Four
Daughters
The daughters of William
de Braose and their inheritances attracted excellent marriages.
Isabel produced no children
for her Welsh prince, Dafydd. His de Braose inheritance was violently
contested and his short rule from 1240 to 1246 was an anti-climax
after the achievements of his great father Llywelyn. After
Dafydd's death Isabel gained Haverfordwest from the Marshal lands
of Pembrokeshire, in lieu of Builth, which was taken by the crown.
Matilda and Roger Mortimer
were betrothed as toddlers. He was the son of Gwladus Ddu, Llywelyn's
daughter, whose first husband had been Reginald de Braose. The
marriage perpetuated some complex family ties. Radnor joined
the Mortimer lordship and was close to the family seat at Wigmore.
During the barons' war
of the 1260s Roger and Matilda suffered some heavy defeats but
they succeeded in rallying the marchers against Simon de Montfort.
They master-minded the legendary escape of prince Edward from
captivity after the king's defeat at Lewes. At the battle of
Evesham in 1265, Simon de Montfort's body was brutally dismembered
and Roger Mortimer sent the head with other gruesome trophies
home to his wife at Wigmore. She died in 1301.
Eleanor never lived to see her husband's tragic
death at Beeston castle. He was Humphrey de Bohun, a loyal supporter
of Simon de Montfort. His father, the earl of Hereford and Essex,
had deserted the cause but Humphrey died of his wounds after
fighting for de Montfort at the battle of Evesham. Eleanor's
inheritance of Brecon passed to her son, also Humphrey, who succeeded
his grandfather to the earldom in 1275.
Abergavenny was Eva's portion of the de Braose lands.
She married William de Cantilupe, whose brother Saint Thomas was bishop of Hereford and the
barons' nominated chancellor of England in 1265. The family were
close friends of Simon de Montfort, who was the chief mourner
at William's funeral in 1254. His wife died the following year.
Eva's tomb can still be seen in the priory
church of Saint Mary in Abergavenny.
Successive marcher lords
attempted to reunite the territories held by William de Braose.
The distribution of his wealth and power had repercussions for
centuries to come. Matilda's grandson Roger Mortimer deposed
Edward II. All the monarchs of England from 1413 have been descendants
of Matilda de Braose. Eleanor's descendants include Henry V and
Henry VI.
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Four Daughters |
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The daughters of William de Braose and their inheritances attracted excellent marriages. Isabel produced no children for her Welsh prince, Dafydd. His de Braose inheritance was violently contested and his short rule from 1240 to 1246 was an anti-climax after the achievements of his great father Llywelyn. After Dafydd's death Isabel gained Haverfordwest from the Marshal lands of Pembrokeshire, in lieu of Builth, which was taken by the crown. Matilda and Roger Mortimer were betrothed as toddlers. He was the son of Gwladus Ddu, Llywelyn's daughter, whose first husband had been Reginald de Braose. The marriage perpetuated some complex family ties. Radnor joined the Mortimer lordship and was close to the family seat at Wigmore. During the barons' war of the 1260s Roger and Matilda suffered some heavy defeats but they succeeded in rallying the marchers against Simon de Montfort. They master-minded the legendary escape of prince Edward from captivity after the king's defeat at Lewes. At the battle of Evesham in 1265, Simon de Montfort's body was brutally dismembered and Roger Mortimer sent the head with other gruesome trophies home to his wife at Wigmore. She died in 1301. Eleanor never lived to see her husband's tragic death at Beeston castle. He was Humphrey de Bohun, a loyal supporter of Simon de Montfort. His father, the earl of Hereford and Essex, had deserted the cause but Humphrey died of his wounds after fighting for de Montfort at the battle of Evesham. Eleanor's inheritance of Brecon passed to her son, also Humphrey, who succeeded his grandfather to the earldom in 1275.
Successive marcher lords
attempted to reunite the territories held by William de Braose.
The distribution of his wealth and power had repercussions for
centuries to come. Matilda's grandson Roger Mortimer deposed
Edward II. All the monarchs of England from 1413 have been descendants
of Matilda de Braose. Eleanor's descendants include Henry V and
Henry VI.
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