Walter Marshal, 5th Earl of Pembroke

Walter Marshal, 5th Earl of Pembroke (1196 – 24 November 1245) was the fourth son of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Isabel de Clare, 4th Countess of Pembroke who succeeded his childless brother Gilbert as the 5th Earl of Pembroke and Earl Marshal of England in 1242 a year after the latter's death. He also held the titles of Lord of Striguil and Lord of Leinster.

Inheritance

Walter was born in 1196, the fourth son and one of the ten children of William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke and Isabel de Clare, 4th Countess of Pembroke suo jure. His mother was the only surviving legitimate child of Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, known to history as "Strongbow" and Aoife of Leinster, therefore she was one of the wealthiest heiresses in the kingdom when she married Walter's father. Upon William Marshal's death in 1219, the earldom passed in succession to Walter's three elder brothers, William, Richard, and Gilbert, all of whom died childless. The latter was killed at a tournament on 27 June 1241^[1] when his horse threw him and his foot caught in the stirrups. He was dragged for some distance and died of his injuries.^[2] Walter was present at the tournament, therefore had witnessed his brother's death.^[3] As Gilbert had just one illegitimate daughter Isabel by an unknown mistress, Walter became the next earl of Pembroke. He did not succeed to his titles until 1242 due to King Henry III's anger towards Walter for having disobeyed royal orders which had forbidden tournaments on the grounds that he did not want any of his subjects killing one another in sport.^[4] Walter who had attended the tournament which had killed Gilbert shared in his brother's guilt, so had to wait a year before he was invested with the earldom and hereditary post of Earl Marshal. That same year he accompanied King Henry to Gascony.

Marriage and death

On 6 January 1242 Walter married Margaret de Quincy, Countess of Lincoln suo jure, the wealthy widow of John de Lacy, 2nd Earl of Lincoln and the mother of two children. Margaret did not bear Walter any children, and when he died suddenly at Goodrich Castle on 24 November 1245, the earldom passed to his younger brother, Anselm Marshal, 6th Earl of Pembroke, who followed him to the grave a month later. Like his four elder brothers, Anselm was also childless. Walter's widow, Margaret received a dower third from the Pembroke earldom and lordships, and as such she controlled most of the extensive Pembroke estates as her third outweighed the individual holdings of the 13 different co-heirs of his five sisters.

Walter Marshal was buried at Tintern Abbey, Monmouthshire.

References

• Charles Cawley, Medieval Lands, Earls of Pembroke 1189-1245, Marshal
• Thomas B. Costain, The Magnificent Century, published by Doubleday and Company Inc., Garden City, New York, 1959