The deÃÂ Forz family (Latin: deÃÂ Fortibus) was a notable Anglo-Norman dynasty who held the Earldom of Albemarle (Aumale) in northern England during the 13th century. Their lineage began with the marriage of Hawise, Countess of Aumale, and William deÃÂ Forz,and ended with the death of their heiress, Aveline.
William was the son of William deàForz (d.â¯1195), a Poitevin noble, and Hawise of Aumale, suo jure Countess of Aumale. Around 1213, he inherited the title and substantial estates in Holderness, Lincolnshire, and Cumberland. He initially joined the baronial rebellion against King John and became one of the Magna Carta surety barons in 1215. Unlike most of his fellow sureties, he later reaffirmed loyalty to the Crown and served HenryàIII militarily. He died at sea in 1242 while en route to the Holy Land.
His son succeeded as the 4th Earl in 1242 and held important fiefs in Yorkshire and Cumberland. His first marriage to Christina of Galloway ended with her death. In 1248, he married Isabella de Redvers, heiress of Devon and the Isle of Wight. William supported HenryàIIIâÂÂs military efforts in Brittany and Wales and died in Amiens in 1260.
Aveline, only daughter of William and Isabella, inherited the title Countess of Aumale and lands in Holderness in 1269. At ageÃÂ 10, she married Edmund Crouchback, Earl of Lancaster and son of King HenryÃÂ III. She died childless in 1274, aged 15, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Her death ended the direct deÃÂ Forz line.
With AvelineâÂÂs death and IsabellaâÂÂs conveyance of lands to the Crown, the deàForz dynasty became extinct. Their vast holdingsâÂÂincluding the Honour of Aumale and estates in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, were absorbed by EdwardàI by the late 1270s. The family is remembered for their influential role during the Magna Carta crisis and their ties to the Plantagenet dynasty.