilla.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: of Hanley Castle, Worcestershire, England
• Alternate death: 29 Nov 1326, Hereford, Herefordshire, England

Notes:

"The Younger". Favorite of Edward II; ultimately convicted of treason. "Outside the city he was stripped and then reclothed with his arms reversed, and he was crowned with stinging nettles. Condemned to death as a traitor, on 24 November 1326 he was drawn on a hurdle to the gallows, and then hanged from a height of 50 feet. Still alive, he was cut down and eviscerated before finally being beheaded. His head was displayed on London Bridge; his quarters were sent to Bristol, Dover, York, and Newcastle. In December 1330 Eleanor de Clare received royal permission to collect her husband's bones and inter them in Tewkesbury Abbey." [Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]

Hugh married Eleanor de Clare after 14 Jun 1306 in Westminster, Middlesex, England. Eleanor (daughter of Gilbert de Clare and Joan of Acre) was born in Oct 1292 in Caerphilly, Glamorgan, Wales; died on 30 Jun 1337. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: Bef 23 Nov 1292, Caerphilly, Glamorgan, Wales

Notes:

"She was imprisoned in the Tower of London, 17 Nov 1326, later released, and had her lands restored to her, 22 Apr 1328. Before 26 Jan 1329 she was abducted from Hanley Castle by Sir William la Zouche who subsequently married her. She was imprisoned again in the Tower, shortly after 5 Feb 1329, and then in Devizes Castle, until after 6 Jan 1330 as a result of accompanying her husband in his siege of her castle of Caerphilly." [The Ancestry of Dorothea Poyntz, citation details below.]

Notes:

He fought at the battle of Falkirk, 22 Jul 1298, and was present at the siege of Caerlaverock Castle in 1300. He was summoned to Parliament by writs, 29 Dec 1299 to 24 Sep 1324.

William married (Unknown) de Segrave. (Unknown) (daughter of John de Segrave and Christian de Plessets) died before 1316. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: Aft 9 Feb 1317

Notes:

Possibly named Ellen or Margaret.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Buried: Grey Friars, Smithfield, London, England
• Alternate birth: Bef 1305, of Burghersh, Sussex, England

Notes:

"He joined Thomas, Earl of Lancaster in his rebellion against Edward II and was defeated with him at the battle of Boroughbridge, 16 Mar 1322. A knight banneret in 1341; fought at the battle of Crécy (France, Hundred Years' War), 26 Aug 1346; Chamberlain of the Household and Constable of the Tower of London, 27 June 1355 until his death." [The Ancestry of Dorothea Poyntz, citation details below.]

Bartholomew married Elizabeth de Verdun before 11 Jun 1320. Elizabeth (daughter of Thebaud de Verdun and Maud de Mortimer) was born about 1306; died on 1 May 1360; was buried in Grey Friars, Smithfield, London, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: Bef 30 Oct 1290
• Alternate death: Bef 8 Oct 1319

Notes:

Knight of the shire for Suffolk, circa 1312.

Richard married Joan de Ufford. Joan (daughter of Robert de Ufford and Cecily de Valoines) died before 1331; was buried in Grey Friars, Dunwich, Suffolk, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: Aft 10 Apr 1319
• Alternate death: Aft 8 Oct 1319

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: 22 Sep 1327, Berkeley Castle, Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England

Notes:

He is widely held to have died 21 (or 22) Sep 1327 in Berkeley Castle, but Ian Mortimer has presented arguments to the contrary that seem to us not easily dismissed.

Edward married Isabella of France, Queen Consort of England on 25 Jan 1308 in Boulogne-sur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais, France. Isabella (daughter of Philippe IV "the Fair", King of France; King of Navarre and Joan, Queen of Navarre; Queen Consort of France) was born in 1292 in Boulogne, France; died on 22 Aug 1358 in Hertford Castle, Hertford, Hertfordshire, England; was buried in Church of the Grey Friars, London, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Count of Hainault, Holland, and Zeeland.

