See also

Helen DE GALLOWAY (1207-1245)

1.

Helen DE GALLOWAY, daughter of Alan FITZROLAND Lord of Galloway Lord of Galloway (1186-1234) and Unknown DE LACY (c. 1180-bef1209), was born in Aug 1207 in Carrick, Ayrshire, Scotland. She died on 21 Nov 1245 in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. She was buried on 30 Nov 1245 in Aberdeenshire. She married Roger DE QUINCY 2nd Earl of Winchester.

 

 

Helen of Galloway (fl. thirteenth century) was a daughter and co-heiress of Alan, Lord of Galloway (died 1234) and his first wife, a daughter of Roger de Lacy, Constable of Chester. Helen was the first wife of Roger de Quincy, Earl of Winchester (died 1264). Although Helen was the first of Roger's three wives, his only descendants were his three daughters by Helen.

 

1.) Margaret, married William de Ferrers, Earl of Derby (died 1254)

 

2.) Elizabeth (or Isabella), married Alexander Comyn, Earl of Buchan (died 1289)

 

3.) Helen, married Alan de la Zouche (died 1270).

 

BIRTH: Douglas Richardson, Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, Kimball G. Everingham, ed., 5

vols. (Salt Lake City: by the author, 2013), Quincy, 4:446; Charles Cawley, Medieval Lands: A Prosopography of Medieval

European Noble and Royal Families, Foundation for Medieval Genealogy, Scotland, Mormaers, Earls, Lords: Galloway

(http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands), accessed 12 Feb 2023.

MAR: Richardson, Royal Ancestry, 4:446; Cawley, Medieval Lands, Scotland, Mormaers, Earls, Lords: Galloway.

DEATH: Cawley, Medieval Lands, Scotland, Mormaers, Earls, Lords: Galloway.

BUR: Ibid.

 

 

Countess of Winchester.

 

 

Roger DE QUINCY 2nd Earl of Winchester 2nd Earl of Winchester, son of Saer DE QUINCY 1st Earl of Winchester 1st Earl of Winchester (1090-1158) and Margaret DE BEAUMONT (1154-1235), was born in 1195 in Winchester, Hampshire, England. He died on 5 Apr 1264 in Brackley, Northamptonshire, England. He was buried in Apr 1264 in Saint Peter Churchyard, Brackley, Northamptonshire, England. He married Helen DE GALLOWAY Countess of Winchester. He and Helen DE GALLOWAY had the following children:

 

 

 

Elizabeth DE QUINCY (1220-1282). Elizabeth was born in 1220 in Winchester. She died in 1282 in Buchan, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. She was buried in Banff, Banffshire, Scotland. She married Alexander COMYN 6th Earl of Buchan, Constable and Justiciar of Scotland.

Second Generation

2.

Alan FITZROLAND Lord of Galloway Lord of Galloway, son of Roland MACUCHTRED OF GALLOWAY and Elena DE MORVILLE, was born in 1186 in Galloway, Scotland. He died in 1234 in Kirkcudbright, Dumfriesshire, Scotland. He was buried aft Apr 1234 in Dundrennan Abbey, Kirkcudbright, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. He married Unknown DE LACY.

 

 

Alan of Galloway (before 1199 – 1234), also known as Alan fitz Roland, was a leading thirteenth-century Scottish magnate. As the hereditary Lord of Galloway and Constable of Scotland, he was one of the most influential men in the Kingdom of Scotland and Irish Sea zone.

...

Alan was born sometime before 1199. He was the eldest son of Roland fitz Uhtred, Lord of Galloway, and his wife, Helen de Morville. His parents were likely married before 1185, possibly at some point in the 1170s, since Roland was compelled to hand over three sons as hostages to Henry II, King of England in 1186. Roland and Helen had three sons, and two daughters. The name of one of Alan's brothers is unknown, suggesting that he died young. The other, Thomas, became Earl of Atholl by right of his wife. One of Alan's sisters, Ada, married Walter Bisset, Lord of Aboyne. The other, Dervorguilla, married Nicholas de Stuteville, Lord of Liddel.

...

Alan was married three times.

 

His first wife was a daughter of Roger de Lacy, Constable of Chester. It was likely upon this union that Alan gained the English lordship of Kippax as maritagium from his father-in-law.

 

Alan's second marriage, to David's daughter Margaret, is dated to 1209 by the Chronicle of Lanercost and Chronicle of Melrose.

