Alice de Lusignan (or Alice of Angoulême) (born after October 1236 – May 1290) was the first wife of
Marcher baron
Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester
Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, 7th Earl of Gloucester (2 September 1243 – 7 December 1295) was a powerful English noble. He was also known as "Red" Gilbert de Clare or "The Red Earl", probably because of his hair colour or fiery temp ...
, and half-niece of King
Henry III of England
Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry a ...
.
[The Complete Peerage.]
It was rumoured that she became the mistress of her half first cousin
Prince Edward, while she was briefly imprisoned on account of her husband's treason.
Family
Alice de Lusigan was born sometime after October 1236
[Medieval Lands"Angoulême".] in
Angoulême
Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; oc, Engoleime) is a communes of France, commune, the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Charente Departments of France, department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern Franc ...
,
Charente
Charente (; Saintongese: ''Chérente''; oc, Charanta ) is a department in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, south western France. It is named after the river Charente, the most important and longest river in the department, an ...
, France, the daughter of
Hugh XI of Lusignan
Hugh XI de Lusignan, Hugh VI of La Marche or Hugh II of Angoulême (1221 – 6 April 1250) was a 13th-century French nobleman. He succeeded his mother Isabelle of Angoulême, former queen of England, as Count of Angoulême in 1246. He likewise suc ...
, Seigneur de Lusignan, Couhe, et de Peyrat,
Count of La Marche
The County of La Marche (; oc, la Marcha) was a medieval French county, approximately corresponding to the modern ''département'' of Creuse.
La Marche first appeared as a separate fief about the middle of the 10th century, when William III, D ...
and
Angoulême
Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; oc, Engoleime) is a communes of France, commune, the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Charente Departments of France, department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern Franc ...
, and
Yolande of Brittany
Yolande of Brittany (late 1218 – 10 October 1272) was the ruler of the counties of Penthièvre and Porhoet in the Duchy of Brittany.
Yolande had been betrothed to King Henry III of England in 1226 at the age of seven years, but married Hugh ...
,
and sister of
Hugh XII of Lusignan Hugh XII de Lusignan, Hugh VII of La Marche or Hugh III of Angoulême (c. 1235/1240 – after 25 August 1270). He was the son of Hugh XI of Lusignan and Yolande of Brittany. He succeeded his father as seigneur of Lusignan, Couhé, and Peyrat, Coun ...
. By her paternal grandmother,
Isabella of Angoulême
Isabella (french: Isabelle, ; c. 1186/ 1188 – 4 June 1246) was Queen of England from 1200 to 1216 as the second wife of King John, Countess of Angoulême in her own right from 1202 until her death in 1246, and Countess of La Marche from 122 ...
, Queen-Consort of King
John of England
John (24 December 1166 – 19 October 1216) was King of England from 1199 until his death in 1216. He lost the Duchy of Normandy and most of his other French lands to King Philip II of France, resulting in the collapse of the Angevin Emp ...
, she was niece, in the half blood, of
Henry III.
Marriage
She arrived in England on an unrecorded date. On 6 April 1250, her father was killed in
battle at Fariskur,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
.
In 1253, Alice married
Gilbert de Clare, 7th Earl of Gloucester
Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford, 7th Earl of Gloucester (2 September 1243 – 7 December 1295) was a powerful English noble. He was also known as "Red" Gilbert de Clare or "The Red Earl", probably because of his hair colour or fiery temp ...
(2 September 1243 – 7 December 1295). He was the son of
Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford
Richard de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford, 6th Earl of Gloucester, 2nd Lord of Glamorgan, 8th Lord of Clare (4 August 1222 – 14 July 1262) was the son of Gilbert de Clare, 4th Earl of Hertford and Isabel Marshal.History of Tewkesbury by James Be ...
and
Maud de Lacy
Maud de Lacy (25 January 1223 – 10 March 1289) was an English noblewoman, being the eldest child of John de Lacy, 2nd Earl of Lincoln, and the wife of Richard de Clare, 5th Earl of Hertford, 6th Earl of Gloucester.
Life
Maud de Lacy ...
. He was ten years old at the time of his marriage. In later years, "Red" Gilbert would become one of the most powerful and important noblemen in the kingdom. The marriage produced two daughters.
Issue
* Isabel de Clare (10 March 1263 – 1333), married firstly
Guy de Beauchamp
Guy de Beauchamp, 10th Earl of Warwick (c. 127212 August 1315) was an English magnate, and one of the principal opponents of King Edward II and his favourite, Piers Gaveston. Guy was the son of William de Beauchamp, the first Beauchamp earl ...
, 10th
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the United Kingdom. The title has been created four times in English history, and the name refers to Warwick Castle and the town of Warwick.
Overview
The first creation c ...
