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Constance of Brittany
- Preferred Name: Constance of Brittany[1]
- Gender: F
- Find A Grave: with note: Description: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/62575454/constance-plantagenet_de_bretagne
- http://familysearch.org/v1/TitleOfNobility: Duchess of Brittany
- Death: ABT 5 SEP 1201 in Nantes, Loire-Atlantique, Pays de la Loire, France at LATI: N7.2197 LONG: E1.5543
- FSID: L612-TTG
- Birth: ABT 1161 in Brittany, France at LATI: N8.3185 LONG: E2.9377
- Affiliation: with note: Description: House Penthièvre
- Burial: 1201 in Les Sorinieres, Departement de la Loire-Atlantique, Pays de la Loire, France at LATI: N7.1487 LONG: E1.5299
- Notes:
=== Life Sketch ===
Constance (Breton: Konstanza; 1161-5 September 1201) was Duchess of Brittany from 1166 to her death in 1201 and Countess of Richmond from 1171 to 1201. Constance was the daughter of Duke Conan IV by his wife, Margaret of Huntingdon, a sister of the Scottish kings Malcolm IV and William I.
«b»Life and reign«/b»
Constance's father Conan IV had reunited the Duchy of Brittany in wars with Henry II of England. After the wars with Henry II, Conan IV faced rebellions from some Breton nobles. He appealed to Henry II for assistance in putting down those rebellions.
In 1166, Henry invaded Brittany in order to punish the local barons' revolt. In order to gain complete control over the duchy, he forced Conan IV into abdicating in Constance's favor and betrothing her to his fourth legitimate son Geoffrey. Five-year-old Constance succeeded him as Duchess of Brittany.
In February 1171, Conan IV died. Although her daughter was the heiress of the Earldom of Richmond, she did not enter her inheritance until 1183/1184.
In 1181, twenty-year-old Constance was forced into marriage with Geoffrey. On August 19, 1186, Geoffrey was trampled to death in a riding accident during a tournament in Paris. Constance thereafter became the effective ruler of Brittany.
However, on 3 February 1188, Henry II of England arranged for Constance to marry Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester, one of the most powerful earls in England. Though Ranulf used, not consistently, the style Duke of Brittany, he never had the control of the duchy, and is not known to have played an important role there, and the Bretons, as well as Constance, never acknowledged him as Duke jure uxoris, and excluded him from the government of the Duchy.
In 1191, King Richard I of England officially proclaimed his nephew, Constance's son Arthur as his heir in a treaty signed with Philip II of France.
To promote her son Arthur's position and inheritance, Constance included him in the government of the Duchy in 1196. In response to this act that thwarted his projects, Richard summoned her to Bayeux and had her abducted by Ranulf in Pontorson and imprisoned in Saint-James de Beuvron. He spread the rumour that Constance had been imprisoned for matrimonial reasons. As a result, rebellions were sparked across Brittany on her behalf and Arthur was sent in Brest. Richard demanded that hostages were delivered to him in exchange for Constance's freedom. The Bretons agreed but Constance and the hostages remained imprisoned and rebellions went on. Richard eventually bowed to growing pressure and had the Duchess released in 1198. Back in Brittany, Constance had her marriage annulled.
Constance took Guy of Thouars as her next husband between August and October 1199.
Between 1198 and the time of her death delivering twin daughters, Constance ruled with her son Arthur as co-ruler. Throughout these years, Constance advised her son towards a French alliance, pursuing the policy of her late husband Geoffrey II.
«b»Family«/b»
As a girl, Constance could not inherit the duchy at her father's death if she had a brother. A charter by Margaret, Constance's mother, seems to show that she and Conan had more than one child. However, two charters made by Constance and her son Arthur towards 1200 mention a brother of Constance, William "clericus". As a boy, William should have inherited the duchy after Conan. According to Everard, Henry II's forcing Constance's father into abdicating in 1166 was meant to prevent any son of the Duke from inheriting the duchy. Margaret of Huntingdon's charter might then be a reference to Constance and her brother.
