William de Valence, 1st Earl of Pembroke
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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...
nobleman and Knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
, who became important in English
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...
politics due to his relationship to Henry III
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 was heavily involved in the Second Barons' War
Second Barons' War
The Second Barons' War was a civil war in England between the forces of a number of barons led by Simon de Montfort, against the Royalist forces led by Prince Edward , in the name of Henry III.-Causes:...
, supporting the King and Prince Edward
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...
against the rebels led by Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, 1st Earl of Chester , sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from other Simon de Montforts, was an Anglo-Norman nobleman. He led the barons' rebellion against King Henry III of England during the Second Barons' War of 1263-4, and...
. He took the name de Valence ("of Valence").
He was the fourth son of Isabella of Angoulême
Isabella of Angoulême
Isabella of Angoulême was queen consort of England as the second wife of King John from 1200 until John's death in 1216. They had five children by the king including his heir, later Henry III...
, widow of king John of England
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
, and her second husband, Hugh X of Lusignan
Hugh X of Lusignan
Hugh X de Lusignan, Hugh V of La Marche or Hugh I of Angoulême or Hugues X & V & I de Lusignan succeeded his father Hugh IX as Seigneur de Lusignan and Count of La Marche in November, 1219 and was Count of Angoulême by marriage.Hugh X de Lusignan was betrothed to marry 12 year-old Isabel of...
, Count of La Marche, and was thus a half-brother to Henry III of England, and uncle to Edward I. William was born at Valence, near Lusignan, sometime in the mid-to-late 1220s (his elder sister, Alice was born 1224, and two elder brothers followed her).
Move to England
Poitou
Poitou was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers.The region of Poitou was called Thifalia in the sixth century....
in 1246 created great difficulties for William's family, and so he and his brothers, Guy de Lusignan and Aymer, accepted Henry III's invitation to come to England in 1247. The king found important positions for all of them; William was soon married to a great heiress, Joan de Munchensi
Joan de Munchensi
Joan de Munchensi or Munchensy , Lady of Swanscombe and Countess of Pembroke , was the daughter of Joan Marshal and granddaughter of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Isabel de Clare, 4th Countess of Pembroke suo jure.-Family:William Marshal was the great Lord Marshal who served five...
or Munchensy (c. 1230 – after 20 September 1307), Lady of Swanscombe and Countess of Pembroke, the only surviving child of Warin de Munchensi, Lord of Swanscombe and Earl of Pembroke, and wife Joan Marshal, daughter and eventual co-heiress of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke
William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke
Sir William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke , also called William the Marshal , was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman. He was described as the "greatest knight that ever lived" by Stephen Langton...
and Isabel de Clare, 4th Countess of Pembroke suo jure. Her portion of the Marshal estates included the castle and lordship of Pembroke
Pembroke, Pembrokeshire
Pembroke is an historic settlement and former county town of Pembrokeshire in west Wales. The town and the county derive their name from that of the cantref of Penfro: Pen = "head" or "end", and bro = "region", "country", "land", and so it means essentially "Land's End".-History:The main point of...
and the lordship erected earldom of Wexford
Wexford
Wexford is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. It is situated near the southeastern corner of Ireland, close to Rosslare Europort. The town is connected to Dublin via the M11/N11 National Primary Route, and the national rail network...
in Ireland. The custody of Joan's property was entrusted to her husband, along with, apparently, the title of Earl of Pembroke
Earl of Pembroke
Earl of Pembroke is a title created ten times, all in the Peerage of England. It was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, which is the site of Earldom's original seat Pembroke Castle...
and Earl of Wexford between 1250 and 1260.
The Second Barons' War
This favouritism to royal relatives was unpopular with many of the English nobilityNobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
, a discontent which would culminate in the Second Barons' War
Second Barons' War
The Second Barons' War was a civil war in England between the forces of a number of barons led by Simon de Montfort, against the Royalist forces led by Prince Edward , in the name of Henry III.-Causes:...
. It did not take long for William to make enemies in England. From his new lands in South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
, he tried to regain the palatine rights which had been attached to the Earldom of Pembroke
Earl of Pembroke
Earl of Pembroke is a title created ten times, all in the Peerage of England. It was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, which is the site of Earldom's original seat Pembroke Castle...
