William de Ferrers, 4th Earl of Derby

William II was the son of William I de Ferrers, de jure of the 3rd Earl of Derby from his marriage to Sibylla de Braoz, daughter of the powerful aristocrat William de Braoz, 3rd Baron Bramber and Sheriff of Herefordshire. The exact year of birth of William II is unknown.

William II’s grandfather, Robert (II) de Ferrers , was a supporter of King Stephen of Blois , for which, when he entered the throne of Henry II in 1154, Plantagenet refused to recognize him as Earl of Derby. William I de Ferrers tried unsuccessfully to regain the title of Earl of Derby, but as a result of participation in the uprising of the sons of Henry II lost a number of castles. Later, he returned the king’s location and faithfully served his successor, Richard I the Lionheart , whose army went in the Third Crusade in 1189, where he died under the walls of Acre in 1190.

The death of his father brought to William II his possessions, which included a large part of Derbyshire , including the area known as the .

After the return of King Richard I from the Crusade, William, along with David Huntingdon and Ranulf de Blondeville, Earl of Chester , whose sister he married, played a leading role in the siege of Nottingham Castle , led by Prince John , King’s brother (the future king, known as John Landless ).

After John Landless came to the English throne in 1199, William enjoyed his favor. The king officially recognized William as Earl of Derby, and donated estates to Ashburn and Wicksworth.

In 1213, William was a witness in the papal Golden Bull , by which King John vassal of his kingdoms of England and Ireland from the pope. The following year, in 1214, William, on behalf of the king, gave the Pope guarantees for the payment of 1,000 marks annually. In the same year, the king placed William in charge of the royal castle of . Earl of Derby was also the patron saint of at least 2 abbeys and 4 monasteries. In 1216, William was made Assistant Sheriff of the Forest Peak and Keeper of the Castle Peak .

During the first baronial war, the Earl of Derby supported King John, and then William Marshal , who acted on behalf of Henry III , the minor heir to John. With the help of the Earl of Derby, the Earl of Chester and other barons, who remained faithful to the king, Marshall was able to defeat the rebel barons. At the end of the war, William was allowed to preserve the royal castles of Bolsover, Peak and Horston (Horsley) until the king’s 14th birthday. When Henry III reached the age of 14 in 1222, his guardians tried to return the castles, which caused the ire of Count Derby.

In recent years, William suffered from gout . He died in 1247 and was succeeded by his eldest son, William (III) de Ferrers .

wife: from 1192 Agnes (Alice) Chester (died November 2, 1247), daughter of Hugh de Kevillok , 5th Earl of Chester, and Bertrada de Montfort. Children:

• William (III) de Ferrers (d. March 28, 1254), 5th Earl of Derby from 1247
• Thomas Ferrers from Chertli (died after 1266)
• Hugh de Ferrers from Bagbrook (d. Approx. 1257)
• Agnes de Ferrers ; husband: John de Vipon (c. 1215 - July 25, 1241), Baron of Westmoreland and Sheriff of Westmoreland
• Berta de Ferrers ^[1]
• Robert de Ferrers ^[1]

• Burke John. A general and heraldic dictionary of the peerages of England, Ireland, and Scotland, extinct, dormant, and in abeyance. England . - 1831. - p. 192-197.

• Derby (English) . Foundation for Medieval Genealogy. The appeal date is September 4, 2014.
• Ferrers (Fr.) . Racines et Histoire. The appeal date is September 4, 2014.
• William de Ferrers, 4th Earl of Derby (eng.) . The Peerage. The appeal date is September 4, 2014.
• Ferrers family (English) . Tudorplace. The appeal date is September 4, 2014.