 

The date of Alan's third marriage, to Hugh [de Lacy]'s daughter Rose, is generally thought to date to 1229, as stated by the Chronicle of Lanercost. Another possible date for this marriage is about a decade earlier.

 

Alan's second marriage. allied him to the Scottish royal family, and his first and third marriages allied him to the two main branches of the powerful Lacy family—firstly the Pontefract branch, and afterwards the Woebley branch.

 

Alan had several children from his first two marriages, although only daughters appear to have reached adulthood.

Marriage 1

1. One daughter died whilst a Scottish hostage of the English king, her death being reported in June 1213.

2. Helen, another daughter married Roger de Quincy. Although the date of this union is unknown, it may have taken place before Alan's death, and could well have been the point when her husband came into possession of Kippax. At some point before 1234,

 

Marriage 2

1. Christiana married William de Forz.

2. In 1233, Dervorguilla, married John de Balliol, Lord of Barnard Castle.

3. Alan had a son named Thomas. A product of Alan's second marriage, he was his only known legitimate male offspring. Although the date of this son's death is unknown, he may have lived into in the 1220s.

 

- Additionally, Alan had an illegitimate son, also named Thomas.

 

Death

Thomas, Alan's brother, died in 1231, possibly from injuries suffered in a tournament accident. Alan's death, about three years later in 1234, is recorded by the Annals of Ulster, the Chronicle of Melrose, and the Chronicle of Lanercost—the later specifying the month February. Alan's body was interred at Dundrennan Abbey, a Cistercian religious house founded by his paternal great-grandfather.

...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_of_Galloway.

 

3.

Unknown DE LACY was born c. 1180 in England. She died bef 1209 in Galloway Dumfriesshire Scotland. She was buried in 1245 in Scotland, United Kingdom.

 

 

i)--- de Lacy (-[1201/06]). Keith Stringer says that "one of the daughters of Roger de Lacy was evidently Alan’s first wife" and that "the manor of Kippax" was her dowry, quoting a charter, dated to [19 Dec 1200/1206], under which "Alanus filius Rollandi, dominus Galuuaith Scotie constabularius…et heredibus meis" gave quitclaim to "Rogero de Lascy Cestrie constabularius et heredibus suis" for "advocationem ecclesie de Kipeis"[492]. Her parentage and marriage are confirmed by the following document: the Curia Regis rolls record in 1214 “John [de Lacy] de warrantia carte de terra de Kippes...should warrant the charters of his father Roger which Alan [de Galloway]...has concerning the maritagium of his sister”[493]. m (before [19 Dec 1200/1206]) as his first wife, ALAN Lord of Galloway, son of ROLAND Lord of Galloway & his wife Helen de Moreville (-[2] Feb 1234, bur Dundraynan). http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/ENGLISHNOBILITYMEDIEVAL3T-Z.htm#dauRogerLacyMAlanGalloway.

 

 

Alan FITZROLAND Lord of Galloway and Unknown DE LACY had the following children:

 

1

 

Helen DE GALLOWAY (1207-1245)

Third Generation

4.

Roland MACUCHTRED OF GALLOWAY, son of Fergus OF GALLOWAY and Elizabeth FITZROY, was born c. 1164 in Scotland. His Custom Attribute was 'FOUNDED GLENLUCE ABBEY A Cistercian monastery called also Abbey of Luce or Vallis Lucis and founded around 1190 by Lochlann, Lord of Galloway and Constable of Scotland. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenluce_Abbey ' in 1191 in Glenluce, Wigtownshire, Scotland. He died on 12 Dec 1200 in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England. He was buried in Dec 1200 in Abbey of Saint Andrew, Northamptonshire, England. His Custom Attribute was 'Also Known As Lochlann of Galloway In 1200, Lochlan accompanied his liege King William of Scotland to England where he gave homage to the new king, John.' in 1200 in England. He married Elena DE MORVILLE.

 

5.

Elena DE MORVILLE was born c. 1166 in Kirkoswald, Cumberland, England. She died on 11 Jun 1217 in Kirkcudbright, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. She was buried in Abbey of Dundrennan, Kirkcudbright, Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland.

