by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Arthur Plantagenet (on the right with red hat), detail from the procession of Garter Knights in the Black Book of the Garter, circa 1535, Royal Collection, Windsor Castle; Credit – Wikipedia

At the risk of being beheaded during the reign of his nephew King Henry VIII of England, Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle was born sometime between 1461 and 1475 in Calais, then an English possession in France. He was the illegitimate son of King Edward IV of England and probably Elizabeth Lucy, also known as Elizabeth Wayte. She may have been the daughter of Thomas Wayte of Hampshire but it is unclear if Elizabeth Wayte and Elizabeth Lucy are the same person.

It is probable that an illegitimate daughter of King Edward IV was Arthur’s full sister:

• Elizabeth Plantagenet (circa 1464 – ?), married Sir Thomas Lumley, had six children

Arthur had ten royal half-siblings from his father’s marriage to Elizabeth Woodville:

• Elizabeth of York (1466 – 1503), married King Henry VII of England, had seven children including Margaret Tudor, Queen of Scots, King Henry VIII of England, and Mary Tudor, Queen of France
• Mary of York (1467 – 1482), unmarried
• Cecily of York (1469 – 1507); married (1) Ralph Scrope of Upsall, no issue, marriage annulled; (2) John Welles, 1st Viscount Welles, had two daughters who died young; (3) Sir Thomas Kyme, possible issue
• King Edward V of England (1470 – c. 1483); briefly succeeded his father, as King Edward V of England, was the elder of the Princes in the Tower
• Margaret of York (born and died 1472)
• Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York (1473 – c. 1483), was the younger of the Princes in the Tower
• Anne of York (1475 – 1511); married Thomas Howard (later 3rd Duke of Norfolk and uncle of Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, King Henry VIII’s beheaded wives), had four children who died in childhood
• George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Bedford (1477 – 1479)
• Catherine of York (1479 – 1527); married William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon, had three children
• Bridget of York (1480 – 1517); became a nun

Arthur’s father King Edward IV of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Arthur grew up at the court of his father King Edward IV who died in 1483, but there is no information about his childhood. In 1501, Arthur was first mentioned in records as a member of the household of his half-sister Elizabeth of York, the wife of King Henry VII and the mother of King Henry VIII. After Elizabeth of York’s death in 1503, Arthur became a member of King Henry VII’s household. When Arthur’s nephew King Henry VIII succeeded his father as King Henry VIII in 1509, Arthur officially became an Esquire of the Body, the personal attendant to the King.

On November 12, 1511, Arthur married Elizabeth Grey, 6th Baroness Lisle, daughter of Sir Edward Grey and Elizabeth Talbot, 3rd Baroness Lisle. Elizabeth had been first married to Edmund Dudley, treasurer to King Henry VII, who was executed in 1510 by King Henry VIII. Elizabeth’s son from her first marriage was John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland who led the government of King Henry VIII’s young son King Edward VI from 1550 – 1553 and unsuccessfully tried to install Lady Jane Grey, the wife of his son Lord Guildford Dudley, on the English throne after the death of Lady Jane’s first cousin King Edward VI. John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, Lord Guildford Dudley, and Lady Jane Grey were all executed.

Arthur and Elizabeth had three daughters:

• Lady Bridget Plantagenet (1513 – 1558), married William Carden, no children
• Lady Elizabeth Plantagenet (1516 – 1558), married Sir Francis Jobson, Member of Parliament for Colchester, had three sons and one daughter
• Lady Frances Plantagenet (1519 – 1558), married (1) Sir John Basset of Umberleigh, had three sons (2) Thomas Monke of Potheridge, had three sons and three daughters

Arthur’s first wife Elizabeth died in 1529 and in the same year, he married Honor Grenville, the daughter of Sir Thomas Grenville of Stowe and Isabella Gilbert. Honor was the widow of Sir John Bassett of Umberleigh. Arthur and Honor had no children but together they raised Arthur’s three children from his first marriage and Honor’s seven children from her first marriage including Sir John Basset of Umberleigh who became the husband of Arthur’s daughter Frances.

Arthur continued to receive royal favor during the reign of his nephew King Henry VIII:

• 1513: Knighted
• 1513: Appointed High Sheriff of Hampshire
• 1520: Attended his nephew King Henry VIII at the Field of Cloth of Gold
• 1523: Created Viscount Lisle
• 1524: Invested as a Knight of the Garter
• 1525: Appointed Vice-Admiral of England
• 1533: Appointed Lord Deputy of Calais and Privy Councilor
• 1536: Appointed Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
• 1540: Appointed a Privy Councillor

After the birth in 1537 of his only son, the future King Edward VI, King Henry VIII focused on obtaining for his son a clear path to the succession to the throne in any way he could. One way was eliminating Plantagenet relatives who could claim the throne. Among those executed were:

• Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter (Henry VIII’s first cousin, the son of Princess Catherine of York, the sixth daughter of King Edward IV) – beheaded in 1538
• Henry Pole, 1st Baron Montagu (Henry VIII’s second cousin, the son of Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury (see link below) and the grandson of George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence who was the brother of King Edward IV) – beheaded in 1539
• Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury (Henry VIII’s first cousin once removed, the daughter of George Plantangenet, Duke of Clarence who was the brother of King Edward IV) – beheaded in 1541

King Henry VIII also saw his illegitimate uncle Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle as a possible claimant to the throne. On May 19, 1540, Arthur was suddenly arrested for his alleged part in the Botolph Plot. Sir Gregory Botolph was one of Arthur’s three chaplains. It was suspected that Botolph was involved in a conspiracy to hand over Calais, a territory in northern France ruled by England from 1347 to 1558, to France or at least to Cardinal Reginald Pole, the son of Margaret Pole, 8th Countess of Salisbury. Some historians think this conspiracy was a ruse concocted by Thomas Cromwell, King Henry VIII’s chief minister.

