William de Braose, 2nd Baron Braose
William de Braose, 2nd Baron Braose; was an English nobleman and 10th Baron of Bramber and Gower (* 1261 † before May 1326). He was the son of William de Braose and his first wife Alina de Multon.
Family and descendants
He married his first wife, Agnes, with whom he had three children:
- Joan († 1323), ∞ 1295 James de Bohun
- William ( † before 1320)
- Alina (* 1291, † 1331 ) ∞ 1298 John de Mowbray
His second wife he married in 1317 Elizabeth de Sully. This marriage remained childless.
Life
He served as a squire of Reginald de Grey, Baron of Ruthin and fought with him during the 1277 by Edward I began the conquest of Wales. William was involved in January 1288 during the rebellion of Rhys ap Maredudd in the siege of Newcastle Emlyn Castle, the last stronghold of the rebels. To his squad were among seven other knights with nearly 1000 foot soldiers, archers and servants, and a siege engine, the contributing essential that the crew of the castle without a fight after 20 days of siege capitulated on 20 January.
While still alive, William took over the administration of the estates of his father, which were confirmed to him after his death by the King on March 1, 1291. Like his father, also William was involved in numerous lawsuits, some of which dragged on for years. Among his opponents were process in 1299 John de Monmouth, bishop of Llandaff and 1306 his tenants in Gower, which William had to guarantee their rights in writing. His manager John Iweyn had already in 1302 a tenant who wanted to complain to the king about Braose, while incarcerated in Oystermouth Castle, until it withdrew its 1307 indictment he should pay 800 marks to his stepmother Mary de Ros, his father's widow. Then he left cursing the court. As punishment, the king let him then running bareheaded and without a sword through Westminster, then he was arrested for contempt of court in the Tower. As a result of these processes William was almost bankrupt and had to sell part of his property.
For his services to the king in Flanders, William was 1297 guardian for the ten-year John de Mowbray. He engaged his ward with his six year old daughter Alina. After the death of his only son, he used Alina and her husband as heir. However, he also tried his lands to the father of his daughter Joan, Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford and sell to Roger Mortimer of Chirk and his nephew, Roger Mortimer of Wigmore, while Hugh le Despenser, the favorite of the king, as Baron wanted to win of Glamorgan Gower for himself. Despenser strove to prove that William had no rights to his rule. The king then confiscated on October 26, 1320 Gower and let it occupied in November. This approach was one reason for the revolt of the Marcher Lords and the other barons in August 1321, which forced Hugh Despenser and his father into exile, while John de Mowbray Gower received. However Despenser returned with approval of the king in the following year. In the Battle of Boroughbridge on March 16, 1322, the king was able to prevail against the barons, Humpfrey de Bohun died in the battle, John de Mowbray was captured and subsequently hanged in York. William de Braoses daughter Alina fled by boat to Ilfracombe in Devon, but she was caught and detained there with her son John in the Tower of London. William himself was deeply in debt and a broken man, who ceded to a pension for life his lands to the king. He tried in vain to gain freedom for his daughter and died 1326.
Edward II Gower was awarded again in 1322 to Hugh Despenser, who plundered it and then his widowed sister in law Elizabeth de Clare forced to exchange it for their possessions Caerleon, Usk and Trelleck. In November 1326 Despensers were finally overthrown by the Queen Isabelle and her favorite, Roger Mortimer. The king was captured and abandoned in January 1327 to the throne. Alina de Mowbray was released and received Gower and Bramber back. She married her second husband Richard de Peshall, who had been imprisoned with her in the Tower. After her death in 1331, inherited her son John Mowbray Gower and Bramber.