Constance and Geoffrey had three children:
1.) Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany (1182/1184-1241)
2.) Matilda (c. 1185-bef 1189)
3.) Arthur I, Duke of Brittany (1187-1203) - Geoffrey's posthumous son
Constance and Guy had two daughters:
1.) Alix of Thouars (1200-1221); she married Peter Mauclerc, the first Breton ruler of the House of Dreux
2.) Catherine of Thouars (1201-1240), Dame of Vitre; she married Andrew III, Baron of vitré, son of Andrew II, Baron of Vitré and Eustacie of Rays; her husband was noteworthy for rebuilding the Château de Vitré
Several sources indicate that Constance might have had a third daughter by Guy:
1.) Margaret of Thouars (1201-1216/1220); she was the first wife of Geoffrey, Viscount of Rohan
«b»Death and Burial«/b»
Constance died, age 40, on 5 September 1201 at Nantes. She was buried at Villeneuve Abbey in Nantes.
Constance's cause of death is debated. Some historians believe she died of leprosy. Others believe she died from complications of childbirth, shortly after delivering twin daughters. Still others believe that she had leprosy, leading to a difficult delivery, and ultimately to her death shortly after the birth of the twins. Thus both leprosy and childbirth are possible causes of death.
«b»Media«/b»
Constance is a character in the play King John by William Shakespeare, in which she has several very eloquent speeches on grief and death. On screen, she has been portrayed by Julia Neilson in the silent short King John (1899), which recreates John's death scene at the end of the play, Sonia Dresdel in the BBC Sunday Night Theatre version (1952), and Claire Bloom in the BBC Shakespeare version (1984). She was also played by Paula Williams (as a girl) and Nina Francis (as an adult) in the BBC TV drama series The Devil's Crown (1978).
History of Constance, Duchess of Brittany(11561-1201)
Constance (Breton: Konstanza; 1161 – c. 5 September 1201) was Duchess of Brittany from 1166 to her death in 1201[1] and Countess of Richmond from 1171 to 1201.[a] Constance was the daughter of Duke Co
BIO
BIO: from http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/BRITTANY.htm#ConanIVdied1171B as of 1/18/2016
CONSTANCE de Bretagne ([1161]-[Nantes] [3/5] Sep 1201, bur Bégard Monastery, transferred 24 Nov 1225 to Villen
=== Royal Ancestry Biography ===
“Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial & Medieval Families,” Douglas Richardson (2013):
Children of Hugh, Earl of Chester, by Bertrade de Montfort:
i. RANULPH, Knt., Earl of Chester, Vicomte of Avranches in Normandy, Judge in the King's Court, 1193, Constable of Sermilly Castle, 1201-4, Constable of the Tower of Avranches, 1203, Governor of the Peak Castle and Forest, 1215, Sheriff of Lancashire, 1216-22, Sheriff of Shropshire and Staffordshire, 1216,1217-23, Steward of the Town and Honour of Lancaster, 1216-23, Constable of Fotheringay Castle, 1221-2, Steward of the Honour of Leicester, 1222, and, in right of his 1st wife, Duke of Brittany, Earl of Richmond, son and heir, born at Oswestry in Powys c.1172. He was knighted by the king at Caen 1 Jan. 1187/8. He married (1st) 3 Feb. 1187/8 (or 1189) CONSTANCE OF