 

 

"During the 1180s the king [William the Lion] struck up an alliance with Lachlan (or 'Roland'), lord of Galloway, who had married into the Anglo-Norman family of Moreville, and whose change of name neatly captures the interaction that was beginning between the native and foreign cultures. When in 1187 William was again faced by a northern uprising, it was Roland who captured its leader, Donald mac William, a distant kinsman of the king". p. 59: "Roland of Galloway's marriage to the Moreville heiress expanded the family's interests." [Ref: Political Development of the British Isles 1100-1400, by Robin Frame, Oxford, 1990, p. 42]

 

"Roland, Lord of Galloway, the son of Uchtred. On the death of his uncle, Gilbert, in 1185, Roland rose in arms, and possessed himself of all of Galloway." Henry II threatened to invade in 1186; Roland agreed to swear fealty, give his three sons as hostages, and keep Uchtred's lands. Gilbert's son Duncan got Carrick. "Roland greatly increased his lands by marrying Eva, Ela, or Helena, daughter of Richard de Moreville, Constable of Scotland, who died 1196. Roland inherited the office of Constable. Issue: 1. Alan. 2. Thomas, Earl of Atholl. 3. ---, hostage in 1186. Daughter Ada married Sir Walter Bisset." [Ref: "Peerage of Scotland" by John Philip Wood, Edinburgh, 1813, v 1, pp. 612-13]

 

"On the death of the cruel Gilbert in 1185, Roland, son of Uchtred, claimed the lordship of Galloway. . . . Roland, the father of Alan and Thomas, obtained extensive estates in the shires of Northampton, Huntingdon, and Bedford, in right of his wife, Elena de Moreville (Joseph Bain, "Calendar of Documents Relating to Scotland", vol. i, p. 47)." [Ref: A History of Dumfries and Galloway" by Sir Herbert Maxwell, Edinburgh, 1896, p 56]

 

"In 1200 Lachlan, alias Roland, son of Uhtred lord of Galloway, remembered . . . that his wife Helen de Morville, heir of her father Richard and of her grandmother Beatrice de Beauchamp, was entitled to four knights' fees respectively at Bozeat, Northants, Whissendine and Whitwell in Rutland, Offord in Huntingdonshire, and Houghton Conquest beside Bedford--the 5 hides at Houghton having been originally acquired by Hugh de Beauchamp, Beatrice's grandfather, probably not long before 1086." [Ref: The Anglo-Norman Era in Scottish History" by G.W.S. Barrow, Oxford, 1980, p 17].

 

 

Roland MACUCHTRED OF GALLOWAY and Elena DE MORVILLE had the following children:

 

Fourth Generation

6.

Fergus OF GALLOWAY was born in 1080 in Carrick, Ayrshire, Scotland. He died in Holyrood Abbey, Edinburgh, Edinburghshire, Scotland. He was buried on 12 May 1161 in Holyrood Abbey. He married Elizabeth FITZROY.

 

 

Fergus of Galloway was the ruler of the Kingdom of Galloway. Galloway is located in the southwest of Scotland. Galloway was a combination of Irish, Scottish, Scandinavian and English. Fergus was called variously: King of Galloway, Lord of Galloway, Prince of Galloway, and Princeps of Galloway. At the end of his reign, Galloway was absorbed into Scotland. His sons continued to rule their sections of Galloway but were sub-lords under the King of Scotland.

 

The parentage of Fergus is not known, it is believed that he was of Norse-Gaelic ancestry and that his family was the most powerful in the region.

 

Fergus married an illegitimate daughter of Henry I, King of England, Elizabeth Fitzroy (also known as Elizabeth FitzHenry). Fergus and Elizabeth had 3 children:

- Affraic, only known daughter, married Olaf the Red (Olaf Gofredson/Olaf Gofradsson)

 

- Uchtred, joint ruler of Galloway from 1161 to 1174 with his brother; murdered in 1174

 

- Gilla Brigte, joint ruler of Galloway from 1161 to 1174, then sole ruler until his death in 1185; responsible for the death of his brother Uchtred.

 

Throughout Fergus' rule, he formed alliances and balanced control of his region between England and Scotland. Fergus' marriage to a daughter of King Henry of England was part of this balancing act, as was the marriage of his daughter Affraic to Olaf the Red. After King Henry's death, Galloway's position became more precarious, with David of Scotland seeking to strengthen his hold on the entire region and in opposition to Stephen of Blois who took the throne of England after Henry. Malcolm IV came into power in Scotland in 1153, for a time his attention was focused on England but in 1160 he launched 3 military expeditions into Galloway. The Gallovidians mounted a strong resistance but by year's end, Galloway was under the control of Scotland.