Arthur was recalled from Calais to London, and the reason given was that he was to be created an earl. All seemed well. He attended the House of Lords and Garter Day. Then, on May 19, 1540, Arthur was “accused of secret intelligence with Cardinal Reginald Pole” and “certain practices to deliver the town of Calais to Pole,” and imprisoned in the Tower of London. His wife Honor and the two children who were still at home were placed under house arrest in Calais, the household was dissolved, and Arthur’s correspondence was taken to London for investigation. Eventually, Arthur’s son-in-law John Basset was able to bring Honor and the children to live with him in London.

The Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London where Arthur is buried; Credit – Von Samuel Taylor Geer – Eigenes Werk, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36712795,

Arthur was confined in the Tower of England for two years until his innocence was proven, or perhaps until King Henry VIII had second thoughts about the so-called conspiracy. As a sign of Arthur’s restored favor, King Henry VIII had his trusted courtier Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton deliver to Arthur a diamond ring along with a message that he would be released. Sadly, Arthur Plantagenet died of a heart attack the following night, March 3, 1542, in the Tower of London, supposedly out of joy at the news of his release. He was buried in the Chapel Royal of St. Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London in London, England.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle. geni_family_tree. (2022a, April 26). https://www.geni.com/people/Arthur-Plantagenet-1st-Viscount-Lisle/6000000001544505919
• Beauclerk-Dewar, Peter & Powell, Roger. (2006). Right Royal Bastards – The Fruits of Passion. Burke’s Peerage & Gentry LLC.
• Williamson, David. (1996). Brewer’s British Royalty. Cassell.
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, June 20). Arthur Plantagenet, 1. Viscount Lisle. Wikipedia (German). https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Plantagenet,_1._Viscount_Lisle
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Plantagenet,_1st_Viscount_Lisle

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

King Edward III of England, father of Sir John de Southeray; Credit – Wikipedia

Sir John de Southeray (circa 1364 – 1383) was the eldest of the three illegitimate children of King Edward III of England and his mistress Alice Perrers. Alice’s family surname was Salisbury and they worked as goldsmiths. Janyn Perrers, who would become Alice’s first husband, became an apprentice to the Salisbury family in 1342. It appears that around 1359, Janyn Perrers did some work for the royal court because in a royal writ he is described as “our beloved Janyn Perrers, our jeweler”. There is a possibility that he met King Edward III in his capacity as a goldsmith and jeweler and that Alice may have accompanied him.

Shortly after her husband died in 1361 or 1362, Alice became a lady-in-waiting to Philippa of Hainault, the wife of King Edward III. Even if Alice had not previously met King Edward III, they certainly became acquainted while she served as a lady-in-waiting. Alice, who was about 24 years old, gave birth to the first of her three children by Edward III in 1364, when the king was 56 years old.

King Edward III and Alice’s eldest child John had two younger sisters:

• Jane (circa 1365 – ?), married Richard Northland
• Joan (circa 1366 – circa 1431), married Robert Skerne, a lawyer and Member of Parliament

John had fourteen royal half-siblings from the marriage of his father King Edward III to Philippa of Hainault:

• Edward, Prince of Wales, the Black Prince (1330 – 1376), married Joan, 4th Countess of Kent, had two sons, only the future King Richard II survived childhood
• Isabella of England (1332 – 1379) married Enguerrand VII de Coucy, 1st Earl of Bedford, had two daughters
• Joan of England (circa1334 – 1348), died of the plague on the way to marry Pedro of Castile
• William of Hatfield (born and died 1337)
• Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence (1338 – 1368), married (1) Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster, had one daughter (2) Violante Visconti, no children
• John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (1340 – 1399), married (1) Blanche of Lancaster, had seven children including King Henry IV of England (2) Infanta Constance of Castile, had one daughter and one son (3) Katherine Swynford (formerly his mistress), had three sons and one daughter (Note: All monarchs of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom since King Henry IV are descended from John of Gaunt, and most European monarchies are also descended from John. The Houses of Lancaster, York, and Tudor were all descended from John of Gaunt’s children.)
• Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York (1341 – 1402), married (1) Infanta Isabella of Castile, had two sons and one daughter (2) Joan Holland, no children
• Blanche of the Tower (born and died March 1342)
• Mary of Waltham (1344 – 1362), married John V, Duke of Brittany, no children
• Margaret of Windsor, Countess of Pembroke (1346 – 1361), married John Hastings, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, no children
• Thomas of Windsor (1347 – 1348), died of the plague
• William of Windsor (born and died 1348), died of the plague
• Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester (1355 – 1397), married Eleanor de Bohun, had one son and four daughters

In January 1377, the nearly thirteen-year-old John married seventeen-year-old Maud de Percy, the daughter of Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy. The marriage was childless and in 1380, Maud obtained an annulment, claiming to have been married to John without her consent. Later in 1377, on April 23, St. George’s Day, John was knighted by his father King Edward III at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, along with John’s ten-year-old nephews, the future King Richard II, and the future King Henry IV, who would usurp the throne from his cousin King Richard II in 1399. On June 17, 1377, four days before his death, King Edward III gave his illegitimate son John his own coat of arms. Upon the death of King Edward III, John’s nephew Richard, the son of the deceased Edward, Prince of Wales, the Black Prince, succeeded his grandfather as King Richard II.