BRITTANY [see BRITTANY 6], widow of Geoffrey of England, Duke of Brittany, Earl of Richmond (killed in a tournament at Paris 19 August 1186) [see ENGLAND 4.v], and daughter and heiress of Conan IV le Petit, Duke of Brittany, Earl of Richmond, by Margaret, daughter of Henry of Scotland, Earl of Northumberland [see BRITTANY 5 for her ancestry]. She was born about 1162. They had no issue. In 1194 he was commander of the forces for King Richard I. He took part in the second Coronation of King Richard I, which was solemnised in Winchester Cathedral 17 April 1194. In 1196 Ranulph captured his wife, Constance, en route to her finalizing negotiations with King Richard I and confined her at Benvron for at least a year. Soon after her release, she sought the annulment of their marriage, which was granted in 1199, presumably on grounds on consanguinity; she subsequently married (3rd) before October 1199 (as his 1st wife) GUY DE THOUARS, in right of his 1st wife, Count (or Duke) of Brittany, Earl of Richmond [see BRITTANY 6]. Constance died testate at Nantes 4 (or 5) Sept. 1201. Ranulph married (2nd) before 7 October 1200 CLEMENCE DE FOUGERES, widow of Main de Vitre (or Dinan) (died 1198), seigneur of Dinan, and daughter of Guillaume de Fougères, seigneur of Fougères, by Agatha, daughter of Guillaume du Hommet, Constable of Normandy [see FOUGERES 5 for her ancestry]. Her maritagium included land in the valley of Mortain. They had no issue. He was engaged in warfare with the Welsh from 1209 to 1214. He was faithful to King John against the rebellious Barons. He was one of the executors of King John who died 19 October 1216; and one of most zealous supporters of the young king, Henry III. In 1217, as Joint Commander of the royal army, he contributed to the defeat of the rebels under the Count of Perche. He was created Earl of Lincoln 23 May 1217. He went on crusade to the Holy Land in May 1218, and distinguished himself at the Siege of Damietta. He returned to England in August 1220. In 1223 he was required to surrender his castles. In 1229 he opposed in Parliament the grant of a tenth to the Pope, and forbade its collection in his own domain. In 1229 Earl Ranulph granted tithes in Wilsford, Wiltshire, formerly held of the Earl of Lincoln, to Roger, Succentor of Salisbury. He served as Chief Commander of the royal troops in Brittany, 1230-1, and in June 1231 was a Joint Commissioner to treat with France. Sometime between April 1231 and his death, he resigned the earldom of Lincoln to his sister, Hawise de Quincy. RANULPH, Earl of Chester, died at Wallingford 28 October 1232, and was buried at St. Werburg's, Chester, his heart being interred at Dieulacres Abbey. His widow, Clemence, died in 1252. Sandford Gen. Hist. of the Kings of England (1677): 67-68. Madox Formulare Anglicanum (1702): 187 (charter of Ranulph, Earl of Chester). Galia Christiana 2 (1720): 1333 (abstract of charter of Guy de Thouars dated 1208 naming his mother, Aumuz, and his wife, [Constance] Countess of Brittany). Anselme Hist. de la Maison Royale de France 1 (1725): 445-461 (sub Bretagne). Morice Méms. pour Servir de Preuves a l'Hist. de Bretagne 1 (1742): 37-38, 