William married Jeanne de Valois on 19 May 1305 in Chauny, Aisne, France. Jeanne (daughter of Charles of France and Margaret of Anjou) was born about 1294; died on 7 Mar 1342 in Fontenelles, Burgundy, France; was buried in Abbey of Fontenelles, Burgundy, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

As a widow she became abbess of Fontenelles.

Alfonso married Maria of Portugal in Sep 1328. Maria (daughter of Afonso IV, King of Portugal and Beatriz of Castile) was born about 1313; died on 13 Jan 1357 in Évora, Alentejo, Portugal. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: 18 Jan 1357, Évora, Alentejo, Portugal

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: 1355

Notes:

Señor de Villagera.

Juan married Maria González de Henestrosa before 7 Sep 1325. Maria (daughter of Fernán González de Henestrosa and Maria Arias de Asturias) died after 2 Mar 1355. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Also called Maria González de Fenestrosa; Maria Fernández de Henestrosa.

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: 1 Mar 1261, Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England

Notes:

Earl of Winchester. Called "The Elder", despite being the second of three consecutive Hughs Despenser. Fought at Falkirk, at the siege of Caerlaverock, and at Bannockburn.

"Sir Hugh le Despenser, of Loughborough, Arnesby, Parlington, Ryhall, &c., Wycombe, Compton-Basset and Wootton-Basset, &c., s. and h. [of Sir Hugh le Despenser who d. 4 Aug. 1265], b. 1 Mar. 1260/1. In 28 May 1281 he was given the administration of the lands which his father had forfeited, and had livery of his mother's lands, 8 Aug. 1281, although he was not of age till 1 Mar. following. He had livery of the manor of Martley, co. Worcester, 3 Mar. 1281/2, as h. of his father's first cousin, John le Despenser. He was with the King in Gascony in 1287. Was one of those ordered, 22 Aug. 1288, during the King's absence abroad, to abstain from violations of the peace. Was appointed Constable of Odiham Castle, 12 June 1294. Was appointed an envoy to treat with the King of the Romans, June 1294, with the King of France, 1 Jan. 1295/6, and with the King of France and the King of the Romans, Nov. 1296. He accompanied the King to Scotland in 1296. Was one of the proxies who swore to the treaty with the Count of Flanders, 5 Feb. 1296/7 to 18 Aug. 1307. Received instructions to threaten the Clergy, 21 Mar. 1296/7. One of the King's Council, 1297. Accompanied the King to Flanders in Aug. 1297. He was with the King in Scotland in 1300, 1303, 1304, and 1306. Was appointed an envoy to the Pope, Sep. 1300, to treat of peace with the King of France, 25 Apr. 1302, and an envoy to the Pope, Oct. 1305. In 1305 he was appointed and sworn, in Parl., a commissioner to treat with the Scots. At the Coronation of Edward II, 25 Feb. 1307/8, he was one of the four who carried the table (saccarium) on which were laid the royal robes. Constable of the castles of Devizes and Marlborough, 12 Mar. 1307/8 to 2 Dec. 1308. Constable of the Castle of Strigoil and Keeper of the town of Chepstow, 12 Mar. 1307/8 to 17 July (or 21 Aug.) 1310. Appointed Justice of the forests South of Trent during the King's pleasure, 16 Mar. 1307/8, and for life, 28 Aug. 1309. In the quarrel about Gavastone in 1308 he alone sided with the King against the Barons, who induced the King to promise to dismiss him from Court. He took part in the Baron's letter to the Pope, 6 Aug. 1309. Had licence to crenellate all his dwelling houses throughout the kingdom, 29 Sep. 1311. Keeper of the forests South of Trent, 14 June 1312 to 19 Feb. 1314/5. He was one of the King's deputies in the treaty with the magnates concerning the death of Gavastone, 20 Dec. 1312. Was pardoned for all arrears and debts to the King, 25 Mar. 1313, and accompanied him to Pontoise, 23 May following. He was excluded from the peace that was arranged between the King and the discontented barons in the autumn of 1313. Was at the battle of Bannockburn, 24 June 1314, and accompanied the King in his flight to Dunbar, and thence by sea to Berwick. A few months afterwards the party of the Earl of Lancaster obtained his dismissal from Court, and his removal from the council in Feb. 1314/5. A commission was appointed, 13 July 1315, to hear