Gerald de Windsor

Gerald of Windsor ( † after 1116 ) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman and soldier. He was the progenitor of the Fitzgeralds, a widely branched noble family in Ireland.

Gerald was probably a younger son of Walter, who was 1086 Norman constable of Windsor Castle. He came in the service of Arnulf de Montgomery to Wales and was Castellan of built after a Welsh uprising in 1093 Pembroke Castle. During another survey of the Welsh, the castle was besieged by Cadwgan ap Bleddyn of Powys in 1096, but Gerald was the besiegers delude ourselves that he had sufficient troops and supplies, so they abandoned the siege. In return, Gerald in 1097 invaded the lands of the Bishop of St Davids in Pebidiog.

Around 1100 he married Nest, daughter of Rhys ap Tewdwr of Deheubarth King and former mistress of Henry I.. He was involved in the 1102 revolt of Arnulf de Montgomery and his brother Robert of Belleme against Henry I. and traveled to Ireland to Arnulf's father Ua Briain Muircheartach, king of Dublin to ask for support. King Henry had promised the lands of Arnulf Iorwerth ap Bleddyn of Powys as a reward for his help in quelling the uprising, but when the revolt was put down, he gave Pembroke the Anglo-Norman knight Saer, which, however, already in 1105 again had passed the king there.

After 1105 was Gerald royal constable of Pembroke Castle, Carew Castle to he built, which became the center of the lands of his family. He built another castle at Cenarth Bychan, which probably Cilgerran Castle was. Probably at this castle, but perhaps also to Carew Castle was the 1109 invasion of Owain ap Cadwgan of Powys. Owain had first visited his relatives alleged nest in the castle and was so taken by her beauty that he later with his warriors raided the castle and burned. Gerald has managed to escape, but his wife and his children were abducted by Owain by Powys. At the urging of nest Owain later sent Gerald's children to their father back, but nest itself stayed with him and bore him two more children. As a result of this fact, the Anglo-Normans were selling Bleddyn out of his kingdom Owains father Cadwgan ap. It was not until 1116, Gerald was able to avenge Owain, in pursuit of insurgent Gruffydd ap Rhys in Carmarthen when he met with a troop of Flemish settlers to Owain and killed him out of revenge. Whether nest returned after the death Owains to Gerald, is unsettled, she later became the wife of Stephen, the constable of Cardigan Castle. Also, about the fate of Gerald nothing is known after 1116 he is no longer mentioned. His sons William and Maurice are only mentioned in 1136 as leader of the Anglo-Norman army at the Battle of Crug Mawr again, so that Gerald must have died 1116-1136.

Family and descendants

From his marriage with nest he had three sons and one daughter:

• William, Lord of Carew - married Mary Fitz Gerald Marrio de Carew ( De Montgomery ), daughter of Lafracoth ingen Briain Ó Muiredaig and Arnulf de Montgomery, his other wife was Angh ferch Gruffudd, Rhys ap Gruffydd, the daughter of
• Angharad ∞ William de Berri, Lord of Manorbier

Maurice was one of the leaders of the first Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland. He was accompanied by his half-brother Robert Fitzstephen and several of his sons and nephews who conquered extensive land holdings in Ireland. Gerald's descendants were called Fitzgerald, belonged to their titles of the Earl of Kildare and the Earl of Desmond.

One of the sons of Angharads was Gerald of Wales, who ascended to the archdeacon, but was primarily known as a historian, folklorist and poet and wrote the story of his family.