General Notes

REFN: 1488AN
Alias:<ALIA> Strong /Hand/
REFN: P1488
William De Albini (d'Aubigny), III, su rnamed "William with the strong
hand," from the following circumstance, as re lated by William Dugdale:
"It happened that the Queen of France, being then a widow, and a very
beautiful woman, became much in love with a knight from an other country,
who was a comely person, and in the flower of his youth; and b ecause she
thought that no man excelled him in valor, she caused a tournament to be
proclaimed throughout her dominions, promising to reward those who sho uld
exercise themselves therein, according to their respective abilities; and
concluded that if the person whom she so well affected should act his
part better than others in those military exercises, she might marry him
without any dishonor to herself. Hereupon divers gallant men, from
foreign parts hast ing to Paris, amongst others came this our William de
Albini, bravely accoute red, and in the tournament excelled all others,
overcoming many, and wounding one mortally with his lance, which being
observed by the queen, she became e xceedingly enamored of him, and
forthwith invited him to a costly banquet, an d afterwards bestowing
certain jewels upon him, offered him marriage; but, ha ving plighted his
troth to the Queen of England, then a widow, he refused her , whereat she
grew so discontented that she consulted with her maids how she might take
away his life; and in pursuance of that design, enticed him into a
garden, where there was a secret cave, and in it a fierce lion, unto
which she descended by divers steps, under color of showing him the
beast; and whe n she told him of its fierceness, he answered, that it was
a womanish and not a manly quality to be afraid thereof. But having him
there, by the advantage of a folding door, thrust him to the lion; being
therefore in this danger, h e rolled his mantle about his arm, and putting
his hand into the mouth of the beast, pulled out his tongue by the root;
which done, he followed the queen to her palace, and gave it to one of
her maids to present her. Returning ther eupon to England, with the fame
of this glorious exploit, he was forthwith ad vanced to the Earldom of
Arundel, and for his arms the Lion given him."
He s ubsequently married Adeliza of Lorraine, Queen of England, widow of
King Henr y I., and the daughter of Godfrey, Duke of Lorraine. Adeliza had
the castle o f Arundel in dowry from her deceased husband, the monarch,
and thus her new l ord became its feudal earl, 1st Earl of Arundel in this
family. The earl was one of those who solicited the Empress Maud to come
to England, and received her and her brother Robert, Earl of Gloucester,
at the port of Arundel, in Au gust 1139, and in three years afterwards
(1142), in the report made of King S tephen's taking William De Mandeville
at St. Albans, it is stated "that befor e he could be laid hold on, he
underwent a sharp skirmish with the king's par ty, wherein the Earl of
Arundel, though a stout and expert soldier, was unhor sed in the midst of
the water by Walceline De Oxeai, and almost drowned."
In 1150, he wrote himself Earl of Chichester, but we find him styled
again Earl of Arundel, upon a very memorable occasion, namely, the
reconciliation of He nry, Duke of Normandy, afterwards King Henry II., and
King Stephen at the sie ge of Wallingford Castle in 1152. "It was scarce
possible," says Rapin, "for the armies to part without fighting.
Accordingly the two leaders were prepari ng for battle with equal ardor,
when, by the prudent advice of the Earl of Ar undel, who was on the king's
side, they were prevented from coming to blows." A truce and peace
followed this interference of the earl's, which led to the subsequent
accession of Henry after Stephen's decease, in whose favor the ea rl stood
so high that he not only obtained for himself and his heirs the cast le
and honor of Arundel, but a confirmation of