Eleanor, Fair Maid of Brittany
Encyclopedia
Eleanor the "Fair Maid of Brittany", 5th Countess of Richmond (c. 1184 – 10 August 1241), also known as Damsel of Brittany or Pearl of Brittany for her peerless beauty, was the eldest daughter of Geoffrey Plantagenet
and Constance, Duchess of Brittany
. As the rightful heiress to vast lands including England, Anjou, and Aquitaine since 1203 and thus a potential threat to the throne of her uncle John of England
and cousin Henry III of England
, she was imprisoned from 1202 and thus became the longest imprisoned member of an English royal family, which also led to her succession failure to Duchy of Brittany. Like Empress Matilda
and later Elizabeth of York
, her claim to the English throne gained little (if any) support from barons, due to the incompletion of English succession law when female rights were somehow ignored. Some commented that her imprisonment was "the most unjustifiable act of King John". Her long imprisonment was mysterious. Though apparently innocent and never tried, sentenced or locked in a cell, and lived a relatively comfortable life according to some reports, she was viewed as a "state prisoner", forbidden to marry and guarded closely even after her child-bearing years, and finally ended up in prison.
. However, it also meant that she was under Angevin custody, and thus even her mother, Constance, never considered her a potential heir to Brittany, which weakened her later claim to the duchy. As her younger brother Arthur was the heir presumptive to England, she was one of the most sought after princesses at that time. In 1190, when Richard failed to marry his younger sister Joan
to Saphadin, brother of Saracen
leader Saladin
, he proposed that Eleanor should be the bride instead, but the negotiation was also in vain, as Saphadin showed no interest in Christianity
. In 1193, she was engaged to Frederick son of Leopold V, Duke of Austria
as part of the conditions to release of Richard who had been taken prisoner by the Emperor. However, when she was still on the way there with Baldwin of Bethune
the next year, the duke died, so the marriage never took place, and under order of the Pope she returned, accompanied by her grandmother Queen Eleanor. In summer 1195, a marriage between her and Louis
son of Philip II of France
was suggested for an alliance between Richard and Philip, but also failed. It is said that the Emperor opposed the marriage; and the failure was also a sign that Richard would replace Arthur with his only living brother, John. This soon led to a sudden deterioration between Richard and both Philip and Brittany. In 1199 some thought Eleanor should be married to Odo Duke of Burgundy, but Philip ordered Odo not marry any female relatives of Richard.
. Between 1199 and 1200 Eleanor was likely to have appeared in England, probably already captured by John rather than at the Battle of Mirebeau
along with Arthur and his knights. It was also said that Arthur had complained that John confined his sister before the battle, and when John declared his victory he never mentioned that he captured Eleanor.
On December 6 in the same year, John fled Normandy taking Eleanor as his captive. It was said that she was initially taken to North of England and then Bristol, guarded by 4 knights. In spring 1204, Philip II of France demanded that Eleanor be released in order to marry his younger son. In this year it was certain that she was imprisoned at Corfe Castle
, guarded by Stephen de Turnham, along with 25 French knights loyal to her. After an attempt to escape, 22 of them were recaptured and starved. Eleanor lived in the Gloriet Tower added to Corfe at John's time, had meals in the Long Hall and was allowed to walk along the walls. As well, she was allowed to have 3 maids, and was provided fabric for clothes and bedding, and pocket money as much as 5 mark per quarter. She also got a saddle with gilded reins and scarlet ornaments from John, which implied that she might be a horsewoman, and that she could not always be confined in her room. John also sent her figs and almonds, so these might be of her favor. A shopping list for Eleanor in captivity was recorded and it suggested the aristocratic diet at that time. Initially John organized local barons to visit Eleanor in order to prove her well-being. In 1206, John entrusted her to Robert de Vieuxpont
. In 1208 the British bishops demanded the same as Philip II, when the death of Arthur became known to the public. In the same year, bishops of Nantes
, Vannes
and Cornouaille
openly attempted to liberate Eleanor, only to be frustrated by John, and many of her supporters were punished. Eleanor was forced to entrust Brittany and Richmond to John, who referred her as his "dearest niece" while communicating with Bretons. As the eldest daughter of Constance, Eleanor should have been recognized as Duchess of Brittany
after the death of her brother Arthur. But instead, the Breton barons (fearing King John's claims to rule Brittany in representation of Eleanor's rights or married her to a vassal loyal to England) made her younger half-sister Alix duchess instead. However, it was said Eleanor succeeded Arthur in Richmond and was thus styled 5th Countess of Richmond, and the Bretons, ignorant of her whereabouts, were always ready in case she was found. In fact John permitted her to use the titles of Brittany and Richmond, and he even talked with Breton nobles about letting her go. He had Eleanor write a letter to Breton barons and churchmen, depicting herself in captivity, expressing her hope of being liberated, and asking them to arrive in England to negotiate with her release. This letter was the only surviving document by Eleanor. In May, she was kept at Salisbury
.
