William de Longespee, 3rd Earl of Salisbury
Encyclopedia
William Longespée, jure uxoris 3rd Earl of Salisbury (c. 1176 - 7 March 1226) was an English noble, primarily remembered for his command of the English forces at the Battle of Damme
and for remaining loyal to King John
.
. His mother was unknown for many years, until the discovery of a charter of William mentioning "Comitissa Ida, mater mea" (engl. "Countess Ida, my mother").
This Ida de Tosny
, a member of the prominent Tosny or Toesny family, later (1181) married Roger Bigod, 2nd Earl of Norfolk
.
King Henry acknowledged William as his son and gave him the Honour
of Appleby, Lincolnshire
in 1188. Eight years later, his half-brother, King Richard I
, married him to a great heiress, Ela of Salisbury, 3rd Countess of Salisbury in her own right, and daughter of William of Salisbury, 2nd Earl of Salisbury
.
During the reign of King John, Salisbury was at court on several important ceremonial occasions, and held various offices: sheriff of Wiltshire
, lieutenant of Gascony
, constable of Dover and warden of the Cinque Ports
, and later warden of the Welsh Marches
. He was then, circa 1213, appointed sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire.
.
In 1213, Salisbury led a large fleet to Flanders
, where he seized or destroyed a good part of a French invasion fleet anchored at or near Damme
. This ended the invasion threat but not the conflicts between England
and France
. In 1214, Salisbury was sent to help Otto IV of Germany, an English ally, who was invading France. Salisbury commanded the right wing of the army at their disastrous defeat in that year at the Battle of Bouvines
, where he was captured.
By the time he returned to England, revolt was brewing amongst the barons. Salisbury was one of the few who remained loyal to John. He was appointed High Sheriff of Devon
in 1217 and High Sheriff of Staffordshire
and Shropshire
in 1224. In the civil war that took place the year after the signing of the Magna Carta
, Salisbury was one of the leaders of the king's army in the south. He was made High Sheriff of Wiltshire
again, this time for life. After raising the siege of Lincoln with William Marshall
he was also appointed High Sheriff of Lincolnshire
(in addition to his current post as High Sheriff of Somerset
) and governor of Lincoln castle. However, after the French prince Louis (later Louis VIII
) landed as an ally of the rebels, Salisbury went over to his side. Presumably, he thought John's cause was lost.
After John's death and the departure of Louis, Salisbury, along with many other barons, joined the cause of John's young son, now Henry III of England
. He held an influential place in the government during the king's minority and fought in Gascony to help secure the remaining part of the English continental possessions. Salisbury's ship was nearly lost in a storm while returning to England in 1225, and he spent some months in refuge at a monastery on the French island of Ré
.
. Roger of Wendover
alleged that he was poisoned by Hubert de Burgh. He was buried at Salisbury Cathedral
in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England.
William Longespee's tomb was opened in 1791. Bizarrely, the well-preserved corpse of a rat which carried traces of arsenic, was found inside his skull. The rat is now on display in a case at the Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum.
, he had four sons and six daughters:
Battle of Damme
The Battle of Damme was fought on 30 May and 31 May 1213. The success of the English raids ended a threat of French invasion of England.Damme is located on the estuary of the Zwyn , at that time in the county of Flanders...
and for remaining loyal to King John
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
.
Early life
He was an illegitimate son of Henry II of EnglandHenry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
. His mother was unknown for many years, until the discovery of a charter of William mentioning "Comitissa Ida, mater mea" (engl. "Countess Ida, my mother").
This Ida de Tosny
Ida de Tosny
Ida de Toesny, Countess of Norfolk was very likely a daughter of Ralph V de Tosny and his wife Margaret , a daughter of Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester...
, a member of the prominent Tosny or Toesny family, later (1181) married Roger Bigod, 2nd Earl of Norfolk
Roger Bigod, 2nd Earl of Norfolk
Roger Bigod was the son of Hugh Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk and his first wife, Juliana de Vere. Although his father died 1176 or 1177, Roger did not succeed to the earldom of Norfolk until 1189 for his claim had been disputed by his stepmother for her sons by Earl Hugh in the reign of Henry II...
.
