Eva Marshal (1203–1246) was an Anglo-Norman noblewoman, daughter of

William Marshal William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1146 or 1147 – 14 May 1219), also called William the Marshal (Norman French: ', French: '), was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman during High Medieval England who served five English kings: Henry ...

and Isabel de Clare, the Earl and Countess of Pembroke. She married William de Braose, a

marcher lord A marcher lord () was a noble appointed by the king of England to guard the border (known as the Welsh Marches) between England and Wales. A marcher lord was the English equivalent of a margrave (in the Holy Roman Empire) or a marquis (in Fra ...

. She held de Braose lands and castles in her own right following the public

hanging Hanging is killing a person by suspending them from the neck with a noose or ligature strangulation, ligature. Hanging has been a standard method of capital punishment since the Middle Ages, and has been the primary execution method in numerou ...

of her husband by the orders of

Llywelyn the Great Llywelyn ab Iorwerth (, – 11 April 1240), also known as Llywelyn the Great (, ; ), was a medieval Welsh ruler. He succeeded his uncle, Dafydd ab Owain Gwynedd, as King of Gwynedd in 1195. By a combination of war and diplomacy, he dominate ...

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

Family

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. 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 Richard de Clare (c. 1130 – 20 April 1176), the second Earl of Pembroke, also Lord of Leinster and Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, Justiciar of Ireland (sometimes known as Richard FitzGilbert), was an Anglo-Norman nobleman notable for his leadi ...

, known to history as Strongbow and Aoife of Leinster, for whom she was probably named.

Marriage

Sometime between 1219 and 1221, she married

Marcher lord A marcher lord () was a noble appointed by the king of England to guard the border (known as the Welsh Marches) between England and Wales. A marcher lord was the English equivalent of a margrave (in the Holy Roman Empire) or a marquis (in Fra ...

William de Braose, who in June 1228 succeeded to the lordship of Abergavenny, and by whom she had four daughters. William was the son of

Reginald de Braose Reginald de Braose (19 September 1182 – June 1228) was one of the sons of William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber and Matilda, also known as Maud de St. Valery and Lady de la Haie. Her other children included William and Giles. The de Braoses ...

and his first wife Grecia Briwere. He was much hated by the Welsh who called him ''Gwilym Ddu'' or ''Black William''.

Issue

* Isabella de Braose (b.1222), married Prince

Dafydd ap Llywelyn Dafydd ap Llywelyn (c. March 1212 – 25 February 1246) was List of rulers of Gwynedd, King of Gwynedd from 1240 to 1246. Birth and descent Though birth years of 1208, 1206, and 1215 have been put forward for Dafydd, it has recently been p ...

. She died childless. *

Maud de Braose Maud de Braose, Lady of Bramber (c. 1155 – 1210) was an English noble, the spouse of William de Braose, 4th Lord of Bramber, a powerful marcher baron and court favourite of King John of England. She would later incur the wrath and enmity of ...

(1224–1301), in 1247, she married Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Wigmore, by whom she had issue, including Edmund Mortimer, 2nd Baron Mortimer and

Isabella Mortimer Isabella Mortimer, Lady of Clun and Oswestry (after 1247 – before 1 April 1292''Calendar of Fine Rolls,'' 1272-1307, p. 309) was a noblewoman and a member of an important and powerful Welsh Marcher family. Although often overshadowed in mode ...

, Countess of Arundel. * Eva de Braose (1227 – 28 July 1255), married William de Cantelou, by whom she had issue. *

Eleanor de Braose Eleanor de Braose (c. 1228–1251) was a Cambro-Norman noblewoman and a wealthy co-heiress of her father, who was the powerful Marcher lord William de Braose, and of her mother, Eva Marshal, a co-heiress of the Earls of Pembroke. Her husband w ...

(c.1228 – 1251). On an unknown date after August 1241, she married Humphrey de Bohun. They had two sons,

Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford Humphrey (VI) de Bohun (c. 1249 – 31 December 1298), 3rd Earl of Hereford and 2nd Earl of Essex, was an English nobleman known primarily for his opposition to King Edward I over the ''Confirmatio Cartarum.''Fritze and Robison, (2002). He ...

and Gilbert de Bohun, and one daughter, Alianore de Bohun. All three children married and had issue. Eleanor was buried in Llanthony Secunda Priory.

Widowhood

Eva's husband was captured by the Welsh forces of Prince

, in fighting in the

commote A commote (, sometimes spelt in older documents as , plural , less frequently )'' Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru'' (University of Wales Dictionary), p. 643 was a secular division of land in Medieval Wales. The word derives from the prefix ("together" ...

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

. He was publicly hanged by

on 2 May 1230 after being discovered in the Prince's bedchamber together with his wife

Joan, Lady of Wales Joan, Lady of Wales and Lady of Snowdon, also known by her Welsh language, Welsh name often written as Siwan (said, approximately /''sɪuːan''/) (/92 – 2 February 1237) was an Royal bastard, illegitimate daughter of King John of England, and t ...

. 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. Following her husband's execution, Eva held de Braose lands and castles in her own right. She is listed as holder of

Totnes Totnes ( or ) is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England, within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. It is about west of Paignton, about west-southwest of Torquay and ab ...

in 1230, which she held until her death. It is recorded on the Close Rolls (1234–1237)Close Rolls (1234–1237) that Eva was granted 12 marks by King

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of John, King of England, King John and Isabella of Ang ...

to strengthen

Hay Castle Hay Castle () is a medieval fortification and 17th-century mansion house in the small town of Hay-on-Wye in Powys, Wales. Originally constructed as part of the Norman invasion of Wales, the castle was designed as a ringwork overlooking the town ...

. She had gained custody of Hay as part of her

dower Dower is a provision accorded traditionally by a husband or his family, to a wife for her support should she become widowed. It was settlement (law), settled on the bride (being given into trust instrument, trust) by agreement at the time of t ...

. In early 1234, Eva was caught up in her brother

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

'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. 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". She died in 1246 at the age of forty-three.

Ancestry

Notes

References

Sources

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. {{DEFAULTSORT:Marshal, Eva Daughters of British earls 1203 births 1246 deaths People from Pembrokeshire 13th-century Welsh nobility 13th-century Welsh women