In 1209, William I of Scotland
sent his daughters Margaret and Isobel to John as hostages, and they were also imprisoned at Corfe Castle along with Eleanor. In June 1213, John sent green robes, lambskin-trimmed cloaks, and summer slippers to the captive princesses. They were sometimes allowed to ride out under the strictest guard. For Eleanor herself, she got robes of dark green with capes of cambric and hats trimmed with miniver.
In 1213, John took Eleanor to blackmail Pierre I of Brittany husband and co-ruler of Alix and tempted him with Richmond, but Pierre kept loyal to France, even after the capture of his elder brother Robert
by John at Nantes. In the same year John declared England as a papal fief, and Pope Innocent III
thus claimed himself guardian of Eleanor. After reaching an agreement with John, the Pope would not accuse John of neither the death of Arthur nor the imprisonment of Eleanor. In February 1214, John campaigned in Aquitaine and Poitou with Eleanor, as well as his queen and Prince Richard, against Alix, hoping to get Breton support and establish Eleanor as his puppet duchess, but only to be defeated at de La Roche-aux-Moines. In July, John withdrew to England, with the princess still in hand. In the same year John again talked with Breton nobles about the rights and freedom of Eleanor, but after this expedition John became convinced that he could get nothing from her claim, so he also recognized Alix as duchess of Brittany and never supported Eleanor even in name, and neither did later Henry III.
The tensions between John and barons finally began to spill over into war
in 1215, and Prince Louis of France led an invasion to England and claimed English throne, as his consort Blanche was a maternal granddaughter of Henry II, whilst the Pope argued Eleanor had a better claim than his.When the Magna Carta
was issued that year, it was demanded that all hostages held by John including Scottish princesses and Welsh be released, however, it had nothing to do with Eleanor, a proof that the rights of the females was somehow overlooked. At least, it seemed that in spite of their resentment to John, even the rebel barons seldom recognized the claims of the captive princess.
John had considered to marry Eleanor to a loyal subordinate, but he never did; there were rumors that the princess was starved to death by orders of King John, but that was impossible as John predeceased her as long as 25 years.
the claim of Eleanor was better, English barons allowed King John's young son, Henry
, to succeed, leaving the 32-year-old princess, now beautiful and defiant, still in prison and guarded by Peter de Maulay.
As her claim to England and Aquitaine was a threat to the reign of both John and the later Henry III, before his death John believed that Eleanor should never be released, which would be agreed by Henry III and his regents. Thus, albeit never a rallying point for English discontent during the early part of Henry III's reign, Eleanor was still put under semi-captivity, or "under a gentle house arrest". Her survival was ensured according to the treaty between England and France. In 1219, her earldom of Richmond was given to Pierre I of Brittany after the recognition of William Marshal the regent of Henry, and it would never be returned even after Pierre renounced it in 1235. Henry III styled Eleanor, now with no title left, as "king's kinswoman", or "our cousin".
In 1221, it was said that some people, maybe foreigners, planned to rescue Eleanor and deliver her to the King of France. In 1225, Peter de Maulay was accused of planning with the king of France to get a ship to spirit the princess away, and he subsequently fell out of favor. In fact the allegation might be false, only to discredit Peter and Peter des Roches
, who also fell out of favor in spring 1234. No matter whether the plot occurred or not, Eleanor was soon moved away from the coast. From June 13, 1222, she was transferred between Gloucester
(July 31, 1222 to July 20, 1223), Marlborough (August 20 to October 9, 1223 and January 1224) and Bristol
(before Michaelmas
1224), finally settled at Bristol from June 1224 for a time. Among them, Gloucester Castle temporarily moved all its original prisoners otherwhere to accommodate the princess.
Imprisoned and closely watched by Henry III, Eleanor lived and was treated as a royal princess, and it was recorded that she received generous gifts from the royal family.Henry III himself once sent her 50 yards of linen cloth, three wimples, 50 pounds of almonds and raisins respectively and a basket of figs; he offered her another saddle; he once asked the mayor and bailiff to increase her household there. The governor there exhibited her to the public annually, in case there might be rumors that the royal captive had been injured. The fact might suggest that English people were sympathetic to her. Sometimes local mayor, bailiffs, responsible civilians and certain noblewomen were permitted to visit her to prove her safety. She once appeared in Woodstock, safe and sound towards Henry III in November 1237. In the same year she was again kept at Gloucester Castle under the custody of William Talbot, and the sheriff there named John Fitz Geoffrey paid for her expenses; when Fitz Geoffrey was given 100 shillings as payment, it was only for her expenses and maintenance rather than for the castle. On Easter or November 1238, she was transferred back to Bristol.