912-913, 917. Morice Histoire Ecclesiastique et Civil de Bretagne 1(1750): xvii-xviii (Counts of Penthievre ped). Banks Dormant & Extinct Baronage of England 1 (1807): 218-220. Hanshall Hist. of the County Palatine of Chester (1823): 21-23, 28 (ped.). Dugdale Monasticon Anglicanum 5 (1825): 325 (charter of Ranulph, Earl of Chester dated 1230), 574- 575 (Jerveaux Abbey - Genealogy of the Counts of Richmond). Coll Top. et Gen. 2 (1835): 247-249. Extracta e Variis Cronicis Scocie (1842): 70 ("Henricus, regis Dauid filius, comes Huntyntoune et Northumbrie vxorem duxit Adam filiam Willelmi senioris, sororis Willelmi junioris comitis de Warenna, et sororem comitis Roberti Legecesterensis, et Walranni comitis de Melent, cuius mater fuit soror Rodulphi comitis de Perona, regis Francorum Ludouici consanguinea, ex qua suscepit tres inclitos filios Genuit eciam idem princeps Henricus totidem Elias ex uxore sua predicta Ada, scilicet, Adam, que lege conjugii tradita est comiti Holandie Fiorentino: secundam, Margaretam Conano duci Britannie comiti de Richmonth nuptam, ex qua genuit filiam nomine Constanciam Gaufrido, comiti Andigauie, fratri regis Anglie Richardi Primi, disponsatam, de qua Gaufridus genuit filium nomine Arthurum, postea in mare mersum, vnam eciam filiam, Aleciam nomine, que a Petro Mauclerk concepit et peperit filium, nomina Johannem, postea ducem Britannie, et aliam filiam nomine Alienoram, que cum Arthuro fratre in mare periit."). Top. & Gen. 1(1846): 301-320. Hawley Royal Fam. of England (1851): 18-19. Jour. British Arch. Assoc. 7 (1852): 123-132 (letter of Clemence, Countess of Chester, names her aunt [amite], Aline, Prioress of Mortain, and Raoul de Fougères her grandfather [avus]). Mémoires de la Société des Antiquaries de l'Ouest 29 (1865): 365-369 (re. Thouars fam.). Stubbs Gesta Regis Henrici Secundi Benidicti Abbatis 1 (Rolls Ser. 49) (1867): 207. Marchegay & Mabille Chroniques des Eglises d'Anjou (1869): 45 (Chronicæ Sancti Albini Andegavensis: death of Geoffrey). Wright Feudal Manuals of English Hist. (1872). Annual Rpt. of the Deputy Keeper 35 (1874): 8-9 (charter of Ranulph, Earl of Chester). Dernay Inv. des Sceaux de la Normandie (1881): 5-6 (undated seal of Constance, Duchess of Brittany, Countess of Richmond - Dame debout, coffée en tresses, revêtue d'un sur ___ ajuste du corsage, des hanches et des bras, et reconvert d'une chape, un faucon sur le poing, en fieuron dans la main droite. [Légende] * CONSTANCIA DVCISS … [COMIITISSA RICH[EMUN]DIE). Ormerod Hist. of the County Palatine & City of Chester 1 (1882): 33-41. Robertson Materials for the Hist. of Thomas Becket 6 (Rolls Ser. 67) (1882): 170-174. Doyle Official Baronage of England 1 (1886): 365-366 (sub Chester); 3 (1886): 107-109 (sub Richmond). Annales Cestrienses (Lanc. & Cheshire Rec. Soc. 14) (1887): 40-41 (Chron. of St Werburg sub 1188: "Rannulphus comes cestrie … Cui etiam dedit Henricus rex anglie in uxorem relictam v Kl. [recte Galfridi filii sui] Cui comitissam britannie filia Alani [recte Conani] Comitis britannie nominee Constancia et toto comittatu de Richemund quam ipse comes Cestrie Rannulphus desponsavit in die Sancte Werburge