Longsword, Duke of Normandy William
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1. Longsword, Duke of Normandy William died on 17 Dec 943. Notes:
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For William and his ancestry see "Falaise Roll...," M. Jackson Crispin and
Leonce Macary (London: Butler & Tanner, 1938, Table IV at end of volume).
He was murdered on the island of Picquigny in the Somme.William married Sprota on Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 2. Richard, Duke of Normandy I of Normandy
died in 996.
Family/Spouse: Vaudreuil, Asperleng of. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 2. Richard, Duke of Normandy I of Normandy
Generation: 2
2. Richard, Duke of Normandy I of Normandy (1.William1) died in 996.
I married Crepon, Gonnor de on Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 4. Normandy, Beatrice of
- 5. Richard, Duke of Normandy II
died on 28 Aug 1026.
- 6. Robert, Count ofEvreaux
died in 1037.
I married on Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 4. Normandy, Beatrice of
3. Raoul Count of Bayeux & Count Of Ivry (1.William1)
Notes:
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{"The Plantagenet Ancestry,"W.H.Turton (Balt.:Gen.Pub.Co.,1968),p.100 gives
Raoul's parents as Asperling de Vaudreuil and wife Sporta de Senlis;
Sporta also m. William Longsword, Duke of Normandy, cf. p.6. - see ID1804.}married Caux, Erneburge de on Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
Generation: 3
4. Normandy, Beatrice of (2.I2, 1.William1)
Notes:
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{Parents from "The Plantagenet Ancestry," W.H. Turton
(Balt.:Gen.Pub.Co.,1968),p.10.}Beatrice married Warenne, Raoul ("Ralph") de on Yes, date unknown. Raoul (son of St-Martin, Gautier de and Gonnor Niece of Duchess) died in 1050. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 11. Warenne, William de
died on 24 Jun 1088; was buried in Lewes, England.
- 11. Warenne, William de
5. Richard, Duke of Normandy II (2.I2, 1.William1) died on 28 Aug 1026.
II married Brittany, Judith of in 1000. Judith (daughter of Conan, Count of Rennes I and Anjou, Ermengarde of) was born in 982; died in 1017. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 12. Richard, Duke of Normandy III
died on 6 Sep 1028.
- 13. Robert, Duke of Normandy I
was born about 1008; died on 22 Jul 1035 in Bythinian Nicaea.
- 12. Richard, Duke of Normandy III
6. Robert, Count ofEvreaux (2.I2, 1.William1) died in 1037.
Other Events and Attributes:
- Occupation: Archbishop of Rouen
Notes:
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Robert and Herleve had three sons: Richard, Ralph (sire of Gace) and William
(m. 1st the widow of Robert de Grentemesnil by whom he had a daughter who m.
Robert, Count of Sicily, and m. 2nd an unknown wife with whom he had William
and Roger (who came to England in 1066 and became ancestor of the Devereaux,
lord Ferrers of Chartley and earls of Essex).Family/Spouse: Herleve. Herleve died in 1040. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
7. Godfrey Count of Eu & Brionne (2.I2, 1.William1)
Notes:
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From "A Baronial Family in Medieval England: The Clares, 1217-1314", by Michael Altschul, Baltimore, The Johns Hopkins press, 1965.
The Clares came to England with the Conqueror. Like many other great families which settled in England after the Conquest, they were related to the dukes of Normandy and had established themselves as important members of the Norman feudal
aristocracy in the late tenth and early eleventh centuries. The origin of the family can be traced to Godfrey, eldest of the illegitimate children of Duke Richard I (the Fearless), the Conqueror's great-grandfather. While the Duke granted Godfrey
Brionne, he did not make him a count. Godfrey's comital title derives from the grant of the county of Eu made to him after 996 by his half-brother, Duke Richard II. After Godfrey's death, Eu was given to William, another of Duke Richard I's bastard
sons, and Gilbert, Godfrey's son, was left with only the lordship of Brionne. However, under Duke Robert I, father of William the Conqueror, Gilbert assumed the title of count of Brionne while not relinquishing his claim to Eu. When Count William of Eu
died shortly before 1040, Gilbert assumed the land and title, but he was assassinated in 1040 and his young sons, Richard and Baldwin, were forced to flee Normandy, finding safety at the court of Baldwin V, Count of Flanders. When William the Conqueror
married Count Baldwin's daughter, he restored Gilbert's sons to Normandy, although he did not invest them with either Brionne or Eu or a comital title. William granted the lordships of Bienfaite and Orbec to Richard fitz Gilbert, and Le Sap and Meules
to Baldwin. While Gilbert's descendants later pressed a claim for Brionne, it was never restored.