King Henry acknowledged William as his son and gave him the Honour
Honour (land)
In medieval England, an honour could consist of a great lordship, comprising dozens or hundreds of manors. Holders of honours often attempted to preserve the integrity of an honour over time, administering its properties as a unit, maintaining inheritances together, etc.The typical honour had...
of Appleby, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
in 1188. Eight years later, his half-brother, King Richard I
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
, married him to a great heiress, Ela of Salisbury, 3rd Countess of Salisbury in her own right, and daughter of William of Salisbury, 2nd Earl of Salisbury
William of Salisbury, 2nd Earl of Salisbury
William of Salisbury, 2nd Earl of Salisbury was an Anglo-Norman peer. Though he is generally known as such, his proper title was Earl of Wiltshire, which title was conferred on his father by the Empress Maud around 1143...
.
During the reign of King John, Salisbury was at court on several important ceremonial occasions, and held various offices: sheriff of 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...
, lieutenant of Gascony
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
, constable of Dover and warden of the Cinque Ports
Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is a ceremonial official in the United Kingdom. The post dates from at least the 12th century but may be older. The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports was originally in charge of the Cinque Ports, a group of five port towns on the southeast coast of England...
, and later warden of 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...
. He was then, circa 1213, appointed sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire.
Military career
He was a commander in the king's Welsh and Irish expeditions of 1210-1212. The king also granted him the honour of EyeEye, Suffolk
Eye is a small market town in the county of Suffolk, East Anglia, England, south of Diss, and on the River Dove.Eye is twinned with the town of Pouzauges in the Vendée Departement of France.-History:An island...
.
In 1213, Salisbury led a large fleet to Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, where he seized or destroyed a good part of a French invasion fleet anchored at or near Damme
Damme
Damme is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders, six kilometres northeast of Brugge . The municipality comprises the city of Damme proper and the towns of Hoeke, Lapscheure, Moerkerke, Oostkerke, Sijsele, Vivenkapelle, and Sint-Rita. On 1 January 2006, the municipality had...
. This ended the invasion threat but not the conflicts between England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. In 1214, Salisbury was sent to help Otto IV of Germany, an English ally, who was invading France. Salisbury commanded the right wing of the army at their disastrous defeat in that year at the Battle of Bouvines
Battle of Bouvines
The Battle of Bouvines, 27 July 1214, was a conclusive medieval battle ending the twelve year old Angevin-Flanders War that was important to the early development of both the French state by confirming the French crown's sovereignty over the Angevin lands of Brittany and Normandy.Philip Augustus of...
, where he was captured.
By the time he returned to England, revolt was brewing amongst the barons. Salisbury was one of the few who remained loyal to John. He was appointed High Sheriff of Devon
High Sheriff of Devon
The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, he holds his office over the duration of a year. He has judicial, ceremonial and administrative functions and executes High Court...
in 1217 and High Sheriff of Staffordshire
High Sheriff of Staffordshire
This is a list of the High Sheriffs of Staffordshire.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred...
and Shropshire
High Sheriff of Shropshire
The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...
in 1224. In the civil war that took place the year after the signing of the Magna Carta
Magna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
, Salisbury was one of the leaders of the king's army in the south. He was made High Sheriff of Wiltshire
High Sheriff of Wiltshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Wiltshire.Until the 14th century the shrievalty was held ex officio by the castellans of Old Sarum.-To 1400:*1066: Edric*1067-1070: Philippe de Buckland*1085: Aiulphus the Sheriff*1070–1105: Edward of Salisbury...
again, this time for life. After raising the siege of Lincoln with William Marshall
William Marshall
-Politicians, noblemen and military leaders:*William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke , 12th-13th-century Anglo Norman nobleman*William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke -Politicians, noblemen and military leaders:*William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146–1219), 12th-13th-century Anglo Norman...
he was also appointed High Sheriff of Lincolnshire
High Sheriff of Lincolnshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Lincolnshire.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred...
(in addition to his current post as High Sheriff of Somerset
High Sheriff of Somerset
The Office of High Sheriff of Somerset is an ancient High Sheriff title which has been in existence for over one thousand years. The position was once a powerful position responsible for collecting taxes and enforcing law and order in Somerset a county in South West England. In modern times the...
) and governor of Lincoln castle. However, after the French prince Louis (later Louis VIII
Louis VIII of France
Louis VIII the Lion reigned as King of France from 1223 to 1226. He was a member of the House of Capet. Louis VIII was born in Paris, France, the son of Philip II Augustus and Isabelle of Hainaut. He was also Count of Artois, inheriting the county from his mother, from 1190–1226...