 

Fergus and his family were all strong ecclesiastical patrons, working with the Augustinians and the Benedictines.

 

Fergus was forced to retire to Holyrood Abbey and become a monk. Malcolm IV took Fergus's son Uchtred as a royal hostage. Within a year, Fergus died at Holyrood on May 12, 1161. Galloway was split under the joint rulership of Fergus's two sons, Uchtred and Gille Brigte.

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Fergus forged a marital alliance with Óláfr Guðrøðarson, King of the Isles through the marriage of the latter to Fergus' daughter, Affraic. As a consequence of this union, the leading branch of the Crovan dynasty descended from Fergus. When Óláfr was assassinated by a rival branch of the dynasty, Galloway itself was attacked before Fergus' grandson, Guðrøðr Óláfsson, was able to seize control of the Isles. Both Fergus and his grandson appear to have overseen military operations in Ireland, before the latter was overthrown by Somairle mac Gilla Brigte, Lord of Argyll. The fact that there is no record of Fergus lending Guðrøðr support against Somairle could be evidence of a slackening of Fergus' authority. Contemporary sources certainly report that Galloway was wracked by inter-dynastic strife during the decade.

 

Fergus' fall from power came in 1160, after Malcolm IV, King of Scotland settled a dispute amongst his leading magnates and launched three military campaigns into Galloway. The reasons for the Scottish invasion are unknown. On one hand, it is possible that Fergus had precipitated events by preying upon Scottish territories. In the aftermath of the attack, the king came to terms with Somairle which could be evidence that he had either been allied with Fergus against the Scots or that he had aided in Fergus' destruction. Whatever the case, Fergus himself was driven from power and forced to retire to the abbey of Holyrood. He died the next year. The Lordship of Galloway appears to have been partitioned between his sons, Gilla Brigte and Uhtred, and Scottish influence further penetrated into Galloway.

 

7.

Elizabeth FITZROY, daughter of Henry BEAUCLERC King of England Plantagenet I King of England Plantagenet I, was born in 1095 in Talbey, Yorkshire, England. She died on 12 May 1166 in Edinburgh Castle, Scotland. She was buried in May 1166 in Holyrood Abbey, Midlothian, Scotland.

 

 

Several descendants of Fergus of Galloway are referred to as relatives of kings of England. This has led to various speculation as to the nature of the relationship, which seems to have come via Fergus' wife, whose name or identity is not found in contemporary records. Through the course of centuries, she has come to be called 'Elizabeth', a name for which there is no historical basis.

 

The earliest placement made her a daughter of William II Rufus, but there is no evidence this was the case, and that king is not known to have had any children. A modern consensus has arisen that she was instead daughter of Henry I, close enough to be consistent with the claims of a relationship, and known to have had numerous illegitimate children.

 

Fergus had 3 children, presumably by this wife:

- Uchtred of Galloway

- Gille Brigte of Galloway, also known as Gilbert macFergus

- Affraic of Galloway who married Olaf, King Isle Man

 

There is some question if Gille Brigte was 'Elizabeth''s son or born of a different mother. Uhtred is specifically identified as a cousin of King Henry II, Henry I's grandson, however no such indication has been found in reference to Gille Brigte.

 

Elizabeth's husband Fergus died May 12 1161, it is not known exactly when Elizabeth died.

 

* Scots Peerage Volume 4, page 136, names her as 'Elizabeth, the youngest natural daughter of King Henry I of England'

 

* The Magna Charta Sureties, Line 121B and 121C, pg. 119, names her as "Elizabeth(Isabel) yngst illeg dau of Henry I"

 

* Caledonia or a Historical and Topographic Account of North Britain, Vol. 1, pg. 366, names her as "Elizabeth, the youngest natural daughter of Henry I"

 

* Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists, Line 38, pg. 46-47, names her "prob. Elizabeth yngst illeg dau of Henry I "

 

* The Foundation for Medieval Genealogy says Fergus "m. ELIZABETH, daughter of ---."

 

* Fergus of Galloway in Wikipedia says "There is a considerable amount of evidence indicating that Fergus married a daughter of Henry I (many believe it was Elizabeth Fitzroy)" and names 5 sources.

 

 

Fergus OF GALLOWAY and Elizabeth FITZROY had the following children:

 

Fifth Generation

8.

