Alice de Lusignan, Countess of Surrey

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Alice de Lusignan, Countess of Surrey (1224 – 9 February 1256) was a uterine half-sister of King Henry III of England and the wife of John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey. Shortly after her arrival in England from France in 1247, her half-brother arranged her marriage to the Earl, which incurred some resentment from the English nobility.[1]

Alice de Lusignan
Countess of Surrey
Born1224
Lusignan, France
Died9 February 1256 (aged 32)
Warren, Sussex, England
Noble familyLusignan
Spouse(s)
IssueEleanor de Warenne
Isabella de Warenne
William de Warenne
FatherHugh X de Lusignan, "le Brun", Seigneur de Lusignan, Count of La Marche
MotherIsabella of Angoulême

Lineage

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Alice was the second-eldest daughter of Hugh X of Lusignan ("le Brun"), Seigneur de Lusignan and Count of La Marche, and Isabella of Angoulême, queen dowager of England.[2] She was born in Lusignan, Poitou, France in 1224, and was a member of the House of Lusignan.

She had five full brothers and three full sisters, besides her royal half-siblings from her mother's first marriage.

 
Lusignan, Vienne, France, the birthplace of Alice le Brun de Lusignan

Marriage

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In 1247, a year after her mother's death, Alice accompanied the new papal legate William of Modena, the Cardinal-bishop of Sabina, to England, which she had decided to make her home, and live at the expense of the Crown.[3] In August of that year, her half-brother, King Henry married her to John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey (August 1231 – 29 September 1304).[4] The marriage caused some resentment amongst the English nobility, as they considered the king's Lusignan siblings to be parasites and a liability to the kingdom. Many prestigious honours and titles were granted to the Lusignans.[5] Alice was also said to have been disdainful of all things English.[6]

John was the son of William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey and Maud Marshal. Together they had three children.

Issue

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Death

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Alice died in Warren, Sussex, England, on 9 February 1256 after giving birth to her only son, William. She was about thirty-two years of age.

References

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  1. ^ Costain, Thomas B. (1959). The Magnificent Century. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc. p.151
  2. ^ Vincent 2003, p. 181.
  3. ^ Costain p.151.
  4. ^ Carpenter 2020, p. xxv.
  5. ^ Costain, p.151
  6. ^ Costain,page 151.

Sources

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  • Carpenter, David (2020). Henry III: The Rise to Power and Personal Rule, 1207-1258. Yale University Press.
  • Vincent, Nicholas (2003). "Isabella of Angouleme: John's Jezebel". In Church, S.D. (ed.). King John: New Interpretations. The Boydell Press.