, and secondly
Maurice de Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley
Maurice de Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley (April 1271 – 31 May 1326), ''The Magnanimous'', feudal baron of Berkeley, of Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire, England, was a peer. He rebelled against King Edward II and the Despencers. His epit ...
. She died childless.
* Joan de Clare (1264- after 1302), married firstly
Duncan Macduff, 7th Earl of Fife by whom she had issue, and secondly Gervase Avenel.
Prince Edward
![Gal nations edward i](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Gal_nations_edward_i.jpg)
Alice was described as being very beautiful with dark hair and dark eyes. She was also flirtatious and provocative. She was said to strongly resemble her grandmother Queen Isabella. In the late summer of 1259, she formed a friendship with her half first cousin, Prince Edward, who would later ascend the throne as King
Edward I
Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England and Lord of Ireland from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he ruled the duchies of Aquitaine and Gascony as a vassal o ...
. When
civil war
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
broke out and the barons rose up against the King led by
Simon de Montfort
Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester ( – 4 August 1265), later sometimes referred to as Simon V de Montfort to distinguish him from his namesake relatives, was a nobleman of French origin and a member of the English peerage, who led the ...
, Alice's husband supported them. Prince Edward, who headed the Royalist Army, quickly went to war against the traitors who had betrayed his father.
Tonbridge Castle
Tonbridge Castle is a 13th century castle situated in Tonbridge, Kent, England.
Early history
Following the Norman Conquest, Richard Fitz Gilbert was granted land in Kent to guard the crossing of the River Medway. He erected a simple Motte-and- ...
, one of Gloucester's properties was captured by Prince Edward's troops and Alice, who was resident in the castle at the time, taken prisoner. It is alleged that the Prince and his cousin became lovers while she was imprisoned.
[Costain,page 261.] Edward's young wife,
Eleanor of Castile
Eleanor of Castile (1241 – 28 November 1290) was Queen of England as the first wife of Edward I, whom she married as part of a political deal to affirm English sovereignty over Gascony.
The marriage was known to be particularly close, and ...
was in France at the time. Alice was released shortly afterward.
At the
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. It marked the high point of the career of Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, and made h ...
on 14 May 1264 King Henry's forces were defeated by those led by Simon and Gloucester who commanded the second line of battle. After the victory, Gilbert and his brother Thomas were both knighted. Simon de Montfort became the
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
ruler of England. On 20 October the Earl of Gloucester was
excommunicated
Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...
. A month later, he fell out with Montfort and transferred his allegiance to Prince Edward. Later after the
Battle of Evesham
The Battle of Evesham (4 August 1265) 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 the future King Edward I, who led the ...
, in which Simon de Montfort was killed, Gloucester was richly rewarded for his support of Prince Edward and was granted the castle and title of
Abergavenny
Abergavenny (; cy, Y Fenni , archaically ''Abergafenni'' meaning "mouth of the River Gavenny") is a market town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales. Abergavenny is promoted as a ''Gateway to Wales''; it is approximately from the border wi ...
and the castle of
Brecknock
Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the count ...
. He became the most powerful lord in the
Welsh Marches
The Welsh Marches ( cy, Y Mers) is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods.
The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ...
. In 1267, he and Alice began to live apart; on 18 July 1271 they formally separated, and the marriage was annulled on 16 May 1285. Gloucester married secondly, on 30 April 1290,
Joan of Acre
Joan of Acre (April 1272 – 23 April 1307) was an English princess, a daughter of Edward I of England and Eleanor of Castile. The name "Acre" derives from her birthplace in the Holy Land while her parents were on a crusade.
She was married twi ...
, daughter of Prince Edward who had acceded in 1272 as King Edward I of England. Alice died in May 1290. Through her daughter Joan, Alice was the grandmother of
Isabella MacDuff
Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan (probably died c. 1314), was a significant figure in the Wars of Scottish Independence.
She was the daughter of Donnchadh III, Earl of Fife, and Johanna de Clare, daughter of The 6th Earl of Hertford. She ...
, Countess of Buchan, who placed the crown of
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
upon the head of
Robert the Bruce
Robert I (11 July 1274 – 7 June 1329), popularly known as Robert the Bruce (Scottish Gaelic: ''Raibeart an Bruis''), was King of Scots from 1306 to his death in 1329. One of the most renowned warriors of his generation, Robert eventual ...
at
Scone
A scone is a baked good, usually made of either wheat or oatmeal with baking powder as a leavening agent, and baked on sheet pans. A scone is often slightly sweetened and occasionally glazed with egg wash. The scone is a basic component of th ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alice De Lusignan Of Angouleme
13th-century births
1290 deaths
House of Lusignan
13th-century French people
Year of birth uncertain
13th-century French women
13th-century English people
13th-century English women
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...