Isabella Fitzrobert 3rd Countess Gloucester and Essex 1173-1217

Paternal Family Tree: Norman

Maternal Family Tree: Amice Gael Countess Leicester -1168

In or before 1151 [her father] William Fitzrobert 2nd Earl Gloucester and [her mother] Hawise Beaumont Countess Gloucester were married. She by marriage Countess Gloucester. She the daughter of [her grandfather] Robert Beaumont 2nd Earl of Leicester [aged 46] and [her grandmother] Amice Gael Countess Leicester. He the son of Robert Normandy 1st Earl Gloucester and Mabel Fitzhamon Countess Gloucester. They were fourth cousins. He a grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.

Around 1173 Isabella Fitzrobert 3rd Countess Gloucester and Essex was born to William Fitzrobert 2nd Earl Gloucester and Hawise Beaumont Countess Gloucester. She a great granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.

In 1183 [her father] William Fitzrobert 2nd Earl Gloucester died. His daughter Isabella [aged 10] succeeded 3rd Countess Gloucester.

On 29th August 1189 King John of England [aged 22] and Isabella Fitzrobert 3rd Countess Gloucester and Essex [aged 16] were married at Marlborough Castle [Map]. He by marriage Earl Gloucester. See Gesta Regis Henrici and Gesta Regis Henrici by Benedict of Peterborough. She the daughter of William Fitzrobert 2nd Earl Gloucester and Hawise Beaumont Countess Gloucester. He the son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England [aged 67]. They were half second cousins. She a great granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England.

Gesta Regis Henrici by Benedict of Peterborough. 29th August 1189. With these things accomplished, [her husband] John [aged 22], the brother of the [her brother-in-law] Duke [aged 31], married the aforementioned daughter [Isabella of Gloucester [aged 16]] of the Earl of Gloucester, against the prohibition of Baldwin [aged 64], Archbishop of Canterbury, because they were related in the third degree. He thus married her at Marlborough on the fourth day before the Kalends of September, on the feast of the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist.

His ita peractis, Johannes frater ducis desponsavit preedictam filiam comitis Gloucestriæ contra prohibitionem Baldewini Cantuariensis archiepiscopi, eo quod parentes erant in tertio gradu. Desponsavit itaque illam apud Merlebergam, quarto kalendas Septembris, festo Decollationis Sancti Johannis Baptistæ.

On 15th September 1189 [her brother-in-law] King Richard "Lionheart" I of England [aged 32] held a Council meeting at Pipewell [Map] at which he appointed a number of Bishops:

Bishop William Longchamp was elected Bishop of Ely.

Bishop Godfrey Lucy was elected Bishop of Winchester.

Bishop Richard Fitzneal [aged 59] was elected Bishop of London.

Archbishop Hubert Walter [aged 29] was elected Bishop of Salisbury.

In 1191 [her illegitimate brother-in-law] Archbishop Geoffrey Plantagenet [aged 39] was appointed Archbishop of York.

On 12th May 1191 [her brother-in-law] King Richard "Lionheart" I of England [aged 33] and Berengaria of Navarre Queen Consort England [aged 26] were married at Chapel of St George at Limassol Castle [Map]. She was crowned Queen Consort England the same day by the Hélie de Malemort, archbishop of Bordeaux, Jean aka John Fitz Luke, bishop of Évreux and Bernard II de Lacarre, Bishop of Bayonne. She the daughter of Sancho "Wise" King Navarre [aged 59] and Sancha Ivrea. He the son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England and [her mother-in-law] Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England [aged 69]. They were half fourth cousins.

Richard's mother and sister Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England and [her sister-in-law] Joan Plantagenet Queen Consort Sicily [aged 25] were present.

In 1194 Raymond Count of Toulouse [aged 37] succeeded Marquess Provence. [her sister-in-law] Joan Plantagenet Queen Consort Sicily [aged 28] by marriage Marchioness Provence.