For where Eleanor was held, there are different versions. Some suggest that she was confined at a single place without any transfer. For example, A Child's History of England
by Charles Dickens
only mentioned her twice: John had already shut her up in a convent at Bristol when Arthur was murdered, and when John died she was still arrested there while "forgotten" by barons, implying that she spent her whole confinement in the convent. Other sources say that she was imprisoned at a certain castle, some say Corfe Castle, and others say Bristol Castle, for all the 39 years.
, then reburied at Amesbury
Abbey. She also donated her body there. It was also said that she died at Corfe Castle
.
The Chronicle of Lanercost claims that the remorseful Henry III had given a gold crown to Eleanor to legitimize himself and his descendants shortly before her death, and only three days later the crown was donated to young Prince Edward (the future Edward I of England
) as a gift. Another version says that she only wore the crown for one day before returning it.
Upon her death, the Annales Londonienses recorded the event, referring her to: "Alienora quondam comitis Britanniæ filia, in custodia diuturni carceris strictissime reservata" (in English: Eleanor, the daughter of the late Count of Brittany, long established in the custody of the strictest prison reserved), and approved that she was the rightful heir to England, although some years after her death Henry III was still unwilling to admit that he was initially not the hereditary king of England. The Annals of Tewkesbury record the death "IV Id Aug" in 1241 of "Alienora de Britannia consanguinea domini regis Henrici Angliæ" (in English: Eleanor of Brittany
a blood relative of the lord King Henry of England). The Chronicle of Lanercost recorded Eleanor as being a most beautiful and courageous woman, who was also determined and tactful. The limited sources about her character also agree with the assessment and proved that she never resigned to her fate, even decades of confinement could not force her to relinquish her rights although depended on little hope. The bailiffs there were commanded to provide tapers and alms for her obsequies. In 1268, Henry III gave the manor of Melksham
, Wiltshere, a place that Eleanor had been fond of, to Amesbury for the souls of Eleanor and Arthur. Thus Eleanor became a benefactress to the abbey.
Eleanor sometimes appears in historical fiction. In Thomas Costain's novel Below the Salt, the author has Eleanor escape, marry a knight with land in Ireland
, and raise a family there. In the Shadow of Midnight by Marsha Canham
was also about the rescue of the princess and rightful heiress taken prisoner by King John. Both novels suggest that William the Marshal also wanted Eleanor to be liberated. Eleanor also appeared in the novel Here Be Dragons
by Sharon Kay Penman
as a beautiful captive.
Eleanor was the heroine of Rik Denton's historical novel The Shimmering Sky as a lovely, beautiful, elegant and determined princess, with the background from 1215 to 1217: treated well while a captive at Corfe, upset for the death of her brother Arthur as well as her 22 knights and her own imprisonment but also knowing what King John was capable of, she had a complicated attitude towards him, and then fell in love with a former squire. She volunteered to negotiate with the rebel barons and succeeded, earning compliments from John. Hating wars and recognizing herself as the rightful heiress to England, she tried to get the crown upon the death of John, intending to be a peaceful ruler, but her plan failed, and the crown went to Prince Henry. However, as Prince Louis of France was leading an invasion to England, Eleanor again volunteered, disguised herself as a man and managed to negotiate with French invaders, making her well regarded in England after Louis was defeated. Some English thus wanted the princess to be released. Having recognized her intelligence and influence, the protectors William the Marshall and Hubert de Burgh, while calling her as "a fine young woman indeed", also feared that she would be a threat to the throne in the future for her previous trial to take the throne, so they decided to keep her confined at Bristol.
Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany
Geoffrey II, Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond was Duke of Brittany between 1181 and 1186, through his marriage with the heiress Constance. Geoffrey was the fourth son of King Henry II of England and Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine.-Family:He was a younger maternal half-brother of Marie de...
and Constance, Duchess of Brittany
Constance, Duchess of Brittany
Constance of Penthièvre was hereditary Duchess of Brittany between 1171 and 1196...
