Hamelin de Warenne, Earl of Surrey

Notes:

Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamelin_de_Warenne,_Earl_of_Surrey

He was an illegitimate son of Geoffrey of Anjou, and thus a half-brother of King Henry II, and an uncle of King Richard I [the Lionheart] and of King John. Until he married, he was known as Hamelin de Anjou or Hamelin the Bastard.

King Henry II arranged for him to marry one of the wealthiest heiresses in England, Isabel de Warenne, 4th Countess of Surrey, the widow of William of Blois. Hamelin and Isabella married in April 1164, and after the marriage he was recognized as Comte de Warenne, that being the customary designation for what more technically should be Earl of Surrey. In consequence of the marriage Hamelin adopted the surname de Warenne, as did his descendants. By his wife he had progeny one son and four daughters as follows:

1. William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey, only son and heir, who married Maud Marshal.

2. Clemence (aka Adela), mistress of her cousin King John, and by him the mother of Richard FitzRoy, feudal baron of Chilham, in Kent.

3. Ela, who married firstly Robert de Newburn and secondly William FitzWilliam of Sprotborough.

4.Maud (alias Matilda), who married firstly Henry Count d'Eu and Lord of Hastings, secondly Henry d'Estouteville, Seigneur de Valmont.

5. Isabel,who married firstly Robert de Lacy of Pontefract, and secondly Gilbert de l'Aigle, Lord of Pevensey.

Warenne's lands in England centred on Conisbrough Castle in Yorkshire, which powerful castle he built. He joined in the denunciations of Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket in 1164, although after Becket's death he became a great believer in Becket's sainthood, having reportedly been cured of blindness by the saint's intervention. In 1176 he escorted his niece Joan to Sicily for her marriage.

He remained loyal to Henry II through all the problems of the later part of his reign when many nobles deserted him, and continued as a close supporter of that king's eldest son and his own nephew, Richard I [the Lionheart]. During Richard's absence on the Third Crusade, he took the side of the regent William Longchamp. Hamelin was present at the second coronation of King Richard in 1194 and at King John's coronation in 1199.

He died in 1202 and was buried in the Chapter House of Lewes Priory in Sussex. He was succeeded by his son, William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey.


Buried:
Grave location, biography, photo of abbey:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=41277080

Hamelin married Isabella de Warenne, 4th Countess of Surrey. Isabella (daughter of William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey and Adela (Ela) of Ponthieu) was born ca 1136, England; died 13 Jul 1199, East Sussex, England; was buried , Lewes Priory Lewes Lewes District East Sussex, England. [Group Sheet]

1. William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey was born ca 1167, East Sussex, England; died 27 May 1240, London, England; was buried , Lewes Priory Lewes Lewes District East Sussex, England.

Notes:

Source:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geoffrey_Plantagenet,_Count_of_Anjou

He was the Count of Anjou, Touraine, and Maine by inheritance and then Duke of Normandy by conquest and called the Handsome or the Fair (French: le Bel) and Plantagenet. When he married Empress Matilda, the daughter and heiress of Henry I of England, their son, Henry Curtmantle, who succeeded to the English throne as King Henry II and founded the Plantagenet dynasty the name of which was taken from Geoffrey's nickname.

Geoffrey was the elder son of Foulques V d'Anjou and Eremburga de La Flèche, daughter of Elias I of Maine. He was named after his great-grandfather Geoffrey II, Count of Gâtinais. Geoffrey received his nickname from the yellow sprig of broom blossom (genêt is the French name for the planta genista, or broom shrub) he wore in his hat.

Geoffrey and Matilda's marriage was meant to seal a peace between England/Normandy and Anjou. She was eleven years older than Geoffrey, and very proud of her status as empress dowager (as opposed to being a mere countess). Their marriage was a stormy one with frequent long separations, but she bore him three sons and survived him.

Geoffrey and Matilda's children were:

Henry II of England (1133-1189)

Geoffrey, Count of Nantes (1 June 1134 Rouen to 26 July 1158 Nantes) died unmarried and was buried in Nantes

William, Viscount of Dieppe (1136-1164) died unmarried

Geoffrey also had illegitimate children by an unknown mistress (or mistresses).

When King Henry I died in 1135, Matilda at once entered Normandy to claim her inheritance. The border districts submitted to her, but England chose her cousin Stephen of Blois for its king, and Normandy soon followed suit.

In 1139 Matilda landed in England with 140 knights, where she was besieged at Arundel Castle by King Stephen. In the "Anarchy" which ensued, Stephen was captured at Lincoln in February 1141, and imprisoned at Bristol. A council of the English church held at Winchester in April 1141 declared Stephen deposed and proclaimed Matilda "Lady of the English". Stephen was subsequently released from prison and had himself re-crowned on the anniversary of his first coronation.

During 1142 and 1143, Geoffrey secured all of Normandy west and south of the Seine, and, on 14 January 1144, he crossed the Seine and entered Rouen. He assumed the title of Duke of Normandy in the summer of 1144. He also put down three baronial rebellions in Anjou,and the threat of rebellion slowed his progress in Normandy. He could not intervene in England because of this. In 1153 the Treaty of Wallingford stipulated that Stephen should remain King of England for life and that Henry, the son of Geoffrey and Matilda should succeed him.

Geoffrey died suddenly on 7 September 1151. According to John of Marmoutier, Geoffrey was returning from a royal council when he was stricken with fever. He arrived at Château-du-Loir, collapsed on a couch, made bequests of gifts and charities, and died. He was buried at St. Julien's Cathedral in Le Mans France.

Buried:
Grave location, biography, historical portrait, and cathedral photo:
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=8143822