William de Fortibus
Encyclopedia
William I de Forz (Latinised to de Fortibus) was a minor Anglo-Norman noble, from Fors
in Poitou
. He became jure uxoris
2nd Earl of Albemarle
(or Aumale) following his marriage to Hawise, sole heiress of William le Gros, 1st Earl of Albemarle
.
Philip Augustus took control of Aumale
(also known as Albemarle) in the 1190s, thus depriving the Anglo-Norman Earls of Albemarle of their continental holdings.
William II de Forz, 3rd Earl of Albemarle was their son, and is also known by the same name.
Thus the name in French should in theory be "William de Fors/Forz" (where de is the French particulier "of/from") & in Latin "Willelmus de Fortibus" (where de is the Latin preposition "from" taking the ablative). The seal of William III de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle shows his name in the Latinised form "(Sigillum) Willelmi de Fortibus" (Willelmus being in the genitive case -i).
Fors, Deux-Sèvres
Fors is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in the Poitou-Charentes region in western France.-References:*...
in Poitou
Poitou
Poitou was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers.The region of Poitou was called Thifalia in the sixth century....
. He became jure uxoris
Jure uxoris
Jure uxoris is a Latin term that means "by right of his wife" or "in right of a wife". It is commonly used to refer to a title held by a man whose wife holds it in her own right. In other words, he acquired the title simply by being her husband....
2nd Earl of Albemarle
Earl of Albemarle
Earl of Albemarle is a title created several times from Norman times onwards. The word Albemarle is the Latinised form of the French county of Aumale in Normandy , other forms being Aubemarle and Aumerle...
(or Aumale) following his marriage to Hawise, sole heiress of William le Gros, 1st Earl of Albemarle
William le Gros, 1st Earl of Albemarle
William le Gros was the Count of Aumale , Earl of York, and Lord of Holderness. He was the eldest son of Stephen, Count of Aumale, and his spouse, Hawise, daughter of Ralph de Mortimer of Wigmore....
.
Philip Augustus took control of Aumale
Aumale
Aumale is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in north-western France.-Geography:A village of farming and associated light industry, situated in the valley of the Bresle River of the Norman Pays de Bray in Normandy on the border with Picardie. It is around ...
(also known as Albemarle) in the 1190s, thus depriving the Anglo-Norman Earls of Albemarle of their continental holdings.
William II de Forz, 3rd Earl of Albemarle was their son, and is also known by the same name.
Toponymic
The Latin noun fors means "luck, chance" and unusually is only found in literature in the nominative (fors) and ablative singular (forte), which latter means "by chance". It seems that the name Fortibus was an attempt by mediaeval scribes to Latinise the name, as was their custom, by using the hypothetical ablative plural fortibus which would mean "from chances". Thus perhaps would be avoided the somewhat undignified name of "William By Chance".Thus the name in French should in theory be "William de Fors/Forz" (where de is the French particulier "of/from") & in Latin "Willelmus de Fortibus" (where de is the Latin preposition "from" taking the ablative). The seal of William III de Forz, 4th Earl of Albemarle shows his name in the Latinised form "(Sigillum) Willelmi de Fortibus" (Willelmus being in the genitive case -i).