Richard and Baldwin fitz Gilbert took part in the Norman conquest of England, and both assumed important positions in the Conqueror's reign. Baldwin was made guardian of Exeter in 1068, and appears in the Domesday Book as sheriff of Devon, lord of
Okehampton and numerous other estates in Devon, Dorset, and Somerset. His sons William and Richard were also sheriffs of Devon and participated in the abortive Norman penetration of Carmarthen in the early twelfth century.
However, the lasting position of the family in England must be credited to Baldwin's brother, Richard fitz Gilbert I. He was regent of England jointly with William de Warenne during the Conqueror's absence in 1075, and he served in various other
important capacities for the King. King William rewarded his cousin well, granting him one of the largest fiefs in the territorial settlement. The lordship centered on Clare (obviously the origin of the Clare family name), Suffolk, which had been an
important stronghold in Anglo-Saxon times. The bulk of Richard fitz Gilbert's estates lay in Suffolk, Essex, Surrey, and Kent, but comprised holdings in various other counties in the southern and eastern parts of the kingdom as well. In addition, King
William arranged for Richard's marriage to Rohese, sister of Walter Giffard, later Earl of Buckingham, and her dowry, consisting of lands in Huntingdon and Hertford, became absorbed in the family inheritance.
After Richard's death, his extensive properties in Normandy and England were divided between his two eldest sons. The Norman fiefs of Bienfaite and Orbec passed to Roger, while Gilbert, inherited the English honors of Clare and Tonbridge.
- the players -
Richard I, Duke of Normandy, died 996
:
Godfrey of Brionne and Eu died ca 1015
:
Gilbert, count of Brionne died 1040
:
-Richard fitz Gilbert (1035-1090) = Rohese de Giffard
:
Roger d.s.p. 1130
Gilbert fitz Richard I(ca1066-1117 ) = Adeliz daughter of Hugh Claremont
Walter d.s.p.1138
Richard, abbot of Ely 1100
Robert d.1136
Adelice = Walter Tirel
Rohese = Eudo Dapifer
-Baldwin fitz Gilbert died 1095
:
William d.s.p. 1096
Robert d.s.p.1101
Richard d.s.p.1137
While Gilbert fitz Richard I found himself at odds with the Conqueror's successor, William Rufus, he and other members of the family enjoyed great favor with Rufus' successor King Henry I. Some have suggested that Henry's largesse was due to the fact
that Walter Tirel, husband of Richard's daughter Adelize, shot the arrow which slew Rufus. Proof of this is lacking, but with certainty the wealth and position of the Clare family increased rapidly during Henry's reign. One of Rohese Giffards brothers
(Walter) was made Earl of Buckingham and another Bishop of Winchester. Gilbert fitz Richard's brothers were also rewarded: Richard, a monk at Bec, was made abbot of Ely in 1100; Robert was granted the forfeited manors of Ralph Baynard in East Anglia;
Walter, who founded Tintern Abbey in 1131, was given the great lordship of Netherwent with the castle of Striguil in the southern march, territories previously held by Roger, son of William fitz Osborn, Earl of Hereford, who had forfeited them in 1075.
In 1110 Gilbert was granted the lordship of Ceredigion (Cardigan) in southwestern Wales, and immediately embarked upon an intensive campaign to subjagate the area.
