Sir William Forester

Sir William Forster, Governor of Etherstone died 1176,

Parents were Sir Reginald Forester (d. 1156) & unknown.

Married: Unknown

Children:

1. Sir John Forester (d. 1220)

[http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~fosterfamily/foster2.html]

Notes

Governor of Etherstone

took part in suppressing insurrections in Wales.

General who took an active part in suppressing two formidable insurrections that broke out in Wales A.D. 1163 and again in 1165.

In 1166 he took his departure for France, the people of Brittany having rebelled against their Duke Conan, but the insurrection was quelled by Henry II, with his usual propitude and afforded him a pretext for taking the government into his own hands.

Sir William was then about to return to England, but Henry became involved in hostilities with Louis VII, William remained and took part in all the engagements; but the war terminating by the peace concluded at Montmirall, Jan 6, 1169, he returned to England and died in 1176.

He was succeeded by his son Sir John.

He was Governor of Etherstone, Northumbria. He, too, was knighted by King Stephen, but now as a “Forster”. His wife is again unknown, but they had one son, John.

Governor of Etherstone. He was the General in command against the Welsh rebellion in 1163 and 1165. He fought against Louis VII of France 1168-1169, and died at Etherstone in 1176.
In 1164 all the Welsh princes united in an uprising. When Rhys and Owain were obliged to do homage to Henry II in 1163 they were forced to accept a status of dependent vassalage instead of their previous client status, and that this led to the revolt. 

Rhys had other reasons for rebellion, for he had returned to Deheubarth from England to find that the neighbouring Norman lords were threatening Cantref Mawr. His nephew, Einion ab Anarawd, who was the captain of his bodyguard, had been murdered at the instigation of Roger de Clare, Earl of Hertford. The murderer had been given the protection of the Clares in Ceredigion.  Rhys first appealed to the king to intercede, then when this failed invaded Ceredigion and recaptured all of it apart from the town and castle of Cardigan. The Welsh revolt led to another invasion of Wales by King Henry in 1165.

The story of Henry II, Eleanor of Aquitane, and Louis VII has been told in many novels and films including the Lion in Winter,  Becket, and Sharon Kay Penman‘s novels, When Christ And His Saints Slept, Time and Chance, and Devil’s Brood.