Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel

Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel (8th Earl of Arundel per Ancestral Roots) (1 May 1285 – 17 November 1326).

Lineage

Born in the Castle of Marlborough in Wiltshire. He was the son of Richard FitzAlan, 8th Earl of Arundel (7th Earl of Arundel per Ancestral Roots) and Alasia di Saluzzo (also known as Alice), daughter of Thomas I of Saluzzo in Italy. He succeeded to his father's estates and titles on his death in 1302.

Prominent Nobleman

Edmund was an English nobleman prominent in the contention between Edward II and his Barons and second de facto Earl of Arundel of the FitzAlan line.

He was summoned to Parliament, 9 November 1306, as Earl of Arundel, and took part in the Scottish wars of that year.

Coronation duty

Arundel bore the Royal robes at Edward II's coronation, but he soon fell out with the King's favorite Piers Gaveston. In 1310 he was one of the Lords Ordainers, and he was one of the 5 Earls who allied in 1312 to oust Gaveston. Arundel resisted reconciling with the King after Gaveston's death, and in 1314 he along with some other Earls refused to help the King's Scottish campaign, which contributed in part to the English defeat at Bannockburn.

Allied to the Despenser's

A few years later Arundel allied with King Edward's new favorites, Hugh le Despenser and his son of the same name, and had his son and heir, Richard, married to a daughter of the younger Hugh le Despenser. He reluctantly consented to the Despenser's banishment in 1321, and joined the King's efforts to restore them in 1321. Over the following years Arundel was one of the King's principal supporters, and after the capture of Roger Mortimer in 1322 he received a large part of the forfeited Mortimer estates. He also held the two great offices governing Wales, becoming Justice of Wales in 1322 and Warden of the Welsh Marches, responsible for the array in Wales, in 1325 and Constable of Montgomery Castle, his official base.

Loyalty

After Mortimer's escape from prison and invasion of England in 1326, amongst the Barons only Arundel and his brother-in-law John de Warenne remained loyal to the King.

Capture & execution

Their defensive efforts were ineffective, and Arundel was captured and executed at the behest of Queen Isabella.

Estates Forfeited

His estates and titles were forfeited when he was executed, but they were eventually restored to his eldest son Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel.

Marriage and issue

In 1305, Edmund married Alice de Warenne (June1287-23 May 1338) sister and eventual heiress of John de Warenne, 8th Earl of Surrey, daughter of William de Warenne and Joan de Vere. Their children included:

* Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel
* Alice FitzAlan, who married John de Bohun, 5th Earl of Hereford

References

* "The Royal Ancestry Bible Royal Ancestors of 300 Colonial American Families" by Michel L. Call (chart 28) ISBN 1-933194-22-7
* Roy Martin (2003), King Edward II: His Life, His Reign, and Its Aftermath, 1284-1330, McGill-Queen's Press, ISBN 0773524320
*Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America Before 1700 by Frederick Lewis Weis, Lines: 28-32, 60-31, 83-30