complaints against his acts of oppression as Keeper of the forests South of Trent. He was in the Scottish Wars in 1317. He was again specially excluded when peace was made with the Earl of Lancaster in Aug. 1318: to avoid the Earl, he is said to have gone "on pilgrimage" to Compostella. Was sent to set in order the affairs of Gascony, 28 Feb. 1319/20, and on missions to the King of France and the Pope in Mar. following. Was appointed Constable of Marlborough Castle, 2 May 1321. He was sum. for Military Service from 14 Mar. (1282/3) 11 Edw. I to 11 May (1322) 15 Edw. II, to attend the King at Shrewsbury, 28 June (1283) 11 Edw. II, to attend the King at Salisbury, 26 Jan. (1296/7) 25 Edw. I, to Councils from 8 Jan. (1308/9) 2 Edw. II to 1 July (1317) 10 Edw. II, and to Parl. from 24 June (1295) 23 Edw. I to 14 Mar. (1321/2) 15 Edw. II, by writs directed Hugoni le Despenser, whereby he is held to have become LORD LE DESPENSER. In May and June 1321 the barons of the Welsh Marches and their adherents ravaged the lands of the younger Despenser in Wales, and those of the elder throughout the country. In Aug. of that year both Despensers were accused in Parl., chiefly on account of the son's misconduct, of many misdeeds, viz., of accroaching to themselves royal power, counselling the King evilly, replacing good ministers by bad ones, &c. Wherefore they were disinherited for ever (19 Aug.), and exiled from the realm, not to return without the assent of the King and Parl. The elder Hugh accordingly retired to the Continent. His lands were taken into the King's hand, 15 Sep. 1321. The sentence on the Despensers was pronounced unlawful at a provincial council of the clergy about 1 Jan. 1321/2. In Mar. following the elder Hugh accompanied the King against the contrariants, and was present at the judgment on the Earl of Lancaster. The proceedings against the Despensers were annulled and cancelled in the Parl. of York, the lands of the elder Hugh being formally restored, 7 May 1322. Three days later, 10 May, the King granted him £20 a year from the issues of co. Hants, to be received nomine et honore comitis Wyntonie, and girded him with the sword as EARL OF WINCHESTER. He accompanied the King in his expedition against the Scots in Aug. 1322. He was appointed Keeper of the forests South of Trent, 27 June 1324, for life. He was sum. for Military Service from 20 Sep. (1322) 16 Edw. II to 1 May (1325) 18 Edw. II, to Councils from 20 Nov. (1323) 17 Edw. II to 20 Feb. (1324/5) 18 Edw. II, and to Parl. from 18 Sep. (1322) 16 Edw. II to 10 Oct. (1325) 19 Edw. II, by writs directed Hugoni le Despenser Comiti Wynton. He m. in or before 1286, without the King's lic. (fine of 2,000 marks, afterwards remitted), Isabel, widow of Sir Patric de Chaurces or Chaworces, of Kidwelly, co. Carmarthen, Somborne, Hants, &c. (who d.s.p.m. shortly before 7 July 1283), and da. of William (de Beauchamp), Earl of Warwick, by Maud, sister and coh. of Sir Richard fitz John, of Shere, Surrey, Fambridge, Essex, &c. [Lord FitzJohn], and 1st da. of Sir John fitz Geoffrey, of Shere and Fambridge. She d. shortly before 30 May 1306. On the King's flight to Wales in Oct. 1326 the Earl was dispatched to defend Bristol, which, however, he at once surrendered on the arrival of the Queen, 26 Oct. Next day he was tried--without being allowed to speak in his own defence--condemned to death as a traitor, and hanged on the common gallows. On his death, 27 Oct. 1326, at the age of 65, all his honours were forfeited, the sentence of 'Exile' passed on him in 1321 being re-affirmed in Parl., 1 Edw. III." [Complete Peerage]

"When the queen landed in England with an armed force in September 1326, she put out a proclamation against the Despensers. On the king's flight to Wales in October 1326, Earl Hugh was dispatched to defend Bristol, which, however, he at once surrendered on the arrival of the Queen. The next day, 27 October 1326, Sir Hugh le Despenser, Earl of Winchester, was tried -- without being allowed to speak in his own defence -- condemned to death as a traitor, and hanged on the common gallows, all honors forfeited. His head was sent to Winchester." [Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry]

Hanged in his armor, then beheaded and his body cut into pieces for the dogs.