In 1196 [her illegitimate brother-in-law] William Longespée Earl Salisbury [aged 20] and Ela of Salisbury 3rd Countess of Salisbury [aged 9] were married. He by marriage Earl Salisbury. She the daughter of William of Salisbury 2nd Earl Salisbury [aged 46] and Eleanor Vitre Countess of Salisbury [aged 38]. He the illegitmate son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England and Ida Tosny Countess Norfolk [aged 40]. They were fifth cousin once removed.

In October 1196 Raymond Count of Toulouse [aged 39] and [her sister-in-law] Joan Plantagenet Queen Consort Sicily [aged 31] were married at Rouen, France [Map]. She by marriage Countess Toulouse. She the daughter of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England and [her mother-in-law] Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England [aged 74]. He the son of Raymond Rouerge V Count Toulouse and Constance Capet Countess Boulogne and Toulouse. They were third cousin once removed.

In 1197 [her sister-in-law] Alix Capet Countess Blois [aged 46] died.

On 11th March 1198 [her sister-in-law] Marie Capet Countess Champagne [aged 53] died.

On 26th March 1199 [her brother-in-law] King Richard "Lionheart" I of England [aged 41] was besieging Châlus Chabrol Castle. During the course of the evening King Richard "Lionheart" I of England was shot by a crossbow. Richard died on 6th April 1199. His brother [her husband] John [aged 32] succeeded I King of England.

His mother Eleanor appears to have been present at his death as confirmed in a Charter by her on 21st April: 'quia dilectus noster Lucas, abjbas de Torpiniaco, affuit nobiscum infirmitati et funeri karissimi filii nostri regis, et circa eiusdem exequias pre omnibus aliis religiosis laboravit.' i.e. 'because our beloved Luke, abbot of Turpenay, was with us during the illness and at the funeral of our most dear son the king, and worked more than all other religious men in carrying out his obsequies.' Chronicum Anglicanum by Ralph Coggeshall also mentioned that Richard 'summoned by letter his mother, who was dwelling at Fontevraud'.

There was a brother between Richard and John named Geoffrey Duke of Brittany who had a son Arthur [aged 11], who was around twelve, and a daughter Eleanor [aged 15], who was around fifteen, whose mother was Constance Penthièvre Duchess Brittany [aged 38].

King Philip II of France [aged 33] had planned for Eleanor to marry his son, probably to bring Brittany into the French Royal family, possibly to pursue a claim on England.

King Philip II of France supported Arthur's claim to the English throne. In the resulting war Arthur was captured, imprisoned and never seen again. Eleanor was captured, probably around the same time as Arthur, and imprisoned, more or less, for the remainder of her life, even after King John's death through the reign of King Henry III since she represented a threat to Henry's succession.

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On 4th September 1199 [her sister-in-law] Joan Plantagenet Queen Consort Sicily [aged 33] died at Rouen, France [Map]. She was buried at Fontevraud Abbey [Map].

Around April 1200 King John of England [aged 33] and Isabella Fitzrobert 3rd Countess Gloucester and Essex [aged 27] marriage annulled due to consanuinity but more likely because John's new status as heir to the English throne mean't he had better prospects. He may have already decided to marry Isabella of Angoulême Queen Consort England [aged 12] who he married on 24th August 1200.

On 24th August 1200 [her former husband] King John of England [aged 33] and Isabella of Angoulême Queen Consort England [aged 12] were married. She had been engaged to Hugh IX of Lusignan IV Count of La Marche [aged 37] who subsequently appealed to King Philip II of France [aged 35], their feudal overlord, who used the position to justify a war against John. The difference in their ages was 21 years. She the daughter of Aymer I Count Angoulême [aged 40] and Alice Courtenay Countess Angoulême. He the son of King Henry "Curtmantle" II of England and [her former mother-in-law] Eleanor of Aquitaine Queen Consort Franks and England [aged 78]. They were fourth cousin once removed.

In 1205 Llewellyn "The Great" Aberffraw [aged 33] and [her illegitimate step-daughter] Joan Plantagenet [aged 14] were married. She the illegitmate daughter of [her former husband] King John of England [aged 38] and Adela Plantagenet.

