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Eva Marshal

Eva Marshal (1203–1246) was an Anglo-Norman noblewoman, daughter of William Marshal and Isabel de Clare, the Earl and Countess of Pembroke. She married William de Braose, a marcher lord.[1]

Eva Marshal
Born1203
Pembroke Castle, Pembrokeshire, Wales
Died1246
Noble familyMarshal
De Clare
Spouse(s)William de Braose
IssueIsabella de Braose
Maud de Braose
Eva de Braose
Eleanor de Braose
FatherWilliam Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke
MotherIsabel de Clare, 4th Countess of Pembroke

She held de Braose lands and castles in her own right[verification needed] following the public hanging of her husband by the orders of Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Wales.[2]

Family

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Lady Eva was the 8th child of William Marshal, and she was a member of the Marshal family. Eva and her sisters were described as being handsome, high-spirited girls.[3] From 1207 to 1212, Eva and her family lived in Ireland.

Her paternal grandparents were John Marshal and Sibyl of Salisbury, and her maternal grandparents were Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, known to history as Strongbow and Aoife of Leinster,[4] for whom she was probably named.

Marriage

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Sometime between 1219 and 1221,[5] she married Marcher lord William de Braose, who in June 1228 succeeded to the lordship of Abergavenny,[n 1] and by whom she had four daughters. William was the son of Reginald de Braose and his first wife Grecia Briwere. He was much hated by the Welsh who called him Gwilym Ddu or Black William.

 
Pembroke Castle, Wales, the birthplace of Eva Marshal

Issue

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Widowhood

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Eva's husband was captured by the Welsh forces of Prince Llywelyn the Great, in fighting in the commote of Ceri near Montgomery, in 1228. William was ransomed for the sum of £2,000 and then furthermore made an alliance with Llywelyn, arranging to marry his daughter Isabella de Braose to Llywelyn's only legitimate son Dafydd ap Llywelyn. He was publicly hanged by Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Wales on 2 May 1230 after being discovered in the Prince's bedchamber together with his wife Joan, Lady of Wales.

Several months later, Eva's eldest daughter Isabella married the Prince's son. Prince Llywelyn wrote to Eva shortly after the execution, offering his apologies, explaining that he had been forced to order the hanging due to the insistence by the Welsh lords. He concluded his letter by adding that he hoped the execution would not affect their business dealings.[6]

Following her husband's execution, Eva held de Braose lands and castles in her own right. She is listed as holder of Totnes in 1230, which she held until her death. It is recorded on the Close Rolls (1234–1237)[7] that Eva was granted 12 marks by King Henry III of England to strengthen Hay Castle. She had gained custody of Hay as part of her dower.

In early 1234, Eva was caught up in her brother Richard's rebellion against King Henry and possibly acted as one of the arbitrators between the King and her mutinous brothers following Richard's murder in Ireland.[8] This is evidenced by the safe conduct she received in May 1234, thus enabling her to speak with the King. By the end of that month, she had a writ from King Henry granting her seisen of castles and lands he had confiscated from her following her brother's revolt. Eva also received a formal statement from the King declaring that she was back in "his good graces again".[9]

She died in 1246 at the age of forty-three.[citation needed]

Ancestry

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[10]

Notes

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  1. ^ Although he held the lordship in tenancy, he never held the title Lord Abergavenny.

References

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  1. ^ "The Marshal Family of Hamstead". Royal Historical Society Camden Fifth Series. 47: 1–39. 2015. doi:10.1017/S0960116315000044. ISSN 0960-1163.
  2. ^ Caradoc, of Llancarvan; Williams, John (1860). Brut y tywysogion : or, The chronicle of the princes. PIMS - University of Toronto. London : Longman, Green, Longman and Roberts.
  3. ^ Costain, Thomas B.(1959). The Magnificent Century. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company Inc. p.103
  4. ^ Collins, Carr Pritchett (1959). Royal Ancestors of Magna Charta Barons: Including Ancestry of John Talbot, 10th Earl of Shrewsbury, and Elizabeth Knox, Daughter of Rev. John Knox and His Wife, Margaret Stewart. The Collins Genealogy; the American Ancetry of Kit, Dick, and Christy Collins. Carr P. Collins.
  5. ^ Tanner, Heather J. (9 January 2019). Medieval Elite Women and the Exercise of Power, 1100–1400: Moving beyond the Exceptionalist Debate. Springer. ISBN 978-3-030-01346-2.
  6. ^ "Royal and Other Historical Letters illustrative of the Reign of Henry III" , ed The Rev. W.W. Shirley, M.A. – The Rolls Series 1862; letter 763a in Latin, translated at http://douglyn.co.uk/BraoseWeb/family/translation.html
  7. ^ Close Rolls (1234–1237)
  8. ^ Linda Elizabeth Mitchell (2003). Portraits of Medieval Women: Family, Marriage and Politics in England 1225–1350. New York: Palgrave MacMillan. p.47
  9. ^ Mitchell, p.47
  10. ^ Charles, Dr Bertie. "MARSHAL family, earls of Pembroke".

Sources

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  • de Braose family genealogy
  • Cokayne, G. E. The Complete Peerage
  • Costain, Thomas B. (1959). The Magnificent Century. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc.
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