William (Boulogne)

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Wilhelm von Blois (* around 1132/37; † October 11, 1159 ) was a Count of Boulogne and Mortain , and Earl of Surrey from the House of Blois .

Wilhelm was the third son of the English King Stephen of Blois and Countess Mathilda of Boulogne . He was married by his father to Isabel de Warenne in 1148/49 after their father, William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey , had died on the Second Crusade . Thus Wilhelm became Earl of Surrey from his wife's right . After the death of his older brother Eustach in 1153, Wilhelm was not declared the new heir to the English throne by his father. To end the civil war against the House of Plantagenet , King Stephen recognized in the Treaty of Wallingfordinstead, his rival Henry of Anjou as the rightful heir to the throne.

Wilhelm seems to have resigned himself to the surrender of the throne; in any case, after the death of his father in 1154 he joined the entourage of King Henry II. In addition to the county of Boulogne, inherited from his brother in 1153, he also received the Norman county of Mortain as a fief from the new king in 1154. In England he held the castles of Pevensey and Norwich , which he had to cede to the king in 1157. In 1159 Wilhelm received the sword from the king in Carlisle and then accompanied him on the unsuccessful campaign of conquest against Toulouse . On the return trip to England, William died in Poitou and was buried in Montmorillon .

Since Wilhelm had no children, the county of Mortain was drawn into the ducal domain of Normandy by Henry II. However, the county of Boulogne inherited his sister Maria , who was however abbess of Romsey Abbey . His widow married Hamelin , a half-brother of the king , in 1164 .

literature

  • Emilie Amt: The accession of Henry II in England. Royal government restored, 1149-1159. Boydell & Brewer, Woodbridge 1993, ISBN 0-85115-348-8 .

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predecessor Office successor
William de Warenne Earl of Surrey
(de iure uxoris)
1148-1159 		Isabel de Warenne
Eustach IV. Count of Boulogne
1153-1159 		Maria
norman domain Count of Mortain
1154-1159 		norman domain
personal data
SURNAME Wilhelm
ALTERNATIVE NAMES William of Boulogne; William of Blois
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Earl of Boulogne and Mortain, and Earl of Surrey of the House of Blois
DATE OF BIRTH around 1132
DATE OF DEATH October 11, 1159