virginis, id est, tertia nonas Februarii [3 Feb.] apud ..."), 46 (Chron. of St. Werburg sub 1200: "Rannulphus comes Cestrie desponsavit uxorem filiam Radulphi de Feugis, nomine Clementiam, relicta comitissa Britannie, nomine Constancia."). La Borderie Recueil d'Actes inédits des Ducs et Princes de Bretagne (Xe, XIIe, XTIIe Siecles) (1888). Birch Cat. Seals in the British Museum 2 (1892): 378 (seal of Constance, Duchess of Brittany, Countess of Richmond dated 1190-1198 - Pointed oval. To the right Standing, with tightly-fitting dress, long fur-lined cloak fastened at the throat, in the right hand a lily-flower, on the left hand a hawk with long jesses.). Inventaire Sommaire des Archives Départementales anterieures à 1790, Loire-Inferieure 2(2) Ser. C &D (1898): 147. List of Shenffs for England & Wales (PRO Lists and Indexes 9) (1898): 72, 117. Wrottesley Peds. from the Plea Rolls (1905): 531-532. C.P.R. 1232-1247 (1906): 355. Dunbar Scottish Kings (1906): 58-70. Delisle Recueil des Actes de Henri II, Roi d'Angleterre et Due de Normandie Introduction (1909): 103-106, 371-372 (biog. of Geoffrey Fitz Roy, Count of Brittany). VCH Hertford 3 (1912): 441-458. Fairer Early Yorkshire Charters 2 (1915): 195 (chart). Le Moyen Age 35 (1924-5): 63-70. Farnham Leicestershire Mecieval Peels. (1925): 11 (ped. of Earls of Chester). Brunel et al. Recueil des Actes de Philippe Auguste Roi de France 2 (1943): 542. C.P. 3 (1913): 167-169 (sub Chester); 10 (1945): 780 (chart), 794-805 (sub Richmond). Annales de Bretagne 53 (1946), 1-27. VCH Wiltshire 6 (1962): 213-221. Painter Scourge of the Clergy: Peter of Dreux, Duke of Brittany (1969). BIHR 50 (1977): 112-115. Ellis Cat. Seals in the P.R.O. 2(1981): 13 (seal of Ranulph, Earl of Chester dated c.1200 - A shield of arms: a lion passant. Legend: + SIGILLVM [R]A[NVFA COMITIS CESTRIE). Schwennicke Europäische Stammtafeln 2 (1984): 75 (sub Brittany), 83 (sub England); 3 (1989): 810 (sub Thouars). Hist. Research 63 (1990): 1-16. Everard Charters of Duchess Constance of Brittany & her Fam. (1999). Everard Brittany & the Angevins (2000). Van Kerrebrouck Les Capétians 987-1328 (2000): 347-360. Jones Between France & England (2003): 38-40. Wheeler & Parsons Eleanor of Aquitaine: Lord & Lady (2003): 101. Richard Eales, `Ranulf (III), sixth earl of Chester and first earl of Lincoln (1170-1232)', in Word Dict. of National Biog. (2004). Bull & Léglu World of Eleanor of Aquitaine (2005).
ii. MAUD OF CHESTER, married DAVID OF SCOTLAND, Earl of Huntingdon [see BALLIOL 4].
iii. MABEL OF CHESTER, married WILLIAM D'AUBENEY, 3rd Earl of Arundel [see CLIFTON 5].
iv. AGNES OF CHESTER, married WILLIAM DE FERRERS, Knt., 4th Earl of Derby [see FERRERS 6].
v. HAWISE OF CHESTER, Countess of Lincoln, married ROBERT DE QUINCY [see QUINCY 6.i].
=== Royal Ancestry Biography #2 ===
“Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial & Medieval Families,” Douglas Richardson (2013):
“HENRY II OF ENGLAND (otherwise HENRY FITZ GEOFFREY, or HENRY FITZ EMPRESS), Knt., King of England, Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou, and, in right of his wife, Duke of Aquitaine, born at Le Mans in Maine 5 March 1133...