- the players -
Gilbert fitz Richard I (ca1066-1117)=Adeliz d/o Hugh Claremont
:
Richard fitz Gilbert II (ante 1100-1136)=Adelize de Chester
Gilbert b. 1100
Baldwin d. 1154
Hervey
Walter
Margaret=William de Montifichet
Alice=Aubrey de Vere
Rohese=Baderon de Monmouth
After Gilbert fitz Richard I died in 1117, his children continued to profit from royal generosity and favorable connections. His daughters were all married to important barons; William de Montfichet, Lord of Stansted in Essex, the marcher Lord Baderon
de Monmouth, and Aubrey de Vere, Lord of Hedingham in Essex and father of the first Vere Earl of Oxford. Of the five sons, little is known of two: Hervey, whom King Stephen sent on an expedition to Cardigan abt 1140, and Walter, who participated in the
Second Crusade of 1147. Baldwin established himself as an important member of the lesser baronage by obtaining the Lincolnshire barony of Bourne through marriage. Richard fitz Gilbert II, the eldest and heir, was allowed to marry Adeliz, sister of
Ranulf des Gernons, Earl of Chester, thus acquiring lands in Lincoln and Northampton as her marriage portion. He tried to consolidate the gains made by his father in Cardigan, but was killed in an ambush in 1136 and the lordship was soon recovered by
the Welsh.
Of Gilbert fitz Richard I' sons, Gilbert was the only one to achieve any great prominence, being the founder of the great cadet branch of the family and the father of one of the most famous men in English history. Gilbert fitz Gilbert de Clare was
high in the favor of Henry I, perhaps because his wife Isabell, daughter of Robert de Beaumont, Count of Meulan and Earl of Leicester, was one of Henry's favorite mistresses. When Gilbert's uncle Roger died without heirs, Henry granted Gilbert the
lordships of Bienfaite and Orbec in Normandy. When another uncle, Walter, Lord of Netherwent in South Wales, died without issue in 1138, King Richard? gave Gilbert this lordship in addition to the lordship of Pembroke, which had been forfeited by
Arnulf of Montgomery in 1102. Gilbert was also created Earl of Pembroke in 1138. At his death in 1148, he was succeeded by his son Richard fitz Gilbert, aka "Strongbow" who led the Norman invasion of Ireland and obtained the great lordship of Leinster
in 1171.
Thus, in just two generations, the cadet branch of the Clares became one of the most important families in England. Strongbow was Earl of Pembroke, Lord of Netherwent, and Lord of Leinster being the most powerful of the marcher and Anglo-Irish
magnates under King Henry II. Strongbow d. in 1176 and son Gilbert d. abt. 1185, ending the male line. In 1189, the inheritance passed to Strongbow's daughter Isabel and her husband, William Marshal.
Meanwhile, the senior side prospered. After Richard fitz Gilbert II died in 1136, Clare, Tonbridge, and other estates passed to the eldest son Gilbert fitz Richard II, who was created Earl of Hertford by King Stephen. Gilbert died probably unmarried
in 1152, when his younger brother Roger inherited the estates and comital title. Roger resumed the the campaign against the Welsh in Cardigan where, after 8 years, he was defeated in 1165. However, Roger did add some lands and nine knights' fees
through his marriage to Maud, daughter and heir of the Norfolk baron James de St. Hillary. Roger died in 1173 and his widow, Maud, conveyed the remainder of the inheritance to her next husband, William de Aubigny, Earl of Arundel. The Clare estates
along with the earldom passed to Roger's son, Richard, who for the next 4 decades until he died in 1217, was the head of the great house of CLARE, adding immensely to the wealth, prestige, and landed endowment of his line.
