Alianore Holland
Encyclopedia
Alianore Holland, Countess of March (1373 – October 1405) was an English noblewoman, and the wife of Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March the heir presumptive
of her half-uncle King Richard II of England
, and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
. She was the mother of Anne Mortimer, and Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March. Through Anne, Lady Alianore was the great-grandmother of Yorkist kings, Edward IV
and Richard III
. She held the post of Governess to Queen consort Isabella of Valois.
, England in 1373, the eldest child of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent
and Lady Alice FitzAlan, sister of Richard Fitzalan, 11th Earl of Arundel
. Alianore had nine younger siblings, including Eleanor Holland
, who shared her name. It is probable that at the time of Eleanor's birth, Alianore was not expected to live, which was why her sister was given the name of Eleanor. Her father was one of King Richard II's uterine half-brothers. Her paternal grandparents were Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent
and Joan of Kent
, mother of King Richard by her second marriage to Edward, the Black Prince
, and her maternal grandparents were Richard Fitzalan, 10th Earl of Arundel
and Eleanor of Lancaster
.
of the crown, and his guardian was Alianore's father, who also purchased the rights to choose young Roger's bride. He arranged a marriage between Roger and Alianore, and they were wed on 7 October 1388, when they were both in their mid-teens. Alianore would accompany her husband on his visits to Ireland, and together they had five children:
On 20 July 1398, Alianore's husband was killed at the Battle of Kells in a skirmish with an Irish clan. Alianore and her family returned to England, burying Roger in Wigmore Abbey
. She was appointed Governess
to Isabella of Valois, the nine-year old Queen consort of King Richard, and was in charge of the Queen's household.
She married secondly after 19 June 1399 Edward Charleton, 5th Baron Cherleton
by whom she had two daughters:
Alianore died in childbirth in October 1405 at the age of thirty-two years. She had numerous descendants including Yorkist kings Edward IV and Richard III, and Anne Bourchier, 7th Baroness Bourchier
.
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
of her half-uncle King Richard II of England
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
, and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was the British King's representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland , the Kingdom of Ireland and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland...
. She was the mother of Anne Mortimer, and Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March. Through Anne, Lady Alianore was the great-grandmother of Yorkist kings, Edward IV
Edward IV of England
Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...
and Richard III
Richard III of England
Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...
. She held the post of Governess to Queen consort Isabella of Valois.
Family
Lady Alianore was born in Upholland, LancashireLancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England in 1373, the eldest child of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent
Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent
Thomas Holland , 2nd Earl of Kent, 3rd Baron Holand KG was an English nobleman and a councillor of his half-brother, King Richard II of England.-Family and early Life:...
and Lady Alice FitzAlan, sister of Richard Fitzalan, 11th Earl of Arundel
Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel
Richard FitzAlan, 11th Earl of Arundel and 9th Earl of Surrey KG was an English medieval nobleman and military commander.-Lineage:...
. Alianore had nine younger siblings, including Eleanor Holland
Eleanor Holland
Eleanor Holland, Countess of Salisbury , was an English noblewoman, the daughter of Thomas Holland, 2nd Earl of Kent, a half-brother of King Richard II of England. She was the first wife of Thomas Montacute, 4th Earl of Salisbury. One of her brothers was Edmund Holland, 4th Earl of Kent, to whom...
, who shared her name. It is probable that at the time of Eleanor's birth, Alianore was not expected to live, which was why her sister was given the name of Eleanor. Her father was one of King Richard II's uterine half-brothers. Her paternal grandparents were Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent
Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent
Thomas Holland, 1st Earl of Kent, 2nd Baron Holand, KG was an English nobleman and military commander during the Hundred Years' War.-Early Life:...
and Joan of Kent
Joan of Kent
Joan, Countess of Kent , known to history as The Fair Maid of Kent, was the first English Princess of Wales...
, mother of King Richard by her second marriage to Edward, the Black Prince
Edward, the Black Prince
Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, Prince of Aquitaine, KG was the eldest son of King Edward III of England and his wife Philippa of Hainault as well as father to King Richard II of England....
, and her maternal grandparents were Richard Fitzalan, 10th Earl of Arundel
Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel
Richard FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel and 8th Earl of Surrey was an English nobleman and medieval military leader.- Lineage :...
and Eleanor of Lancaster
Eleanor of Lancaster
Eleanor of Lancaster, Countess of Arundel was the fifth daughter of Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster and Maud Chaworth.-First marriage and issue:...