Children of Henry II of England, by Eleanor of Aquitaine:
v. GEOFFREY OF ENGLAND, 4th son, born 23 Sept. 1158, in right of his wife, Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond. He married about July 1181 (by dispensation, they being related in the 3rd and 4th degrees of kindred) CONSTANCE OF BRITTANY [see BRITTANY 6], daughter and heiress of Conan IV, Duke of Brittany, Earl of Richmond, by Margaret, daughter of Henry of Scotland, Earl of Northumberland [see BRITTANY 5 for her ancestry]. She was born about 1162. They had three children (see below). In 1178 he was knighted at Woodstock by his father. In 1184 they founded a chaplaincy in Rouen Cathedral for the soul of his late brother, Henry. In 1185 they issued an assize regulating the succession of lands in Brittany. GEOFFREY, Duke of Brittany, Earl of Richmond, was killed in a tournament at Paris 19 August 1186, and was buried there in the quire of Notre Dame Cathedral. His widow, Constance, married (2nd) 3 Feb. 1188 (or 1189) (as his 1st wife) RANULPH, Earl of Chester [see CHESTER 5.i], Judge in the King's Court, 1193, Constable of Sermilly Castle, 1201-4, Constable of the Tower of Avranches, 1203, Warden of the Peak Castle and Forest, 1215, Steward of the Town and Honour of Lancaster, 1216-23, Constable of Fotheringay Castle, 1221-2, Steward of the Honour of Leicester, 1222, and, in right of his wife, Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond, son and heir of Hugh, Earl of Chester, hereditary Vicomte of Avranches, by Bertrade, daughter of Simon de Montfort, Count of Evreux, seigneur of Montfort-l'Amaury [see CHESTER 5 for his ancestry]. They had no issue. In 1196 Ranulph captured Constance en route to her 6n5li7ing negotiations with King Richard I and confined her at Benvron for at least a year. Soon after her release, she sought the annulment of their marriage which was granted in 1199, presumably on grounds on consanguinity. She married (3rd) before October 1199 (as his 1st wife) GUY DE THOUARS [see BRITTANY 6], in right of his 1st wife, Count (or Duke) of Brittany, Earl of Richmond, younger son of Geoffroi IV, Vicomte of Thouars, by his wife, Aumur (or Aumou) [see AQUITAINE 3.ii.a for his ancestry]. They had three daughters, Alix (wife of Pierre de Braine (nicknamed Mauclerc), Knt., Duke of Brittany, Earl of Richmond), Marguerite, and Katherine (wife of André III de Vitré, seigneur of Vitré). Constance, Duchess of Brittany, died testate at Nantes 4 (or 5) Sept. 1201, and was buried at Villeneuve. In 1202 he joined King Philippe Augustus, and his English lands were confiscated. He served as regent of Brittany on behalf of his daughter, Alice, from 1203 to 1213. He married (2nd) EUSTACHE DE MAULEON, widow of Guillaume V, Vicomte of Aunay, and daughter of Pierre d'Argenton. They had two sons, Pierre de Chemillé, Knt. [seigneur of Chemille, Mortagne, and Brissac] and Thomas de Chemillé, Knt. In October 1203 he was granted the castles of Chemillé and Brissac by King Philippe Auguste of France. In 1204 he led the Breton invasion of southern Normandy. In 1206 King Philippe Auguste of France granted him le Broherec, la Cornouaille, and le Pouher. GUY DE THOUARS died at Chemillé 13 April 1213, and was buried at Villeneuve. His widow, Eustache, married (3rd) RENAUD DE MAULEVRIER. She was living in 1244. Sandford Gen. Hist. of the Kings of England (1677): 67-68. Gallia Christiana 2 (1720): 1333 (abstract of charter of Guy de Thouars dated 1208 naming his mother, Aumuz, and his wife, [Constance] Countess of Brittany). Anselme Hist. de la Maison Royale de France 1(1725): 445-461 (sub Bretagne). Morice Méms. pour Servir de Preuves a l’Hist. de Bretagne 1 (1742): 37-38, 822 (dower of Katherine of Brittany, wife of André III de