William Longespée, 3rd Earl Of Salisbury
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William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury (In or before 11677 March 1226) ("Long Sword", Latinised to ''de Longa Spatha'') was an Anglo-Norman nobleman, primarily remembered for his command of the English forces at the
Battle of Damme The Battle of Damme was fought on 30 and 31 May 1213 during the 1213–1214 Anglo-French War. An English fleet led by William Longespée, Earl of Salisbury accidentally encountered a large French fleet under the command of Savari de Maulé ...
and for remaining loyal to his half-brother, King John, until shortly before John's death. His nickname "Longespée" is generally taken as a reference to his great physical height and the oversized weapons that he used.


Early life

William was an illegitimate son of
Henry II, King of England Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainme ...
. His mother was unknown for many years until the discovery of a charter William made that mentions "''Comitissa Ida, mater mea''" (Countess Ida, my mother). This referred to Ida de Tosny, a member of the prominent Tosny (or Toesny) family, who had married Roger Bigod, 2nd Earl of Norfolk in 1181. In 1188, William was recognized as son of King Henry II and received the honour of Appleby,
Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (), abbreviated ''Lincs'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber regions of England. It is bordered by the East Riding of Yorkshire across the Humber estuary to th ...
. Eight years later, his half brother
King Richard I Richard I (8 September 1157 â€“ 6 April 1199), known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard CÅ“ur de Lion () because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ru ...
married him to a great heiress,
Ela of Salisbury, 3rd Countess of Salisbury Ela or ELA may refer to: Companies and organizations * Basque Workers' Solidarity (Basque: ), a trade union * Revolutionary People's Struggle (Greek: Επαναστατικός Λαϊκός Αγώνας, ΕΛΑ), a Terrorism in Greece, Greek Lef ...
, the only child of William of Salisbury, 2nd Earl of Salisbury. Accordingly, William was given the title and lands of the earldom of Salisbury. During the reign of King John, William was at court on several important ceremonial occasions and held various offices: High Sheriff of Wiltshire; lieutenant of
Gascony Gascony (; ) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part of the combined Province of Guyenne and Gascon ...
; constable of
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; and
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; and later warden of the
Welsh Marches The Welsh Marches () is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods. The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ''Marchia W ...
. He was appointed sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire about 1213.


Military career

Charter witness lists place William in
Normandy Normandy (; or ) is a geographical and cultural region in northwestern Europe, roughly coextensive with the historical Duchy of Normandy. Normandy comprises Normandy (administrative region), mainland Normandy (a part of France) and insular N ...
during Richard I's campaigns to recover lands seized by King Philip II whilst the king of England had been away on crusade. In 1205, William was sent to Poitou to command a small force of knights alongside John's bastard son, Geoffrey, after John's plans for a full scale expedition were squashed. Salisbury was a commander in the king's Welsh and Irish expeditions of 1210–1212 and was appointed Viceroy of Ireland, jointly with John de Gray,
Bishop of Norwich The Bishop of Norwich is the Ordinary (Catholic Church), ordinary of the Church of England Anglican Diocese of Norwich, Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers most of the county of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. Th ...
, when the king left for England in 1210. The king also granted him the honour of Eye in Suffolk. In 1213, Salisbury led a large fleet to
Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...
, where he seized or destroyed a good part of a French invasion fleet anchored at or near
Damme Damme () is a municipality and city located in the Belgian province of West Flanders, six kilometres northeast of Brugge (Bruges). The municipality comprises the city of Damme proper and the villages of Hoeke, Lapscheure, Moerkerke, Oostkerk ...
. This ended the invasion threat but not the conflicts between England and France. In 1214, Salisbury was sent to help Otto IV of Germany, an English ally, who was invading France. Salisbury commanded the right wing of the army at their disastrous defeat in that year at the
Battle of Bouvines The Battle of Bouvines took place on 27 July 1214 near the town of Bouvines in the County of Flanders. It was the concluding battle of the Anglo-French War (1213–14), Anglo-French War of 1213–1214. Although estimates on the number of troo ...
, where he was captured after the Bishop of Beauvais, Philip of Dreux, struck him with a mace. By the time he returned to England, revolt was brewing amongst the barons. Salisbury was one of the few who remained loyal to John. In the civil war that took place the year after the signing of the
Magna Carta (Medieval Latin for "Great Charter"), sometimes spelled Magna Charta, is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15 June 1215. First drafted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardin ...
, Salisbury was one of the leaders of the king's army in the south. He was made High Sheriff of Wiltshire again, this time for life. However, after Louis of France landed as an ally of the rebels, Salisbury went over to his side. Presumably, he thought John's cause was lost. After John's death and the departure of Louis, Salisbury, along with many other barons, joined the cause of John's young son, now
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 ...
. After raising the siege of Lincoln with William Marshall and fighting at Sandwich, he was also appointed
High Sheriff of Lincolnshire This is a list of High Sheriffs of Lincolnshire. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilit ...
(in addition to his current post as High Sheriff of Somerset) and
governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...
of Lincoln castle. He held an influential place in the government during the king's minority and fought in Gascony to help secure the remaining part of the English continental possessions. He was appointed High Sheriff of Devon in 1217 and High Sheriff of Staffordshire and
Shropshire Shropshire (; abbreviated SalopAlso used officially as the name of the county from 1974–1980. The demonym for inhabitants of the county "Salopian" derives from this name.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West M ...
in 1224. Salisbury's ship was nearly lost in a storm while returning to England in 1225, and he spent some months in refuge at a monastery on the French island of Ré.


