Beatrice of England

Beatrice of England (25 June 1242 – 24 March 1275)[2] was a member of the House of Plantagenet, the daughter of Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence.

Not to be confused with Princess Beatrice of York or Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom

Beatrice of England
Countess of Richmond
Tenure	1268–1275
Born	25 June 1242[1] Bordeaux, France
Died	24 March 1275 (aged 32) London, England
Burial	Grey Friars Church, London
Spouse	John II, Duke of Brittany ( m. 1260)
Issue	Arthur II, Duke of Brittany John, 1st Earl of Richmond Marie, Countess of Saint Pol Peter, Viscount of Leon Blanche, Countess of Artois Eleanor of Brittany, Abbess of Fontevrault
House	Plantagenet
Father	Henry III, King of England
Mother	Eleanor of Provence

Childhood

Beatrice was the second eldest daughter of King Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence.[2] Beatrice's childhood was plagued by tragedy, and the stresses of her father's reign coupled with her mother's unpopularity with the English people.

Her oldest brother Edward became dangerously ill when she was very young. Though he recovered, Beatrice's youngest sister Katharine died at a very young age leaving Beatrice's parents grief-stricken. Katharine, who possibly had a degenerative disease that had caused her to become deaf, died at the age of four.

The English were unhappy with King Henry III owing to the influence that Eleanor and her Savoyard kinsmen exercised on the monarchy, and the Barons demanded more power. In 1263, Eleanor was sailing on a barge that was attacked by London citizens. This harsh, bitter dislike created several problems for Henry III and his family. On the other hand, Eleanor and Henry enjoyed a happy marriage, and Beatrice grew up in a loving environment, close to her siblings.

Marriage and issue

At one point, Henry conducted negotiations for Beatrice to marry the king of France and also rejected a proposal that she should wed the son of the King of Norway. On 22 January 1260, when she was seventeen, she married John de Dreux, heir to the duchy of Brittany.[3] She and John II had six children:

• Arthur II, Duke of Brittany (1261–1312)
• John of Brittany, Earl of Richmond (1266–1334)
• Marie of Brittany, Countess of Saint-Pol, wife of Guy III of Châtillon (1268–1339)[4]
• Pierre, Viscount de Leon (1269–1312)
• Blanche of Brittany, wife of Philip of Artois (1271–1327)
• Eleanor of Brittany, Abbess of Fontevrault (1275–1342)

Beatrice

Death

Beatrice died on 24 March 1275 in London, England. Her death was once said to have occurred in childbirth, but the dates do not bear out this theory, which has been disproved in several articles. John II honoured his wife with a chantry, an institutional chapel on private land or within a greater church, which was to be finished when he died, so that he and Beatrice would be together again. Beatrice was buried at Grey Friars Church in Greenwich, London.[5] Her husband succeeded as duke 11 years after her death, therefore Beatrice was never styled Duchess of Brittany.

Historical overview

Though little information is available concerning Beatrice's activities, she was an important part of English history. Her marriage to John II helped forge an alliance with France, thus placing the Earldom of Richmond under the so-called shield of England.

During Henry's reign, there was much opposition to him in England. At a time when Simon de Montfort wanted to strip the king of some of his power to give more say to the barons, it was necessary for Henry to strengthen his rule via family marriages to useful people. His first daughter had married the King of Scotland, and Beatrice's marriage to John II, who controlled the Earldom of Richmond, gave Henry an additional source of power. Moreover, a substantial number of French nobles came to England and could be appointed to political positions.

When Henry was crowned, very few areas within the Angevin Empire (comprising Gascony, Béarn, Angoulême, Saintonge and Agenais), remained loyal to Henry.

The marriage of Beatrice and John II would prove to be useful for Henry III, if only to help Henry recover Poitou. Now Henry had English security and influence on the northern border, and the instance on English overlordship. Though Henry was planning on regaining Poitou, he was defeated after his campaign. Because he could not regain Poitou, his domains were small compared to the Angevin Empire. With his various strategies, Henry III reigned over England for 56 years until his death in 1272.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Beatrice of England

8. Henry II, King of England 4. John, King of England 9. Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine 2. Henry III, King of England 10. Aymer, Count of Angoulême 5. Isabella, Countess of Angoulême 11. Alice of Courtenay 1. Beatrice of England 12. Alfonso II, Count of Provence 6. Ramon Berenguer IV, Count of Provence 13. Garsenda, Countess of Forcalquier 3. Eleanor of Provence 14. Thomas I, Count of Savoy 7. Beatrice of Savoy 15. Margaret of Geneva

References

1. Hadley, John - Intestina. Knight. 1838. p. 124.
2. Howell 1992, p. 57.
3. Waugh 1988, p. 179.
4. Golden 2002, p. 73.
5. Her burial is recorded in the London Greyfriar's register: Kingsford, Charles Lethbridge (1915), "Register of the Grey Friars of London: Index of those buried in the church and cloister (A–K)", The Grey Friars of London, pp. 134–139

Bibliography

• Boutell, Charles. The Handbook to English Heraldry. University of Michigan, Michigan:
• Reeves and Turner, 1914. 138.
• Cannon, John, and Ralph Griffiths. The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy. New York, New York: Oxford UP, 1988. 147.
• Crawford, Anne. Letters of Medieval Women. Grand Rapids: Sutton, Limited, 2002. 35.
• French, George R. Shakespeareana Genealogica. Boston, Massachusetts: Macmillan, 1869. 5–30.
• Golden, Judith K. (2002). "Instructional Images and the Life of St. Eustace". In Hourihane, Colum (ed.). Insights and Interpretations. Princeton University Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Howell, Margaret (1992). "The Children of King Henry III and Eleanor of Provence". In Coss, Peter R.; Lloyd, S.D. (eds.). Thirteenth Century England IV: Proceedings of the Newcastle Upon Tyne. The Boydell Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Richardson, Douglas. Plantagenet Ancestry : A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families. Boston: Genealogical Company, Incorporated, 2004. 13–18.
• The Yorkshire Archaeological Society. The Yorkshire Archaeological Journal. Yorkshire: Yorkshire Archaeological Society, 1905. 163.
• Waugh, Scott L. (1988). The Lordship of England: Royal Wardships and Marriages in English Society and Politics, 1217–1327. Princeton University Press.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)