Editing William de Braose (died 1230)

{{short description|13th-century Welsh nobleman}}
{{more citations needed|date=November 2012}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2014}}
[[File:William de Braose (died 1230).jpg|thumb|right|Arms attributed to William de Braose by [[Matthew Paris]]: ''Party per pale indented gules and azure''. Marginal drawing of an inverted shield referring to his ''Nota impiam murthram'' ("impious murder")<ref>British Library MS Royal 14 C VII f. 116</ref><ref>{{citation |first=Matthew |last=Paris |date=1250–1259 |title=Historia Anglorum, Chronica majora, Part III; Continuation of Chronica maiora |chapter-url=http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/ILLUMIN.ASP?Size=mid&IllID=34227 |chapter=Royal 14 C VII |series=Catalogue of Illuminated Manuscripts |publisher=British Library}}</ref>]]
'''William de Braose''' (c. 1197 – 2 May [[13th century in Wales|1230]]) was the son of [[Reginald de Braose]] by his first wife, Grecia Briwere. He was an ill-fated member of the [[House of Braose]], a powerful and long-lived dynasty of [[Marcher Lord]]s.

==Biography==
William de Braose was born in [[Brecon]], probably between 1197 and 1204. The Welsh, who detested him and his family name, called him ''Gwilym Ddu'', Black William. He succeeded his father in his various lordships in 1227, including [[Abergavenny]] and [[Buellt]].{{citation needed|date=November 2012}}

William married [[Eva Marshal]], daughter of [[William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke]].  They had four daughters:{{citation needed|date=November 2012}}
* [[Isabella de Braose]] (born c. 1222 – 1248), wife of Prince [[Dafydd ap Llywelyn]]
* [[Maud de Braose, Baroness Mortimer|Maud de Braose]] (born c. 1224 – 1301), wife of [[Roger Mortimer, 1st Baron Mortimer]] another very powerful Marcher dynasty.
* [[Eleanor de Braose]] (c. 1226 – 1251), wife of Humphrey (son of [[Humphrey de Bohun, 2nd Earl of Hereford|Humphrey de Bohun]]) and mother of [[Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford]].
* [[Eva de Braose]] (c. 1227 – July 1255), wife of [[William de Cantilupe (died 1254)]].

He was captured by the Welsh forces of Prince [[Llywelyn the Great]], in fighting in the [[commote]] of Ceri near [[Montgomery, Powys|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 [[Dafydd ap Llywelyn]]. However, it became known that William had committed adultery with Llywelyn's wife, [[Joan, Lady of Wales]], and Braose was taken at his own home and transported to Wales.<ref>Dictionary of National Biography 34:11</ref> The marriage planned between their two children did, however, take place.<ref>Dictionary of National Biography 14:201</ref>

The Chronicle of Ystrad Fflur's entry for 1230 reads:{{citation needed|date=November 2012}}
:"''In this year William de Breos the Younger, lord of Brycheiniog, was hanged by the Lord Llywelyn in Gwynedd, after he had been caught in Llywelyn's chamber with the king of England's daughter, Llywelyn's wife''".

Llywelyn had William publicly [[hanging|hanged]] on 2 May 1230,<ref>{{Citation |last=Shirley |first=Walter Waddington |year=1862 |title=Royal and other historical letters illustrative of the reign of Henry III. From the originals in the Public Record Office |location=London |publisher=Longmans, Green, Longman, and Roberts|pages=366–7}} (''in Latin'')</ref> possibly at Crogen, near Bala, though others believe the hanging took place near Llywelyn's palace at [[Abergwyngregyn]].

After William's death, his wife Eva continued to hold de Braose lands and castles in her own right. She was listed as the holder of [[Totnes]] in 1230, and was granted 12 marks to strengthen [[Hay Castle]] by [[Henry III of England|King Henry III]] on the [[Close Rolls]] (1234–1237).{{citation needed|date=November 2012}}

==Legacy==
With William's death by hanging and his having four daughters, who divided the de Braose inheritance between them and no male heir, the titles now passed to the junior branch of the de Braose dynasty, and the only male heir was now [[John de Braose]] who had already inherited the titles of [[Lordship of Gower|Gower]] and [[rape of Bramber|Bramber]] from his far-sighted uncle [[Reginald de Braose]].{{citation needed|date=November 2012}}

==Literature==
*[[Sion Eirian]] – ''The Royal Bed'' (play) 2015 adaptation and ''[[Siwan (play)|Siwan]]'' (play)<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Royal Bed: Theatr Pena |url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/event/the-royal-bed-theatr-pena/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150213161008/http://www.walesonline.co.uk/whats-on/event/the-royal-bed-theatr-pena/ |archive-date=2015-02-13 |website=[[Wales Online]]}}</ref> 
*[[Saunders Lewis]] – ''Siwan''
*[[Thomas Parry (author)|Thomas Parry]] – ''Llywelyn Fawr'' (play)
*[[Edith Pargeter]] – ''The Green Branch'' (novel)
*[[Sharon Penman]] – ''[[Here Be Dragons]]'' (novel)

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{Citation |first=Gwynfor |last=Evans |year=2001 |title=Cymru O Hud Abergwyngregyn}}
*{{Citation |first=Gwynfor |last=Evans |year=2002 |title=Eternal Wales Abergwyngregyn}}
*{{Citation |first=F.E. |last=Fynes-Clinton |year=1912 |title=The Welsh Vocabulary of the Bangor District |publisher=Oxford}}
*{{Citation |author=Llyfrfa'r Methodistiaid Calfinaidd |title=Tystiolaeth Garth Celyn |year=1998 |journal=Y Traethodydd |issn=0969-8930}}
*{{Citation |first=John Edward |last=Lloyd |year=1911 |title=A history of Wales from the earliest times to the Edwardian conquest |publisher=Longmans, Green & Company}}
*{{Citation |title=Registrum Epistolarum Fratis Johannis Peckham Archiepiscopi Cantuariensis |editor-first=C. T. |editor-last=Martin |edition=3 Vols |date=1882–1886}}
*{{Citation |last=Pierce |first=Professor T. Jones  |journal=Caernarvonshire Historical Society Transactions |year=1962 |title=Aber Gwyn Gregin}}

==External links==
*[http://douglyn.co.uk/BraoseWeb/family/evam.html Eva Marshal page and pictures]
*[http://douglyn.co.uk/BraoseWeb/family/william5.html William de Braose page]
*The Barons de Braose [http://douglyn.co.uk/BraoseWeb/frames.htm A history of the de Braose family in England]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Braose, William de}}
[[Category:1190s births]]
[[Category:1230 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Brecon]]
[[Category:Norman warriors]]
[[Category:Anglo-Normans in Wales]]
[[Category:Executed English people]]
[[Category:13th-century executions by England]]
[[Category:Feudal barons of Abergavenny]]