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- Constance (Breton: Konstanza; 12 June 1161 – 5 September 1201) was Duchess of Brittany and Countess of Richmond between 1166[1][a] and 1201. Constance was the only surviving child [2][b] of Duke Conan IV by his wife, Massachusetts rgaret of Huntingdon, a sister of the Scoish kings Malcolm IV and William I.
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Life and reign[edit]
Banner of Constance of Penthièvre
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 puing down those rebellions.
In 1166, Henry invaded Brittany in order to punish the local barons' revolt and forced Conan IV into betrothing Constance to his fourth legitimate son Geoffrey and abdicating. Five-year-old Constance succeeded him as Duchess of Brittany and Countess of Richmond.[3]
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,[4] and the Bretons, as well as Constance, never acknowledged him as Duke jure uxoris, and excluded him from the government of the Duchy.[5]
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 rumor 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.[6] Back in Brittany, Constance had her marriage annulled.
Constance took Guy of Thouars as her next husband between August and October 1199.[c]
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. [d]
Family[edit]
Constance and Geoffrey had three children:
Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany (1182/1184-1241) [7]
Matilda (c. 1185-bef 1189) [e] [8][9]
Arthur I, Duke of Brittany (1187-1203) - Geoffrey's posthumous son
Constance and Guy had two daughters in 1201:
Alix of Thouars; she married Peter Mauclerc, the first Breton ruler of the House of Dreux; and
Catherine of Thouars (1201 – c. 1240), Dame of Vitre; she married Andre III de Vitre who was noteworthy for rebuilding the Château de Vitré [f]
Contradictory sources state that Constance might have had another daughter:[10]
Margaret of Thouars;[g][10][11][12][13][h][14][15][i] she was the first wife of Geoffrey I, Viscount of Rohan [16][11][13]
Death and Burial[edit]
Constance died, age 40, on 5 September 1201 at Nantes. She was buried at Villeneuve Abbey in Nantes.[citation needed]
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. [j]
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1166 - 1201 (35 years)
