{{Infobox noble, name=William de Valence, christening_date=, noble family=, house-type=, father=

Hugh X of Lusignan Hugh X de Lusignan, Hugh V of La Marche or Hugh I of Angoulême (c. 1183 – c. 5 June 1249, Angoulême) was Seigneur de Lusignan and Count of La Marche in November 1219 and was Count of Angoulême by marriage. He was the son of Hugh IX ...

, mother=

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 ...

, birth_name=, birth_date=, birth_place=, christening_place=, styles=, death_date=13 June 1296, death_place=, burial_date=, burial_place=

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

, occupation=, memorials=, website=, other_titles=, native_name=, title=

Earl of Pembroke Earl of Pembroke is a title in the Peerage of England that was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title, which is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, has been recreated ten times from its origin ...

, reign-type=, image=ShieldOfWilliamDeValence.jpg, caption=Heraldic shield of de Valence from his tomb in Westminster Abbey. Champlevee enamel with Diapering: ''Barry of argent and azure, an orle of martlets gules'', alt=, CoA=, more=no, succession=, reign=, predecessor=, full name=, successor=, suc-type=, spouse=Joan de Munchensi, spouse-type=Wife, issue-type=, issue=6, issue-link=, issue-pipe=, module= William de Valence (died 13 June 1296), born Guillaume de Lusignan, was a French nobleman and

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

who became important in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

politics due to his relationship to 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 ...

. He was heavily involved in the

Second Barons' War The Second Barons' War (1264–1267) was a civil war in England between the forces of a number of barons led by Simon de Montfort against the royalist forces of King Henry III, led initially by the king himself and later by his son, the fut ...

, supporting the King and Prince Edward against the rebels 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 ...

. He took the name de Valence ("of Valence") after his birthplace, Valence, near

Lusignan The House of Lusignan ( ; ) was a royal house of French origin, which at various times ruled several principalities in Europe and the Levant, including the kingdoms of Jerusalem, Cyprus, and Armenia, from the 12th through the 15th centuries du ...

.{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911, p=78

Biography

William de Valence was the fourth son of

, widow of King John, and her second husband,

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 was thus a half-brother to Henry III, and uncle to Edward I. William was born in the {{ill, lt=Cistercian abbey in Valence, Valence Abbey, fr, Abbaye de Valence, Couhé-Vérac,

Vienne Vienne (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Viéne'') is a landlocked department in the French region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It takes its name from the river Vienne. It had a population of 438,435 in 2019.Poitou-Charentes Poitou-Charentes (; oc, Peitau-Charantas; Poitevin-Saintongese: ) is a former administrative region on the southwest coast of France. It is part of the new region Nouvelle-Aquitaine. It comprises four departments: Charente, Charente-Maritime, D ...

, near

, sometime in the late 1220s (his elder sister Alice was born in 1224).

Move to England

The French conquest of

Poitou Poitou (, , ; ; Poitevin: ''Poetou'') was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers. Both Poitou and Poitiers are named after the Pictones Gallic tribe. Geography The main historical cities are Poitiers (historical c ...

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.{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911, p=78 The King found important positions for all of them; William was soon married to a great heiress,

Joan de Munchensi Joan de Munchensi or Munchensy (or Joanna), Lady of Swanscombe and Countess of Pembroke (c. 1230 – aft. 20 September 1307), was the daughter of Joan Marshal and granddaughter of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Isabel de Clare, 4th ...

or Munchensy (c. 1230{{sndafter 20 September 1307), the only surviving child of Warin de Munchensi, lord of Swanscombe, and his first wife

Joan Marshal Joan de Munchensi or Munchensy (or Joanna), Lady of Swanscombe and Countess of Pembroke (c. 1230 – aft. 20 September 1307), was the daughter of Joan Marshal and granddaughter of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Isabel de Clare, 4th ...

, who was one of the five daughters of

William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146 or 1147 – 14 May 1219), also called William the Marshal (Norman French: ', French: '), was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman. He served five English kings— Henry II, his sons the "Young King" ...

and

Isabel de Clare, 4th Countess of Pembroke Isabel de Clare, suo jure 4th Countess of Pembroke and Striguil (c. 1172 – 11 March 1220), was an Anglo-Irish noblewoman and one of the wealthiest heiresses in Wales and Ireland. She was the wife of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, who se ...

