William de Forz, 3rd Earl of Albemarle
Encyclopedia
William II de Forz, 3rd Earl of Albemarle (died 26 March 1242) was an English nobleman. He is described by William Stubbs
as "a feudal adventurer of the worst type".
. His father was a minor noble from the village of Fors in Poitou
; the toponymic is variously rendered as de Fors, de Forz, or Latinised to de Fortibus.
which he inherited from his mother included a large estate in Yorkshire
, notably the wapentake of Holderness
and the castle of Skipsea
, and the honour of Craven
, as well as property in Lincolnshire
and elsewhere. It had also included the county of Aumale, but this had recently been lost to the French, along with the rest of Normandy
. De Forz was the first earl of Albemarle
to see his earldom as wholly English.
barons against both John and Henry III
. He was generally loyal to King John during the baronial revolt, though he did eventually join the barons after the people of London joined them and the king's cause looked hopeless.
He was one of the 25 executors of the Magna Carta
, but amongst them was probably the least hostile to the king. The barons made de Forz constable of Scarborough Castle
, but when soon after fighting began between the barons and the king, he went over to John's side, the only executor to do so. He fought for the king until the French capture of Winchester in June 1216, when again the king's cause looked hopeless. He then stayed on the barons side until their cause fell apart. He sided with John, then subsequently changing sides as often as it suited his policy.
After John's death, he supported the new king Henry III
, fighting in the siege of Montsorrel and at the Battle of Lincoln
.
His real object was to revive the independent power of the feudal barons, and he co-operated to this end with Falkes de Breauté
and other foreign adventurers established in the country by John. This brought him into conflict with the great justiciar, Hubert de Burgh, who was effectively regent. In 1219 he was declared a rebel and excommunicated for attending a forbidden tournament. In 1220 matters were brought to a crisis by his refusal to surrender the two royal castles of Rockingham
and Sauvey
of which he had been made constable in 1216. Henry III marched against them in person, the garrisons fled, and they fell without a blow. In the following year, however, Albemarle, in face of further efforts to reduce his power, rose in revolt.
by the legate Pandulph
at a solemn council held in St Paul's
, and the whole force of the kingdom was set in motion against him, a special scutage—the scutagium de Bihan—being voted for this purpose by the Great Council. The capture of his Castle of Bytham broke his power; he sought sanctuary and, at Pandulph's intercession, was pardoned on condition of going for six years to the Holy Land
. He remained in England, however, and in 1223 was once more in revolt with Falkes de Breauté and other turbulent spirits. A reconciliation was once more patched up; but it was not until the fall of Falkes de Breauté that Albemarle finally settled down as an English noble.
He eventually gave in when the cause was lost in 1224, and was thenceforth loyal to Henry III.
; and in 1230 he accompanied Henry on his expedition to Brittany. In 1241 he set out for the Holy Land, but died at sea, on his way there, on 26 March 1242.
, William left a son, William III de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle, who succeeded him as Earl.
William Stubbs
William Stubbs was an English historian and Bishop of Oxford.The son of William Morley Stubbs, a solicitor, he was born at Knaresborough, Yorkshire, and was educated at Ripon Grammar School and Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated in 1848, obtaining a first-class in classics and a third in...
as "a feudal adventurer of the worst type".
Family background
de Forz was the son of William I de Forz (died 1195), and Hawisa, 2nd Countess of Albemarle, a daughter of William le Gros, 1st Earl of AlbemarleWilliam le Gros, 1st Earl of Albemarle
William le Gros was the Count of Aumale , Earl of York, and Lord of Holderness. He was the eldest son of Stephen, Count of Aumale, and his spouse, Hawise, daughter of Ralph de Mortimer of Wigmore....
. His father was a minor noble from the village of Fors in Poitou
Poitou
Poitou was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers.The region of Poitou was called Thifalia in the sixth century....
; the toponymic is variously rendered as de Fors, de Forz, or Latinised to de Fortibus.
Estate holdings
Soon after 1213, he was established by King John in the territories of the Countship of Albemarle, and in 1215 the whole of his mother's estates were formally confirmed to him. The Earldom of AlbemarleDuke of Albemarle
The Dukedom of Albemarle has been created twice in the Peerage of England, each time ending in extinction. Additionally, the title was created a third time by James II in exile and a fourth time by his son the Old Pretender, in the Jacobite Peerage. The name is the Latinised form of the ancient...
which he inherited from his mother included a large estate in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, notably the wapentake of Holderness
Holderness
Holderness is an area of the East Riding of Yorkshire, on the east coast of England. An area of rich agricultural land, Holderness was marshland until it was drained in the Middle Ages. Topographically, Holderness has more in common with the Netherlands than other parts of Yorkshire...
and the castle of Skipsea
Skipsea
Skipsea is a village and civil parish on the North Sea coast of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately south of Bridlington and north of Hornsea on the B1242 road at its junction with the B1249 road....
