Researching uncovers some very interesting stories of our great grandparents, this is another.
Three of his children became our great grandparents. This next series of posts will follow the line of another of King Henry's sons.
With his partner Nest Verch Rhys he had a son Henry FitzHenry (sometimes known as FitzRoy)
But Nest was not just an ordinary sort of lady!
Princess Nesta verch Rhys was born About 1073 in of Dynevor, Llandyfeisant, Carmarthenshire, Wales. and she died About 1114
Nest ferch Rhys was the only legitimate daughter of Rhys ap Tewdwr, last King of Deheubarth, by his wife, Gwladys ferch Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn of Powys. She is sometimes known, incorrectly, as "Nesta" or "Princess Nesta".
After Nest reached puberty, she came to the attention of the youngest son of William the Conqueror, Henry I of England, to whom she bore one of his numerous illegitimate children, Henry FitzHenry (c. 1103–1158).
Nest had two younger brothers, Gruffydd ap Rhys and Hywel, and, possibly, an older sister named Marared, as well as several older illegitimate half-brothers and half-sisters. After their father's death in battle in 1093, "the kingdom of the Britons fell" and was overrun by Normans.
Nest's younger brother Gruffydd was spirited into Ireland for safety; their brother Hywel may have been captured by Arnulf de Montgomery, along with their mother, unless, as appears likelier, their mother was captured with Nest; their fate is unknown. Two older brothers, illegitimate sons of Rhys, one of them named Goronwy, were captured and executed.
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| Statue of Einon |
.Rhys ap Tewdwr, a member of the House of Dinefwr, claimed the throne of Deheubarth following the death of his second cousin Rhys ab Owain, who was beheaded after the battle of Gwdig (modern day Goodwick) against Caradog ap Gruffydd in 1078.
He was a grandson of Cadell ab Einion ab Owain ab Hywel Dda, and a great-grandson of Einon ab Owain, thus a descendant of Hywel Dda, king of the Britons.
He married Gwladys ferch Rhiwallon daughter of Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn of the Mathrafal dynasty of Powys, by whom he had four sons, Gruffudd, Hywel ap Rhys, Goronwy and Cadwgan, and a daughter Nest who married Gerald de Windsor, Constable of Pembroke, progenitors of the FitzGerald and de Barry dynasties of Ireland.
These Hiberno-Norman, or Cambro-Norman, families have been Peers of Ireland since at least the 14th century.
The English variant of Tewdwr is Tudor. Henry Tudor, King of England was a matrilineal descendant of Rhys ap Tewdwr.
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| Dublin Castle |
So Nest had quite a Royal background, if you can manage the Welsh language!
But no Royal romance would be without a bit of intrigue!
Princess Nesta was a very remarkable woman. She is sometimes referred to as the "mother of the Irish invasion" since her sons, by various fathers, and her grandsons were the leaders of the invasion. She had, in the course of her eventful life, two lovers, two husbands, and many sons and daughters. Her father is quoted as saying that she had 10 children as a result of her matrimonial escapades, eight sons and two daughters, among them William fitzGerald de Windsor. One of her lovers was King Henry I of England . Some years before she married Gerald, her father, the fierce old Prince of South Wales, was fighting the English under Henry, (then the Prince and later King).
Henry succeeded in taking the lovely Nesta as hostage. By this royal lover, she had two sons; Meyler fitzHenry and the celebrated Robert of Gloucester . It would seem that Gerald, busily engaged in military business, could have had no peace about his wife, since she was clever as well as beautiful, and every warrior seems to have fallen in love with her.
In 1095, Gerald led an expedition against the Welsh on the borders of what is now Pembrokeshire. In 1100, he went to Ireland to secure for his lord, Arnulf Montgomery, the hand of the daughter of King Murrough in marriage.
He was the first of the Geraldines to set foot in Ireland , where they were later to rule like kings. Later, Arnulf joined in a rebellion against the King, was deprived of his estates and exiled in 1102. Then the King granted custody of Pembroke Castle to Gerald. Later, he was appointed president of the County of Pembrokeshire . But it was Nesta that occupied the center of their stage during their marriage. Her beauty continued to excite wonder and desire throughout Wales .