. As the rightful heiress to vast lands including England, Anjou, and Aquitaine since 1203 and thus a potential threat to the throne of her uncle John of England
John of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
and cousin Henry III of England
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
, she was imprisoned from 1202 and thus became the longest imprisoned member of an English royal family, which also led to her succession failure to Duchy of Brittany. Like Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda , also known as Matilda of England or Maude, was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood...
and later Elizabeth of York
Elizabeth of York
Elizabeth of York was Queen consort of England as spouse of King Henry VII from 1486 until 1503, and mother of King Henry VIII of England....
, her claim to the English throne gained little (if any) support from barons, due to the incompletion of English succession law when female rights were somehow ignored. Some commented that her imprisonment was "the most unjustifiable act of King John". Her long imprisonment was mysterious. Though apparently innocent and never tried, sentenced or locked in a cell, and lived a relatively comfortable life according to some reports, she was viewed as a "state prisoner", forbidden to marry and guarded closely even after her child-bearing years, and finally ended up in prison.
Childhood
Eleanor, closely resembling her father, with dark and golden hair, flashing dark blue eyes and a proudly arched nose, became fatherless at the age of two and was brought up by her uncle Richard I and grandmother Eleanor of AquitaineEleanor of Aquitaine
Eleanor of Aquitaine was one of the wealthiest and most powerful women in Western Europe during the High Middle Ages. As well as being Duchess of Aquitaine in her own right, she was queen consort of France and of England...
. However, it also meant that she was under Angevin custody, and thus even her mother, Constance, never considered her a potential heir to Brittany, which weakened her later claim to the duchy. As her younger brother Arthur was the heir presumptive to England, she was one of the most sought after princesses at that time. In 1190, when Richard failed to marry his younger sister Joan
Joan of England, Queen of Sicily
Joan of England was the seventh child of Henry II of England and his queen consort, Eleanor of Aquitaine.Joan was a younger maternal half-sister of Marie de Champagne and Alix of France...
to Saphadin, brother of Saracen
Saracen
Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs. In Europe during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and then all who professed the religion of Islam...
leader Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
, he proposed that Eleanor should be the bride instead, but the negotiation was also in vain, as Saphadin showed no interest in Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. In 1193, she was engaged to Frederick son of Leopold V, Duke of Austria
Leopold V, Duke of Austria
Leopold V , the Virtuous, was a Babenberg duke of Austria from 1177 and of Styria from 1192 until his death...
as part of the conditions to release of Richard who had been taken prisoner by the Emperor. However, when she was still on the way there with Baldwin of Bethune
Baldwin of Bethune
Baldwin of Bethune or Baldwin de Béthune , a knight from the House of Bethune in Artois and a crusader, was close companion to successive English kings and on marriage to Hawise of Aumale became Count of Aumale with extensive estates in England.-Origins:Baldwin was the third son of Robert V of...
the next year, the duke died, so the marriage never took place, and under order of the Pope she returned, accompanied by her grandmother Queen Eleanor. In summer 1195, a marriage between her and Louis
Louis VIII of France
Louis VIII the Lion reigned as King of France from 1223 to 1226. He was a member of the House of Capet. Louis VIII was born in Paris, France, the son of Philip II Augustus and Isabelle of Hainaut. He was also Count of Artois, inheriting the county from his mother, from 1190–1226...
son of Philip II of France
Philip II of France
Philip II Augustus was the King of France from 1180 until his death. A member of the House of Capet, Philip Augustus was born at Gonesse in the Val-d'Oise, the son of Louis VII and his third wife, Adela of Champagne...
was suggested for an alliance between Richard and Philip, but also failed. It is said that the Emperor opposed the marriage; and the failure was also a sign that Richard would replace Arthur with his only living brother, John. This soon led to a sudden deterioration between Richard and both Philip and Brittany. In 1199 some thought Eleanor should be married to Odo Duke of Burgundy, but Philip ordered Odo not marry any female relatives of Richard.
Capture
Upon the death of Richard I, a power struggle commenced between 12-year-old Arthur and King John of EnglandJohn of England
John , also known as John Lackland , was King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death...
. Between 1199 and 1200 Eleanor was likely to have appeared in England, probably already captured by John rather than at the Battle of Mirebeau
Battle of Mirebeau
The Battle of Mirebeau was a three-sided battle between the House of Lusignan-Breton alliance, the Kingdom of England, and the Kingdom of France...
along with Arthur and his knights. It was also said that Arthur had complained that John confined his sister before the battle, and when John declared his victory he never mentioned that he captured Eleanor.