Roger's son Richard, hereinafter Richard de CLARE acquired half of the former honor of Giffard in 1189 when King Richard I, in need of money for the Third Crusade, agreed to divide the Giffard estates between Richard de CLARE and his cousin Isabel,
Strongbow's daughter based on their claims of descendancy to Rohese Giffard. Richard de CLARE obtained Long Crendon in Buckingham, the caput of the Giffard honor in England, associated manors in Buckingham, Cambridge, and Bedfordshire, and 43 knights'
fees, in addition to some former Giffard lands in Normandy. When Richard de CLARE's mother Maud died in 1195, he obtained the honor of St. Hilary. Maud's 2nd husband, William de Aubigny, Earl of Arundel, who had held St. Hilary jure uxoris, d. in 1193,
and despite the fact he had a son and heir, the honor reverted to Maud and after her death escheated to the crown. Richard de CLARE offered 360 and acquired it. The honor later became absorbed into the honor of CLARE and lost its separate identity.
Richard de CLARE's most important act, however, was his marriage to Amicia, 2nd daughter and eventual sole heir to William Earl of Gloucester. The Gloucester inheritance included the earldom and honor of Gloucester with over 260 knights' fees in
England, along with the important marcher lordships of Glamorgan and Gwynllwg. It was not easy though!! William died 1183, leaving 3 daughters. The eldest, Mabel, married Amaury de Montfort, Count of Evreux, while the second, Amicia married Richard de
CLARE. King Henry II meanwhile arranged the marriage of the youngest Isabel, to his son John, Count of Mortain, in 1189. When John became King in 1199, he divorced Isabel to marry Isabelle of Angoulmarried on Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
8. Mauger Count of Corbiel (2.I2, 1.William1)
married Corbiel, Germaine de on Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 16. William Count of Corbiel
died in 1060.
- 16. William Count of Corbiel
9. Aka Alberade de Bayeux?, Emma (3.2, 1.William1)
Notes:
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Her brothers were churchmen - Hugh was Bishop of Bayeux and John was Bishop
of Avranches and then Archbishop of Rouen.Emma married Crepon, Osbern de on Yes, date unknown. Osbern (son of Crepon, Herfast de) died in 1040. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 17. Osbern, William Fitz
died on 20 Feb 1071 in Bavenshoven, near Cassel.
- 17. Osbern, William Fitz
10. Bayeux, Emme de (3.2, 1.William1)
Emme married Beauffou, Richard de on Yes, date unknown. Richard (son of Beauffou, Raoul de) died in 1081. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
Generation: 4
11. Warenne, William de (4.Beatrice3, 2.I2, 1.William1) died on 24 Jun 1088; was buried in Lewes, England.
Other Events and Attributes:
- Occupation: Earl of Surrey
Notes:
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First Earl of Surrey; Companion of William the Conqueror; Lord of Reisgate, Conningsburgh and Bellencombre. Created Earl of Surrey, 1088. Was at Battle of Hastings, 1066. Founded the Cluniac Priory of St. Pancras, Lewes, 1077. Had other grants at
Lewes, Castle Acre in Norfolk, etc. {per "The Extinct and Dormant Peerages of the Northern Counties of England," by John William Clay (London: 1913, p. 236).} The Warenne family originated at Varenne, Seine-Inf., two miles south of Arques on the River
Varenne, and their seat and castle town became Bellencombre to the north {per "Anglo-Norman Families," Publications of the Harleian Society, 1951 (Vol. 103). An ancestry of William, d. 1088, is given in "Royal Ancestors of Magna Charta Barons," Carr
P. Collins, Jr., Dallas, 1959.} His share of the "spoil" in England following the Conquest included 300 manors and Lewes Castle. He was wounded at the siege of Pevensey and may have died as a
result. William was Count of Warenne in Normandy and is first mentioned regarding the battle of Mortemer in 1054; he attended the Council of Lillebonne where the decision was made to invade England. He was among the powerful Norman barons who
accompanied the Conqueror. In 1067 he was one of the barons entrusted with the government of England in the Conqueror's absence in Normandy. He is buried in the Lewes Chapter House. For a discussion of issues in identifying his ancestry, see
"Falaise Roll" (Baltimore: Gen. Pub. Co.), pp. 183-4.William married Gundrada before 1077. Gundrada died on 27 May 1085. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 19. Warenne, William de
was born in 1071; died on 11 May 1138; was buried in Lewes, England.
