Nesta verch Rhys Princess of Wales 
Nesta verch was born about 1073 in of Dynevor Castle, Llandyfeisant, Carmarthenshire, Wales. Nesta verch's father was Rhys Ap Tewdr Mawr and her mother was Gwladys Ferch Rhiwallon. Her paternal grandparents were Tudor Mawr of South Wales and Gwenlian of Anglesea; her maternal grandfather is Rhywallon Prince of Powys. She was an only child. She died in 1136 in of Carew Castle,Pembrokeshire,Wales.General Notes
Dau. of Rhys ap Tewdwr; m. Gerald of Windsor, the castellan of Pembroke. Her affair with Owain ap Cadwgan cost him Ceredigion. Although, to judge by her numerous affairs, that was not a novel experience for her. [A History of Wales, pp. 112-113]
NEWLIN, MINOR LINES
The sorrowful history of English involvement in Ireland has Welsh roots. The invasion sprang from the situation in Dyfed; its leaders were partly Welsh -- they included various descendants of Nest, the dau. of Rhys ap Tewdwr, the 'queen-bee of the Cambro-Norman swarm' -- and their battle cry was 'Sein Daui'.
The relationship between Wales and Ireland was an ambiguous one. As a result of the invasion, and particularly following the development of Dublin as a center of English power, the king of England was able to threaten the Welsh rulers from the west as well as from the east; the success of the venture of the
Cambro-Normans would therefore be a factor in the ultimate subjugation of Wales. [History, p. 126]
Dau. of Rhys ap Griffyd ap Tudor Mawr, Prince of South Wales; heiress of Carew Castle; m. Gerald FitzWalter; mother of William FitzGerald. [Burke's, p. 477]
Dau. of Rees ap Tudor, Prince of South Wales; liv. in 1108; m.1 Stephen, Constable of Cardigan; m.2 Gerald Fitz Walter de Windsor; mother of William, Maurice, David, and Angharad. [Misc. Gen. et Heraldica, p. 266]
Because of her beauty, she was known as Helen of Wales. Nest had a taste for romance and created havoc among the Welsh princes. Lovesick Owain Cadwgan, son of the prince of Powys, raided the castle and stole her -- some suspected she helped him -- and then all hell broke loose. King Henry I, who had had a liaison with Nest himself, backed Windsor, who went to the castle of Owain's father in Llangollen and got Nest back. After Windsor died, she married another Welsh prince. ["In Defence of the Realm", In Britain, July 1995]
Mayflower PAF
Welsh princess made prisoner during some fighting along the Marches; mother of Robert of Gloucester by Henry I, king of England. [The Conquering Family, p. 9]
Dau. of Rhys ap Tudor Mawr, Prince of South Wales and Gwladus, dau. of Rhiwallon ap Cynfyn of Powys; m. Gerald of Windsor; mother of Maurice Fitz Gerald. [Ancestral Roots, p. 153]
One of the many mistresses of King Henry I; later m. Gerald of Windsor; her descendants were variously known as Fitz-Henrys and Fitz-Geralds. They were mostly landless men and ready for an adventure in Ireland. They were a natural to join with Dermot, King of Leinster, in the fight to regain his kingdom. [The Conquering Family, p. 96]
Carew Castle, Pembrokeshire, Wales was part of the dowry of Nesta ferch Rhys ap Tewdr when she m. Gerald de Windsor, constable of Carew (c.1100). The stone castle now on the site was built by their gr.gr. grandson who took the surname "Carew". [from plaque at Carew Castle, 1996]
Dau. of Rhys ap Tewdwr and Gwladys ferch Rhiwallon; m. Gerald of Windsor; mother of Maurice and William; union with Henry I, King of England, produced Henry Fitz Henry. [GRS 3.03, Automated Archives, CD#100]
Her amorous exploits made her notorious and she bore Henry Fitz Henry to King Henry I among others; dau. of Rhys ap Tewdwr Mawr, King of Deheubarth, and Gwladys verch Rhiwallan; m. Geraldus de Windsor and was mother of Maurice Fitz Gerald. [Charlemagne, Alfred the Great, and Other Ancestors, Chart 3362c, 3367c]
The FitzGeralds and their numerous cousins had come across the Irish Sea form Wales: all the leaders of the first expedition were sons or grandsons of the Welsh princess, Nesta, who with good cause had been described as the queen bee of the swarm of Norman knights who hived off to Ireland. She was later reputed, perhaps wrongly, to have been a lady of easy virtue who generously bestowed her favours upon several men, apart from her husband, Gerald of Windsor. The Welsh blood of the FitzGeralds may go far to explain their easy understanding of the Gaelic Irish. [The Crowning of a King, p. 6]
b. 1083; d. 1136; dau. of Rhys ap Tewdwr and Gwladys ferch Rhiwallon; m. Gerald de Windsor; liaison with Henry Beauclerc, King of England. [Amy Cheshire <acheshil@san.rr.com, 5 Dec 2001]
Nesta was firstly mistress to Henry I; secondly she married Stephen,
Constable of Cardigan; thirdly she married Gerald of Windsor. Gerald and
Nesta had four children:
1. William fitzGerald.
2. Maurice fitzGerald.
3. David fitzGerald.
4. Angarat, a daughter.
Known as the most beautiful woman in Wales. She had many lovers.
In Christmas 1108 Owain ap Cadwgan of Cardigan came to visit Gerald and
Nesta. He so lusted after her that he, that night, attacked the castle
and carried
her off and had his way with her. This upset Henry I so muchthat the
incident
started a war.
‌Nesta verch and "Beauclerc", King Of England were married in a religious ceremony. They had three sons named Robert de Caen Earl of, Henry and Henry.
-
Children
Robert de Caen Earl of Gloucester
Robert de Caen Earl of was born in 1086 in Caen, Calvados, France. He died at the age of 61 on October 31st, 1147 in Bristol, Gloucestershire, England.
Henry FitzHenry
Henry was born in 1088 in Narberth and Pebidiog, South Wales. He died at the age of 69 in 1157 in Anglesey, Carnarvonshire, Wales.
Henry Fitzroy Prince
Henry was born about 1105 in of Narberth,of Pebidiog,South Wales. He died in 1157 in Angelsey,Carnarvonshire,North Wales.
-
Children
Maurice FitzGerald Baron of Naas
Maurice FitzGerald Baron of was born in 1100. He died at the age of 76 on September 1st, 1176 in Wexford, Ireland.
Sources/Citations
A History of Wales @ p. 112-113, 126, Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 105th Edition @ p. 477, "In Defense of the Realm", The Conquering Family @ p. 9, 96, Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America before 1700, Seventh Edition @ p. 153, Automated Archives, Automated Family Pedigrees #1, CD#100, Charlemagne, Alfred the Great and Other Ancestors @ Chart 3367c, Royal Ancestors of Some American Families @ p. 366, William Rufus @ p. 470, table 12, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, and the United Kingdom @ "Offaly" x, 10-20, The Crowning of a King @ p. 6
A History of Wales @ p. 112-113, 126, Burke's Peerage and Baronetage, 105th Edition @ p. 477, "In Defense of the Realm", The Conquering Family @ p. 9, 96, Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America before 1700, Seventh Edition @ p. 153, Automated Archives, Automated Family Pedigrees #1, CD#100, Charlemagne, Alfred the Great and Other Ancestors @ Chart 3367c, Royal Ancestors of Some American Families @ p. 366, William Rufus @ p. 470, table 12, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, and the United Kingdom @ "Offaly" x, 10-20, The Crowning of a King @ p. 6
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