Hugh married Isabel de Beauchamp between 10 Sep 1285 and 27 Jan 1287. Isabel (daughter of William de Beauchamp and Maud fitz John) died before 30 May 1306. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: 1299

Notes:

Called "Red Gilbert" and "The Red Earl". Earl of Gloucester. Earl of Hertford. Steward of St. Edmund's Abbey. Held, among many other manors and lordships, the lordship of Glamorgan, one of the most wealthy holdings in the Welsh Marches. Built Caerphilly Castle.

A turbulent figure who fought on both sides of the Second Barons' War of 1263-64, first alongside Simon de Montfort at the battle of Lewes (where according to some accounts he personally took Henry III prisoner), and then on the side of the king, commanding one of the royal divisions at the decisive battle of Evesham where de Montfort was killed.

His subsequent relationships with Henry III and Edward I were complex and fraught. As one of the two or three most powerful non-royal individuals in the realm, he was both a desirable ally and also the very model of the kind of overweening subject that Edward was determined to tame -- and ultimately did.

As a side note, it is worth noting that while de Clare was still allied to the baronial party, he led the massacre of the Jews at Canterbury, which took place while other rebel leaders were conducting similar massacres in London. Ian Stone writes in "The Rebel Barons of 1264 and the Commune of London," quoted here: "The Dunstable annals report rumours that the Jews of London were preparing to betray the citizens: they had Greek fire to burn the city, copies of the keys to the city gates, and subterranean passages to each gate. Such tales were used to excuse an outbreak of looting and murder. One chronicler says that the Jews were suspected of betraying the barons and citizens, and almost all were killed. Another says that the Jewish quarter was pillaged, and any Jews who were caught were stripped, robbed and murdered. Estimates of the number killed range from 200 to 500, with the remainder forcibly converted or imprisoned (or, looking at it another way, the rest were saved by the justices and the mayor, who sent them to the Tower for protection). The chronicler Wykes, who tended to be less favourable to the baronial party, singled out the baronial leader John fitz John, who was said to have killed the leading Jew, Kok son of Abraham, with his own hands, and seized his treasure. Fitz John was then forced to share the proceeds with Simon de Montfort. It is possible that de Montfort was taking the Jewish treasure, not to enrich himself, but to finance his forces. At the same time, the cash of Italian and French merchants, deposited in religious houses around London, was also seized and taken to the city."

Gilbert married Joan of Acre in May 1290 in Westminster Abbey, Westminster, Middlesex, England. Joan (daughter of Edward I, King of England and Eleanor of Castile, Queen Consort of England) was born in 1272 in Acre, Palestine; died on 23 Apr 1307 in Clare, Suffolk, England; was buried in Austin Friars, Clare, Suffolk, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: 7 Apr 1307
• Alternate death: 28 Apr 1307, Clare, Suffolk, England

Notes:

Also called Joan of England.

"The agreement for Joan's marriage to Gilbert de Clare, earl of Hertford and Gloucester, was made in 1283. Gilbert and his first wife, Alice de la Marche, had had only two daughters; this marriage was dissolved in 1285, and a papal dispensation for the marriage to Joan was obtained four years later. Gilbert surrendered all his lands to the king, and they were settled jointly on Gilbert and Joan for their lives, and were then to pass to their children; if however the marriage was childless, the lands were to pass to Joan's children by any later marriage. The wedding took place at Westminster in early May 1290." [Oxford Dictionary of National Biography]

Because of this agreement, Joan remained in control of the estates following Gilbert's death in 1295. Her father intended for her to marry Amadeus V of Savoy, but instead she secretly married Ralph de Monthermer, a squire of Earl Gilbert's household whom she had previously persuaded her father to knight. "She is reputed to have said 'It is not ignominious or shameful for a great and powerful earl to marry a poor and weak woman; in the reverse case it is neither reprehensible or difficult for a countess to promote a vigorous young man.'" [Oxford Dictionary of National Biography] Her enraged father slapped de Monthermer into prison and seized all of Joan's lands, but through the mediation of Anthony Bek, Bishop of Durham, father and daughter were reconciled and her estates restored to her. Subsequently the king "became much attached to his new son-in-law, who was summoned to Parliament as Earl of Gloucester and Hertford during the minority of his step-son Gilbert de Clare." [Royal Ancestry] De Monthermer went on to serve in a variety of offices and military roles.