) landed as an ally of the rebels, Salisbury went over to his side. Presumably, he thought John's cause was lost.
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...
. He held an influential place in the government during the king's minority and fought in Gascony to help secure the remaining part of the English continental possessions. Salisbury's ship was nearly lost in a storm while returning to England in 1225, and he spent some months in refuge at a monastery on the French island of Ré
Île de Ré
Île de Ré is an island off the west coast of France near La Rochelle, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait....
.
Death
He died not long after his return to England at Salisbury CastleOld Sarum
Old Sarum is the site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury, in England. The site contains evidence of human habitation as early as 3000 BC. Old Sarum is mentioned in some of the earliest records in the country...
. Roger of Wendover
Roger of Wendover
Roger of Wendover , probably a native of Wendover in Buckinghamshire, was an English chronicler of the 13th century.At an uncertain date he became a monk at St Albans Abbey; afterwards he was appointed prior of the cell of Belvoir, but he forfeited this dignity in the early years of Henry III,...
alleged that he was poisoned by Hubert de Burgh. He was buried at Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture....
in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England.
William Longespee's tomb was opened in 1791. Bizarrely, the well-preserved corpse of a rat which carried traces of arsenic, was found inside his skull. The rat is now on display in a case at the Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum.
Family
By his wife Ela, Countess of SalisburyEla, Countess of Salisbury
Ela of Salisbury, 3rd Countess of Salisbury was a wealthy English heiress and the suo jure Countess of Salisbury, having succeeded to the title in 1196 upon the death of her father, William FitzPatrick, 2nd Earl of Salisbury...
, he had four sons and six daughters:
- William II LongespéeWilliam II LongespeeSir William II Longespée, long sword in French, was the son of William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, and Ela, 3rd Countess of Salisbury...
(1212?-1250), who was sometimes called Earl of Salisbury but never legally bore the title because he died before his mother, Countess Ela, who held the earldom until her death in 1261. - Richard, a canonCanon (priest)A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
of SalisburySalisbury CathedralSalisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture....
. - Stephen (d. 1260), who was seneschalSeneschalA seneschal was an officer in the houses of important nobles in the Middle Ages. In the French administrative system of the Middle Ages, the sénéchal was also a royal officer in charge of justice and control of the administration in southern provinces, equivalent to the northern French bailli...
of Gascony and married Emeline de Ridelsford. Their two daughters were Eleanor Longspee, who married Sir Roger La Zouche and Emeline Longspee, who married Sir Maurice FitzMaurice, Justiciar of Ireland. - NicholasNicholas Longespee-Life:He was the son of William Longespee earl of Salisbury and William's wife, Eva. He was a canon of Salisbury Cathedral before 1272 and held the office of treasurer of the diocese of Salisbury before 1275. He also held the position of rector of Lacock....
(d. 1297), bishop of SalisburyBishop of SalisburyThe Bishop of Salisbury is the ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset...
. - Isabella Longespée, who married Sir William de Vesey.
- Ida Longespée.
- Ela LongespéeEla LongespeeEla Longespee, Lady of Ashby was a wealthy heiress and daughter of Stephen Longespee, Justiciar of Ireland. She was the wife of Sir Roger La Zouche, Lord of Ashby.- Family :...
, who first married Thomas de Beaumont, 6th Earl of WarwickThomas de Beaumont, 6th Earl of WarwickThomas de Beaumont, 6th Earl of Warwick , Earl of Warwick, Baron of Hocknorton and Hedenton, was the son of Henry de Beaumont, 5th Earl of Warwick and Margaret D'Oili...
, and then married Philip BassetPhilip BassetPhilip Basset was the Justiciar of England.Philip was the son of Alan Basset of High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire and his wife, Alice, the daughter of Stephen Gray. He inherited the manor of Wycombe and served as the Justiciar of England between the two terms served by his son-in-law, Hugh le...
. - Ida Longespée, who first married Ralph de Somery, and then William de BeauchampWilliam de Beauchamp (1185)-Magna Carta baron:de Beauchamp took part in the 1210 expedition to Ireland and the 1214 expedition to Poitiers before joining the rebellious barons in 1215 at the beginning of the First Barons' War, entertaining them at his seat of Bedford Castle; as such Beauchamp was one of the rebels...
- Mary Longespée.
- Pernel Longespée.