Beatrice of England
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Beatrice of England, also known as Beatrice de Dreux, was born on 25 June 1242 at Bordeaux, Dauphine France.
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[edit] Early Life
She was the second daughter of King Henry III of England and Eleanor of Provence. She was the sister of Edward I of England, Margaret, Queen of Scotland, Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster, Richard of England, John of England, Katherine of England, William of England, and Henry of England. Her and her family were members of the Royal house of Plantagenets. The house of Plantagenets that first ruled in the 12th century was founded by Henry II of England and became a later participant in The Hundred Year’s War.
Tragedy often plagued Beatrice’s childhood. Her oldest brother Edward became deathly ill when she was very young, ad because Eleanor was a very loving mother; she stayed with his for three weeks. Eventually Edward got better. However, Beatrice’s younger siblings Richard, Henry, William, Katharine, and John Died at very young ages, leaving Beatrice’s parents struck with grief. Eleanor was especially upset about the death of her youngest daughter Katharine. It was said that Katharine had a degenerate disease that caused her to become deaf. Katharine died at age three, leaving both her parents overwhelmed with grief.
Beatrice’s childhood also involved the stress on her fathers of Reign. People were unhappy with King Henry III because of the influence Eleanor and her Savoyard kinsmen had on the monarchy, and the English Barons demanded to have more say in the system. In 1263 Eleanor was sailing on a barge that was attacked by London citizens. This kind of harsh, bitter, dislike created several problems during the reign of Henry III. Though many obstacles struck the family, Eleanor and Henry remained in a happy marriage, and the children, who were all very close, grew up in a loving environment. Eleanor taught her children with a wit ad intelligence that created a unique and happy family.
[edit] Mature Life
Henry had conducted negotiations for Beatrice to marry the king of France. And though the Hakonsson, King of Norway, wanted Beatrice to marry his son, Henry turned them down. When Beatrice was eighteen she married John II, Duke of Brittany. Henry III arranged this marriage; it was a common practice to arrange marriages when daughters were young, so there would be less opportunity to choose someone unsuitable for herself. The Marriage of Beatrice and Jean would serve as a political move for the King, to help create alliances and give French benefits to England. Beatrice later changed her name to Beatrice de Dreux. Her and John II had seven children:
- Arthur II, Duke of Brittany
- John de Bretagne, 1st Earl of Richmond
- Marie of Brittany, wife of Guy III of Châtillon (1268-1339)
- Pierre, Viscount de Leon (1269-1312)
- Blanche de Dreux, wife of Philip of Artois (1271-1327)
- Eleonore, Abbess of Fontevrault (1274-1329)
[edit] Death
Beatrice died on March 24, 1275 in London, England. Little is known about the death of Beatrice de Dreux. It has been said that she died giving birth to her final child. However her final child was dated to die a year before the death of Beatrice, and the theory of death during childbirth have been disproved in several articles. John II was a very important man, therefore when Beatrice died he created a chantry, an institutional chapel on private land or within a greater church, to celebrate her death. The service at the chantry had six parts, and was to be finished when he died and they were together again. Before his death he fought with his father in the Eighth crusade. Beatrice was buried at Grey Friars Church in Greenwich, London.
[edit] Analysis of Contributions
Though little is said about the works of Beatrice, she was an important part of English history. Her marriage with John II helped create an alliance with France, thus placing the Earl of Richmond under the so-called shield of England.
During Henry’s reign, there was much opposition coming form England alone, not to mention other separate affairs with foreign nations. At a time when de Montfort wanted to strip the king of some power to give more say to the baron’s, it was necessary to make sure his daughters were married to the right people. With his first daughter married to the King of Scotland, It would be useful to become close with John II. With John II in control of the Earldom of Richmond, there was a source of power that Henry had under control. There were also a large number of foreign noblemen who came to England and were appointed political positions. A large number of these men were French.
When Henry was crowned the Angevin empire, comprising Gascony, Bearn, Angouleme, Saintonge and Agenais. Very few areas were still following Henry. Only a small area remained loyal to his rule.
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 gaining Poitou, many Barons were upset with the wrongs of Louise, Henry’s brother, therefore a rebellion came shortly. Henry III was defeated after his campaign. Because he could not regain Poitou, his reign stayed small compared to the Angevin empire. With his various strategies, Henry III reigned over England for 56 years until is death in 1272.
[edit] Bibliography
Boutell, Charles. The Handbook to English Heraldry. University of Michigan, MI: Reeves and Turner, 1914. 138.
Cannon, John, and Ralph Griffiths. The Oxford Illustrated History of the British Monarchy. New York, NY: Oxford UP, 1988. 147. Crawford, Anne. Letters of Medieval Women. Grand Rapids: Sutton, Limited, 2002. 35.
French, George R. Shakespeareana Genealogica. Boston, MA: Macmillian, 1869. 5-30.
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.