Notes:

Royal Ancestry gives the date of their marriage as 23 April 1290; Complete Peerage as 30 April; the ODNB as "early May."

Notes:

He was never married to an Anne (or a Joan) Despenser, as widely reported in 19th- and 20th-century secondary sources.

William married Anne Durward in 1270. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: Abt 1256, of Segrave, Leicestershire, England

Notes:

Justice of the Forest beyond Trent; King's Lieutenant (or Keeper) of Scotland.

"A knight in Aug 1282; served in Wales, 1285, in Ireland, 1287, and in Scotland in 1291 and 1297-1322. He was a principal commander at the victorious battle of Falkirk, 22 July 1298; was at the siege of Caerlaverock, July 1300, being then a knight banneret, and was captured by the Scots following the English defeat at Bannockburn, 24 June 1314 and released following a year of captivity. Appointed Warden of Scotland, 10 Mar 1309 and again, 10 Apr 1310." [The Ancestry of Dorothea Poyntz, citation details below.]

John married Christian de Plessets in 1270. Christian (daughter of Hugh de Plessets) died after 8 May 1331. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Also called de Plescy, de Plessy, de Plessis.

Notes:

Constable of Dover Castle. Warden of the Cinque Ports from 1299 to his death. Summoned to Parliament by writs from 12 Nov 1303 to 13 Jul 1305.

Robert married Maud de Badlesmere. Maud (daughter of Guncelin de Badlesmere) died after 2 Jan 1306. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Fought at Falkirk. Justiciar of Ireland, 30 Apr 1313 - Jan 1315. He was summoned to Parliament by writs from 29 Dec 1299 to 16 Oct 1315.

Thebaud married Maud de Mortimer on 29 Jul 1302 in Wigmore, Herefordshire, England. Maud (daughter of Edmund de Mortimer and Margaret de Fiennes) died on 17 Sep 1312 in Alton, Staffordshire, England; was buried in Croxden Abbey, Staffordshire, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: 18 Sep 1312, Alton, Staffordshire, England

Notes:

"A knight by 4 Sept 1297. Fought in Scotland 1297, 1298 and 1301; went to the Court of Rome for the King 1298." [The Ancestry of Dorothea Poyntz]

John married Mary before 1289. Mary died after Oct 1312. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: Aft 12 Dec 1312

Notes:

Ravilious makes her a daughter of Richard de Braose of Stinton, Norfolk (d. bef. 1292) and Alice de Rus. Richardson does not show her among the children of that couple.

Notes:

1st Lord Ufford. Summoned to Parliament by writ, 4 Mar 1309 to 19 Dec 1311.

Robert married Cecily de Valoines before 1298. Cecily (daughter of Robert de Valoines and Eve) was born in 1281; died on 16 Jul 1325. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate death: 1326

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: 18 Jun 1239, Westminster Palace, Westminster, Middlesex, England
• Alternate death: 8 Jul 1307, Burgh-by-Sands, Carlisle, Cumberland, England

Notes:

Edward Longshanks, Hammer of the Scots, conqueror of Wales. Although he is acclaimed for his many administrative accomplishments and for establishing Parliament as a permanent institution, he also expelled the Jews from England; significant numbers of them returned only 350 years later. He was tall (6' 4"), personally intimidating, and rigid in personal morality, in marked contrast to most earlier post-Conquest English rulers.