Death

Salisbury died not long after his return to England at Salisbury Castle. A story related by
Matthew Paris Matthew Paris, also known as Matthew of Paris (;  1200 – 1259), was an English people, English Benedictine monk, English historians in the Middle Ages, chronicler, artist in illuminated manuscripts, and cartographer who was based at St A ...
that he was poisoned by Hubert de Burgh is described by the historian Matthew Strickland as "undoubtedly false". He was buried in
Salisbury Cathedral Salisbury Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Church of England, Anglican cathedral in the city of Salisbury, England. The cathedral is regarded as one of the leading examples of Early English architecture, ...
. The corpse of a rat was found in Salisbury's tomb when it was opened in 1791.


Likeness

A terracotta statue of Salisbury, dating from 1756, is located in the Great Hall of Lacock Abbey in
Lacock Lacock is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the county of Wiltshire, England, about 3 miles (5 km) south of the town of Chippenham, and about outside the Cotswolds area. The village is owned almost in its enti ...
,
Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...
,
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. A likeness of his wife Ela is also on display, while several other statues are believed to show their children.


Cultural legacy

The 1762 novel '' Longsword'' by Irish writer Thomas Leland was based on his life, which itself inspired the 1767 play '' The Countess of Salisbury'' by Hartson Hall that premiered at the
Haymarket Theatre The Theatre Royal Haymarket (also known as Haymarket Theatre or the Little Theatre) is a West End theatre in Haymarket, London, Haymarket in the City of Westminster which dates back to 1720, making it the third-oldest London playhouse still in ...
in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
.


Family

William and Ela, Countess of Salisbury had:Douglas Richardson. ''Plantagenet Ancestry'', Genealogical Company, 2005. pp. 427-432. * William II Longespée (1212?–1250), who was sometimes called Earl of Salisbury but never legally bore the title because he died before his mother, Countess Ela, who held the earldom until her death in 1261. He married Idoine de Camville. * Stephen Longespée (died 1260), who was
seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...
of Gascony and Justiciar of Ireland, married Emeline de Ridelsford, widow of Hugh de Lacy, 1st Earl of Ulster. * Richard Longespée, a
canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...
of
Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...
. * Nicholas Longespée (died 1297),
bishop of Salisbury The Bishop of Salisbury is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of Salisbury in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers much of the counties of Wiltshire and Dorset. The Episcopal see, see is in the Salisbur ...
* Isabel Longespée, who married Sir William de Vesci. * Ela Longespée, who first married Thomas de Beaumont, 6th Earl of Warwick, and then married Philip Basset. No issue. * Ida Longespée, married firstly Ralph de Somery of Dudley. They had no children. She married secondly William de Beauchamp, Baron of Bedford, by whom she had seven children.This Ida is sometimes confused with another Ida Longespée, who married Sir Walter FitzRobert of Woodham Walter,
Essex Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
. This second Ida has been given different parents by different genealogists: G. Andrews Moriarty suggested the two Idas were sisters, and was followed in this by Douglas Richardson; Gerald Paget suggests the Ida who married Walter FitzRobert may have been the daughter of William Longespée II, Earl of Salisbury, by his wife, Idoine de Camville.
* Mary Longespée, married. No issue. * Pernel Longespée.


References


Sources

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Salisbury, William Longespee, 3rd Earl of 1170s births 1226 deaths Burials at Salisbury Cathedral 3 High sheriffs of Devon High sheriffs of Wiltshire High sheriffs of Staffordshire High sheriffs of Shropshire High sheriffs of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire High sheriffs of Somerset High sheriffs of Lincolnshire William Longespée, 3rd Earl of Salisbury Peers jure uxoris 12th-century English nobility 13th-century English nobility Henry II of England Male Shakespearean characters Illegitimate children of Henry II of England Sons of kings
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 ...