William Giffard, first duke of Northumberland
| William Giffard | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Northumberland Earl of Essex | |
| Predecessor | William (as earl) |
| Successor | William |
| Born | 1077 |
| Died | 22 December 1104 (aged 27) Maldon, Essex, England |
| Buried | Waltham Abbey |
| Noble family | Giffard |
| Spouse(s) | Æthelflæed of Godwin (m. c. 1093) |
| Issue
William, duke of Northumberland | |
| Father | William, earl of Essex |
| Mother | Sigrid |
William Giffard (1077 - 22 December 1104) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman during the early Norman period, first duke of Northumberland and second earl of Essex.
Life
Giffard was born in 1077, the eldest son of William, earl of Essex. He succeeded his father as earl at the age of three. Giffard's early years are obscure. The key to his elevation as duke was provided by the death of Æthelfrith of Hwicce, heir to the massive Hwicce inheritance, in 1084. King Richard, seeking to shore up his support from the nobility, granted the duchy of Northumberland, vacated by the Hwicce family, "with all its fiefs, baronies, and appurtenances", to the seven year-old earl on 31 December 1084.
After coming of age in 1093 Giffard married Æthelflæed of Godwin, a daughter of Harold II's son Edmund, earl of Bath, without the king's license. William, duke of Gloucester, guardian of England for the underage William II, visited Colchester in November 1094, perhaps to allay anxieties over this marriage. At this occasion an alliance was agreed between the two dukes with the betrothal of Gloucester's eldest daughter, Adelise, to Giffard's brother and heir Hamelin.
Giffard was a loyal subject of the English crown, and seems to have enjoyed good personal relations with William II. In 1096 the duke of Northumberland sat as a justiciar at Westminster to condemn his own brother-in-law Eadric, earl of Bath, to death. In March 1097 the duke joined William II to petition Pope Celestine II to grand a cardinalate to Æthelwine, bishop of Durham. In 1100 Giffard again sat as a justiciar during the treason trial of Beorhtric, earl of Cornwall. In 1101 he obtained the office of seneschal of England.
Despite this record of royal service, the duke was described as a recluse by the later Waltham chronicler, who said that he "lived in suspicion and was right afraid of his own men". Giffard died at Maldon in obscure circumstances on 22 December 1104. The Waltham chronicler claimed that he took refuge in the town after fleeing from a conspiracy against his life, but fell ill there and died. The near-contemporary St. Pauls chronicler does not offer as much detail, but was in agreement that the duke died of illness.
Giffard was buried at Waltham Abbey in early 1105, and succeeded in his titles by his only child, a son of the same name.