Alice de Lusignan, Countess of Surrey (1224 – 9 February 1256) was a uterine half-sister of King Henry III of England and the wife of John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey. Shortly after her arrival in England from France in 1247, her half-brother arranged her marriage to the Earl, which incurred some resentment from the English nobility.^[1]

Lineage

Alice was the second-eldest daughter of Hugh X of Lusignan ("le Brun"), Seigneur de Lusignan and Count of La Marche, and Isabella of Angoulême, queen dowager of England.^[2] She was born in Lusignan, Poitou, France in 1224, and was a member of the House of Lusignan.

She had five full brothers and three full sisters, besides her royal half-siblings from her mother's first marriage.

Lusignan, Vienne, France, the birthplace of Alice le Brun de Lusignan

Marriage

In 1247, a year after her mother's death, Alice accompanied the new papal legate William of Modena, the Cardinal-bishop of Sabina, to England, which she had decided to make her home, and live at the expense of the Crown.^[3] In August of that year, her half-brother, King Henry married her to John de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey (August 1231 – 29 September 1304).^[4] The marriage caused some resentment amongst the English nobility, as they considered the king's Lusignan siblings to be parasites and a liability to the kingdom. Many prestigious honours and titles were granted to the Lusignans.^[5] Alice was also said to have been disdainful of all things English.^[6]

John was the son of William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey and Maud Marshal. Together they had three children.

Death

Alice died in Warren, Sussex, England, on 9 February 1256 after giving birth to her only son, William. She was about thirty-two years of age.

Ancestry

References

Sources

• Carpenter, David (2020). Henry III: The Rise to Power and Personal Rule, 1207-1258. Yale University Press.
• Vincent, Nicholas (2003). "Isabella of Angouleme: John's Jezebel". In Church, S.D. (ed.). King John: New Interpretations. The Boydell Press.