Henry BEAUCLERC King of England Plantagenet I King of England Plantagenet I, son of William THE CONQUEROR King of England I King of England I and Matilda OF FLANDERS Queen Consort of England Queen Consort of England, was born c. 1068 in Yorkshire, England. He died on 1 Dec 1135 in Saint-Denis-en-Lyons, Eure, Normandy, France. He was buried on 3 Jan 1136 in Reading Abbey, Reading, Berkshire, England.

 

 

Henry I (c. 1068 – 1 December 1135), also known as Henry "Beauclerc", was King of England from 1100 to his death in 1135. He was the fourth son of William the Conqueror and was educated in Latin and the liberal arts. On William's death in 1087, Henry's elder brothers Robert Curthose and William Rufus inherited Normandy and England, respectively, but Henry was left landless. He purchased the County of Cotentin in western Normandy from Robert, but his brothers deposed him in 1091. He gradually rebuilt his power base in the Cotentin and allied himself with William against Robert.

 

Present at the place where his brother William died in a hunting accident in 1100, Henry seized the English throne, promising at his coronation to correct many of William's less popular policies. He married Matilda of Scotland and they had two children, William Adelin and Empress Matilda; he also had many illegitimate children by his many mistresses. Robert, who invaded in 1101, disputed Henry's control of England; this military campaign ended in a negotiated settlement that confirmed Henry as king. The peace was short-lived, and Henry invaded the Duchy of Normandy in 1105 and 1106, finally defeating Robert at the Battle of Tinchebray. Henry kept Robert imprisoned for the rest of his life. Henry's control of Normandy was challenged by Louis VI of France, Baldwin VII of Flanders and Fulk V of Anjou, who promoted the rival claims of Robert's son, William Clito, and supported a major rebellion in the Duchy between 1116 and 1119. Following Henry's victory at the Battle of Brémule, a favourable peace settlement was agreed with Louis in 1120.

 

Considered by contemporaries to be a harsh but effective ruler, Henry skillfully manipulated the barons in England and Normandy. In England, he drew on the existing Anglo-Saxon system of justice, local government and taxation, but also strengthened it with additional institutions, including the royal exchequer and itinerant justices. Normandy was also governed through a growing system of justices and an exchequer. Many of the officials who ran Henry's system were "new men" of obscure backgrounds, rather than from families of high status, who rose through the ranks as administrators. Henry encouraged ecclesiastical reform, but became embroiled in a serious dispute in 1101 with Archbishop Anselm of Canterbury, which was resolved through a compromise solution in 1105. He supported the Cluniac order and played a major role in the selection of the senior clergy in England and Normandy.

 

Henry's son William drowned in the White Ship disaster of 1120, throwing the royal succession into doubt. Henry took a second wife, Adeliza of Louvain, in the hope of having another son, but their marriage was childless. In response to this, he declared his daughter Matilda his heir and married her to Geoffrey of Anjou. The relationship between Henry and the couple became strained, and fighting broke out along the border with Anjou. Henry died on 1 December 1135 after a week of illness, possibly from food poisoning. Despite his plans for Matilda, the King was succeeded by his nephew Stephen of Blois, resulting in a period of civil war known as the Anarchy.

Family and children

Legitimate

King Henry is famed for holding the record for the largest number of acknowledged illegitimate children born to any English king, with the number being around 20 or 25. He had many mistresses, and identifying which mistress is the mother of which child is difficult. His illegitimate offspring for whom there is documentation are:

 

With Matilda (daughter of Malcolm III)

 

• Maitida married Geoffrey Comte d'Anjou

• William Ætheling Duke of Normandy

 

With Edith

 

• Matilda du Perche, married Count Rotrou II of Perche, perished in the wreck of the White Ship.

With Ansfride

• Ansfride was born c. 1070. She was the wife of Anskill of Seacourt, at Wytham in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire).

Juliane de Fontevrault, married Eustace de Pacy. She tried to shoot her father with a crossbow after King Henry allowed her two young daughters to be blinded.

• Fulk FitzRoy, a monk at Abingdon.

• Richard of Lincoln, perished in the wreck of the White Ship.

 

With Sybil Corbet

 

Lady Sybilla Corbet of Alcester was born in 1077 in Alcester in Warwickshire. She married Herbert FitzHerbert, son of Herbert 'the Chamberlain' of Winchester and Emma de Blois. She died after 1157 and was also known as Adela (or Lucia) Corbet. Sybil was definitely mother of Sybil and Rainald, possibly also of William and Rohese. Some sources suggest that there was another daughter by this relationship, Gundred, but it appears that she was thought as such because she was a sister of Reginald de Dunstanville but it appears that that was another person of that name who was not related to this family.

