Person Page - 1274

     4th Earl of Hereford and 3rd Earl of Essex. Humphrey VIII de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford (1276 – 16 March 1322) was a member of a powerful Anglo-Norman family of the Welsh Marches and was one of the Ordainers who opposed Edward II's excesses.¹

     Elizabeth of Rhuddlan (also Elizabeth Plantagenet; 7 August 1282 – 5 May 1316) was the eighth daughter of Edward I of England and Eleanor of Castile. Of all of her siblings, she was closest to her younger brother Edward II of England, as they were only two years apart in age.

In April 1285 there were negotiations with Floris V for Elizabeth's betrothal to his son John I, Count of Holland. The offer was accepted and John was sent to England to be educated. On 8 January 1297 Elizabeth was married to John at Ipswich. In attendance at the marriage were Elizabeth's sister Margaret, her father, Edward I of England, her brother Edward, and Humphrey de Bohun. After the wedding Elizabeth was expected to go to Holland with her husband, but did not wish to go, leaving her husband to go alone.

After some time traveling England, it was decided Elizabeth should follow her husband. Her father accompanied her, traveling through the Southern Netherlands between Antwerp, Mechelen, Leuven and Brussels, before ending up in Ghent. There they remained for a few months, spending Christmas with her two sisters Eleanor of England, Countess of Bar and Margaret Plantagenet. On 10 November 1299, John died of dysentery, though there were rumours of his murder. No children had been born from the marriage.

On her return trip to England, Elizabeth went through Brabant to see her sister Margaret. When she arrived in England, she met her stepmother Margaret of France, whom Edward had married whilst she was in Holland. Reportedly, they became inseparable. On 14 November 1302 Elizabeth was married to Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford, 3rd of Essex, also Constable of England, at Westminster Abbey.

During Christmas 1315, Elizabeth, who was pregnant with her eleventh child, was visited by her sister-in-law Isabella of France. This was a great honour, but the stress of it may have caused unknown health problems that later contributed to Elizabeth's death in childbirth. On 5 May 1316 she went into labour, giving birth to her daughter Isabella. Both Elizabeth and her daughter Isabella died shortly after the birthing, and were buried together in Waltham Abbey.¹

     Edward I (17 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English Barons. In 1259 he briefly sided with a baronial reform movement, supporting the Provisions of Oxford. After reconciliation with his father, however, he remained loyal throughout the subsequent armed conflict, known as the Barons' War. After the Battle of Lewes, Edward was hostage to the rebellious barons, but escaped after a few months and joined the fight against Simon de Montfort. Montfort was defeated at the Battle of Evesham in 1265, and within two years the rebellion was extinguished. With England pacified, Edward left on crusade to the Holy Land. The crusade accomplished little, and Edward was on his way home in 1272 when he was informed that his father had died. Making a slow return, he reached England in 1274 and he was crowned king at Westminster on 19 August.

Edward's reign had two main phases. He spent the first years reforming royal administration. Through an extensive legal inquiry Edward investigated the tenure of various feudal liberties, while the law was reformed through a series of statutes regulating criminal and property law. Increasingly, however, Edward's attention was drawn towards military affairs. After suppressing a minor rebellion in Wales in 1276–77, Edward responded to a second rebellion in 1282–83 with a full-scale war of conquest. After a successful campaign, Edward subjected Wales to English rule, built a series of castles and towns in the countryside and settled them with Englishmen. Next, his efforts were directed towards Scotland. Initially invited to arbitrate a succession dispute, Edward claimed feudal suzerainty over the kingdom. In the war that followed, the Scots persevered, even though the English seemed victorious at several points. At the same time there were problems at home. In the mid-1290s, extensive military campaigns led to unbearable levels of taxation, and Edward met with both lay and ecclesiastical opposition. These crises were initially averted, but issues remained unsettled. When the king died in 1307, he left behind a number of financial and political problems to his son Edward II, as well as an ongoing war with Scotland.

Edward I was a tall man for his age, hence the nickname "Longshanks". He was also temperamental and this, along with his height, made him an intimidating man and he often instilled fear in his contemporaries. Nevertheless, he held the respect of his subjects for the way in which he embodied the medieval ideal of kingship, both as a soldier, administrator and a man of faith. Modern historians have been more divided on their assessment of the king; while some have praised him for his contribution to the law and administration, others have criticised him for his uncompromising attitude to his nobility. Currently, Edward I is credited with many accomplishments during his reign, including restoring royal authority after the reign of Henry III, establishing parliament as a permanent institution and thereby also a functional system for raising taxes, and reforming the law through statutes. At the same time, he is also often criticised for other actions, such as his brutal conduct towards the Scots, and the expulsion of the Jews from England in 1290.¹

     Her numerous descendants included English kings Henry V, Edward IV, Richard III, Mary, Queen of Scots, Anne Boleyn, Mary Boleyn, and Diana, Princess of Wales. The current British Royal Family directly descend from her, as do most of the other European royal families. Lady of Thomond.