From 1381 to 1382, Sir John de Southeray took part in the Fernandine Wars, a series of three wars between the Kingdom of Portugal and the Crown of Castile. He accompanied the English military expedition in support of Castile, commanded by his half-brother Edmund of Langley, 1St Duke of York. During the unsuccessful Castilian campaign, John led a contingent of English soldiers. After his troops went unpaid, John incited them to mutiny. Unlike his troops, John was never punished for his actions. John’s death date is uncertain. It is assumed he died in 1383, aged about nineteen. The last mention of Sir John de Southeray in contemporary chronicles is in 1383, when he asked a man named Ralph Basing to pay him a debt.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Flantzer, Susan. (2022). Alice Perrers, Mistress of Edward III, King of England. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/alice-perrers-mistress-of-edward-iii-king-of-england/
• Flantzer, Susan. (2015). King Edward III of England. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-iii-of-england/
• John de Southeray. geni_family_tree. (2022). https://www.geni.com/people/John-de-Southeray/6000000003650779410
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2022). John de Southeray. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_de_Southeray
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2022). John de Southeray. Wikipedia (French). https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_de_Southeray

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Adam FitzRoy’s father King Edward II of England (in red) in a contemporary illustration; Credit – Wikipedia

Born circa 1307, possibly at Windsor Castle in Windsor, England, Adam FitzRoy was the illegitimate son of King Edward II of England and an unknown mother. His mother could have been one of the ladies or maids of his father’s second wife Margaret of France who was younger than her stepson Edward. Adam was probably born before his father succeeded to the throne in 1307 and certainly before his father married Isabella of France, daughter of King Philippe IV of France, in 1308. Adam’s surname FitzRoy comes from the Anglo-Norman Fitz, meaning “son of” and Roy, meaning “king”, implying the original bearer of the surname was a child of a king. Adam’s paternal grandparents were King Edward I of England and his first wife Eleanor of Castile.

Adam had four royal half-siblings from his father’s marriage with Isabella of France:

• King Edward III of England (1312 – 1377), married Philippa of Hainault, had fourteen children
• John of Eltham, 1st Earl of Cornwall (1316 – 1336), unmarried
• Eleanor of Woodstock (1318 – 1355), married Reinoud II of Guelders, had two children
• Joan of The Tower (1321 – 1362), married King David II of Scotland, no children

Adam is first mentioned in King Edward II’s wardrobe account of 1322: Ade filio domini Regis bastardo (Adam, bastard son of the lord king). Between June 6, 1322 and September 18, 1322, Adam was given a total of thirteen pounds and twenty-two pence to buy himself armatura et alia necessaria (armor and other necessaries) to participate in King Edward II’s campaign in Scotland planned for the autumn of 1322, in the First War of Scottish Independence (1296–1328) against the formidable Robert Bruce, King of Scots. Edward II had taken up arms against Robert the Bruce before. In 1314, he attempted to complete his father’s campaign in Scotland. This resulted in a decisive Scottish victory at the Battle of Bannockburn by a smaller army led by Robert the Bruce, King of Scots. In 1320, the Declaration of Arbroath was sent by a group of Scottish nobles to the Pope affirming Scottish independence from England.

Statue of Robert the Bruce in Stirling, Scotland; Credit – By Ally Crockford – Own work, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=28842870

King Edward II assembled an army of about 23,000 men including his illegitimate son Adam who was probably about 15 -17 years old. Edward II and his army reached Edinburgh, Scotland, and plundered Holyrood Abbey. However, Robert the Bruce purposefully avoided battle with Edward II and lured his army inland. With the English army inland, the plans to supply the English army by sea failed and the English ran out of supplies and had to retreat to Newcastle, England. Many English soldiers became ill with dysentery and died. On September 18, 1322, the teenage Adam FitzRoy died, probably from dysentery. On September 30, 1322, Adam was buried at Tynemouth Priory in Tynemouth, England. His father King Edward II was unable to attend the funeral due to the continuation of his Scottish campaign. However, he paid for a silk coverlet with gold thread to cover the body of his son.

The ruins of Tynemouth Priory; Credit – By Agnete – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62804912

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Flantzer, Susan. (2016). King Edward II of England. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-edward-ii-of-england/
• Flantzer, Susan. (2017). Robert I, King of Scots (Robert the Bruce). Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/robert-i-king-of-scots-robert-the-bruce/
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2021). Adam Fitzroy. Wikipedia (German). https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_FitzRoy
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Adam Fitzroy. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_FitzRoy
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Adam Fitzroy. Wikipedia (French). https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_FitzRoy
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2022). Фицрой, Адам. Wikipedia (Russian). https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A4%D0%B8%D1%86%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B9,_%D0%90%D0%B4%D0%B0%D0%BC
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2024). Tynemouth Castle and Priory. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tynemouth_Castle_and_Priory

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Richard FitzRoy’s father King John of England; Credit – Wikipedia

Richard FitzRoy, born circa 1185/1186, was the illegitimate son of King John of England and Ela de Warenne. His surname FitzRoy comes from the Anglo-Norman Fitz, meaning “son of” and Roy, meaning “king”, implying the original bearer of the surname was a child of a king. Richard was also called Richard de Chilham and Richard de Dover. His paternal grandparents were King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Richard’s maternal grandparents were Hamelin de Warenne, Earl of Surrey and Isabel de Warenne, 4th Countess of Surrey, one of the wealthiest heiresses in England.

