William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke
KG ( 142327 July 1469), known as "Black William", was a Welsh nobleman, soldier, politician, and courtier.
Life
He was the son of
William ap Thomas, founder of
Raglan Castle
Raglan Castle () is a Late Middle Ages, late medieval castle located just north of the village of Raglan, Monmouthshire, Raglan in the county of Monmouthshire in south east Wales. The modern castle dates from between the 15th and early 17th cent ...
, and
Gwladys ferch Dafydd Gam, and grandson of
Dafydd Gam, an adherent of King
Henry V of England
Henry V (16 September 1386 – 31 August 1422), also called Henry of Monmouth, was King of England from 1413 until his death in 1422. Despite his relatively short reign, Henry's outstanding military successes in the Hundred Years' War against ...
. His father had been an ally of
Richard of York, and Herbert supported the
Yorkist cause in the
Wars of the Roses
The Wars of the Roses, known at the time and in following centuries as the Civil Wars, were a series of armed confrontations, machinations, battles and campaigns fought over control of the English throne from 1455 to 1487. The conflict was fo ...
. In 1461 Herbert was rewarded by
King Edward IV with the title
Baron Herbert of Raglan (having assumed an English-style surname in place of the Welsh
patronymic
A patronymic, or patronym, is a component of a personal name based on the given name of one's father, grandfather (more specifically an avonymic), or an earlier male ancestor. It is the male equivalent of a matronymic.
Patronymics are used, b ...
), and was invested as a
Knight of the Garter.
Soon after the decisive Yorkist victory at the
Battle of Towton in 1461, Herbert replaced
Jasper Tudor as
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 ...
which gave him control of
Pembroke Castle – and with it, he gained the wardship of young
Henry Tudor. However, he fell out with
Lord Warwick "the Kingmaker" in 1469, when Warwick turned against the King. Herbert was denounced by Warwick and the
Duke of Clarence as one of the king's "evil advisers". William and his brother
Richard
Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...
were executed by Warwick in Northampton, after the
Battle of Edgcote, which took place in South Northamptonshire, near Banbury.
Herbert was succeeded by his son,
William
William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
, but the earldom was surrendered in 1479. It was later revived for a grandson,
another William Herbert, the son of Black William's illegitimate son,
Sir Richard Herbert of
Ewyas
Ewyas () was a possible early Welsh people, Welsh kingdom which may have been formed around the time of the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century. The name was later used for a much smaller commote or administrative sub-division, which ...
.
Marriage and children
He married
Anne Devereux, daughter of
Walter Devereux,
Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and
Elizabeth Merbury. They had at least ten children:
*
William Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (5 March 1451 – 16 July 1491).
*Sir Walter Herbert. (c. 1452 – 16 September 1507) Married
Lady Anne Stafford, sister to the
Duke of Buckingham.
*Sir George Herbert of St. Julians.
*Philip Herbert of Lanyhangel.
*Cecilie Herbert.
*Maud Herbert. Married
Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland.
*Katherine Herbert. Married
George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent.
*Anne Herbert. Married John Grey, 1st
Baron Grey of Powis, 9th Lord of Powys (died 1497).
*Isabel Herbert. Married Sir Thomas Cokesey.
*Margaret Herbert. Married first
Thomas Talbot, 2nd Viscount Lisle, and secondly Sir Henry Bodrugan.
William had three illegitimate sons but the identities of their mothers are unconfirmed:
*
Sir Richard Herbert of Ewyas. Father of
William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (of the 10th creation). Probably son of Maud, daughter of Adam ap Howell Graunt (Gwynn).
*Sir George Herbert. The son of Frond verch Hoesgyn. Married Sybil Croft.
*Sir William Herbert of Troye. Son of Frond verch Hoesgyn. Married, secondly,
Blanche Whitney (née Milborne). They had two sons.
["Ruth E. Richardson,'Mistress Blanche, Queen Elizabeth I's Confidante'"]
See also
*
The White Queen (miniseries)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pembroke, William Herbert, 01st Earl Of
1420s births
1469 deaths
Year of birth uncertain
*01
1
Executed Welsh people
William Herbert, 01st Earl of Pembroke (1468 creation)
Knights of the Garter
People executed under the Plantagenets by decapitation
People executed under the Yorkists
People of the Wars of the Roses