William FitzAlan, 16th Earl of Arundel, 6th Baron Maltravers (23 November 1417 – 1487).

He was a son of John FitzAlan, 13th Earl of Arundel

John FitzAlan, 13th Earl of Arundel

John FitzAlan, 13th Earl of Arundel, 3rd Baron Maltravers was an English nobleman.He was the son of John FitzAlan, 2nd Baron Arundel, and Elizabeth le Despenser, and became Baron Arundel on his father's death in 1390 and Baron Maltravers on his grandmother's death in 1405...

 and Eleanor Berkeley. His mother was a daughter of John Berkeley and Elizabeth Betteshorne, granddaughter of Thomas de Berkeley, 3rd Baron Berkeley

Thomas de Berkeley, 3rd Baron Berkeley

Thomas de Berkeley , aka Thomas the Rich, was an English baron and the custodian of the Berkeley Castle.He was the son of Maurice de Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley and Eve la Zouche.-Edward II:...

 and his second wife Catherine Clivedon.

His elder brother John FitzAlan, 14th Earl of Arundel

John FitzAlan, 14th Earl of Arundel

John FitzAlan, 14th Earl of Arundel, 4th Baron Maltravers KG was an English nobleman and military commander during the later phases of the Hundred Years' War...

 died on June 12, 1435. The title passed to his nephew Humphrey FitzAlan, 15th Earl of Arundel

Humphrey FitzAlan, 15th Earl of Arundel

Humphrey FitzAlan, 15th Earl of Arundel, 5th Baron Maltravers . This Earl of Arundel was short lived.He was a son of John FitzAlan, 14th Earl of Arundel and Maud Lovell. His father died on 12 June 1435, leaving 6-year-old Humphrey as the 15th Earl of Arundel. Humphrey died three years later, at age 9...

 who was still a six-year-old with no descendants. William thus became his heir presumptive

Heir Presumptive

An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...

. He succeeded him on 24 April 1438.

The new Earl married Joan Neville. Joan was a daughter of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury

Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury

Richard Neville, jure uxoris 5th Earl of Salisbury and 7th and 4th Baron Montacute, KG, PC was a Yorkist leader during the early parts of the Wars of the Roses.-Background:...

 and Alice Montagu, Countess of Salisbury. Alice was a daughter of Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury

Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury

Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury, 6th and 3rd Baron Montacute, 5th Baron Monthermer, and Count of Perche, KG was an English nobleman...

 and Eleanor Holland. Eleanor was a daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent

Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent

Thomas Holland , 2nd Earl of Kent, 3rd Baron Holand KG was an English nobleman and a councillor of his half-brother, King Richard II of England.-Family and early Life:...

 and Alice FitzAlan. Alice was a daughter of Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel

Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel

Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel and 8th Earl of Surrey was an English nobleman and medieval military leader.- Lineage :...

 and Eleanor of Lancaster

Eleanor of Lancaster

Eleanor of Lancaster, Countess of Arundel was the fifth daughter of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster and Maud Chaworth.-First marriage and issue:...

.

William and Joan had five children:

• Thomas FitzAlan, 17th Earl of Arundel
  Thomas FitzAlan, 17th Earl of Arundel
  Thomas FitzAlan, 17th Earl of Arundel, 7th Baron Maltravers was the son of William FitzAlan, 16th Earl of Arundel and Joan Neville, daughter of Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury and Alice Montagu. He married Margaret Wydeville , who was a younger sister of Queen Elizabeth...
  
   (1450–1524).
• William FitzAlan.
• George FitzAlan.
• John FitzAlan.
• Mary FitzAlan.
• Thomas FitzAlan.

William fought in the Second Battle of St Albans

Second Battle of St Albans

The Second Battle of St Albans was a battle of the English Wars of the Roses fought on 17 February, 1461, at St Albans. The army of the Yorkist faction under the Earl of Warwick attempted to bar the road to London north of the town. The rival Lancastrian army used a wide outflanking manoeuvre to...

 (22 February 1461) as a supporter of the House of York

House of York

The House of York was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet, three members of which became English kings in the late 15th century. The House of York was descended in the paternal line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, the fourth surviving son of Edward III, but also represented...

. The Yorkists were commanded by his brother-in-law Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick

Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick

Richard Neville KG, jure uxoris 16th Earl of Warwick and suo jure 6th Earl of Salisbury and 8th and 5th Baron Montacute , known as Warwick the Kingmaker, was an English nobleman, administrator, and military commander...

.

Edward IV of England

Edward IV of England

Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...

 named him a Knight of the Garter in 1471, probably in honor of his support during the Wars of the Roses

Wars of the Roses

The Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars for the throne of England fought between supporters of two rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet: the houses of Lancaster and York...

.

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