Alice of Saluzzo
Encyclopedia
Alice of Saluzzo, Countess of Arundel (died 25 September 1292), also known as Alesia di Saluzzo, was an Italian-born noblewoman and an English countess. She was a daughter of Thomas I of Saluzzo
, and the wife of Sir Richard Fitzalan, 8th Earl of Arundel
. Alice was one of the first Italian women to marry into an English noble family. She assumed the title of Countess of Arundel in 1289.
, today in the Province of Cuneo
, Piedmont
, Italy. She was the second eldest daughter of Thomas I, 4th Margrave of Saluzzo, and Luigia di Ceva (died 22 August 1291/1293), daughter of Giorgio, Marquis of Ceva and Menzia d'Este. Alice had fifteen siblings. Her father was a very wealthy and cultured nobleman under whose rule, Saluzzo achieved a prosperity, freedom, and greatness it had never known previously.
and Oswestry
in the Welsh Marches
, the son of John Fitzalan, 7th Earl of Arundel
and Isabella Mortimer. Richard would succeed to the title of Earl of Arundel in 1289, thus making Alice the 8th Countess of Arundel. Along with her aunt, Alasia of Saluzzo who married Edmund de Lacy, 2nd Earl of Lincoln in 1247, Alice was one of the first Italian women to marry into an English noble family. Her marriage had been arranged by the late King Henry III's
widowed Queen consort Eleanor of Provence
.
Richard and Alice's principal residence was Marlborough Castle
in Wiltshire
, but Richard also held Arundel Castle
in Sussex
and the castles of Clun and Oswestry in Shropshire
.
Alice's husband was knighted by King Edward I
in 1289, and fought in the Welsh Wars (1288–1294), and later in the Scottish Wars.
The marriage produced four children:
Alice died on 25 September 1292 and was buried in Haughmond Abbey
, Shropshire. Her husband Richard died in 1302 and was buried alongside Alice. In 1341, provision was made for twelve candles to be burned beside their tombs. The Abbey is now a ruin as the result of a fire during the English Civil War
.
Her many descendants included the Dukes of Norfolk, Anne Boleyn
, Sir Winston Churchill
and Diana, Princess of Wales
.
Thomas I of Saluzzo
-Life and Reign:Thomas I was the fourth marquess of Saluzzo from 1244 to his death. He succeeded his father Manfred III. Under the reign of Thomas, Saluzzo blossomed, achieving a greatness which had eluded his ancestors. He crafted a state the borders of which remained unchanged for over two...
, and the wife of Sir Richard Fitzalan, 8th Earl of Arundel
Richard FitzAlan, 8th Earl of Arundel
Richard FitzAlan, 8th Earl of Arundel was an English Norman medieval nobleman.- Lineage :...
. Alice was one of the first Italian women to marry into an English noble family. She assumed the title of Countess of Arundel in 1289.
Family
Alice was born on an unknown date in SaluzzoSaluzzo
Saluzzo is a town and former principality in the province of Cuneo, Piedmont region, Italy.The city of Saluzzo is built on a hill overlooking a vast, well-cultivated plain. Iron, lead, silver, marble, slate etc...
, today in the Province of Cuneo
Province of Cuneo
ayr is a province in the southwest of the Piedmont region of Italy. To the west it borders on the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur ....
, Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, Italy. She was the second eldest daughter of Thomas I, 4th Margrave of Saluzzo, and Luigia di Ceva (died 22 August 1291/1293), daughter of Giorgio, Marquis of Ceva and Menzia d'Este. Alice had fifteen siblings. Her father was a very wealthy and cultured nobleman under whose rule, Saluzzo achieved a prosperity, freedom, and greatness it had never known previously.
Marriage and issue
Sometime before 1285, Alice married Richard Fitzalan, feudal Lord of ClunClun
Clun is a small town in Shropshire, England. The town is located entirely in the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The 2001 census recorded 642 people living in the town...
and Oswestry
Oswestry
Oswestry is a town and civil parish in Shropshire, England, close to the Welsh border. It is at the junction of the A5, A483, and A495 roads....
in the Welsh Marches
Welsh Marches
The Welsh Marches is a term which, in modern usage, denotes an imprecisely defined area along and around the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods...
, the son of John Fitzalan, 7th Earl of Arundel
John FitzAlan, 7th Earl of Arundel
John FitzAlan, 7th Earl of Arundel was an English nobleman. He was also feudal Lord of Clun and Oswestry in the Welsh Marches.-Family:...
and Isabella Mortimer. Richard would succeed to the title of Earl of Arundel in 1289, thus making Alice the 8th Countess of Arundel. Along with her aunt, Alasia of Saluzzo who married Edmund de Lacy, 2nd Earl of Lincoln in 1247, Alice was one of the first Italian women to marry into an English noble family. Her marriage had been arranged by the late King Henry III's
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
widowed Queen consort Eleanor of Provence
Eleanor of Provence
Eleanor of Provence was Queen consort of England as the spouse of King Henry III of England from 1236 until his death in 1272....
.
Richard and Alice's principal residence was Marlborough Castle
Marlborough Castle
Marlborough Castle, locally known and recorded in historical documents as The Mount, was an 11th-century royal castle located in the civil parish of Marlborough, a market town in the English county of Wiltshire, on the Old Bath Road, the old main road from London to Bath...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, but Richard also held Arundel Castle
Arundel Castle
Arundel Castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England is a restored medieval castle. It was founded by Roger de Montgomery on Christmas Day 1067. Roger became the first to hold the earldom of Arundel by the graces of William the Conqueror...
in Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
and the castles of Clun and Oswestry in Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
.
Alice's husband was knighted by King Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
in 1289, and fought in the Welsh Wars (1288–1294), and later in the Scottish Wars.
The marriage produced four children:
- Edmund Fitzalan, 9th Earl of ArundelEdmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of ArundelEdmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel was an English nobleman prominent in the conflict between Edward II and his barons. His father, Richard FitzAlan, 8th Earl of Arundel, died in 1302 while Edmund was still a minor. He therefore became a ward of John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey, and married...
(1 May 1285- 17 November 1326 by execution), married Alice de WarenneAlice de WarenneAlice de Warenne, Countess of Arundel was an English noblewoman and heir apparent to the Earldom of Surrey. In 1305, she married Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel.-Family:...
, by whom he had issue. - John Fitzalan, a priest
- Alice Fitzalan (died 7 September 1340), married Stephen de Segrave, 3rd Lord Segrave, by whom she had issue.
- Margaret Fitzalan, married William le Botiller, by whom she had issue.
Alice died on 25 September 1292 and was buried in Haughmond Abbey
Haughmond Abbey
Haughmond Abbey at Haughmond Hill in Shropshire, otherwise known as the Abbey of Saint John the Evangelist, was founded in about 1100 AD. A statue of St John with his emblem can be found carved into the arches of the chapter house. His image also appeared on the Abbey's great seal.-History:The...
, Shropshire. Her husband Richard died in 1302 and was buried alongside Alice. In 1341, provision was made for twelve candles to be burned beside their tombs. The Abbey is now a ruin as the result of a fire during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
Her many descendants included the Dukes of Norfolk, Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
, Sir Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
and Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales
Diana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
.