William FitzAlan, Lord of Oswestry

1105–1160

William FitzAlan was an Anglo-Norman baron and lord of Oswestry who supported Empress Matilda during the civil war known as the Anarchy. King Stephen deprived him of Shrewsbury and his estates after rebellion in 1138, forcing him into a long exile before restoration under Henry II. He later resumed his position in the Welsh Marches and was associated with the patronage of Haughmond Abbey.

FitzAlan’s struggle for Shrewsbury forms part of the historical background to Ellis Peters’s Brother Cadfael novels, especially One Corpse Too Many, which begins after Stephen’s capture of the town in 1138. He is often referred to through the loyalties of Shropshire nobles rather than used as the central fictional viewpoint.

Historical context

Historical periods linked to William FitzAlan, Lord of Oswestry

The Anarchy 1135–1154 CE Welsh Marches after the Norman Conquest 1067–1284 CE

Series

Series featuring William FitzAlan, Lord of Oswestry (1 series)

Chronicles of Brother Cadfael in Order

by Ellis Peters 19 books 4.5

The Chronicles of Brother Cadfael follow a former soldier and crusader who has become the herbalist of Shrewsbury Abbey. Between 1137 and 1145, Cadfael investigates deaths, disappearances and disputed identities while working within the rhythms of Benedictine life and the law of medieval England. The twenty novels unfold…

All books in this series