At Christmas in 1108, Cadwgan, Prince of Cardigan, invited the native chieftains to a feast at Dyvet (St. David's). Nesta's beauty was a subject of conversation. She excited the curiosity of Owen, the son of Prince Cadwgan, who resolved to see her. She was his cousin, so that the pretense of a friendly visit was easy.
He successfully obtained admission with his attendants into Pembroke Castle . Her beauty -- it was even greater than he expected -- excited his lust. He determined to carry her off! In the middle of the night, he set fire to the castle, and his 15 followers surrounded the room where Gerald and Nesta were sleeping. Gerald was awakened by the noise and about to discover the cause, but Nesta, suspecting some /treason, persuaded him to make his escape.
She pulled up a board and let her husband escape down a drain by a rope. Then Owen broke open the door, seized Nesta and two of her sons, and carried them off to Powys, leaving the castle in flames. Owen had his way with Nesta, (historians say that one of her ten children was his), though whether she yielded from desire or force was uncertain. But at her request, Owen hastened to send back the two sons to Gerald.
When King Henry heard of Nesta's abduction, he was furious. He regarded it as an injury almost personal, since Gerald was not only his steward, but his particular friend. The abduction of Nesta led to a war, which resulted in her return to her husband, and Owen fled to Ireland . Gerald took a conspicuous role in the fighting.
In 1116, Henry ordered Owen, who had returned to Wales , to apprehend Gruffuyd, son of Rhys ap Tewdyr. As he passed through a wood on his march to join up with the royal forces, Owen seized some cattle. The owners of the cattle, as they fled, met Gerald, Constable of Pembroke.
Gerald was also on his way to join the royal forces. When the cattle owners requested his assistance, he was only too delighted to have the opportunity for revenge for the insult to his honor done by Owen's abduction of Nesta. He lost no time in pursuing Owen, found him, and a skirmish followed. Owen was slain, an arrow piercing his heart, and Gerald's honor was avenged.
Gerald died about 1135, leaving three sons and a daughter by Nesta. They were:
Maurice, one of the principal leaders of the Irish invasion in 1169;
William, ancestor of the families of Carew, Grace, Fitzmaurice, Gerald, and the Keatings of Ireland;
David, who became bishop of St. David's;
Angareth, wife of William de Bari, and mother of the historian, Gerald Cambrensis.
Nesta married again. Her second husband was Stephen, Constable of Cardigan, by whom she had one son, Robert fitzStephen.
Nesta's children and their descendants constituted a menace to the English rule of Wales . Royal Welsh blood mingled with the blood of the nobles of Normandy in all the half-brothers, sons of Gerald of Windsor and Stephen of Cardigan. Bastard or legitimate, they were turbulent princes in a troubled land.
Now fighting the Welsh natives, now allying themselves with their cousin, Nesta's brother Gruffuyd, the unconquered Prince of Wales, on whose head Henry had set "a mountain of gold", they remained a constant source of trouble to the King, an ever-present threat to his security. And so they fought, these Norman barons, and they went on fighting.
It was the able and ambitious Henry II, one of England' s really great kings, (the Henry of "Becket" and "Lion in Winter"), the father of Richard the Lionhearted and John of the Magna Carta, who was to find a solution.
He was to give these Norman adventurers a free hand in Ireland . It was thus that the Norman invasion of Ireland came about, and the Geraldines arrived in 1169.
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| At Pembroke Castle |
3. King Henry I * Beauclerc King Of England Of Normandy4 (I The Conquer of Normandy3 William*, * I Of Normandy2 Robert, the Strong1) was b. September 1068 in Selby, Yorkshire, and d. December 01, 1135 in Rouen, St. Denis, Seine-St. Denis, France.
He met (1) Sibyl Corbet. She was b. Est. 1064-1083, and d. Est. 1084-1168.
He m. (2) Nesta Princess Of Wales. She was b. Abt. 1073 Of, Dynevor Castle, Carmarthenshire, Wales.
He m. (3) * Brabant Adelica Princess Queen Of England in, Windsor, Berkshire, England, daughter Of Godfrey I and Ida Von Chiny. She was b. Abt. 1070 Of, Caen, Calvedos, France, and d. April 23, 1151 in, Affligham, Flanders, France.