''suo jure''. As an eventual co-heiress of the Marshal estates, Joan de Munchensi's portion included the castle and lordship of Pembroke and the lordship erected earldom of

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...

in Ireland. The custody of Joan's property was entrusted to her husband,{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911, p=78 who apparently assumed the lordships of Pembroke and Wexford between 1250 and 1260. In 1304, after William's death, Joan is found vigorously asserting her rights in her Lordship of Wexford, appealing directly to the King against a Cort order dispossessing her of her lands there.

Second Barons' War

This favouritism to royal relatives was unpopular with many of the English

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

, a discontent which would culminate in the

. It did not take long for William to make enemies in England. From his new lands in

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

, he tried to regain the palatine rights which had been attached to the

Earldom of Pembroke Earl of Pembroke is a title in the Peerage of England that was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title, which is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, has been recreated ten times from its origin ...

, 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 imposed on the King at

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in 1258, and took refuge in

Wolvesey Castle Wolvesey Castle, also known as the "Old Bishop's Palace", is a ruined building in Winchester, Hampshire, England that was a bishop's palace, and was briefly fortified during the later years of Henry of Blois, the Bishop of Winchester. Histor ...

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

, where he was besieged and compelled to surrender and leave the country.{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911, p=79 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 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 ...

, and after the defeat again fled to France, while de Montfort ruled England. However, by 1265 he was back, landing in

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

, and taking part in the Siege of

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 ...

and the final royalist victory at

Evesham Evesham () is a market town and parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon. It lies within the Vale of Evesha ...

. After the battle he was restored to his estates and accompanied Prince Edward, afterwards Edward I, to

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...

.{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911, p=79

Welsh wars and death

From his base in Pembrokeshire, he was a mainstay of the English campaigns against

Llywelyn ap Gruffudd Llywelyn ap Gruffudd (c. 1223 – 11 December 1282), sometimes written as Llywelyn ap Gruffydd, also known as Llywelyn the Last ( cy, Llywelyn Ein Llyw Olaf, lit=Llywelyn, Our Last Leader), was the native Prince of Wales ( la, Princeps Wall ...

and later

Dafydd ap Gruffudd Dafydd ap Gruffydd (11 July 1238 – 3 October 1283) was Prince of Wales from 11 December 1282 until his execution on 3 October 1283 on the orders of King Edward I of England. He was the last native Prince of Wales before the conquest of Wa ...

; in the war of 1282–3 that led to the

conquest of Wales The conquest of Wales by Edward I took place between 1277 and 1283. It is sometimes referred to as the Edwardian Conquest of Wales,Examples of historians using the term include Professor J. E. Lloyd, regarded as the founder of the modern academi ...

he negotiated the surrender of one of Dafydd's last remaining castles, Castell-y-Bere, with its custodian, Cynfrig ap Madog.{{Citation needed, date=November 2018 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 (, ) 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 ...

in 1291 and 1292.{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911, p=79 William de Valence died at

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine re ...

on the 13 June 1296, and his body was buried in splendour at

.{{sfn, Chisholm, 1911, p=79

Descendants

Portrait of William de Valence, Earl of Pembroke (4672103)

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 Hastings John Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings (6 May 1262 – 28 February 1313), feudal Lord of Abergavenny, was an English peer and soldier. He was one of the Competitors for the Crown of Scotland in 1290/92 in the Great Cause and signed and sealed the ...

(6 May 1262{{snd10 February 1313). They had: ** William Hastings (1282–1311) **

John Hastings, 2nd Baron Hastings John Hastings, 2nd Baron Hastings (29 September 1287 – 20 January 1325) was a medieval English Baron. He was Lord of the Manor of Hunningham. Descent Hastings was the son of John Hastings, 1st Baron Hastings, also inheriting the title Baro ...

