Nest Bloet (died 1224/5), sometimes called "Nest of Wales", was a Welsh noblewoman, best known for her many romantic liaisons, including an

extramarital affair An affair is a sexual relationship, romantic friendship, or passionate attachment in which at least one of its participants has a formal or informal commitment to a third person who may neither agree to such relationship nor even be aware of i ...

with King

Henry II of England Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin king ...

. She was the daughter of Angharad, daughter of Uthred,

Bishop of Llandaff The Bishop of Llandaff is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Llandaff. Area of authority The diocese covers most of the County of Glamorgan. The bishop's seat is in the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (the site of a ...

, and

Iorwerth ab Owain Iorwerth ab Owain (also known as Iorwerth of Gwynllŵg) (d. before 1184) was a Welsh prince of Gwynllŵg and Lord of Caerleon. Life He was a son of Owain ap Caradog and thus a grandson of King Caradog ap Gruffydd of Gwent. In 1136 together wit ...

, the lord of

Caerleon Caerleon (; cy, Caerllion) is a town and community in Newport, Wales. Situated on the River Usk, it lies northeast of Newport city centre, and southeast of Cwmbran. Caerleon is of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman ...

Marriage and Relationship with Henry II

She married Ralph Bloet III (d.1199) of the

Marcher Lordship A Marcher lord () was a noble appointed by the king of England to guard the border (known as the Welsh Marches) between England and Wales. A Marcher lord was the English equivalent of a margrave (in the Holy Roman Empire) or a marquis (in Fran ...

Striguil Striguil or Strigoil is the name that was used from the 11th century until the late 14th century for the port and Norman castle of Chepstow, on the Welsh side of the River Wye which forms the boundary with England. The name was also applied to t ...

(centred at

Chepstow Chepstow ( cy, Cas-gwent) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the western ...

) before 1175. Ralph III was son of Ralph II, son of Ralph I, son of Walter Bloet, who was rewarded for his services with the

vill Vill is a term used in English history to describe the basic rural land unit, roughly comparable to that of a parish, manor, village or tithing. Medieval developments The vill was the smallest territorial and administrative unit—a geographical ...

of Raglan by

Richard de Clare Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stron ...

(Strongbow) c.1171, making the family significant landowners in the marches of south-east Wales and in south-west England. The match between Nest and Ralph therefore linked neighbouring Welsh and marcher elite families. Nest is most famous for her affair with King Henry II. This affair probably took place in the early or mid 1170s. She may have met the king when he came to meet with a number of Welsh lords at

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 ...

in 1175 and restored Caerleon to her father, although Henry and Iorweth also met one another three years earlier. Henry 2

This affair produced a son, Morgan, who was raised by Ralph and Nest but acknowledged by Henry II. He became provost of

Beverley Beverley is a market town, market and minster (church), minster town and a civil parishes in England, civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, of which it is the county town. The town centre is located south-east of York's centre ...

and later bishop-elect of

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county *Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in No ...

, but encountered difficulty when

Pope Innocent III Pope Innocent III ( la, Innocentius III; 1160 or 1161 – 16 July 1216), born Lotario dei Conti di Segni (anglicized as Lothar of Segni), was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 8 January 1198 to his death in 16 J ...

refused to confirm in the position because of his illegitimacy. Innocent suggested that he could claim Ralph instead of Henry as a father, since Nest and Henry's affair was conducted after her marriage to Ralph, but Morgan refused and did not take his place as bishop.

Offspring

In addition to Morgan, Nest had four sons and a daughter by her husband Ralph. * Ralph Bloet (d.1241/2), her eldest son and heir to the Bloet inheritance * Thomas Bloet (d.1211x15) * Roland (d.1217) * William (fl.1261) * Petronilla, who married Diarmait MacCarthaig, King of Desmond

Widowhood

Nest was widowed in 1199 and used the legal capabilities newly available to her as a widow to conduct litigation against Robert Bloet, her brother-in-law, and Hywel ab Iowerth, her brother. She seems to have enjoyed the patronage of King John and this may have been why these disputes were settled in her favour, leaving her with a substantial dower settlement. John also included several of Nest's sons in his household, and one, Roland, died fighting for John against Morgan ap Hywel of Caerleon, who was his maternal cousin. Nest died between autumn 1224 and summer 1225 of unknown causes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bloet, Nest Marcher lordships Welsh princesses Year of birth missing 1220s deaths Henry II of England 12th-century Welsh women 13th-century Welsh women 12th-century Welsh nobility 13th-century Welsh nobility