Margaret de Fiennes (after 1269 – 7 February 1333), was a French noblewoman who married an English marcher lord, Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Mortimer of Wigmore, and was mother of Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March.Douglas Richardson. ''Magna Carta Ancestry'', Genealogical Publishing Com, 2005. pg 247-49.

Origins

She was a daughter of Guillaume II de Fiennes (William II de Fiennes, Baron of Tingry; died 1302) and his wife, Blanche, the daughter of Jean de Brienne (d. 1296),

Grand Butler of France The Grand Butler of France (french: Grand bouteiller de France) was one of the great offices of state in France, existing between the Middle Ages and the Revolution of 1789. Originally responsible for the maintenance of the Royal vineyards, and prov ...

, and his first wife Jeanne de Châteaudun (his second marriage was to

Marie de Coucy Marie de Coucy (c. 1218 – 1285) was queen of Scotland by marriage to King Alexander II. She was a member of the royal council during the two last years of the minority of her son, King Alexander III, in 1260–1262. Background Marie was t ...

, widow of King Alexander II of Scotland). Her grandfather, Sir

John II of Brienne {{Infobox noble, type , name = John II of Brienne , title = , image = , caption = , alt = , CoA = , more = no , succession = , reign ...

, was the third son of John of Brienne, King of Jerusalem and Emperor of Constantinople, and his third wife

Berengaria of León Berengaria of León (1204 – 12 April 1237) was the third wife but only empress consort of John of Brienne, Latin Emperor of Constantinople. She was a daughter of Alfonso IX of León and Berengaria of Castile. She was a younger sister of Ferdinan ...

, which made Margaret a cousin of Queen

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 ...

. Her paternal grandparents were Enguerrand II de Fiennes and Isabel de Condé. Her brother, Jean (d. 1340), married Isabel, daughter of

Guy de Dampierre Guy of Dampierre (french: Gui de Dampierre; nl, Gwijde van Dampierre) ( – 7 March 1305, Compiègne) was the Count of Flanders (1251–1305) and Marquis of Namur (1264–1305). He was a prisoner of the French when his Flemings defeated th ...

Count of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the co ...

and his second wife Isabel of Luxembourg.

Life

In September 1285, when she was fourteen or fifteen years old, Margaret married Edmund Mortimer, the second son of Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Mortimer of Wigmore and his wife Maud de Braose. He had succeeded to his father's lands and barony in 1282 and was already a national hero after killing Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, his cousin, in battle. They had eight known children.Sir Bernard Burke. ''A genealogical history of the dormant, abeyant, forfeited, and extinct peerages of the British empire'', Harrison, 1866. pg 384
''Google eBook''
/ref> Her husband died in 1304 and she lived until 1333, probably being buried in Wigmore Abbey.

References

Fiennes Fiennes Fiennes

Margaret Margaret is a female first name, derived via French () and Latin () from grc, μαργαρίτης () meaning "pearl". The Greek is borrowed from Persian. Margaret has been an English name since the 11th century, and remained popular througho ...

English baronesses Wives of knights {{England-baron-stub