William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey

William de Warenne, 5th Earl of Surrey (died 27 May 1240) was the son of Hamelin de Warenne and Isabel, daughter of William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey. His father Hamelin granted him the manor of Appleby, North Lincolnshire.

De Warenne was present at the coronation of John, King of England on 27 May 1199. When Normandy was lost to the French in 1204 he lost his Norman holdings (in 1202 he was lieutenant of Gascony), but John recompensed him with Grantham and Stamford.

His first tenure of office as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports began in 1204, and lasted until 1206; he was again appointed as Warden in 1214. He was also a Warden of the Welsh Marches between 1208 and 1213. Between the years 1200 and 1208, and between 1217 and 1226 he was to serve as the High Sheriff of Surrey.

William was one of the few barons who remained loyal to King John (who was his cousin. In 1212, when a general rebellion was feared, John committed to him the custody of the northern shires. During the king's difficulties with the barons, when they sought for the French prince to assume the English throne, William is listed as one of those who advised John to accede to Magna Carta. His allegiance only faltered a few times when the king's cause looked hopeless; shortly before the death of John, he made terms with Prince Louis.

In March 1217 he again demonstrated his loyalty to England by supporting the young King Henry III, and he was also responsible for the establishment of Salisbury Cathedral. However, he disliked the royal favourites who came into power after 1227, and used his influence to protect Hubert de Burgh when the latter had been removed from office by their efforts in 1232. Warenne's relations with the king became strained in course of time. In 1238 he was evidently regarded as a leader of the baronial opposition, for the Great Council appointed him as one of the treasurers who were to prevent the king from squandering the subsidy voted in that year.

William married Maud Marshal, on 13 October 1225. They had a son and a daughter. The son John (1231–1304) succeeded his father as earl, while the daughter, Isabel de Warenne (c. 1228–1282), married Hugh d'Aubigny, 5th Earl of Arundel. William may also have had an earlier, childless marriage to another Matilda, daughter of William d'Aubigny, 2nd Earl of Arundel.

References 

Category:1166 births
Category:1240 deaths
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Category:Lords Warden of the Cinque Ports
Category:High Sheriffs of Surrey
Category:De Warenne family