Richard’s maternal grandfather Hamelin de Warenne, originally Hamelin of Anjou, was the illegitimate son of Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou who was married to Empress Matilda, Lady of the English, the only surviving child of King Henry I of England. Geoffrey and Matilda were the parents of King Henry II of England so therefore Hamelin was the elder half-brother of King Henry II, and the uncle to Henry II’s children including King Richard I and King John.

Richard’s royal half-siblings (l to r) Henry, Richard, Isabella, Eleanor, and Joan; Credit – Wikipedia

King John had several long-term mistresses and around twelve illegitimate children, Richard’s half-siblings. Richard had five royal half-siblings from his father’s marriage to Isabella of Angoulême, Countess of Angoulême in her own right:

• King Henry III of England (1207 – 1272), married Eleanor of Provence, had five children including King Edward I of England
• Richard, Earl of Cornwall, King of the Romans (1209 – 1272), married (1) Isabel Marshal, had three sons and a daughter, only one son survived childhood, Isabel died in childbirth (2) Sanchia of Provence, had two sons, only one son survived childhood (3) Beatrice of Falkenburg, no children
• Joan of England (1210 – 1238), married Alexander II, King of Scots, no children
• Isabella of England (1214 – 1241), married Friedrich II, Holy Roman Emperor, had at least four children
• Eleanor of England (1215 – 1275), married (1) William Marshal, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, no children (2) Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, had seven children

Before May 11, 1214, Richard married Rohese de Dover, the only child and heiress of Fulbert II de Dover and Isabel de Briwere of Devon. Through his marriage, Richard received Chilham Castle in Chilham, Kent, England and about a dozen fiefs in Kent and Essex, and became 1st Baron of Chilham.

Richard and Rohese had three children:

• Richard de Dover, Baron of Chilham (circa 1220 – 1270) married Matilda, 6th Countess of Angus, had two children
• Isabella de Dover (circa 1225 – 1276), married Sir Maurice de Berkeley, had eight children
• Lorette de Dover (circa 1228 – 1275), married (first wife) Sir William Marmion, 2nd Baron Marmion, had one son

Battle of Sandwich, showing the capture of the French flagship & the killing of Eustace the Monk; Credit – Wikipedia

During the First Barons’ War (1215 – 1217), when a group of barons, with the support of King Philippe II of France, rebelled against Richard’s father King John of England, Richard supported his father as one of the commanders of the royal army. On August 24, 1217, during the naval Battle of Sandwich, Richard, in command of a ship, attacked and captured the French flagship and personally killed Eustace the Monk, the commander of the French fleet. Richard’s father King John died on October 19, 1216, and was succeeded by his nine-year-old son King Henry III of England. The First Barons’ War continued after King John’s death, but the great William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, who served four English kings – Henry II, Richard I, John, and Henry III – managed to get most barons to switch sides from working with France to the new King Henry III and attacking the French.

Richard was the constable of several castles including the important Wallingford Castle in Berkshire, England, and served as Sheriff of Berkshire. He took part in the Fifth Crusade during the successful Siege of Damietta (1218 – 1219) in Egypt and then returned to England. In 1223, Richard accompanied his half-brother King Henry III on a campaign in Wales, and in 1225 he accompanied Alexander II, King of Scots, who was married to his half-sister Joan of England, on his pilgrimage to Canterbury.

In May 1230, King Henry III organized a campaign attempting to regain some of the Norman and Angevin French ancestral territories that his father had lost, and Richard accompanied his half-brother. The campaign did not go well. Henry III made a truce with King Louis X of France and returned to England having achieved nothing but a costly fiasco. After that, Richard had a career in royal service, mostly in command of castles on the Welsh border.

St. Mary’s Church and Churchyard in Chilham, Kent, England; Credit – www.findagrave.com

Richard FitzRoy, died before June 24, 1246, aged around sixty, at Chilham Castle in Chilham, Kent, England. All that is left of the Norman castle is the keep. A manor house, also called Chilham Castle, was built on the property in 1616 and still exists. It is thought that Richard was buried at St. Mary’s Churchyard in Chilham, Kent, England.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Flantzer, Susan. (2016). King John of England. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-john-of-england/
• Richard Fitzroy (1186-1246) – Find a Grave… Find a Grave. (n.d.). https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/157307212/richard-fitzroy
• Richard Fitzroy, Baron of Chilham. geni_family_tree. (2023, August 13). https://www.geni.com/people/Richard-fitzRoy-Baron-of-Chilham/6000000013116383679
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Richard Fitzroy. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_FitzRoy
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2024). Ричард Фицрой, 1-й барон Чилхем. Wikipedia (Russian). https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%A0%D0%B8%D1%87%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B4_%D0%A4%D0%B8%D1%86%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%B9,_1-%D0%B9_%D0%B1%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BE%D0%BD_%D0%A7%D0%B8%D0%BB%D1%85%D0%B5%D0%BC

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

Drawing of William Longespée from his effigy in Salisbury Cathedral; Credit – Wikipedia

Born circa 1176, William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury was the illegitimate son of King Henry II of England and his former royal ward and then mistress Ida de Tosny. His surname Longespée probably refers to William’s height and the oversized weapons he used. William’s paternal grandparents were Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou, Touraine, and Maine and Empress Matilda, Lady of the English, the only surviving legitimate child of King Henry I of England. His maternal grandparents were Ralph de Tosny, V, Lord of Flamstead (in Hertfordshire, England) and Margaret de Beaumont. Henry II had several long-term mistresses and around twelve illegitimate children, William’s half-siblings.

