Historical Figures

William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke

Citation Formats

General Reference

History Atlas. "William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://dev-history.interactiveatlas.org/historical-figures/william-marshal.

APA Style

History Atlas. (n.d.). William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://dev-history.interactiveatlas.org/historical-figures/william-marshal

BibTeX

@misc{historyatlas-william-marshal-1st-earl-of-pembroke,
  author = {History Atlas},
  title = {William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://dev-history.interactiveatlas.org/historical-figures/william-marshal},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke, was an Anglo-Norman knight and statesman who served five successive English kings during the twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. Rising from a landless younger son to become one of the most powerful men in the kingdom, he built his reputation as a celebrated tournament champion before gaining extensive estates through his 1189 marriage to Isabel de Clare. Following King John's death in 1216 he was appointed regent and protector for the nine-year-old Henry III, and in that role led the royalist cause to victory in the First Barons' War, culminating in the land battle at Lincoln and the naval battle off Sandwich in 1217. He also played a leading part in negotiating Magna Carta in 1215 and reissued it during his regency, helping give the charter its durable, lasting form.

Facts

Disputed

Birth Year

1146 1

Wikipedia gives 1146 or 1147 as the two candidate birth years; 1146 is recorded here.

Death Date

1219-05-14 1

Cross-Tradition Connections

Participant In

The First Barons' War

Additional Source Wikipedia: William Marshal, 1st Earl of PembrokeKing John and Magna Carta section, loyalty in First Barons' War

Sources

1. Wikipedia: William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke

WikipediaLead section

Quote, Lead section

On the death of King John in 1216, Marshal was appointed protector for the nine-year-old Henry III...leading the royalist cause to victory in the First Barons' War.

View the Source

1. Wikipedia: William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke

WikipediaInfobox (death)

Quote, Infobox (death)