 

• Sybilla of England, married King Alexander I of Scotland.

• William Constable, born before 1105. Married Alice (Constable); died after 1187.

• Reginald de Dunstanville, 1st Earl of Cornwall.

• Gundred of England (1114 – 1146), married 1130 Henry de la Pomeroy, son of Joscelin de la Pomerai.

• Rohese of England, born 1114; married Henry de la Pomeroy.

 

With Edith FitzForne

 

• Robert FitzEdith, Lord Okehampton, (1093 – 1172) married

Dame Maud d'Avranches du Sap.

• Adeliza FitzEdith. Appears in charters with her brother Robert.

 

With Princess Nest

 

Nest ferch Rhys was born about 1073 at Dynefwr Castle, Carmarthenshire, the daughter of Prince Rhys ap Tewdwr of Deheubarth and his wife, Gwladys ferch Rhywallon. She married, in 1095, to Gerald de Windsor (aka Geraldus FitzWalter) son of Walter FitzOther, Constable of Windsor Castle and Keeper of the Forests of Berkshire. She had several other liaisons - including one with Stephen of Cardigan, Constable of Cardigan (1136) - and subsequently other illegitimate children. The date of her death is unknown.

 

• Henry FitzRoy, died 1157.

 

With Isabel de Beaumont

 

Isabel (Elizabeth) de Beaumont (after 1102 – after 1172), daughter of Robert de Beaumont, sister of Robert de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Leicester. She married Gilbert de Clare, 1st Earl of Pembroke, in 1130. She was also known as Isabella de Meulan.

 

• Isabel Hedwig of England, born circa 1078

• Matilda FitzRoy, abbess of Montvilliers, also known as Montpiller

 

With Geiva de Tracy:

 

• William de Tracy, died shortly after King Henry.

 

With de Caen Concubine

 

• Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester. His mother may have been a member of the Gai/Gay/Gayt family.

 

Additional Children:

 

• Maud FitzRoy, married Conan III, Duke of Brittany

• Constance FitzRoy, married Richard de Beaumont

• Mabel FitzRoy, married William III Gouet

• Aline FitzRoy, married Matthieu I of Montmorency

• Gilbert FitzRoy, died after 1142. His mother may have been a sister of Walter de Gand.

• Emma, born circa 1138; married Gui de Laval, Lord Laval. [Uncertain, born 2 years after Henry died.]

 

Updated from a previous version of this profile. Not on the current version which has been mixed up.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_I_of_England.

 

 

Henry BEAUCLERC King of England Plantagenet I had the following children:

 

Sixth Generation

9.

William THE CONQUEROR King of England I King of England I was born c. 1028 in Falaise, Normandie, France. He died on 9 Sep 1087 in Priory of Saint Gervase, Rouen, Duchy of Normandy, France. He was buried on 2 Oct 1087 in Abbé de Saint-Etienne, Caen, Normandie, France. He married Matilda OF FLANDERS Queen Consort of England.

 

 

William I (c. 1028 – 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman monarch of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 1087. By 1060, following a long struggle to establish his throne, his hold on Normandy was secure. In 1066, following the death of Edward the Confessor, William invaded England, leading an army of Normans to victory over the Anglo-Saxon forces of Harold Godwinson at the Battle of Hastings, and suppressed subsequent English revolts in what has become known as the Norman Conquest. The rest of his life was marked by struggles to consolidate his hold over England and his continental lands, and by difficulties with his eldest son, Robert Curthose.

 

William was the son of the unmarried Duke Robert I of Normandy and his mistress Herleva. His illegitimate status and his youth caused some difficulties for him after he succeeded his father, as did the anarchy which plagued the first years of his rule. During his childhood and adolescence, members of the Norman aristocracy battled each other, both for control of the child duke, and for their own ends. In 1047, William was able to quash a rebellion and begin to establish his authority over the duchy, a process that was not complete until about 1060. His marriage in the 1050s to Matilda of Flanders provided him with a powerful ally in the neighbouring county of Flanders. By the time of his marriage, William was able to arrange the appointment of his supporters as bishops and abbots in the Norman church. His consolidation of power allowed him to expand his horizons, and he secured control of the neighbouring county of Maine by 1062.