13th-century depiction of William’s royal half-siblings, (l to r) William, Young Henry, Richard, Matilda, Geoffrey, Eleanor, Joan, and John; Credit – Wikipedia

William had eight royal half-siblings from his father’s marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine:

• William IX, Count of Poitiers (1153 – 1156), died in childhood
• Henry the Young King (1155 – 1183), married Marguerite of France, no children
• Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony and Bavaria (1156 – 1189), married Heinrich the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, had five children, including Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor
• King Richard I of England (1157 – 1199), married Berengaria of Navarre, no children
• Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany (1158 – 1186), married Constance, Duchess of Brittany, had three children
• Eleanor of England, Queen of Castile (1162 – 1214), married King Alfonso VIII of Castile, had twelve children including King Enrique I of Castile; Berengaria, Queen Regnant of Castile and Queen of León; Urraca, Queen of Portugal; Blanche, Queen of France, and Eleanor, Queen of Aragon
• Joan of England, Queen of Sicily (1165 – 1199), married (1) King William II of Sicily, no surviving children (2) Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse, had two children, Joan died in childbirth with her third child who also died
• King John of England (1166 – 1216), married 1) Isabella, 3rd Countess of Gloucester, marriage annulled, no children (2) Isabella, Countess of Angoulême; had five children, including King Henry III of England; Joan of England, Queen of Scots, and Isabella of England, Holy Roman Empress

William’s mother Ida de Tosny married Roger Bigod, 2nd Earl of Norfolk and the couple had at least eight children, William’s half-siblings:

• Margery Bigod (1174 – 1237), married William de Hastings, Steward to King Henry II, had at least two children
• Hugh Bigod, 3rd Earl of Norfolk (circa 1182 – 1225), married Maud Marshal, had four children
• Mary Bigod (1188 – 1237), married Ranulf FitzRobert, 4th Lord Middleham and Spennithorne, had at least one son
• William Bigod (circa 1188 – ?), married Margaret de Sutton
• Roger Bigod (1198 – 1230)
• Ralph Bigod (circa 1201 – circa 1214), died in childhood
• John Bigod
• Ida Bigod

William’s father King Henry II of England; Credit – Wikipedia

King Henry II acknowledged William as his son but little is known about William’s childhood. According to William’s own statements, he grew up at times with Hubert de Burgh, later Earl of Kent and Chief Justiciar of England and Ireland during the reigns of King John and his son and successor King Henry III. In 1188, when William came of age, his father gave him the town of Appleby in Lincolnshire, England.

In 1196, William married a great heiress Ela of Salisbury, 3rd Countess of Salisbury, the only child of William FitzPatrick, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, and Eléonore de Vitré. Earlier in 1196, Ela’s father had died and she succeeded to the title of her father as 3rd Countess of Salisbury in her own right. After the marriage, William became the 3rd Earl of Salisbury by Jure uxoris, by right of his wife. Because Ela was only eleven years old, the couple did not have children for several years.

William and Ela had at least nine children:

• Ida Longespée (circa 1205 – 1269), married (1) Ralph de Somery of Dudley, no children (2) William de Beauchamp, Baron of Bedford, had seven children
• Isabella Longespée (circa 1208 – 1268), married William de Vesci, no children
• William Longespée the Younger (circa 1209 – 1250), married Idoine de Camville, had four children, killed during the 7th Crusade
• Mary Longespée (1209 – 1262), married Sir Robert de Ros, 1st Baron Warke, had five children
• Petronella Longespée (1209 – ?), a nun
• Richard Longespée (circa 1214 – ?), Clerk and Canon at Salisbury Cathedral
• Stephen Longespée, Seneschal of Gascony and Justiciar of Ireland (circa 1216 – 1260), married Emmeline de Riddlesford, had two daughters
• Ela Longespée (circa 1217 – 1298), married (1) Thomas de Beaumont, 6th Earl of Warwick, no children; married (2) Philip Basset, no children
• Nicholas Longespée, Bishop of Salisbury (circa 1218 – 1297)

Effigy of William’s half-brother King Richard I; By Adam Bishop – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17048652

William participated in the campaigns (1193 – 1198) of his half-brother King Richard I of England in the Duchy of Normandy (now in France) to recover the land seized by King Philippe II of France while Richard was participating in the Third Crusade. William was closest in age to King John, the youngest of his father’s legitimate children, who succeeded to the English throne in 1199. During King John’s reign, William was at court on important ceremonial occasions and held several positions: High Sheriff of Wiltshire, Lieutenant of Gascony, Constable of Dover, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, Lord Warden of the Welsh Marches, and Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire.

Effigy of William’s half-brother King John; Credit – Wikipedia

William was a commander during the 1210 – 1212 Welsh and Irish campaigns of his half-brother King John of England and participated in the Anglo-French War of 1213–1214. In 1213, he led the English fleet in the Battle of Damme in which the English seized or destroyed a good portion of the French fleet. On July 27, 1214, William commanded the right flank of an English coalition army against France at the Battle of Bouvines, the last battle of the Anglo-French War of 1213–1214. The battle ended in defeat for the English coalition and capture for William when the priest-soldier Philippe de Dreux, Bishop of Beauvais threw a mace at his head. William was unhorsed and taken prisoner and the English soldiers fled. Because of the resounding French victory, all the Norman and Angevin French ancestral territories, Normandy, Maine, Touraine, Anjou, and Poitou, were lost forever to the English crown.

