FitzWalter (noble family)

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Coat of arms of the FitzWalter family

The FitzWalter family was a noble Anglo-Norman family. The founder of the family was Robert († 1137), a younger son of Richard de Bienfaite , so that the family was a sideline of the Clare family and thus the Rollonids . Under the reign of King Henry I , Robert received the rule of Litte Dunmow in Essex and Baynard's Castle in London. Through marriages and acquisitions, the family was able to expand their property significantly in the 12th and 13th centuries and became one of the richest and most powerful aristocratic families in Essex. The headquarters of the family were Woodham Walter and Henham in Essex, and numerous members of the family were buried in the neighboring Augustinian priory of Little Dunmow Priory . Robert's grandson Robert FitzWalter († 1235) became one of the richest barons in England through his marriage to Gunnora, the daughter and heiress of Robert de Valognes. He was one of the leaders of the aristocratic opposition, which forced King John Ohneland to recognize the Magna Carta in 1215 . Robert's grandson Robert Fitzwalter was appointed to parliament as Baron Fitzwalter in 1295 . From the 13th to the 15th centuries, numerous members of the family took part as commanders in the wars of the English kings in Wales, Scotland and France. The premature death of several heads of family, costly administration of minorities and temporary ceding of parts of the property as a widow to the widows of the heads of family prevented further advancement. A large ransom had to be raised three times to release heads of families who had been imprisoned. In 1431 Walter Fitzwalter, 7th Baron Fitzwalter, died during a campaign in France, with which the family died out in the male line. His heiress became his only surviving daughter, Elizabeth , who also inherited the title of Baron Fitzwalter.

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