On 12th December 1212 [her illegitimate brother-in-law] Archbishop Geoffrey Plantagenet [aged 60] died at Normandy [Map]. He was buried at Notre Dame du Parc, Rouen.

In 1213 Geoffrey Fitzpeter 1st Earl Essex [aged 51] died. His son [her future husband] Geoffrey [aged 22] succeeded 2nd Earl Essex. Matilda Clare Countess Essex by marriage Countess Essex.

Before 1214 [her future husband] Geoffrey Mandeville 2nd Earl Essex [aged 22] and Matilda Clare Countess Essex were married. He the son of Geoffrey Fitzpeter 1st Earl Essex and Beatrice Saye.

On 20th January 1214 Geoffrey Mandeville 2nd Earl Essex [aged 23] and Isabella Fitzrobert 3rd Countess Gloucester and Essex [aged 41] were married. She by marriage Countess Essex, Countess Gloucester. She the daughter of William Fitzrobert 2nd Earl Gloucester and Hawise Beaumont Countess Gloucester. He the son of Geoffrey Fitzpeter 1st Earl Essex and Beatrice Saye.

Before 11th May 1214 [her illegitimate step-son] Richard Fitzroy [aged 24] and Rohese de Dover [aged 28] were married. He the illegitmate son of [her former husband] King John of England [aged 47] and Adela Plantagenet.

On 31st October 1214 [her former sister-in-law] Eleanor Plantagenet Queen Consort Castile [aged 53] died at Burgos [Map]. She was buried at Abbey of Santa Maria la Real de Huelgas [Map].

On 23rd February 1216 [her husband] Geoffrey Mandeville 2nd Earl Essex [aged 25] was killed in a tournament. His brother [her brother-in-law] William succeeded 3rd Earl Essex.

During the night of 18th and 19th October 1216 [her former husband] King John of England [aged 49] died at Newark Castle, Nottinghamshire [Map]. His son Henry [aged 9] succeeded III King of England.

John Monmouth [aged 34] was present.

On his deathbed, John appointed a council of thirteen executors to help Henry reclaim the kingdom and requested that his son be placed into the guardianship of William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke [aged 70].

King John's will is the earliest English royal will to survive in its original form. The document is quite small, roughly the size of a postcard and the seals of those who were present at the time would have been attached to it. Translation of the will taken from an article by Professor S.D. Church in the English Historical Review, June 2010:

I, John, by the grace of God king of England, lord of Ireland, duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, count of Anjou, hindered by grave infirmity and not being able at this time of my infirmity to itemize all my things so that I may make a testament, commit the arbitration and administration of my testament to the trust and to the legitimate administration of my faithful men whose names are written below, without whose counsel, even in good health, I would have by no means arranged my testament in their presence, so that what they will faithfully arrange and determine concerning my things as much as in making satisfaction to God and to holy Church for damages and injuries done to them as in sending succour to the land of Jerusalem and in providing support to my sons towards obtaining and defending their inheritance and in making reward to those who have served us faithfully and in making distribution to the poor and to religious houses for the salvation of my soul, be right and sure. I ask, furthermore, that whoever shall give them counsel and assistance in the arranging of my testament shall receive the grace and favour of God. Whoever shall infringe their arrangement and disposition, may he incur the curse and indignation of almighty God and the blessed Mary and all the saints.

In the first place, therefore, I desire that my body be buried in the church of St Mary and St Wulfstan at Worcester. I appoint, moreover, the following arbiters and administrators: the lord Guala, by the grace of God, cardinal-priest of the title of St Martin and legate of the apostolic see; the lord Peter bishop of Winchester; the lord Richard bishop of Chichester; the lord Silvester bishop of Worcester; Brother Aimery de St-Maur; William Marshal earl of Pembroke; Ranulf earl of Chester; William earl Ferrers; William Brewer; Walter de Lacy and John of Monmouth; Savaric de Mauléon; Falkes de Bréauté.