While King John was trying to save his French territories, his discontented English barons led by Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, were protesting John’s continued misgovernment of England. The result of this discontent was the best-known event of John’s reign, the Magna Carta, the “great charter” of English liberties, forced from King John by the English barons and sealed at Runnymede near Windsor Castle on June 15, 1215. Among the liberties were the protection of church rights, protection for the barons from illegal imprisonment, access to swift justice, and limitations on feudal payments to the Crown.

William had returned to England during King John’s troubles with the English barons and was one of the few barons who was loyal to John. Infuriated by being forced to agree to the Magna Carta, John turned to Pope Innocent III, who declared the Magna Carta null and void and the rebel barons excommunicated. The conflict between John and the barons was transformed into an open civil war, the First Barons’ War (1215 – 1217). William was one of the leaders of King John’s army in the south of England. However, the rebel barons appealed to King Philippe II of France, and offered his son, the future King Louis VIII of France, the English crown. After Louis of France landed in England as an ally of the rebel barons, William went over to the rebel side because he thought John’s cause was lost.

William’s half-brother King John died of dysentery on October 19, 1216. He was succeeded by his nine-year-old son King Henry III of England. The First Barons’ War continued after King John’s death, but the great William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, who served four English kings – Henry II, Richard I, John, and Henry III – managed to get most barons to switch sides from Louis of France to the new King Henry III and attack Louis. The Magna Carta was reissued in King Henry III’s name with some of the clauses omitted and was sealed by the nine-year-old king’s regent William Marshal. William Longespée supported his nephew King Henry III and held an influential place in the government during the young king’s minority.

William’s tomb in Salisbury Cathedral; Credit – By Bernard Gagnon – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7140363

In 1225, returning to England from Gascony (now in France), William was shipwrecked off the coast of Brittany (now in France). He spent several months in a monastery on the French island of Île de Ré.  Shortly after returning to England, William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, aged about fifty, died on March 7, 1226, at his home, Salisbury Castle in Salisbury, Wiltshire, England which was part of Old Sarum and no longer exists. He was buried at Salisbury Cathedral where he had laid the foundation stones in 1220.

William’s wife Ela never remarried. Three years after William’s death, Ela founded Lacock Abbey in Lacock, Wiltshire, England. In 1238, she entered Lacock Abbey as a nun and was Abbess from 1240 – 1257. Ela survived her husband William by thirty-five years, dying on August 24, 1261, aged about seventy-three, and was buried in Lacock Abbey.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Ashley, Mike. (1998). The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens. Carroll & Graf Publishers.
• Flantzer, Susan. (2016). King Henry II of England. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-henry-ii-of-england/
• Flantzer, Susan. (2016). King John of England. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-john-of-england/
• Ida De Tosny, Countess of Norfolk. geni_family_tree. (2022). https://www.geni.com/people/Ida-de-To%C3%ABny-Countess-of-Norfolk/6000000006428477266
• Weir, Alison. (2008). Britain’s Royal Families – The Complete Genealogy. Vintage Books.
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Ela of Salisbury, 3rd Countess of Salisbury. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ela_of_Salisbury,_3rd_Countess_of_Salisbury
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Ida de Tosny. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ida_de_Tosny
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). William Longespée, 3. Earl of Salisbury. Wikipedia (German). https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Longesp%C3%A9e,_3._Earl_of_Salisbury
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2024). William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Longesp%C3%A9e,_3rd_Earl_of_Salisbury
• William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury. geni_family_tree. (2023). https://www.geni.com/people/William-Longesp%C3%A9e-3rd-Earl-of-Salisbury/6000000006232319371

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

King Henry II of England, the father of Geoffrey, Archbishop of York; Credit – Wikipedia

Geoffrey, Archbishop of York, born circa 1152, was the illegitimate son of King Henry II of England, who ascended the throne of England in 1154. Henry II had several long-term mistresses and around twelve illegitimate children. Geoffrey was probably conceived during one of Henry’s sojourns to England. At the time of Geoffrey’s birth, Henry was involved in The Anarchy, the long civil war (1135 -1153) fought over the English throne, between Henry’s mother Empress Matilda and her first cousin King Stephen of England. Fighting occurred in England and the Duchy of Normandy (now in France) and Henry went back and forth across the English Channel. Geoffrey’s paternal grandparents were his namesake Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou, Touraine, and Maine, and Empress Matilda, Lady of the English. Empress Matilda was the widow of Heinrich V, Holy Roman Emperor and she used her style and title from her first marriage for the rest of her life. More importantly, Matilda was the only surviving, legitimate child of King Henry I of England and Duke of Normandy.

The identity of Geoffrey’s mother is uncertain. She may have been named Ykenai and there is speculation that she could have been a prostitute, the daughter of a knight, a Welsh hostage, a servant, or a daughter of one of the royal servants. It appears that Geoffrey was the eldest of Henry II’s children, legitimate or illegitimate, and was probably born before Henry II married Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right. There is no evidence that Henry II had any doubts that Geoffrey was his son. Geoffrey was raised with Henry II’s legitimate children.