.
Marriages and issue
The appointed successor to King Richard II was Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, and the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland He was the son of Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March and Philippa, 5th Countess of Ulster. Roger was a wardWard (law)
In law, a ward is someone placed under the protection of a legal guardian. A court may take responsibility for the legal protection of an individual, usually either a child or incapacitated person, in which case the ward is known as a ward of the court, or a ward of the state, in the United States,...
of the crown, and his guardian was Alianore's father, who also purchased the rights to choose young Roger's bride. He arranged a marriage between Roger and Alianore, and they were wed on 7 October 1388, when they were both in their mid-teens. Alianore would accompany her husband on his visits to Ireland, and together they had five children:
- Anne Mortimer (New Forest, Westmeath, IrelandIrelandIreland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
27 December 1390- King's Langley, HertfordshireHertfordshireHertfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England. The county town is Hertford.The county is one of the Home Counties and lies inland, bordered by Greater London , Buckinghamshire , Bedfordshire , Cambridgeshire and...
21 September 1411), married Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of CambridgeRichard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of CambridgeRichard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge was the younger son of Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York and Isabella of Castile....
, by whom she had two children, Isabel of Cambridge, Countess of Essex and Richard, 3rd Duke of York. - Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March (6 November 1391- 18 January 1425), married Anne Stafford, but the marriage was childless.
- Roger Mortimer (died c.1409)
- Eleanor Mortimer (died 1418), married Sir Edward de Courtenay, eldest son and heir-apparent of Edward de Courtenay, 11th Earl of DevonEdward de Courtenay, 11th Earl of DevonEdward Courtenay, 3rd Earl of Devon, also known as Edward de Courtenay, was the son of Edward, the third son of fifteen children, and a grandson of Hugh, 10th Earl of Devon. His father Edward had died on 20 September 1372, within the lifetime of his grandfather...
. Their marriage was childless. - Alice Mortimer
On 20 July 1398, Alianore's husband was killed at the Battle of Kells in a skirmish with an Irish clan. Alianore and her family returned to England, burying Roger in Wigmore Abbey
Wigmore Abbey
Wigmore Abbey was an Augustinian abbey with a grange, from 1179 to 1530, situated about a mile north of the village of Wigmore, Herefordshire, England.Only ruins of the abbey now remain.-History of the abbey:...
. She was appointed Governess
Governess
A governess is a girl or woman employed to teach and train children in a private household. In contrast to a nanny or a babysitter, she concentrates on teaching children, not on meeting their physical needs...
to Isabella of Valois, the nine-year old Queen consort of King Richard, and was in charge of the Queen's household.
She married secondly after 19 June 1399 Edward Charleton, 5th Baron Cherleton
Edward Charleton, 5th Baron Cherleton
Edward Charleton , 5th Baron Cherleton, KG , 5th and last Lord Charlton of Powys, was the younger son of John Charlton, the third baron, and his wife, Joan, daughter of Lord Stafford....
by whom she had two daughters:
- Joan de Charleton (1400- 17 September 1425), married Sir John Grey, 1st Earl of TancarvilleJohn Grey, 1st Earl of TankervilleJohn Grey, 1st Earl of Tankerville, 6th Lord of Powys jure uxoris, KG was an English peer and eminent soldier in the Hundred Years' War between England and France under Henry V of England.-Family:...
, by whom she had issue. - Joyce de Charleton (1403- 22 September 1446), married Sir John Tiptoft, 1st Baron TiptoftJohn Tiptoft, 1st Baron TiptoftSir John Tiptoft, 1st Baron Tiptoft was a Knight of the Shire for Huntingdonshire and Somerset, Speaker of the House of Commons, Treasurer of the Household, Chief Butler of England, Treasurer of the Exchequer and Seneschal of Landes and Aquitaine.-Early life:This English nobleman was the eldest...
, by whom she had issue.
Alianore died in childbirth in October 1405 at the age of thirty-two years. She had numerous descendants including Yorkist kings Edward IV and Richard III, and Anne Bourchier, 7th Baroness Bourchier
Anne Bourchier, 7th Baroness Bourchier
Anne Bourchier was the suo jure 7th Baroness Bourchier, suo jure Lady Lovayne, and Baroness Parr of Kendal. She was the first wife of William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton, Earl of Essex, and the sister-in-law of Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII of England.She created a scandal in...
.