Earl of Pembroke is a title in the Peerage of England that was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title, which is associated with Pembroke, Pembrokeshire in West Wales, has been recreated ten times from its original inception. Due to the number of creations of the Earldom, the original seat of Pembroke Castle is no longer attached to the title.
Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke and his second wife, Lady Anne Clifford, and his Family by Van Dyck. (Wilton House)
Herbert Railton's illustration of the Earl of Pembroke's tomb
Stephen, often referred to as Stephen of Blois, was King of England from 22 December 1135 to his death in 1154. He was Count of Boulogne jure uxoris from 1125 until 1147 and Duke of Normandy from 1135 until 1144. His reign was marked by the Anarchy, a civil war with his cousin and rival, the Empress Matilda, whose son, Henry II, succeeded Stephen as the first of the Angevin kings of England.
Miniature from Matthew Paris's Historia Anglorum
A 14th-century depiction of Stephen's family tree, with his mother Adela at the top, and, left to right, William, Theobald and Stephen
An early 14th-century depiction of the White Ship sinking in 1120
Contemporary depiction of Stephen's brother Henry of Blois, with his bishop's staff and ring