13th-century depiction of Geoffrey’s royal half-siblings: (l to r) William, Young Henry, Richard, Matilda, Geoffrey, Eleanor, Joan, and John; Credit – Wikipedia

Geoffrey had eight royal half-siblings from his father’s marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine:

• William IX, Count of Poitiers (1153 – 1156), died in childhood
• Henry the Young King (1155 – 1183), married Marguerite of France, no children
• Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony and Bavaria (1156 – 1189), married Heinrich the Lion, Duke of Saxony and Bavaria, had five children, including Otto IV, Holy Roman Emperor
• King Richard I of England (1157 – 1199), married Berengaria of Navarre, no children
• Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany (1158 – 1186), married Constance, Duchess of Brittany, had three children
• Eleanor of England, Queen of Castile (1162 – 1214), married King Alfonso VIII of Castile, had twelve children including King Enrique I of Castile; Berengaria, Queen Regnant of Castile and Queen of León; Urraca, Queen of Portugal; Blanche, Queen of France, and Eleanor, Queen of Aragon
• Joan of England, Queen of Sicily (1165 – 1199), married (1) King William II of Sicily, no surviving children (2) Raymond VI, Count of Toulouse, had two children, Joan died in childbirth with her third child who also died
• King John of England (1166 – 1216), married 1) Isabella, 3rd Countess of Gloucester, marriage annulled, no children (2) Isabella, Countess of Angoulême; had five children, including King Henry III of England; Joan of England, Queen of Scots, and Isabella of England, Holy Roman Empress

Henry II’s plan was for Geoffrey to enter the Church and so Geoffrey was sent to schools in Northhampton, England and Tours, County of Torraine, one of Henry’s possessions, now in France. Before 1170, the teenage Geoffrey took minor orders, the lower ranks of Roman Catholic Church ministry. In 1170, when he was about eighteen years old, Geoffrey was appointed Archdeacon of Lincoln in the Diocese of Lincoln, responsible for the oversight of church buildings and some supervision, discipline, and pastoral care of the clergy. However, there is little evidence that he ever performed these responsibilities.

As Henry II’s legitimate son got older, tensions over the future inheritance of Henry’s vast Angevin Empire which included all of present-day England, half of France, and parts of Ireland and Wales. In 1173, Henry II’s legitimate sons Henry, Richard, and Geoffrey (John was too young, only seven years old) rebelled in protest during the Revolt of 1173 – 1174 and, were joined by their mother Eleanor of Aquitaine. Henry II’s illegitimate son Geoffrey fought for him in northern England during the campaigns of the revolt. After the defeat of his legitimate sons, Henry II told his illegitimate son Geoffrey, “You alone have proved yourself my lawful and true son. My other sons are really the bastards.” From then on, Geoffrey was one of his father’s most valued counselors.

Geoffrey’s appointment as Archdeacon of Lincoln was only a stepping stone in Henry II’s plans. In May 1173, Henry arranged for Geoffrey to be elected Bishop of Lincoln. However, Pope Alexander III refused to confirm Geoffrey’s election. Geoffrey was not ordained as a priest, was under the age to become a bishop, and his illegitimate birth prevented him from holding a religious office. Eventually, under duress, Pope Alexander II issued the necessary dispensations and confirmed Geoffrey as Bishop of Lincoln in 1175. However, since he was not ordained another bishop carried out Geoffrey’s duties in the Diocese of Lincoln. In 1181, Pope Lucius III demanded that Geoffrey be ordained or resign. Geoffrey did resign but as compensation, his father King Henry II appointed him Chancellor of England in 1181.

By 1189, only two of Geoffrey’s legitimate brothers were still living, Richard, Eleanor’s favorite and the heir since his elder brother’s death, and John, the youngest child and Henry II’s favorite. King Philippe II of France successfully played upon Richard’s fears that Henry would make John King, and a final rebellion broke out in 1189. Decisively defeated by Philippe and Richard and suffering from a bleeding ulcer, King Henry II retreated to his favorite residence, the Château de Chinon in Anjou, now in France. Only Henry II’s illegitimate son Geoffrey was at his deathbed when he died on July 6, 1189.

King Henry II had made a deathbed wish that Geoffrey be named Archbishop of York. King Richard I did nominate his half-brother Geoffrey as Archbishop of York but probably did so to eliminate a potential rival for the throne. However, Richard insisted that Geoffrey resign his position as Chancellor of England and be ordained as a priest, and his ordination as a priest took place on September 23, 1189.

Geoffrey’s ambitions may have included becoming King of England, and that may account for some of the issues he had with King Richard I and King John, his two surviving legitimate half-brothers. Geoffrey’s life was full of quarrels. He spent much of his time as Archbishop of York quarreling with the bishops under him and the clergy of York Cathedral. Geoffrey argued with William de Longchamp, King Richard II’s Chancellor and his Regent when Richard went off to fight in the Third Crusade. He had continued disagreements with his half-brothers King Richard II and King John who succeeded Richard in 1199. In 1207, Geoffrey had his final quarrel with King John when he refused to allow the collection of taxes. Geoffrey excommunicated anyone who attempted to collect the taxes in the Diocese of York. In retaliation, King John confiscated Geoffrey’s estates. Geoffrey obtained the support of Pope Innocent III, who ordered King John to restore Geoffrey’s possessions, but in the meantime, Geoffrey fled to the Duchy of Normandy where remained for the rest of his life.