(29 September 1286{{snd20 January 1325), married to Juliane de Leybourne (died 1367). Their son

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

later became 1st Earl of Pembroke of the Hastings family. ** Sir Hugh Hastings of Sutton (died 1347) ** Elizabeth Hastings (1294{{snd6 March 1353), married Roger Grey, 1st Baron Grey de Ruthyn. * Joan de Valence, married to

John Comyn John Comyn III of Badenoch, nicknamed the Red (c. 1274 – 10 February 1306), was a leading Scottish baron and magnate who played an important role in the First War of Scottish Independence. He served as Guardian of Scotland after the forced ...

(the "Red Comyn"), Lord of Badenoch (died 10 February 1306, murdered), and had **John Comyn (killed 1314 at

Bannockburn Bannockburn (Scottish Gaelic ''Allt a' Bhonnaich'') is an area immediately south of the centre of Stirling in Scotland. It is part of the City of Stirling. It is named after the Bannock Burn, a stream running through the town before flowing int ...

), married to

Margaret Wake, 3rd Baroness Wake of Liddell Margaret Wake, ''suo jure'' 3rd Baroness Wake of Liddell and Countess of Kent (c. 1297 – 19 September 1349), was the wife of Edmund of Woodstock, 1st Earl of Kent, the youngest surviving son of Edward I of England and Margaret of France.Marsh ...

**Joan Comyn (c. 1296–1326), married to

David II Strathbogie, Earl of Atholl Sir David II Strathbogie (died 28 December 1326) was Earl of Atholl, Constable of Scotland, and Chief Warden of Northumberland. The eldest son and heir of John Strathbogie, Earl of Atholl by his wife Marjory (or Margaret) daughter of Donald, 10t ...

** Elizabeth Comyn (1 November 1299{{snd20 November 1372), married to Richard Talbot, Lord Talbot * John de Valence (died January 1277) * William de Valence (died 16 June 1282, in the Battle of Llandeilo Fawr in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

), created Seigneur de Montignac and Bellac *

Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (c. 127523 June 1324) was an Anglo-French 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, ...

and Wexford in 1296 (c. 1270{{snd23 June 1324), married first to Beatrice de Clermont and second to Marie de Châtillon-sur-Marne (Also known as

Marie de St Pol Marie de St Pol, Countess of Pembroke (c. 1303 – 1377) was the second wife of Franco-English nobleman Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, and is best known as the founder of Pembroke College, Cambridge. Family and early life Marie was bo ...

). He left no legitimate issue. * Margaret de Valence, died young. Buried at

. *

Agnes de Valence Agnes de Valence (born 1250) was a 13th-century noblewoman and daughter of William de Valence, 1st Earl of Pembroke. Family Agnes was born in 1250 and was the youngest daughter of William de Valence and Joan de Munchensi. She was born into a prom ...

(born c. 1250, date of death unknown), married (1) Maurice FitzGerald, Baron of Offaly, (2) Hugh de Balliol, son of

John de Balliol John Balliol ( – late 1314), known derisively as ''Toom Tabard'' (meaning "empty coat" – coat of arms), was King of Scots from 1292 to 1296. Little is known of his early life. After the death of Margaret, Maid of Norway, Scotland entered an ...

, and brother of John Balliol, King of Scotland, and (3) John of Avesnes, Lord of Beaumont son of

Baldwin of Avesnes Baldwin of Avesnes (September 1219 in Oizy – 10 April 1295 in Avesnes) was a son of Bouchard IV of Avesnes and his wife, Margaret II of Flanders. His parents' marriage was later declared illegal, because his father had already received mino ...

. Agnes had children from her first and third marriage:
Medieval Lands Project ** Gerald FitzMaurice, Baron of Offaly ** John of Avesnes ** Baldwin of Avesnes, Lord of Beaumont. ** Felicite of Avesnes ** Jeanne of Avesnes, Abbess of Flines.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Inquisition Post Mortem
#362, dated 1296.

Sources

*{{EB1911, wstitle=Pembroke, Earls of, volume=21, pages=78–80 *Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700 by Frederick Lewis Weis, Lines: 80-29, 93A-29, 95-30, 154-29. {{s-start {{s-reg, en {{s-new, Creation {{s-ttl , title=

, years=1247–1296 {{s-aft, after= Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, Aymer de Valence {{s-end {{Authority control {{DEFAULTSORT:Pembroke, William De Valence, 1st Earl Of

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

13th-century English people English people of French descent 1296 deaths 1225 births Burials at Westminster Abbey