, and the honour of Craven
Craven
Craven is a local government district in North Yorkshire, England that came into being in 1974, centred on the market town of Skipton. In the changes to British local government of that year this district was formed as the merger of Skipton urban district, Settle Rural District and most of Skipton...
, as well as property in Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
and elsewhere. It had also included the county of Aumale, but this had recently been lost to the French, along with the rest of Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
. De Forz was the first earl of Albemarle
Earl of Albemarle
Earl of Albemarle is a title created several times from Norman times onwards. The word Albemarle is the Latinised form of the French county of Aumale in Normandy , other forms being Aubemarle and Aumerle...
to see his earldom as wholly English.
Involvement in military actions
de Forz was actively engaged in the struggles of the NormanNormans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
barons against both John and Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
. He was generally loyal to King John during the baronial revolt, though he did eventually join the barons after the people of London joined them and the king's cause looked hopeless.
He was one of the 25 executors of the Magna Carta
Magna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
, but amongst them was probably the least hostile to the king. The barons made de Forz constable of Scarborough Castle
Scarborough Castle
Scarborough Castle is a former medieval Royal fortress situated on a rocky promontory overlooking the North Sea and Scarborough, North Yorkshire, England...
, but when soon after fighting began between the barons and the king, he went over to John's side, the only executor to do so. He fought for the king until the French capture of Winchester in June 1216, when again the king's cause looked hopeless. He then stayed on the barons side until their cause fell apart. He sided with John, then subsequently changing sides as often as it suited his policy.
After John's death, he supported the new king Henry III
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
, fighting in the siege of Montsorrel and at the Battle of Lincoln
Battle of Lincoln (1217)
The Second Battle of Lincoln occurred at Lincoln Castle on 20 May 1217, during the First Barons' War, between the forces of the future Louis VIII of France and those of King Henry III of England. Louis' forces were attacked by a relief force under the command of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke...
.
His real object was to revive the independent power of the feudal barons, and he co-operated to this end with Falkes de Breauté
Falkes de Breauté
Sir Falkes de Breauté was an Anglo-Norman soldier who earned high office by loyally serving first King John and later King Henry III in First Barons' War. He played a key role in the Battle of Lincoln Fair in 1217. He attempted to rival Hubert de Burgh, and as a result fell from power in 1224...
and other foreign adventurers established in the country by John. This brought him into conflict with the great justiciar, Hubert de Burgh, who was effectively regent. In 1219 he was declared a rebel and excommunicated for attending a forbidden tournament. In 1220 matters were brought to a crisis by his refusal to surrender the two royal castles of Rockingham
Rockingham Castle
Rockingham Castle is a former royal castle and hunting lodge in Rockingham Forest a mile to the north of Corby, Northamptonshire.-History:The site on which the castle stands has been used in the Iron Age, Roman period and by the invading Saxons also used by the Normans, Tudors and also used in the...
and Sauvey
Sauvey Castle
Sauvey Castle is an early medieval ringwork and bailey castle and is a Scheduled Ancient Monument in the civil parish or Withcote, Leicestershire . The castle was built sometime between 1135–1154....
of which he had been made constable in 1216. Henry III marched against them in person, the garrisons fled, and they fell without a blow. In the following year, however, Albemarle, in face of further efforts to reduce his power, rose in revolt.
Excommunication and loss of power
He was now again excommunicatedExcommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
by the legate Pandulph
Pandulph
Pandulf Masca was a Roman ecclesiastical politician, papal legate to England and bishop of Norwich.-Historical career:...
at a solemn council held in St Paul's
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
, and the whole force of the kingdom was set in motion against him, a special scutage—the scutagium de Bihan—being voted for this purpose by the Great Council. The capture of his Castle of Bytham broke his power; he sought sanctuary and, at Pandulph's intercession, was pardoned on condition of going for six years to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
. He remained in England, however, and in 1223 was once more in revolt with Falkes de Breauté and other turbulent spirits. A reconciliation was once more patched up; but it was not until the fall of Falkes de Breauté that Albemarle finally settled down as an English noble.
He eventually gave in when the cause was lost in 1224, and was thenceforth loyal to Henry III.
Revived influence
In 1225 he witnessed Henry's third re-issue of the Great Charter; in 1227 he went, as ambassador, to AntwerpAntwerp (province)
Antwerp is the northernmost province both of the Flemish Region, also called Flanders, and of Belgium. It borders on the Netherlands and the Belgian provinces of Limburg, Flemish Brabant and East Flanders. Its capital is Antwerp which comprises the Port of Antwerp...
; and in 1230 he accompanied Henry on his expedition to Brittany. In 1241 he set out for the Holy Land, but died at sea, on his way there, on 26 March 1242.
Family
By his wife Avelina of Montfichet, daughter of Richard de MontfichetRichard de Montfichet
Richard de Montfichet was a Magna Carta surety. He was a landowner in Essex.His father was another Richard de Montfichet whose maternal grandfather was Richard de Luci. His daughter Avelina married William de Forz, 3rd Earl of Albemarle.-External...
, William left a son, William III de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle, who succeeded him as Earl.