     3rd Lord of Offaly.

     Elizabeth had four husbands and at least six children. Through her daughters Joan and Elizabeth Goushill, Elizabeth Fitzalan is an ancestor of Sir Winston Churchill and U.S. Presidents James Madison, Zachary Taylor, George W. Bush and Franklin D. Roosevelt, among others, while Anne Boleyn, Queen Elizabeth I, Lady Jane Grey, Sarah Ferguson and Audrey Hepburn can be counted with the descendants of her daughters Margaret and Isabel Mowbray.

     Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel and 10th Earl of Surrey (1346 – 21 September 1397) was an English medieval nobleman and military commander.

He was the son of Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel and Eleanor of Lancaster and was born in 1346.[1] He succeeded his father on 24 January 1376.

His brother was Thomas Arundel who was Bishop of Ely from 1374 to 1388, then Archbishop of York from 1388 to 1397, then Archbishop of Canterbury.[2]

At the coronation of Richard II, Richard FitzAlan carried the crown.[1]¹ 11th or 4th Earl of Arundel and 10th Earl of Surrey.

     Elizabeth de Bohun, Countess of Arundel, Countess of Surrey (c.1350- 3 April 1385), was a member of the Anglo-Norman Bohun family, which wielded much power in the Welsh Marches and the English government. She was the first wife of Richard Fitzalan, 11th Earl of Arundel, Earl of Surrey, (1346- 21 September 1397 Tower Hill, Cheapside, London), a powerful English nobleman and military commander in the reigns of Edward III and Richard II. She was the mother of seven of his children, and as the wife of one of the most powerful nobles in the realm enjoyed much prestige and took precedence over most of the other peers' wives.

Lady Elizabeth de Bohun was born around 1350, the daughter of William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton and Elizabeth de Badlesmere. Her older brother Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford married Joan Fitzalan, a sister of the 11th Earl of Arundel, by whom he had two daughters. Elizabeth had a half-brother Roger Mortimer, 2nd Earl of March by her mother's first marriage to Sir Edmund Mortimer.

Her paternal grandparents were Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford and Elizabeth of Rhuddlan, daughter of King Edward I of England and Eleanor of Castile. Her maternal grandparents were Bartholomew de Badlesmere, 1st Baron Badlesmere and Margaret de Clare.

Lady Elizabeth's parents both died when she was young, her mother having died in 1356, and her father in 1360.

Arundel Castle, principal residence of Richard Fitzalan and Elizabeth de Bohun[edit] Marriage and children
On 28 September 1359, by Papal dispensation,[1] Elizabeth married Richard Fitzalan, who succeeded to the earldoms of Arundel and Surrey upon the death of his father, Richard Fitzalan, 10th Earl of Arundel in 1376. Their marriage was especially advantageous as it united two of the most powerful families in England. The alliance was further strengthened by the marriage of Elizabeth's brother, Humphrey to Fitzalan's sister Joan.

As the Countess of Arundel, Elizabeth was one of the most important women in England, who enjoyed much prestige, and after the Queen, the Duchesses of Lancaster and York, and the Countess of Buckingham, took precedence over the other noble ladies in the realm.¹

     7th Earl of Arundel.

     1st Duke of Norfolk.

     Mary de Bohun was the first wife of King Henry IV of England and the mother of King Henry V, but was never queen, as she died before her husband came to the throne.

     Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death. From an unassuming start, his military successes in the Hundred Years' War, culminating with his famous victory at the Battle of Agincourt, saw him come close to uniting the realms of England and France under his rule.

     2nd Lord Beaumont, Earl of Buchan.

     Lord Mortimer of Wigmore.

     Richard FitzAlan, 8th Earl of Arundel (7th Earl of Arundel per Ancestral Roots) (February 3 1266/7 – March 9 1301/2) was an English Norman medieval nobleman.

He was the son of John FitzAlan, 7th Earl of Arundel (6th Earl of Arundel per Ancestral Roots) and Isabella Mortimer, daughter of Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Wigmore and Maud de Braose. His paternal grandparents were John Fitzalan, 6th Earl of Arundel and Maud le Botiller.

Richard was feudal Lord of Clun and Oswestry in the Welsh Marches. After attaining his majority in 1289 he became the 8th Earl of Arundel, by being summoned to Parliament by a writ directed to the Earl of Arundel.

He was knighted by King Edward I of England in 1289.

He fought in the Welsh wars, 1288 to 1294, when the Welsh castle of Castell y Bere (near modern day Towyn) was besieged by Madog ap Llywelyn. He commanded the force sent to relieve the siege and he also took part in many other campaigns in Wales ; also in Gascony 1295-97; and furthermore in the Scottish wars, 1298-1300.

He married sometime before 1285, Alice of Saluzzo (also known as Alesia di Saluzzo), daughter of Thomas I of Saluzzo in Italy.¹ Earl of Sussex.

