Alice de Lusignan, Countess of Surrey

For other people named Alice de Lusignan, see Alice de Lusignan (disambiguation).

Alice de Lusignan
Countess of Surrey
Born	1224 Lusignan, France
Died	9 February 1256 (aged 32) Warren, Sussex, England
Noble family	Lusignan
Spouse(s)	John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey ​ ​ (m. 1247)​
Issue	Eleanor de Warenne Isabella de Warenne William de Warenne
Father	Hugh X de Lusignan, "le Brun", Seigneur de Lusignan, Count of La Marche
Mother	Isabella of Angoulême

Alice de Lusignan, Countess of Surrey (1224 – 9 February 1256) was a half-sister of King Henry III of England and the wife of John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey. Shortly after her arrival in England from France in 1247, her half-brother arranged her marriage to the Earl, which incurred some resentment from the English nobility.[1]

Lineage

Alice was the second-eldest daughter of Hugh X of Lusignan ("le Brun"), Seigneur de Lusignan and Count of La Marche, and Isabella of Angoulême, queen dowager of England.[2] She was born in Lusignan, Poitou, France in 1224, and was a member of the House of Lusignan.

She had five full brothers and three full sisters, besides her royal half-siblings from her mother's first marriage.

Lusignan, Vienne, France, the birthplace of Alice le Brun de Lusignan

Marriage

In 1247, a year after her mother's death, Alice accompanied the new papal legate William of Modena, the Cardinal-bishop of Sabina, to England, which she had decided to make her home, and live at the expense of the Crown.[3] In August of that year, her half-brother, King Henry married her to John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey (August 1231 – 29 September 1304).[4] The marriage caused some resentment amongst the English nobility, as they considered the king's Lusignan siblings to be parasites and a liability to the kingdom. Many prestigious honours and titles were granted to the Lusignans.[5] Alice was also said to have been disdainful of all things English.[6]

John was the son of William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey and Maud Marshal. Together they had three children.

Issue

• Eleanor de Warenne (1251–1282), married Sir Henry de Percy, by whom she had issue, including Henry Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Alnwick.
• Isabella de Warenne (c.1253 – before 1292), married John Balliol, King of Scotland, and was the mother of Edward Balliol.
• William de Warenne (9 February 1256 – 15 December 1286). He was killed in a tournament. He married Joan de Vere, by whom he had two children, John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey, and Alice de Warenne (15 June 1287 – 23 May 1338), who in turn married Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel.

Death

Alice died in Warren, Sussex, England, on 9 February 1256 after giving birth to her only son, William. She was about thirty-two years of age.

References

1. Costain, Thomas B. (1959). The Magnificent Century. Garden City, New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc. p.151
2. Vincent 2003, p. 181.
3. Costain p.151.
4. Carpenter 2020, p. xxv.
5. Costain, p.151
6. Costain,page 151.

Sources

• Carpenter, David (2020). Henry III: The Rise to Power and Personal Rule, 1207-1258. Yale University Press.
• Vincent, Nicholas (2003). "Isabella of Angouleme: John's Jezebel". In Church, S.D. (ed.). King John: New Interpretations. The Boydell Press.