Vitré), 912-913, 917, 919-920 (instances of Pierre de Chemillé styled "uncle" [avunculus] by Jean, Duke of Brittany, in 1238, 1240, 1241), 930-931 (Thomas de Chemillé styled "brother" [fratri] by Pierre de Chemillé). Morice Histoire Ecclésiastique et Civil de Bretagne 1 (1750): xvii-xviii (Counts of Penthievre ped). Banks Dormant & Extinct Baronage of England 1 (1807): 218-220. Hanshall Hut. of the County Palatine of Chester (1823): 21-23. Dugdale Monasticon Anglicanum 5 (1825): 325 (charter of Ranulph, Earl of Chester dated 1230), 574-575 (Jerveaux Abbey - Genealogy of the Counts of Richmond). Banks Genealogical Hist. of Divers Fams of the Ancient Peerage of England (1826): 308-313. Coll. Top. et Gen. 2 (1835): 247-249. Extracta e Vanis Cronicis Scocie (1842): 70 ("Henricus, regis Dauid filius, comes Huntyntoune et Northumbrie vxorem duxit Adam filiam Willelmi senioris, sororis Willelmi junioris comitis de Warenna, et sororem comitis Roberti Legecesterensis, et Walranni comitis de Melent, cuius mater fait soror Rodulphi comitis de Perona, regis Francorum Ludouici consanguinea, ex qua suscepit tres inclitos filios Genuit eciam idem princeps Henricus totidem Elias ex uxore sua predicta Ada, scilicet, Adam, que lege conjugii tradita est comiti Holandie Fiorentino: secundam, Margaretam Conano duci Britannie comiti de Richmonth nuptam, ex qua genuit filiam nomine Constanciam Gaufrido, comiti Ancligauie, fratri regis Anglie Richardi Primi, disponsatam, de qua Gaufridus genuit alum nomine Arthurum, postea in mare mersum, vnam eciam filiam, Aleciam nomine, que a Petro Mauclerk concepit et peperit filium, normna Johannem, postea ducem Britannie, et aliam filiani nomine Alienoram, que cum Arthuro fratre in mare periit."). Hawley Royal Fam. of England (1851): 18-19. Mémoires de la Société des Antiquaries de l'Ouest 29 (1865): 365-369 (re. Thouars fam.). Stubbs Gesta Regis Henrici Secundi Benedicti Abbaris 1 (Rolls Ser. 49) (1867): 207. Marchegay & Mabille Chroniques des Eglises d'Anjou (1869): 45 (Chronicæ Sancti Albini Andegavensis: death of Geoffrey). Wright Feudal Manuals of English Hist. (1872). Annual Rpt. of the Deputy Keeper 35 (1874): 8-9 (charter of Ranulph, Earl of Chester). Demay Inv. des Sceaux de la Normandie (1881): 5 (seal of Geoffrey, Duke of Brittany, Earl of Richmond dated 1185 - Le duc à cheval, vêtu du haubert, coiffé d'un heaume a timbre arrondi; lance au gonfanon. [Légende] *GAVFRIDVS HENRICI REGIS FILIVS DVX BRI Revers: Le duc à cheval, couvert d'un immense bouclier, brandissant son épée. [Légende] *GAVFRIDVS HENRICI REGIS FILIVS COMES RICHEMVNDIE), 5-6 (undated seal of Constance, Duchess of Brittany, Countess of Richmond - Dame debout, coiffée en tresses, revêtue d'un sur ___ ajusté du corsage, des hanches et des bras, at recouvert d'une chape, un faucon sur le poing, en fleuron dans la main droite. [Légende:]* CONSTANCIA DVCISS … [COM]ITISSA RICH[EMUN]DIE). Ormerod Hist. of the County Palatine & City of Chester 1 (1882): 33-41. Robertson Materials for the Hist. of Thomas Becket 6 (Rolls Ser. 67) (1882): 170-174. Bull & Mémoires de la Société Archéologique du Département d'Ille-et-Vilaine 17 (1885): 370-371, 371-372 (charter dated 1182-85 of Geoffrey son of King Henry, Duke of Brittany, Count of Richmond; charter granted with consent of his wife, Constance), 373 (charter dated 1183-86 of Constance, Duchess of Brittany, Countess of Richmond to the church of Rouen), 374- 376 (charter dated 1187 of Constance, Duchess of Brittany, Countess of Richmond to Saint-Gildas de Ruis Abbey), 376-377 (charter dated 1189 of Constance, Duchess of Brittany, Countess of Richmond to Saint-Gildas de Ruis Abbey), 377-378 (charter dated 1193 of Constance, Duchess of Brittany, Countess of Richmond to