12. Richard, Duke of Normandy III (5.II3, 2.I2, 1.William1) died on 6 Sep 1028.
Family/Spouse: Adelaide Princess of France. (daughter of Robert, King of France II and Taillefer, of Provence Constance de) was born in 1009; died on 8 Jan 1079 in Messinesmonastre. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
13. Robert, Duke of Normandy I (5.II3, 2.I2, 1.William1) was born about 1008; died on 22 Jul 1035 in Bythinian Nicaea.
Notes:
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Robert I was Duke 1028-35. His wife is Estrith, sister of Canute the Great
(no issue). Robert was called "Robert the Devil", accused of poisoning his
brother (whom Robert succeeded as Duke); he sheltered the exiled English
princes, Edward and Alfred; he died returning from a pilgrimage to
Jerusalem.Family/Spouse: Falaise, Herleve of. Herleve was born about 1012; died about 1050. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 21. William, King of England I
was born in 1027 in Falaise, Normandy; died on 9 Sep 1087 in Rouen, France; was buried in St. Stephen Abbey, Caen, Normandy.
- 22. Normandy, Adelaide of
was born about 1030.
- 21. William, King of England I
14. Richard Count of Evreux (6.Count3, 2.I2, 1.William1)
Other Events and Attributes:
- Occupation: 2nd Count
married Toeni, Adela (or Godeheut) on Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
15. Crispin, Ct. of Eu Et Brionne Giselbert (7.3, 2.I2, 1.William1)
Giselbert married on Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 24. Gilbert, Lord Richard Fitz
was born about 1030 in Brionne, Normandy; died in 1090 in Huntingdon, England.
- 24. Gilbert, Lord Richard Fitz
16. William Count of Corbiel (8.3, 2.I2, 1.William1) died in 1060.
married on Yes, date unknown. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
- 25. Bouchard, Count of Corbiel II
died in 1095.
- 25. Bouchard, Count of Corbiel II
17. Osbern, William Fitz (9.Emma3, 3.2, 1.William1) died on 20 Feb 1071 in Bavenshoven, near Cassel.
Other Events and Attributes:
- Occupation: Earl of Hereford
Notes:
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"...an intimate friend of William the Conqueror, and the principal agent in preparing for the invasion of England. He was the son of Osbern the seneschal, one of William's guardians during his minority, who had been murdered by the young duke's unruly
barons. Fitz Osbern founded a
monastery at Lire about 1042. He became seneschal to the duke, and urged on the plans for the invasion of England. At the conquest he received the earldom of Hereford with the special duty of pushing into Wales. During William's absence in 1067,
English affairs were left in the hands of Fitz Osbern and of Odo, bishop of Bayeux. Fitz Osbern also acted as William's lieutenant during the rebellions of 1069...was one of the feudal lords of the Welsh marches, and built several castles for the
defense of the border. In 1070 William sent him to assist Queen Matilda in the government of Normandy. But Richilde, widow of Baldwin VI of Flanders, having offered to marry him if he would protect her son Arnulf against Robert the Frisian, Fitz
Osbern accepted the proposal and joined Richilde in Flanders. He was killed, fighting against Robert, near Cassel, in 1071." -Encycl. Brit.,'56, 9:337. He was created Earl of Hereford in 1067. Also see "Falaise Roll" (Baltimore: Gen. Pub. Co, 1994),
pp. 41-42. For more information try on the World Wide Web: http://www.castlewales.com/osbern.htmlFamily/Spouse: Toeni, Adelina ("Alice") de. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children:
18. Beauffou, Alice de (10.Emme3, 3.2, 1.William1)
Family/Spouse: Montfort, Hugh II de. Hugh (son of Montfort, Hugh I de) died in 1066. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]
Children: