William de Mandeville, 3rd Earl of Essex

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William de Mandeville
Chief Justiciar of England
In office 1189 – November 14, 1189
Monarch	Richard I
Preceded by	Ranulf de Glanvill
Succeeded by	Hugh de Puiset
Died	November 14, 1189
Spouse	Hawise
Children	none
Occupation	Earl of Essex Count of Aumale
Profession	Noble

William de Mandeville, 3rd Earl of Essex (1st Creation) (d. 14 November 1189) was a loyal councilor of Henry II and Richard I of England.

He was the second son of Geoffrey de Mandeville, 1st Earl of Essex and Rohese de Vere, Countess of Essex. After his father's death while in rebellion (1144), William grew up at the court of the Count of Flanders. On the death of his elder brother Geoffrey in 1166, he became Earl of Essex and returned to England, where he spent much time at the court of Henry II. He stayed loyal to the king during the 1173 rebellion of that king's eldest son, Henry.

In 1177 he became a crusader, in company with a companion of his youth, Count Philip of Flanders. Philip attempted to intervene in the court politics of the Kingdom of Jerusalem but was rebuffed, and the two fought for the Principality of Antioch at the siege of Harim. William returned to England in the fall of 1178.

In 1180 he married Hawise, daughter and heiress of William, Count of Aumale, who had died the previous year. He gained possession of her lands, both in Normandy and in England, along with the title of Count of Aumale (or Earl of Albemarle as it is sometimes called).

William fought in the wars against the French toward the end of Henry II's reign, and was at the deathbed of that king in 1189.

He carried the crown at the coronation of Richard I and held the favor of the new king. Richard I appointed him one of the two chief justiciars of England.^[1] But William died a few months later on a mission to Normandy, without issue.

He was initially succeeded by his elderly aunt, Beatrice de Say, née Mandeville, who passed her claim to her surviving son, Geoffrey de Say. Geoffrey contracted to pay an unprecedentedly large relief for the Mandeville inheritance, but he rapidly fell into arrears. Geoffrey Fitz Peter, the husband of Beatrice's granddaughter and namesake, Beatrice de Say, was a prominent man at court and used his position to push his wife's claim. She was the eldest daughter of Geoffrey de Say's elder brother. Eventually the estates and, later, the earldom, went to Geoffrey Fitz Peter by right of his wife.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Powicke, F. Maurice and E. B. Fryde Handbook of British Chronology 2nd. ed. London:Royal Historical Society 1961

Political offices
Preceded by Ranulf de Glanvill	Chief Justiciar shared with Hugh de Puiset 1189	Succeeded by Hugh de Puiset
Peerage of England
Preceded by Geoffrey de Mandeville	Earl of Essex 1166–1189	Succeeded by Extinct
Preceded by Hawise	Count of Aumale with Hawise 1180–1189	Succeeded by Hawise

Persondata
NAME	William de Mandeville
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Earl of Essex, Count of Aumale, Chief Justiciar of England
DATE OF BIRTH
PLACE OF BIRTH
DATE OF DEATH	November 14, 1189
PLACE OF DEATH