Saint-Melaine of Rennes Abbey), 379-380 (charter dated 1198 of Constance, Duchess of Brittany, Countess of Richmond), 380-381 (charter dated 1199 of Constance, Duchess of Brittany, Countess of Richmond to Notre Dame près Aurai Priory), 383-384 (charter dated 1199-1201 of Guy de Thouars, Duke of Brittany, Earl of Richmond and his wife, Constance, Duchess of Brittany to Melerai Abbey), 384-387 (foundation charter dated 1201 by Constance, Duchess of Brittany, Countess of Richmond for Villeneuve Abbey), 387 (charter dated 1187-1201 by Constance, Duchess of Brittany, Countess of Richmond to Buzai Abbey), 388-390, 391-392 (charter dated 1205 of Guy de Thouars, Count of Brittany to the monks of Villeneuve), 394-397 (charter dated 1207 by Guy de Thouars, Count of Brittany to the canons of Nantes), 397-406, 406-407 (charter dated 1212 of Guy de Thouars, Count of Brittany), 408, 409 (charter dated 1201-13 of Guy, Duke of Brittany to the nuns of Saint-Sulpice les Rennes). Doyle Official Baronage of England 1 (1886): 365-366 (sub Chester); 3 (1886): 107-109 (sub Richmond). Annales Cestrienses (Lanc. & Cheshire Rec. Soc. 14) (1887): 40-41 (Chron. of St. Werburg sub 1188: "Rannulphus comes cestrie Cui etiam dedit Henricus rex anglie in uxorem relictam v Kl. [recte Galfridi filii sui] Cui comitissam britannie filia Alani [recte Conant] Comitis britannie nominee Constancia et toto comittatu de Richemund quam ipse comes Cestrie Rannulphus desponsavit in die Sancte Werburge virginis, id est, tertia nonas Februarii [3 Feb.] apud ..."), 46 (Chron. of St. Werburg sub 1200: "Rannulphus comes Cestrie desponsavit uxorem filiam Radulphi de Feugis, nomine Clementiam, relicta comitissa Britannie, nomine Constancia."). La Borderie Recueil d’Actes Inédits des Ducs et Princes de Bretagne (XIe, XIIe, XIIIe Siecles) (1888). Birch Cat. Seals in the British Museum 2 (1892): 378 (seal of Constance, Duchess of Brittany, Countess of Richmond dated 1190-1198 - Pointed oval. To the right. Standing, with tightly-fitting dress, long fur-lined cloak fastened at the throat, in the right hand a lily-flower, on the left hand a hawk with long jesses.). Recueil des Historiens des Gaules et de la Fr
Preferred Parents:
Father: Conan de Penthièvre IV Duke of Brittany, b. 1138 in Denain, Nord-Pas-De-Calais, France d. 20 FEB 1171 in Bégard, Guingamp, Côtes-d'Armor, Brittany, France
Mother: Margaret of Huntingdon, b. 1145 in Scotland d. 1201 in Richmond, Yorkshire, England
Family 1: Geoffrey of England, Duke of Brittany, b. 23 SEP 1158 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England d. 19 AUG 1186 in Paris, Île-de-France, France
Family 2: Ranulf de Blondeville 6th Earl of Chester III, b. 1170 in Oswestry, Wales d. 28 OCT 1232 in Wallingford, Berkshire, England
Family 3: Guy of Thouars , b. 1160 in Thouars, Bressuire, Deux-Sèvres, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France d. 13 APR 1214 in Chemillé-en-Anjou, Chemillé-Melay, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France
- m. 1199 in Angers, Anjou, France
- Alix de Thouars Duchess of Brittany, b. 12 SEP 1201 in Thouars 2e Canton, Bressuire, Deux-Sèvres, Poitou-Charentes, France d. 21 OCT 1221 in Nantes, Loire-Atlantique, Pays de la Loire, France
Sources:
- Title: Constance of Brittany, "Find A Grave Index"
Author: "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV23-G8H9 : 6 March 2021), Constance Penthièvre Plantagenet, ; Burial, Les Sorinieres, Departement de la Loire-Atlantique, Pays de la Loire, France, Abbaye Notre-Dame de Villeneuve; citing record ID 62575454, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.
Publication: Name: https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV23-G8H9;
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