In the 1050s and early 1060s, William became a contender for the throne of England held by the childless Edward the Confessor, his first cousin once removed. There were other potential claimants, including the powerful English earl Harold Godwinson, whom Edward named as king on his deathbed in January 1066. Arguing that Edward had previously promised the throne to him and that Harold had sworn to support his claim, William built a large fleet and invaded England in September 1066. He decisively defeated and killed Harold at the Battle of Hastings on 14 October 1066. After further military efforts, William was crowned king on Christmas Day, 1066, in London. He made arrangements for the governance of England in early 1067 before returning to Normandy. Several unsuccessful rebellions followed, but William's hold was mostly secure on England by 1075, allowing him to spend the majority of his reign in continental Europe.

 

William's final years were marked by difficulties in his continental domains, troubles with his son, Robert, and threatened invasions of England by the Danes. In 1086, he ordered the compilation of the Domesday Book, a survey listing all the land-holdings in England along with their pre-Conquest and current holders. He died in September 1087 while leading a campaign in northern France, and was buried in Caen. His reign in England was marked by the construction of castles, settling a new Norman nobility on the land, and change in the composition of the English clergy. He did not try to integrate his various domains into one empire but continued to administer each part separately. His lands were divided after his death: Normandy went to Robert, and England went to his second surviving son, William Rufus.

...

One factor in William's favour was his marriage to Matilda of Flanders, the daughter of Count Baldwin V of Flanders. The union was arranged in 1049, but Pope Leo IX forbade the marriage at the Council of Rheims in October 1049. The marriage nevertheless went ahead some time in the early 1050s, possibly unsanctioned by the pope.

...

Family and children

William and his wife Matilda had at least nine children. The birth order of the sons is clear, but no source gives the relative order of birth of the daughters.

 

1. Robert was born between 1051 and 1054, died 10 February 1134. Duke of Normandy, married Sybilla, daughter of Geoffrey, Count of Conversano.

2. Richard was born before 1056, died around 1075.

3. William was born between 1056 and 1060, died 2 August 1100. King of England, killed in the New Forest.

4. Henry was born in late 1068, died 1 December 1135. King of England, married Edith, daughter of Malcolm III of Scotland. His second wife was Adeliza of Louvain.

5. Adeliza (or Adelida, Adelaide) died before 1113, reportedly betrothed to Harold Godwinson, probably a nun of Saint Léger at Préaux.

6. Cecilia (or Cecily) was born before 1066, died 1127, Abbess of Holy Trinity, Caen.

7. Matilda was born around 1061, died perhaps about 1086. Mentioned in Domesday Book as a daughter of William.

8. Constance died 1090, married Alan IV, Duke of Brittany.

9. Adela died 1137, married Stephen, Count of Blois.

10. (Possibly) Agatha, the betrothed of Alfonso VI of León and Castile.

 

There is no evidence of any illegitimate children born to William.

 

Death

William led an expedition against the French Vexin in July 1087. While seizing Mantes, William either fell ill or was injured by the pommel of his saddle. He was taken to the priory of Saint Gervase at Rouen, where he died on 9 September 1087.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_the_Conqueror

 

Also substantiated by “The White Ship” by Charles Spencer, published 2020, pg 30-31.

 

PONS (-[before Oct 1066]). No information is known about Pons other than his name, which appears in the patronymics attributed to his five sons. It is assumed that he lived in Normandy. His absence from the Norman primary sources which have so far been consulted in the preparation of this document suggests that he was of lowly birth. His absence from English records suggests that he died before the Norman invasion in England in 1066. m ---. The name of Pons´s wife is not known. Pons & his wife had [six] children:

Walter

Drogo

Richard

Simon

Osbern

High

From Geni.com.

 

10.

Matilda OF FLANDERS Queen Consort of England Queen Consort of England was born c. 1031 in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, France. She died on 2 Nov 1083 in Caen, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France. She was buried on 8 Nov 1083 in Église de la Trinité, Caen, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France.

 

 

Matilda of Flanders (c. 1031 - November 2, 1083, Caen) was the wife of William the Conqueror and, as such, Duchess of Normandy and Queen of England. She was regent of the duchy of Normandy while her husband was in England and also participated in courts of justice with him in the kingdom across the Channel. She was also the mother of two future kings: William II of England and Henry I of England.

 

 

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathilde_de_Flandre.

 

 

William THE CONQUEROR King of England I and Matilda OF FLANDERS Queen Consort of England had the following children: