Guillaume Ier de Warenne

Guillaume de Warenne or of Game preserve ( William off Warenne or off Warren in English) († June 24th 1088), was one of the Compagnons of William the Conqueror in his Conquête of England in 1066. Important Anglo-Norman baron, it was one of the richest men of the lately conquered England. It was made 1st Count de Surrey by Guillaume II the Russet-red little before its death. He was also the founder of a dynasty which dominated the Comté of Surrey until 1347.

He was the son of Rodulf († shortly after 1074) and most probably of Beatrice († after 1053), one of the many nieces of Gunnor (see low). Its toponym most probably comes from the river Varenne.

Biography pre-conquest

Young man, Guillaume helps the duke to consolidate his capacity on the Normandy, in particular in the campaigns of 1052 and 1054 which culminated with the Bataille of Mortemer. At the conclusion of this one, the duke strips Roger de Mortemer, his chief of army for this battle, cousin of Guillaume, all his possessions to have released the prisoner Raoul IV of Vexin, Count de Valois, whose Roger is also the vassal one. He reconciles himself later with the duke who returns all his possessions to him, except the Château of Mortemer which is entrusted to Guillaume.

Guillaume belongs to the principal barons of the duchy, and he is thus consulted by the duke Guillaume in connection with his project of invasion of England.

Biography post-conquest

He is one of the twenty Compagnons of the Conqueror identified with certainty with the Bataille of Hastings, and is thus probably a commander of part of the army Norman. In 1067, king Guillaume, of return in England entrusts the Rape to him Lewes (Sussex), with load for him to build a strong castle there. The graters of Sussex are strategic territories for the protection of the road towards and since the Normandy. The castle of Lewes makes it possible to supervise the coastal river Ouse. Inter alia important possessions, it receives also the honor of Conisbrough in the Yorkshire of the South and Castle Acre in the Norfolk. It also built strong castles there.

Richness of Warenne

The Domesday Book indicates to us that in 1086, Guillaume de Warenne is the fifth richer baron d' Angleterre, after Odon of Bayeux and Robert de Mortain, the half-brothers of the king, and the counts Roger II of Montgommery and Guillaume FitzOsbern. The value of its possessions in England is evaluated with 1140£ annual. 548£ returns to him directly each year, the remainder returns to its subvassals (its vassal). At that time, it holds approximately 300 manors, but no ground in the Surrey.

It has grounds in eleven counties , , mainly in Norfolk and Yorkshire, like holding as a chief or subvassal. In 1088, it receives in more the title of Count de Surrey, which gives him a considerable additional income since it perceives part of the incomes generated by the royal field in this county.

In March 2000, the Sunday Times published an investigation into the richest personalities of Great Britain of the millenium which was going to be completed. Their calculations showed that in current value, Guillaume de Warenne was the richest private individual of all the British millenium with a value estimated of his goods at 57,6 billion current pounds sterling. Calculation is certainly specious - moreover the ten first of the classification lived with the Middle Ages - but shows that the possessions of Guillaume de Warenne were gigantic.

The revolt of the counts

The rebellion of 1088

Controversies

On the identity of his/her mother

The identity of his/her mother is prone to debate, it exists charters of donation mentioning it like the son of Emma, who would be the second woman of her father. This marriage would have taken place only about 1055, which is incompatible with the age of Guillaume to the Bataille of Hastings in 1066. There is thus probably confusion between two Rodulf, father and wire. Guillaume would be thus more probably the son of Beatrice († after 1053), one of the many nieces of Gunnor, the wife of the Duc of Normandy Richard I {{er}}. Guillaume de Jumièges mentions Guillaume like wire of this niece of Gunnor, however filiations of Guillaume de Jumièges are doubtful, since it indicates in the same sentence that Roger de Mortemer is his brother.

On the origins of its Gundred wife

The historians agree today to affirm that it was the sister of Gherbod the Fleming, the semi-official Count de Chester, thus confirming the filiation given by Orderic Vital. There was nevertheless a sharp debate around its ascent, certain historians and genealogists regarding it as a legitimate girl of William the Conqueror and Mathilde of Flanders, or like a girl of Mathilde by a preceding unknown marriage.

The charter of foundation of the priory of Lewes, contains the following Latin sentence allotted to Guillaume de Warenne: “ pro salute dominae meae Matildis Reginae matrix uxoris meae. ” (for the Mathilde queen, mother of my wife). Consequently, it was made the assumption that Gundred and its Gherbod brother would be the children of Mathilde, which would explain why Gherbod, a Fleming, would be seen entrusting the very strategic county of Chester following the conquest. These historians affirm that the parentage given by Orderic Vital is suspicieux. Indeed, in the same sentence, he affirms that king Guillaume gives the county of Surrey to Guillaume de Warenne right after the conquest, which is obviously false. However, Allison Weir, in its work complete Genealogy of the British royal families , affirms that the charter of foundation of the priory is a forgery. Another index, Domesday Book mentions Frederick like brother-in-law of Guillaume. This Frederick being Flemish, therefore brother of Gundred, it is not very probable that the queen had three children of a marriage without there not remaining a trace about it.

Marriage and descent

About 1070, he married Gundred, sister of Gerbod the Fleming, semi-official Count de Chester. She died in layers the May 27th 1085 with Castle Acre, Norfolk. They had :

Guillaume (before 1071 - 1138), 2nd count de Surrey, inherited the possessions of his/her father ;
Edith, married Géraud (or Hugues?) of Gournay († 1099), lord of Gournay-in-Bray. They took part in the First crusade, and her husband died before the catch of Jerusalem. She married then Drogon de Mouchy (or Dreux de Monceaux) ;
Raynald (before 1080 - before 1118), inherited the Flemish possessions of his/her mother. He supported Robert Courteheuse against Henri I {{er}} and was captured right before the Bataille of Tinchebray, then slackened ;
a not named girl, married Ernise de Colungis ;
Gundred.

In second weddings, he would have married a sister of Richard Guet.

See too

References

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