Edward married Eleanor of Castile, Queen Consort of England on 18 Oct 1254 in Abbey of Santa María la Real de Las Huelgas, Burgos, Castile, Spain. Eleanor (daughter of St. Fernando III, King Of Castile, León, Galicia, Toledo, Córdoba, Jaén, and Seville and Jeanne de Dammartin) was born in 1240; died on 28 Nov 1290 in Hardby, Nottinghamshire, England; was buried in Westminster Abbey, Westminster, Middlesex, England. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: 1241, Burgos, Castile, Spain
• Alternate birth: Abt 1241

Notes:

Countess of Ponthieu.

Eleanor of Castile, first wife of Edward I, was a daughter of Ferdinand III, King of Castile, Leon, and Galicia, and the French noblewoman Jeanne de Dammartin, suo jure Countess of Ponthieu. Although her marriage (in 1254) to then-prince Edward was a political match designed to affirm English control of Gascony, the couple were unusually close; she even accompanied Edward on the Fourth Crusade, where he was wounded at Acre in Palestine. She was notably well-educated and maintained her own scriptorium, the only one in northern Europe at the time. Her preference for Spanish-style home decorations, kitchen utensils, and personal comforts had a great influence on English domestic life. She brought a considerable personal fortune to her marriage, and increased it all her life through shrewd purchases of lands and manors. Although this had a negative effect on her personal popularity, her husband always encouraged her in it.

Her heart was buried in the Dominican priory of Blackfriars in London, along with that of her son Alphonso. Her entrails were buried in Lincoln Cathedral.

Notes:

King of Navarre as Philip I, 1284-1305. King of France as Philip (Philippe) IV, 1285-1314.

Philippe married Joan, Queen of Navarre; Queen Consort of France on 16 Aug 1284 in Notre-Dame, Paris, France. Joan (daughter of Enrique I, King of Navarre and Blanche of Artois) was born on 14 Jan 1272 in Bar-sur-Seine, France; died on 2 Apr 1305 in Château de Vincennes, Val-de-Marne, Île-de-France, France; was buried in Church of the Grey Friars, Paris, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: Abt 14 Jan 1271, Bar-sur-Aube, Aube, Champagne-Ardenne, France
• Alternate death: 2 Apr 1304, Château de Vincennes, Val-de-Marne, Île-de-France, France

Notes:

Also called Jan II d'Avesnes. Count of Hainaut, Holland, and Zeeland.

John married Philippa of Luxembourg. Philippa (daughter of Henry of Luxembourg and Margaret of Bar) was born about 1252; died on 6 Apr 1311; was buried in Church of the Franciscans, Valenciennes, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Count of Valois. Count of Anjou by his marriage to Margaret of Anjou. Through his later marriage to Catherine I, titular empress of the Latin Empire, he was titular Latin Emperor of Constantinople from 1301 to 1307, though he ruled from exile and exerted authority only over the Crusader states in Greece.

"[A]n irresponsible adventurer, he did the papal cause little good when campaigning in Sicily as Captain-General for the Church." [The Ancestry of Charles II, King of England (citation details below)]

Charles married Margaret of Anjou on 16 Aug 1290 in Corbeil, near Paris, France. Margaret (daughter of Charles II, King of Naples, Sicily, and Jerusalem and Maria I, Queen of Hungary) was born in 1272; died on 31 Dec 1299; was buried in Church of St. Jacques, Paris, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Other Events and Attributes:

• Alternate birth: Abt 1273

Notes:

Countess of Anjou and Maine in her own right; Countess of Valois, Alençon, Chartres, and Perche by marriage.

Fernando married Costanza of Portugal in Jan 1302 in Valladolid, Castile, Spain. Costanza (daughter of Diniz, King of Portugal and St. Isabel of Portugal) was born on 3 Jan 1290; died on 23 Nov 1313 in Sahagún, León, Spain; was buried in Valladolid, Castile, Spain. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Afonso married Beatriz of Castile on 12 Sep 1309 in Lisbon Cathedral, Lisbon, Portugal. Beatriz (daughter of Sancho IV, King of Castile and León and Maria de Molina) was born in 1293 in Toro, Castile, Spain; died on 25 Oct 1359 in Lisbon, Portugal; was buried in Lisbon Cathedral, Lisbon, Portugal. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Señor de Henestrosa.

Fernán married Maria Arias de Asturias. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]