The signatories were:

Guala Bicchieri [aged 66] (ca 1150 - 1227) Papal Legate.

Bishop Peter de Roches, Bishop of Winchester.

Richard le Poer (? - 1237), Bishop of Chichester.

Sylvester of Worcester, Bishop of Worcester.

Aimery de St-Maur (? -?1219), Master of the English Templars.

William Marshal 1st Earl Pembroke.

Ranulf de Blondeville Gernon 6th Earl Chester 1st Earl Lincoln [aged 46].

William Ferrers 4th Earl of Derby [aged 48].

William Brewer (? - 1226), 1st Baron Brewer.

Walter de Lacy (ca 1172-1241) Lord of Meath.

John: (1182 - 1248) Lord of Monmouth.

Savaric de Mauléon (? - 1236) Seneschal of Poitou from 1205.

Falkes de Bréauté (? - 1226) Seneschal of Cardiff Castle.

Before 1217 [her future husband] Hubert de Burgh Count Mortain 1st Earl Kent [aged 46] and Beatrice Warenne were married.

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In September 1217 Hubert de Burgh Count Mortain 1st Earl Kent [aged 47] and Isabella Fitzrobert 3rd Countess Gloucester and Essex [aged 44] were married. She the daughter of William Fitzrobert 2nd Earl Gloucester and Hawise Beaumont Countess Gloucester.

On 14th October 1217 Isabella Fitzrobert 3rd Countess Gloucester and Essex [aged 44] died.

In 1236 [her former husband] Hubert de Burgh Count Mortain 1st Earl Kent [aged 66] and Margaret Dunkeld Countess Kent [aged 43] were married. She by marriage Countess Kent. The difference in their ages was 23 years. She the daughter of King William I of Scotland and Ermengarde Beaumont Sarthe Queen Consort Scotland.

Before 5th May 1243 [her former husband] Hubert de Burgh Count Mortain 1st Earl Kent [aged 73] died at Banstead, Surrey. He was buried at Blackfriars Church Holborn. Earl Kent extinct.

Isabella Fitzrobert 3rd Countess Gloucester and Essex appears on the following Descendants Family Trees:

Royal Ancestors of Isabella Fitzrobert 3rd Countess Gloucester and Essex 1173-1217

Kings Wessex: Great x 9 Grand Daughter of King Alfred "The Great" of Wessex

Kings England: Great Grand Daughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Kings France: Great x 5 Grand Daughter of Hugh I King of the Franks

Kings Duke Aquitaine: Great x 9 Grand Daughter of Ranulf I Duke Aquitaine

Ancestors of Isabella Fitzrobert 3rd Countess Gloucester and Essex 1173-1217

Great x 4 Grandfather: Richard "Good" II Duke Normandy

Great x 3 Grandfather: Robert "Magnificent" I Duke Normandy 8 x Great Grandson of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor

Great x 4 Grandmother: Judith Penthièvre Duchess Normandy 7 x Great Granddaughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor

Great x 2 Grandfather: King William "Conqueror" I of England -2 x Great Grandson of King William "Conqueror" I of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Father of Beatrix and Herleva

Great x 3 Grandmother: Herleva of Falaise

Great x 1 Grandfather: King Henry I "Beauclerc" England son of King William "Conqueror" I of England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Baldwin "Bearded" IV Count Flanders 3 x Great Grandson of King Alfred "The Great" of Wessex

Great x 3 Grandfather: Baldwin "The Good" V Count Flanders 4 x Great Grandson of King Alfred "The Great" of Wessex

Great x 4 Grandmother: Ogive Luxembourg Countess Flanders 6 x Great Granddaughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor

Great x 2 Grandmother: Matilda Flanders Queen Consort England Great Granddaughter of Hugh I King of the Franks

Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks son of Hugh I King of the Franks

Great x 3 Grandmother: Adela Capet Duchess Normandy Granddaughter of Hugh I King of the Franks