He m. (4) Concubine 2 Ansfride. She was b. Abt. 1069 Of, Sparshalt, Berkshire, England He m.
(5) Concubine 11 She was b. Abt. 1077 Of, Westminster, Middlesex, England
He m. (6) Concubine 14. She was b. Abt. 1072 Of, England .
He m. (7) Isabel De Beaumont, daughter Of Sir Robert and (Elizabeth) Isabel. She was b. Abt. 1104 in Leicester, and d. Abt. 1147.
He m. (8) Concubine 4. She was b. Abt. 1072 Of, England.
He m. (9) Concubine 8. She was b. Abt. 1076 Of, Westminster, Middlesex, England. He m. (10) Concubine
He m. (11) Concubine 12. She was b. Abt. 1078 Of, England.
He m. (12) Concubine. She was b. Abt. 1079 Of, England. He m. (13) Concubine 16. She was b. Abt. 1072 Of, England:
He m. (14) Queen-England (Matilda) De Mormaer Of Scotland Edith November 11, 1100 in Westminister Abbey, daughter Of Malcom III Of Scotland and Princess Margaret. She was b. 1080 in Dunfermline, Fifeshire, Scotland, and d. May 01, 1118 in Westminster.
He m. (15) Of Louvain Adela January 29, 1120/21. She was b. Abt. 1100 in Louvain.
More About King Henry I * Beauclerc Of England Of Normandy: King Henry I Of England, was sometimes called "Beauclerc" the Scholar because of his perceived habits of study. He was the youngest son of William the Conqueror.
Ancestral File #: 8XJ0-6V
Burial: January 04, 1135/36, Reading Abbey, Reading, Berkshire, Eng
Cause Of Death: Food Poisoning
Christening: August 05, 1100
More About Queen Of England Princess Of Queen Of* Brabant Adelica: Ancestral File #: 9FTJ-QR
Burial: April 23, 1151, Reading Abbey, Reading, Berkshire, England.
It appears that there may have been more Concubines than I was able to keep track of. I wonder if Henry Could?
More About De Beaumont Isabel: Ancestral File #: 8XJQ-BL
Notes for De Beaumont Isabel: married to Gilbert Dd Clare, Earl of Pembrooke
More About Corbet Sibyl: Ancestral File #: 8XJ3-1F
More About Princess Of Wales Nesta: Ancestral File #: 8XJ2-WR
More About Concubine 2 Ansfride:Ancestral File #: 9FTF-TV
Burial:, Abingdon Abbey, Berkshire, England
More About Concubine 4:Ancestral File #: 9FTK-QW
More About Concubine 8 :Ancestral File #: 9FTL-MJ
More About Concubine 10: Ancestral File #: 9FTL-VQ
More About Concubine 11: Ancestral File #: 9FTL-X3
More About Concubine 12 : Ancestral File #: 9FTM-2Q
More About Concubine 13: Ancestral File #: 9FTM-9X
More About Concubine 14: Ancestral File #: 9FTM-KB
More About Concubine 16Ancestral File #: 9FV0-CR
More About Edith Queen-England (Matilda) De Mormaer of Scotland: Ancestral File #: 8XJC-MM
Burial: Scone, Perthshire, England
Children Of * Henry and Corbet Sibyl are:
16 i. Elizabeth Queen Scotland5 Sibyl, b. Abt. 1078 Scotland; d. July 12, 1122 in Island Of, Loch Tay, Perthshire, Scotland She m. Alexander I De Mormaer, King Of Scotland 1097-1120; b. 1077-1078; d. April 25, 1124
More About Sibyl Elizabeth Queen Scotland: Ancestral File #: 9FTZ-DT
+ 17 ii. de Dunstanville Rainald, b. Abt. 1100 Dunstanville, Kent, Eng. d. July 01, 1175, Chertsey, Surry, Eng.
18 iii. Prince Of England William, b. 1105 Of, England; d. Aft. 1187 He m. Alice; b. Abt. 1107: Ancestral File #: 8XJ3-3R, Ancestral File #: 9FTL-NP
+ 19 iv. Gundred Princess Of England, b. Abt. 1114 Of, England; d. Aft. 1130 in England.
