Aubrey de Vere III
Encyclopedia
Aubrey de Vere III was created Earl of Oxford
by the empress Matilda
in July 1141. He had inherited the barony of Hedingham
on the death of his father Aubrey de Vere II
in May 1141, when he was already Count of Guînes
by right of his wife Beatrice. In 1139 and 1154 he was appointed High Sheriff of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire
. In July 1141, after the death of his father in a London riot, he was granted an earldom by the Empress Matilda
, and was confirmed as the first earl of Oxford by her son King Henry II of England
. On the annulment of his first marriage, between 1144–46, he lost Guînes. Earl Aubrey was little involved in national political affairs after this period.
His attempt to divorce his third wife, Agnes of Essex
, was a celebrated marriage case that Agnes appealed successfully to Pope Alexander III
. In 1153 he was present with King Stephen
's army at the siege of Wallingford and attested at the Treaty of Wallingford
, finally signed at Westminster
. Two of his sons by Agnes, Aubrey IV
and Robert
, became earls of Oxford. He was buried at the family mausoleum founded by his grandfather, Colne Priory, Essex
.
and Adeliza of Clare, earl Aubrey married three times. His marriage to Beatrice, heiress of Guînes, in 1137 made him count of Guînes by her right on the death of her grandfather but their marriage was annulled 1144–46. His second wife, Eufemia, died in 1153–54, leaving the earl still childless. He and his third wife, Agnes of Essex
, had five children, four sons and a daughter: Aubrey, Roger, Robert, Henry, and Alice. The earl had eight siblings, outliving all but his two youngest brothers and youngest sister.
Earl of Oxford
Earl of Oxford is a dormant title in the Peerage of England, held for several centuries by the de Vere family from 1141 until the death of the 20th earl in 1703. The Veres were also hereditary holders of the office of master or Lord Great Chamberlain from 1133 until the death of the 18th Earl in 1625...
by the empress Matilda
Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda , also known as Matilda of England or Maude, was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood...
in July 1141. He had inherited the barony of Hedingham
Castle Hedingham
Castle Hedingham is a small village in northeast Essex, England, located four miles west of Halstead and is situated in the Colne Valley on the ancient road from Colchester, Essex, to Cambridge....
on the death of his father Aubrey de Vere II
Aubrey de Vere II
Aubrey de Vere II — also known as "Alberic[us] de Ver" — was the second of that name in England after the Norman Conquest, being the eldest surviving son of Alberic or Aubrey de Vere who had followed William the Conqueror to England in or after 1066.Their lineage is probably Norman, possibly...
in May 1141, when he was already Count of Guînes
Guînes
Guînes is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.-Geography:Guînes is located on the border of the two territories of the Boulonnais and Calaisis, at the edge of the now-drained marshes, which extend from here to the coast. The Guînes canal connects with...
by right of his wife Beatrice. In 1139 and 1154 he was appointed High Sheriff of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire
High Sheriff of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire. One sheriff was appointed for both counties from 1125 until the end of 1575, after which date separate sheriffs were appointed...
. In July 1141, after the death of his father in a London riot, he was granted an earldom by the Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda , also known as Matilda of England or Maude, was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood...
, and was confirmed as the first earl of Oxford by her son King Henry II of England
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
. On the annulment of his first marriage, between 1144–46, he lost Guînes. Earl Aubrey was little involved in national political affairs after this period.
His attempt to divorce his third wife, Agnes of Essex
Agnes of Essex
Agnes of Essex, countess of Oxford was the daughter of Henry of Essex and his second wife. She was betrothed at age three to Geoffrey de Vere, brother of the first earl of Oxford, and turned over to the Veres soon thereafter...
, was a celebrated marriage case that Agnes appealed successfully to Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III
Pope Alexander III , born Rolando of Siena, was Pope from 1159 to 1181. He is noted in history for laying the foundation stone for the Notre Dame de Paris.-Church career:...
. In 1153 he was present with King Stephen
Stephen of England
Stephen , often referred to as Stephen of Blois , was a grandson of William the Conqueror. He was King of England from 1135 to his death, and also the Count of Boulogne by right of his wife. Stephen's reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda...
's army at the siege of Wallingford and attested at the Treaty of Wallingford
Treaty of Wallingford
The Treaty of Wallingford of 1153, aka Treaty of Winchester or as the Treaty of Westminster, was an agreement that effectively ended the civil war known as the Anarchy, caused by a dispute between Empress Matilda and her cousin King Stephen of England over the English crown...
, finally signed at Westminster
Palace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
. Two of his sons by Agnes, Aubrey IV
Aubrey de Vere, 2nd Earl of Oxford
Aubrey de Vere IV, 2nd Earl of Oxford was the eldest son of Aubrey de Vere, 1st Earl of Oxford and his third wife Agnes of Essex, daughter of Henry de Essex, Lord of Rayleigh. The earl was hereditary Lord Great Chamberlain of England and was considered one of the cronies of King John...
and Robert
Robert de Vere, 3rd Earl of Oxford
Robert de Vere was the second surviving son of Aubrey de Vere III, first earl of Oxford, and Agnes of Essex. Almost nothing of his life is known until he married in 1207 the widow Isabel de Bolebec, the aunt and co-heiress of his deceased sister-in-law. The couple had one child, a son, Hugh,...
, became earls of Oxford. He was buried at the family mausoleum founded by his grandfather, Colne Priory, Essex
Colne Priory, Essex
-Colne Priory, Earls Colne, Essex:This Benedictine priory, initially a dependent cell of Abingdon Abbey, Berkshire , was founded by Aubrey de Vere I and his wife Beatrice in or before 1111. Their eldest son Geoffrey had died at Abingdon about seven or eight years earlier and was buried there...
.
Family
The son of Aubrey de Vere IIAubrey de Vere II
Aubrey de Vere II — also known as "Alberic[us] de Ver" — was the second of that name in England after the Norman Conquest, being the eldest surviving son of Alberic or Aubrey de Vere who had followed William the Conqueror to England in or after 1066.Their lineage is probably Norman, possibly...
and Adeliza of Clare, earl Aubrey married three times. His marriage to Beatrice, heiress of Guînes, in 1137 made him count of Guînes by her right on the death of her grandfather but their marriage was annulled 1144–46. His second wife, Eufemia, died in 1153–54, leaving the earl still childless. He and his third wife, Agnes of Essex
Agnes of Essex
Agnes of Essex, countess of Oxford was the daughter of Henry of Essex and his second wife. She was betrothed at age three to Geoffrey de Vere, brother of the first earl of Oxford, and turned over to the Veres soon thereafter...
, had five children, four sons and a daughter: Aubrey, Roger, Robert, Henry, and Alice. The earl had eight siblings, outliving all but his two youngest brothers and youngest sister.