On December 12, 1212, Geoffrey died aged around sixty, at the Notre-Dame-du-Parc Priory in Rouen, then in the Duchy of Normandy, now in France, where he had been living for a few years and where he possibly became a monk. He was buried at the monastery church.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Ashley, Mike. (1998). The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens. Carroll & Graf Publishers.
• Flantzer, Susan. (2016). King Henry II of England. Unofficial Royalty. https://www.unofficialroyalty.com/king-henry-ii-of-england/
• Weir, Alison. (2008). Britain’s Royal Families – The Complete Genealogy. Vintage Books.
• Weir, Alison. (1999). Eleanor of Aquitaine, By Wrath of God, Queen of England. Jonathan Cape.
• Wikimedia Foundation. (2023). Geoffrey (Archbishop of York). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_(archbishop_of_York)
• Ykenai. geni_family_tree. (2022, April 26). https://www.geni.com/people/Ykenai/6000000026108697539

by Susan Flantzer
© Unofficial Royalty 2024

King Stephen of England, father of Gervase of Blois, Abbot of Westminster; Credit – Wikipedia

Born circa 1115 – 1120, Gervase of Blois was the son of King Stephen of England and his mistress Damette (circa 1103 – 1152), from the Duchy of Normandy, then a possession of the King of England, now part of France. Gervase’s paternal grandparents were Stephen II, Count of Blois and Adela of Normandy and England, a daughter of King William I of England (the Conqueror).

Gervase had three full siblings:

• Almaric of Blois
• Ralph of Blois
• Sybille of Blois, Lady of Champagne (circa 1115 – 1141), married Hervé II, Viscount Count of Léon, had at least three children

Gervase had five royal half-siblings from the marriage of his father King Stephen to Matilda of Boulogne:

• Baldwin of Blois (circa 1126 – 1135)
• Eustace IV, Count of Boulogne (circa 1129 – 1153) married Constance of France, no children
• Matilda of Blois (circa 1133 – circa 1137), died in childhood
• Marie of Blois, Countess of Boulogne (circa 1136 – 1182) married Matthew of Alsace, had two daughters
• William of Blois, Count of Boulogne (circa 1137 –  1159) married Isabel de Warenne, no children

A scene from the Bayeux Tapestry showing the funeral procession of Edward the Confessor with the church Edward built on the left. This is the only contemporary depiction of Edward’s church, the church that Gervase would have know; Credit – Wikipedia

Today, we think of Westminster Abbey as just a church. However, it was first known as St. Peter’s Abbey, founded by Benedictine monks in 960 under the patronage of King Edgar the Peaceful (reigned 943 – 975) and St. Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury. King Edward the Confessor (reigned 1042 – 1066) began rebuilding St. Peter’s Abbey to provide himself with a royal burial church. This church became known as the “west minster” to distinguish it from (old) St. Paul’s Cathedral (the east minster) in the City of London. The new church was consecrated on December 28, 1065. However, until the dissolution of the monasteries (1536 – 1541) during the reign of King Henry VIII, there was also a monastery of monks at Westminster Abbey. The definition of the word abbey is “a large church with buildings next to it where monks and nuns live.” The head of a monastery is an abbot.

In 1138, when Gervase was no older than his early 20s, his father arranged for him to be appointed Abbot of Westminster, giving Westminster Abbey hope of receiving additional royal funds. Gervase was certainly too young to hold this position, and he was neither a monk nor a priest. Alberic of Ostia, the papal legate to England, immediately ordained Gervase as a priest, presumably after the necessary dispensation due to his illegitimate birth which would have prevented him from holding a religious office.

In 1139, Gervase attended the Second Lateran Council in Rome, the tenth ecumenical council recognized by the Catholic Church. Pope Innocent II sent Gervase a papal bull in 1141 outlining how to reform the finances and the estate management of Westminster Abbey. Over the years, historians have disagreed over whether Pope Innocent II was referring to long-standing issues of financial malpractice, or ones that had appeared during Gervase’s time as Abbot of Westminster.

Working with with Osbert de Clare, Prior of Westminster, Gervase tried unsuccessfully to canonize as a saint King Edward the Confessor who was buried at Westminster Abbey. Edward the Confessor would not be canonized until 1161, nearly a year after his death. In 1148, Gervase was proposed as one of the three candidates to be Bishop of Lincoln, but someone else was appointed.

King Henry II of England; Credit – Wikipedia

In 1154, King Stephen died and was succeeded by his former rival in the terrible civil war known as The Anarchy, King Henry II. King Stephen, a nephew of King Henry I, had raced to England upon hearing of the death of his uncle King Henry I, usurping the English throne from King Henry I’s only surviving legitimate child Empress Matilda. The fight for the English throne between first cousins Stephen and Matilda caused a terrible fifteen-year civil war. King Henry II was Matilda’s son and he had no love lost for King Stephen, his relatives, and his supporters, including Gervase, Stephen’s illegitimate son. King Henry II accused Gervase of mishandling the abbey’s estates and he was dismissed as Abbot of Westminster in 1157. Gervase was replaced as Abbot of Westminster by Laurence of Durham, a supporter of King Henry II. Gervase died on August 25, 1160, and was buried in the south cloister of the old Westminster Abbey.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Works Cited

• Ashley, Mike. (1998). The Mammoth Book of British Kings and Queens. Carroll & Graf Publishers.
• Flantzer, Susan. “Westminster Abbey in London, England.” Unofficial Royalty, 2021, www.unofficialroyalty.com/westminster-abbey-in-london-england/
• “Gervaise de Blois, Abbot of Westminster.” Geni_family_tree, 2022, www.geni.com/people/Gervaise-de-Blois-Abbot-of-Westminster/6000000000769948404.
• “Gervase de Blois.” Westminster Abbey, www.westminster-abbey.org/abbey-commemorations/commemorations/gervase-de-blois.
• Weir, Alison. (2008). Britain’s Royal Families – The Complete Genealogy. Vintage Books.