Alice de Lusignan, Countess of Surrey (1224 – 9 February 1256) was a half-sister 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 John, King of England, King John and Isabella of Ang ...

and the wife of

John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

. Shortly after her arrival in England from France in 1247, her half-brother arranged her marriage to the Earl, which incurred some resentment from the English nobility.

Lineage

Alice was the second-eldest daughter of

Hugh X of Lusignan Hugh X de Lusignan or Hugh V of La Marche (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. Background Hugh's fathe ...

("le Brun"), Seigneur de Lusignan and

Count of La Marche The County of La Marche (; ) was a medieval French county, approximately corresponding to the modern ''département'' of Creuse and the northern half of Haute Vienne. La Marche first appeared as a separate fief about the middle of the 10th cen ...

, and

Isabella of Angoulême Isabella (, ; 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 1220 to 1246 as t ...

, queen dowager of England. She was born in

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 ...

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 ...

, France in 1224, and was a member of the

House of Lusignan The House of Lusignan ( ; ) was a royal house of France, French origin, which at various times ruled several principalities in Europe and the Levant, including the kingdoms of Kingdom of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Kingdom of Cyprus, Cyprus, and Kingd ...

. She had five full brothers and three full sisters, besides her royal half-siblings from her mother's first marriage.

Marriage

In 1247, a year after her mother's death, Alice accompanied the new

papal legate 300px, A woodcut showing Henry II of England greeting the Pope's legate. A papal legate or apostolic legate (from the ancient Roman title '' legatus'') is a personal representative of the Pope to foreign nations, to some other part of the Catho ...

William of Modena William of Modena ( – 31 March 1251), also known as ''William of Sabina'', ''Guglielmo de Chartreaux'', ''Guglielmo de Savoy'', ''Guillelmus'', was an Italian clergyman and papal diplomat.

, the

Cardinal-bishop of Sabina A cardinal is a senior member of the clergy of the Catholic Church. As titular members of the clergy of the Diocese of Rome, they serve as advisors to the pope, who is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. ...

, to England, which she had decided to make her home, and live at the expense of the Crown. In August of that year, her half-brother, King Henry married her to John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey (August 1231 – 29 September 1304). The marriage caused some resentment amongst the English nobility, as they considered the king's Lusignan siblings to be parasites and a liability to the kingdom. Many prestigious honours and titles were granted to the Lusignans. Alice was also said to have been disdainful of all things English.Costain,page 151. John was the son of

William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey (born 1160s–1170s, died 27 May 1240) was the son of Isabel de Warenne, Countess of Surrey, Isabel de Warenne, 4th Countess of Surrey (suo jure) and Hamelin de Warenne, Earl of Surrey, Hamelin de Waren ...

and

Maud Marshal Maud Marshal, Countess of Norfolk, Countess of Surrey (1192 – 27 March 1248) was an Anglo-Norman noblewoman and a wealthy co-heiress of her father William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, and her mother Isabel de Clare, 4th Countess of Pembroke, ...

. Together they had three children.

Issue

* Eleanor de Warenne (1251–1282), married Sir Henry de Percy, by whom she had issue, including

Henry Percy, 1st Baron Percy Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Alnwick (25 March 1273 – October 1314) was a medieval English magnate. He fought under Edward I of England, King Edward I of England in Wales and Scotland and was granted extensive estates in Scotland, wh ...

Alnwick Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116. The town is south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish border, inland from the North Sea ...

. * Isabella de Warenne (c.1253 – before 1292), married

John Balliol John Balliol or John de Balliol ( – late 1314), known derisively as Toom Tabard (meaning 'empty coat'), 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 ...

, King of Scotland, and was the mother of

Edward Balliol Edward Balliol or Edward de Balliol (; – January 1364) was a claimant to the Scottish throne during the Second War of Scottish Independence. With English help, he ruled parts of the kingdom from 1332 to 1356. Early life Edward was the el ...

. * William de Warenne (9 February 1256 – 15 December 1286). He was killed in a

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concen ...

. He married Joan de Vere, by whom he had two children,

John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey John de Warenne (24/30 June 1286 - June 1347), 7th Earl of Surrey, was the last Warenne Earl of Surrey. Life John was born on either 24 or 30 June 1286 and baptised on 7 November of that year.He was the son of William de Warenne, the only son ...

, and

Alice de Warenne Alice de Warenne, Countess of Arundel (15 June 1287 – 23 May 1338) was an English noblewoman and heir apparent to the Earldom of Surrey. In 1305, she married Edmund FitzAlan, 2nd Earl of Arundel. Family Alice, the only daughter of William d ...

(15 June 1287 – 23 May 1338), who in turn married

Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel Edmund Fitzalan, 2nd Earl of Arundel (1 May 1285 – 17 November 1326) was an English nobleman prominent in the conflict between King Edward II and his barons. His father, Richard Fitzalan, 1st Earl of Arundel, died in 1302, while Edmund was ...

Death

Alice died in Warren,

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

, England, on 9 February 1256 after giving birth to her only son, William. She was about thirty-two years of age.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Alice Le Brun De Lusignan 1224 births 1256 deaths 13th-century French nobility House of Lusignan 13th-century French women 13th-century English women 13th-century English nobility

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

Deaths in childbirth Daughters of counts Daughters of countesses regnant