Our British Ancestors

THE A TEAM

In the last installment I made several references to ancestors that also had a rich past.  Just how rich?  I'll leave you to be the judge although the title I have chosen may give something away.

Those ancestors that I'll turn you attention to are:  Petronilla Butler, Maude de Neville, Richard FitzAlan, Eleanor or Lancaster, Ralph Greystoke, Edmund Beaufort and Eleanor Beauchamp.   This chapter will cover 18th great grandmother, Petronilla.

Petronilla Butler (?-1368), was the daughter of James Butler, Earl of Ormond and Eleanor de Bohun.  Let's follow James' line first.  James is the son of Edmund Butler and Joan FitzGerald.  Edmund was Justiciar (a kind of prime minister) and Governor of Ireland, and Joan was the daughter of John FitzGerald, 1st Earl of Kildare.

Edmund was the son of Theobald Butler (or le Boteler) and Joan Fitz John.  Joan was the daughter of Sir John Fitz Geoffrey and Isabel Bigod.  Interestingly, Joan's last name of Fitz John would signify that she was John's daughter but the birth was illegitimate, however, the records show that John and Isabel were married.  All I can say is, "curious."

Here's a surprise.  Isabel is the daughter of Hugh Bigod and granddaughter of Roger Bigod.  Both Hugh and Roger were Magna Carta Sureties.  That makes us direct descendants of four Magna Carta Sureties.  Now back to Eleanor de Bohun.

Eleanor was the daughter of Humphrey de Bohun, 8th Earl of Hereford and Essex and Elizabeth Plantagenet.  Guess who Elizabeth's parents were.  If you guessed Edward I, King of England and Eleanor of Castile you are correct.  Returning once again to that cinematic masterpiece, Braveheart, this would be Edward "Longshanks" or Mister Nice Guy.

Where do we go from here?  Not only have we found a Spanish branch (which is worth a chapter or two by itself) we know know we are Queen Elizabeth's cousins.  Just to fill in the blanks, Edwards parents were King Henry III and Eleonore of Provence.  His paternal grandparents were, you guessed it, King John and Isabella de Taillefer.  Now were cover both sides of Magna Carta.  His paternal great grandparents were Peter O'Toole and Katherine Hepburn, oops, I mean Henry II and Eleanor of Acquitaine.

In reality, the name Plantagenet is a nickname that stuck for some reason.  Henry II's father was Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou. a title that Henry inherited.  Politically, this poses a huge problem for the king of France because the Count of Anjou is a vassal to the French king, yet Henry is also King of England.  No wonder things got so screwed up.  Things were not helped by the fact that Eleanor of Acquitaine was married to the King of France before she married Henry.  Wow! I'd love to be at that family reunion.

Just to round this out, Geoffrey V was married to Matilda Aethelic, Princess of England who became Empress of Germany when, after Geoffrey died, she married Henry V, Holy Roman Emperor.  Matilda was the daughter of Henry I, King of England and Matilda, Princess of Scotland.  Matilda was the daughter of Malcolm MacDonnchada, King of Scotland and Saint Margaret, Queen of Scotland (yes, a saint).  Finally, Henry I was the son of William, Duke of Normandy, called "The Conqueror".

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