20 v. Rohese Princess Of Eng.b. Abt. 1114 Of, Eng. d. Aft. 1176 in, Eng.: Ancestral File #: 8XJ3-69
Child Of * Henry and Princess Nesta is:
+ 21 i. Fitzroy Prince England5 Henry, b. Abt. 1105 Of, South Wales; d.1157 in, Angelsey, Carnarvonshire, Wales.
Children Of * Henry and Princess Adelica are:
+ 22 i. "de Caen" Earl Of Gloucester Plantagenet5 Robert, b. Abt. 1090 Of, Caen, Calvados, France; d. Oct. 31, 1147 in, Bristol, Gloucestershire, England.
+ 23 ii. Plantagenet Duchess Of Bretagne M, b. 1091; d.. 1121-1185.
Children Of * Henry and Ansfride are:
24 i. Prince Of England5 Richard, b. Bef. 1101 Of, Abingdon Abbey, Berkshire, England; d. November 26, 1119 At Sea, Barfleur, Manche, France, Ancestral File #: 9FTK-3M
25 ii. Fulk Prince Of England Foulques, b. Abt. 1102 Of, Abingdon Abbey, Berkshire, Eng. Ancestral File #: 9FTK-50
+ 26 iii. Princess Of England Juliane, b. Abt. 1102 Of, Westminster, Middlesex, England; d. in, Fontevrault L'Ab, Maine-Et-Loire, France.
Child Of * Henry and Concubine 11 is:
+ 27 i. de Tracy5 William, b. Abt. 1097 Of, Westminster, Middlesex, England; d. Abt. 1140.
Child Of * Henry and Concubine 14 is:
28 i. Montvillers5 Maud, b. Abt. 1096 Of, Montvillers, Savoie, France: Ancestral File #: 9FTM-LH
Child Of * Henry and De Isabel is:
29 i. Hedwig Of England5 Isabel b. Abt. 1120 Of, England: Ancestral File #: 9FTM-NT
Child Of * Henry and Concubine 4 is:
30 i. Duchess Of Bretagne5 Maud, b. Abt. 1091 Of, England: Ancestral File #: 9FTK-GJ
Child Of * Henry and Concubine 8 is:
+ 31 i. Goet Princess Of England5, m. William III. b. Abt. 1095 Of, Westminster, Middlesex, England.
Child Of * Henry and Concubine 10 is:
32 i. Gilbert Prince Of Eng.5 b. Abt. 1130 Of, Westminster, Middlesex, d. Aft. 1142. Ancestral File #: 9FTL-WW
Child Of * Henry and Concubine 12 is:
+ 33 i. Constance Maud Viscountess Maine5, b. Abt. 1098 Of, England.
Child Of * Henry and Concubine 13 is:
+ 34 i. Aline5 Alice, b. Abt. 1099 Of, Selby, Yorkshire, England; d. 1141.
Child Of * Henry and Concubine 16 is:
+ 35 i. Emma5, b. Abt. 1096 Of, England; d. Aft. 1157.
Children Of * Henry and (Matilda) Edith are:
+ 36 i. Prince Of England5 Robert, b. Abt. 1093 Of, Devonshire, England; d. May 31, 1172.
+ 37 ii. Of Normandy Elizabeth, b. Abt. 1095 in Talby England; d. Est. 1129-1190.
38 iii. Normandy Four, b. Abt. 1101.
39 iv. Normandy Three, b. Abt. 1101.
+ 40 v. Empress-Germany * Princes England Normandy Matilda, b. Abt. August 05, 1102 in London; d. September 10, 1167 in Abbey Of Notre Dame des Pres, Rouen, France.
41 vi. William Aetheling Beauclerc Of Normandy, b. 1103-1118; d. 1120 in Eng. Channel aboard the White Ship. He m. Duchess Of Normandy Of Anjou Matilda Est. 1112-1119; b. 1108-1109; d. 1112-1203.
Notes for William: William was Henry's only legitimate son. He drowned at sea, leaving his sister Matilda as heir. Ancestral File #: 9HPW-GM: Ancestral File #: 8XJ2-D6
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