William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1501–1570)

The young William Herbert in Greenwich armor . Portrait in the National Museum in Cardiff

William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke KG (* 1501 ; † March 17, 1570 ) was a nobleman and courtier under the Tudors .

His father, Sir Richard Herbert, was the illegitimate son of another William Herbert, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1423-1469) .

Life

Early years

William Herbert's early years were marked by intense ambition coupled with an equally violent temperament and a heated nature. John Aubrey described him as a "mad fighting fellow". Young Herbert began his career as a page with the Earl of Worcester. However, soon after being arrested in Bristol for unknown reasons, he fled to France.

Upon his arrival, he immediately entered the service of King Francis I of France as a soldier , where he earned a reputation as a skillful and brave soldier. "In a short time he became outstanding and was favored by the king, who later recommended him to Henry VIII of England, who valued him very much and piled favors and honors on him." ("In a short time he became eminent, and was favored by the king, who afterwards recommended him to Henry VIII of England, who much valued him, and heaped favors and honors upon him.") For his services to King Heinrich Herbert received the possessions of Wilton , Remesbury and Cardiff Castle .

Herbert's first wife, Anne Parr, was a sister of Catherine Parr, who married King Henry VIII in 1543. He rose to the Parrs and was promoted to Knight Bachelor in 1544 . He received Wilton Abbey and other land from Henry VIII in 1544.

Later years

Herbert was a guardian of the young King Edward VI. after the death of Henry VIII in 1547. In 1549 he was accepted into the Order of the Garter as a Knight Companion . On October 10, 1551 was him by Edward VI. bestowed the title of Baron Herbert of Cardiff and became the title of Earl of Pembroke the following day . Herbert significantly expanded Cardiff Castle and changed it to make it a convenient place to stay for a statesman. Today only the Herbert Tower reminds of it. His wife Anne died on February 20, 1552. Later that year Herbert remarried to Anne, daughter of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury , and widow of Peter Paul Compton. There were no children from this marriage. He had three children with Anne Parr:

• Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Pembroke (1538–1601)
• Sir Edward Herbert (1547–1593), married Mary Stanley, daughter of Sir Thomas Stanley, Under-Treasurer of the Royal Mint
• Anne Herbert (approx. 1550–1592)

Herbert married his son Henry Herbert to Lady Catherine Gray in May 1535, while John Dudley married his son Guilford Dudley to Lady Jane Gray . Herbert initially backed Jane Grey's claim to the throne, but when it became clear that Maria I would take the throne, he threw Catherine out of his home and annulled the marriage. He managed to distance himself from the Gray family and to secure the favor of the new queen by breaking the Wyatt conspiracy .

According to John Aubrey, he "could neither read nor write" but "had a stamp for his name". William Herbert died on March 17, 1570 at Hampton Court.

literature

• George Edward Cokayne : The Complete Peerage . 1910-1959.
• James William Edmund Doyle: The Official Baronage of England: showing the succession, dignities, and offices of every peer from 1066 to 1885. Volume 3, Longmans, Green & Co., London 1886. (online at: books.google.com , Retrieved January 25, 2007)

predecessor	Office	successor
New title created	Earl of Pembroke 1551-1570	Henry Herbert