Great x 4 Grandmother: Constance Arles Queen Consort France

Grandfather: Robert Normandy 1st Earl Gloucester son of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 2 Grandfather: Rainald Gay

Great x 1 Grandmother: Daughter Gay

Father: William Fitzrobert 2nd Earl Gloucester Grandson of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 3 Grandfather: Hamon Dentatus

Great x 2 Grandfather: Hamo Dapifer

Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Fitzhamon

Grandmother: Mabel Fitzhamon Countess Gloucester

Great x 3 Grandfather: Roger Montgomery

Great x 2 Grandfather: Roger "The Great" Montgomery 1st Earl of Shrewsbury

Great x 1 Grandmother: Sibyl Montgomery

Great x 4 Grandfather: William "Princeps" Belleme

Great x 3 Grandfather: William "Talvas" Belleme

Great x 4 Grandmother: Mathilde Condé Sur Noireau

Great x 2 Grandmother: Mabel de Bellême

Great x 4 Grandfather: Arnulf

Great x 3 Grandmother: Hildeburg

Isabella Fitzrobert 3rd Countess Gloucester and Essex Great Granddaughter of King Henry I "Beauclerc" England

Great x 4 Grandfather: Turold de Pont-Audemer

Great x 3 Grandfather: Humphrey "Vielles" Beaumont

Great x 4 Grandmother: Duvelina

Great x 2 Grandfather: Roger "Bearded" Beaumont

Great x 1 Grandfather: Robert Beaumont 1st Earl of Leicester Count Meulan

Great x 4 Grandfather: Unknown Count of Meulan

Great x 3 Grandfather: Waleran I Count of Meulan

Great x 2 Grandmother: Adeline of Meulan

Grandfather: Robert Beaumont 2nd Earl of Leicester 3 x Great Grandson of Hugh I King of the Franks

Great x 4 Grandfather: Robert "Pious" II King of the Franks son of Hugh I King of the Franks

Great x 3 Grandfather: Henry I King of the Franks Grandson of Hugh I King of the Franks

Great x 4 Grandmother: Constance Arles Queen Consort France

Great x 2 Grandfather: Hugh "Great" Capet Great Grandson of Hugh I King of the Franks

Great x 4 Grandfather: Yaroslav "The Wise" Rurik

Great x 3 Grandmother: Anne of Kiev Queen Consort Francia

Great x 1 Grandmother: Elizabeth Capet Countess Leicester, Meulan and Surrey 2 x Great Granddaughter of Hugh I King of the Franks

Great x 4 Grandfather: Otto Vermandois I Count Vermandois 6 x Great Grandson of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor

Great x 3 Grandfather: Herbert Vermandois IV Count Vermandois 7 x Great Grandson of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor

Great x 4 Grandmother: Pavia Countess Vermandois

Great x 2 Grandmother: Adelaide I Countess Vermandois 8 x Great Granddaughter of Charles "Charlemagne aka Great" King of the Franks King Lombardy Holy Roman Emperor

Great x 4 Grandfather: Ralph IV Count of Valois

Great x 3 Grandmother: Adela Valois Countess Blois and Vermandois

Mother: Hawise Beaumont Countess Gloucester 4 x Great Granddaughter of Hugh I King of the Franks

Great x 3 Grandfather: Ralph "Staller" Gael 1st Earl East Anglia

Great x 2 Grandfather: Ralph de Gael 2nd Earl East Anglia

Great x 1 Grandfather: Raoul Gael

Great x 4 Grandfather: Osbern the Steward

Great x 3 Grandfather: William Fitzosbern 1st Earl Hereford

Great x 4 Grandmother: Emma of Ivry

Great x 2 Grandmother: Emma Fitzosbern Countess East Anglia

Great x 4 Grandfather: Roger "The Spaniard" Tosny

Great x 3 Grandmother: Adelise Tosny Countess Hereford

Great x 4 Grandmother: Adelaide aka Godehildis Ramon

Grandmother: Amice Gael Countess Leicester