, but his energies were not confined to this. The King heaped lands and honours upon him, and he was soon thoroughly hated as one of the most prominent of the rapacious foreigners. Moreover, some trouble in Wales led to a quarrel between him and Simon de Montfort, who was to become the figurehead for the rebels. He refused to comply with the provisions
Provisions of Oxford
The Provisions of Oxford are often regarded as England's first written constitution ....
imposed on the King at Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
in 1258, and took refuge in Wolvesey Castle
Wolvesey Castle
Wolvesey Castle is a ruined castle in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was erected by the Bishop of Winchester Henry of Blois between 1130 and 1140....
at Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
, where he was besieged and compelled to surrender and leave the country.
However, in 1259 William and de Montfort were formally reconciled in Paris, and in 1261 Valence was again in England and once more enjoying the royal favour. He fought for Henry at the disastrous Battle of Lewes
Battle of Lewes
The Battle of Lewes was one of two main battles of the conflict known as the Second Barons' War. It took place at Lewes in Sussex, on 14 May 1264...
, and after the defeat again fled to France, while de Montfort ruled England. However, by 1265 he was back, landing in Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
, and taking part in the Siege of Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
and the final royalist victory at Evesham
Battle of Evesham
The Battle of Evesham was one of the two main battles of 13th century England's Second Barons' War. It marked the defeat of Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, and the rebellious barons by Prince Edward – later King Edward I – who led the forces of his father, King Henry III...
. After the battle he was restored to his estates and accompanied Prince Edward, afterwards Edward I, to Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. From his base in Pembrokeshire he was a mainstay of the English campaigns against Llywelyn ap Gruffudd and later Dafydd ap Gruffudd; in the war of 1282–3 that led to the conquest of Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
he negotiated the surrender of one of Dafydd's last remaining castles, Castell-y-Bere, with its custodian, Cynfrig ap Madog
Cynfrig ap Madog
Cynfrig ap Madog was constable of Castell-y-Bere in the kingdom of Gwynedd, Wales, during the Anglo-Welsh war of 1282-3 that culminated in the loss of Welsh independence. The castle was besieged by an English force under the command of William de Valance on 15 April; on 21 April his men were...
. He also went several times to France on public business and he was one of Edward's representatives in the famous suit over the succession to the crown of Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1291 and 1292.
William de Valence died at Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
on the 13 June 1296; his body is buried at Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
.
Descendants
William and Joan de Munchensi (described above) had the following children:- Isabel de Valence (died 5 October 1305), married before 1280 John Hastings, 1st Baron HastingsJohn Hastings, 1st Baron HastingsJohn Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings was an English peer and soldier of the Middle Ages. Hastings was a competitor for the Scottish throne in 1290/92 in the Great Cause.- Baron :...
(6 May 1262 – 10 February 1313). Their grandson Lawrence later became earl of Pembroke. They had:- William Hastings (1282–1311)
- John Hastings, 2nd Baron HastingsJohn Hastings, 2nd Baron HastingsJohn Hastings, 2nd Baron Hastings was a medieval English Baron.- Descent :Hastings was the son of John Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings, also inheriting the title Baron Abergavenny from his father, and the grandson of Henry de Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings...
(29 September 1286 – 20 January 1325), married to Juliane de Leybourne (died 1367) - Sir Hugh Hastings of Sutton (died 1347)
- Joan de Valence, married to John Comyn (the "Red Comyn"), Lord of Badenoch (died 10 February 1306, murdered), and had
- Elizabeth ComynElizabeth de ComynElizabeth de Comyn was a medieval noblewoman and heiress, notable for being kidnapped by the Despenser family towards the end of the reign of King Edward II.-Background:...
(1 November 1299 – 20 November 1372), married to Richard Talbot, Lord Talbot
- Elizabeth Comyn
- John de Valence (died January 1277)
- William de Valence (died 16 June 1282, in the Battle of Llandeilo Fawr in WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
), created Seigneur de Montignac and Bellac - Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of PembrokeAymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of PembrokeAymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke was a Franco-English nobleman. Though primarily active in England, he also had strong connections with the French royal house. One of the wealthiest and most powerful men of his age, he was a central player in the conflicts between Edward II of England and...
and Wexford in 1296 (c. 1270 – 23 June 1324), married firstly to Beatrice de Clermont and married secondly to Marie de Chatillon - Margaret de Valence
- Agnes de Valence (born c. 1250, date of death unknown)