     Lady Joan FitzAlan, 1st Baroness Bergavenny (1375- 14 November 1435), was an English noblewoman, and the wife of William de Beauchamp, 1st Baron Bergavenny of the Welsh Marches.

Lady Joan FitzAlan was born in 1375, at Arundel Castle, Sussex, England, one of the seven children of Richard Fitzalan, 11th Earl of Arundel, Earl of Surrey, and his first wife Elizabeth de Bohun. Her only surviving brother was Thomas Fitzalan, 12th Earl of Arundel, of whom Joan was his co-heiress. She had an older sister Lady Elizabeth FitzAlan who married as her second husband Thomas Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk. Her paternal grandparents were Richard Fitzalan, 10th Earl of Arundel and Eleanor of Lancaster. Her maternal grandparents were William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton and Elizabeth de Badlesmere. On 3 April 1385, her mother died. Joan was about ten years old. Her father married secondly, Philippa Mortimer on 15 August 1390, by whom he had a son, John Fitzalan, who was born in 1394.[1] John died sometime after 1397.[2]

On 21 September 1397, Joan's father, the Earl of Arundel, who was also one of the Lords Appellant, was beheaded on Tower Hill, London, on charges of high treason against King Richard II of England. The Earl had always enjoyed much popularity with the citizens of London.[3]His titles and estates were forfeited to the Crown.

In October 1400, the new king Henry IV who had ascended the throne following Richard's deposition in 1399, restored the titles and estates to Thomas Fitzalan, Joan's brother. He became the 12th Earl of Arundel and Earl of Surrey. Although he married Beatrice, an illegitimate daughter of King John I of Portugal and Inez Perez Esteves, he died childless on 13 October 1415. The Earldom and castle of Arundel passed to a cousin John Fitzalan, 13th Earl of Arundel, the rest of his inheritance was divided among Joan and her two surviving sisters, Elizabeth and Margaret.

On 23 July 1392,[4] Joan was married to William de Beauchamp, 1st Baron Bergavenny (c.1344- 8 May 1411) the son of Thomas de Beauchamp, 11th Earl of Warwick and Katherine Mortimer. He was more than thirty years Joan's senior.

The marriage produced a son and a daughter.¹

     1st Baron Bergavenny. From "Notes from the Beauchamp-Proctor family in England," it appears that William De Beauchamp, cousin of John, Earl of Pembroke, who died in 1375, held the Manor of Tottenham by virtue of a grant from him, and Ephraim Beauchamp possessed lands in the same Manor which afterwards vested in George Beauchamp Proctor, Esq., of Thetford in Norfolk, by a bequest thereof from his father, Sir William Beauchamp Proctor.

     Alice FitzAlan, Lady Cherleton (1378–1415), was an English noblewoman, being the daughter of Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel. She was the wife of John Charleton, 4th Baron Cherleton. She was also allegedly the mistress of Cardinal Henry Beaufort, by whom she had an illegitimate daughter, Jane Beaufort,[1] though there is no real evidence to support this.

Lady Alice was born in Arundel Castle, Sussex in 1378, one of the seven children of Richard Fitzalan, 11th Earl of Arundel by his first wife Elizabeth de Bohun. She had two brothers, including Thomas Fitzalan, 12th Earl of Arundel, and four sisters, Lady Eleanor FitzAlan, Lady Elizabeth FitzAlan, Lady Joan FitzAlan, and Lady Margaret FitzAlan. Her paternal grandparents were Richard Fitzalan, 10th Earl of Arundel and Eleanor of Lancaster. Her maternal grandparents were William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton and Elizabeth de Badlesmere.

On 21 September 1397, her father was executed at Tower Hill, Cheapside for high treason against King Richard II of England.

Sometime before March 1392 Alice married John Cherleton, 4th Lord Cherleton (25 April 1362- 19 October 1401).[2] According to popular belief, following her marriage she became the mistress of Cardinal Henry Beaufort, and bore him an illegitimate daughter, Jane Beaufort. In Philip Yorke's The Royal Tribes of Wales, he states that Cardinal Beaufort left an illegitimate daughter by Alice, daughter of Fitzalan, Earl of Arundel.[3] Genealogist Douglas Richardson also confirms the affair between Alice and the Cardinal. Beaufort did indeed father an illegitimate daughter, Jane Beaufort, possibly before Henry took holy orders on 7 April 1397, although the idea of Jane's mother being Alice Fitzalan is possibly a legend of Tudor-era descendants of Jane Beaufort and her husband Sir Edward Stradling. There is no late-14th/early-15th century documentation to support this affair at all, and the surviving documentation entirely discounts it. Jane and Sir Edward Stradling had three sons and a daughter, Katherine.

Alice's husband died on 19 October 1401, and she herself died before October 1415 at the age of about thirty-seven years.¹

     Duchess of Norfolk.

     4th Earl of Norfolk.

     2nd Duke of Norfolk.