Under John
Arthur disappeared mysteriously in 1203. However, as Eleanor was still a potential heiress to John, currently with no legitimate issue, at least preferable to later claimants to the throne such as Prince Louis of France, it was unlikely that John had already decided to confine his niece for life.On December 6 in the same year, John fled Normandy taking Eleanor as his captive. It was said that she was initially taken to North of England and then Bristol, guarded by 4 knights. In spring 1204, Philip II of France demanded that Eleanor be released in order to marry his younger son. In this year it was certain that she was imprisoned at Corfe Castle
Corfe Castle
Corfe Castle is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset. It is the site of a ruined castle of the same name. The village and castle stand over a gap in the Purbeck Hills on the route between Wareham and Swanage. The village lies in the gap below the castle, and is some eight...
, guarded by Stephen de Turnham, along with 25 French knights loyal to her. After an attempt to escape, 22 of them were recaptured and starved. Eleanor lived in the Gloriet Tower added to Corfe at John's time, had meals in the Long Hall and was allowed to walk along the walls. As well, she was allowed to have 3 maids, and was provided fabric for clothes and bedding, and pocket money as much as 5 mark per quarter. She also got a saddle with gilded reins and scarlet ornaments from John, which implied that she might be a horsewoman, and that she could not always be confined in her room. John also sent her figs and almonds, so these might be of her favor. A shopping list for Eleanor in captivity was recorded and it suggested the aristocratic diet at that time. Initially John organized local barons to visit Eleanor in order to prove her well-being. In 1206, John entrusted her to Robert de Vieuxpont
Robert de Vieuxpont
Robert de Vieuxpont or Robert de Veteriponte was an Anglo-Norman landowner and administrator in the north of England.He was born the younger son of William de Vieuxpont and his wife Maud de Morville....
. In 1208 the British bishops demanded the same as Philip II, when the death of Arthur became known to the public. In the same year, bishops of Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
, Vannes
Vannes
Vannes is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2000 years ago.-Geography:Vannes is located on the Gulf of Morbihan at the mouth of two rivers, the Marle and the Vincin. It is around 100 km northwest of Nantes and 450 km south west...
and Cornouaille
Cornouaille
Cornouaille is a historic region in Brittany, in northwest France. The name is identical to the French name for the Duchy of Cornwall, since the area was settled by migrant princes from Cornwall...
openly attempted to liberate Eleanor, only to be frustrated by John, and many of her supporters were punished. Eleanor was forced to entrust Brittany and Richmond to John, who referred her as his "dearest niece" while communicating with Bretons. As the eldest daughter of Constance, Eleanor should have been recognized as Duchess of Brittany
Duke of Brittany
The Duchy of Brittany was a medieval tribal and feudal state covering the northwestern peninsula of Europe,bordered by the Alantic Ocean on the west and the English Channel to the north with less definitive borders of the Loire River to the south and Normandy to the east...
after the death of her brother Arthur. But instead, the Breton barons (fearing King John's claims to rule Brittany in representation of Eleanor's rights or married her to a vassal loyal to England) made her younger half-sister Alix duchess instead. However, it was said Eleanor succeeded Arthur in Richmond and was thus styled 5th Countess of Richmond, and the Bretons, ignorant of her whereabouts, were always ready in case she was found. In fact John permitted her to use the titles of Brittany and Richmond, and he even talked with Breton nobles about letting her go. He had Eleanor write a letter to Breton barons and churchmen, depicting herself in captivity, expressing her hope of being liberated, and asking them to arrive in England to negotiate with her release. This letter was the only surviving document by Eleanor. In May, she was kept at Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
.
In 1209, William I of Scotland
William I of Scotland
William the Lion , sometimes styled William I, also known by the nickname Garbh, "the Rough", reigned as King of the Scots from 1165 to 1214...
sent his daughters Margaret and Isobel to John as hostages, and they were also imprisoned at Corfe Castle along with Eleanor. In June 1213, John sent green robes, lambskin-trimmed cloaks, and summer slippers to the captive princesses. They were sometimes allowed to ride out under the strictest guard. For Eleanor herself, she got robes of dark green with capes of cambric and hats trimmed with miniver.
In 1213, John took Eleanor to blackmail Pierre I of Brittany husband and co-ruler of Alix and tempted him with Richmond, but Pierre kept loyal to France, even after the capture of his elder brother Robert
Robert III of Dreux
Robert III of Dreux , Count of Dreux and Braine, was the son of Robert II, Count of Dreux, and Yolanda de Coucy. He was given the byname Gasteblé Robert III of Dreux (1185–1234), Count of Dreux and Braine, was the son of Robert II, Count of Dreux, and Yolanda de Coucy. He was given the byname...
by John at Nantes. In the same year John declared England as a papal fief, and Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
thus claimed himself guardian of Eleanor. After reaching an agreement with John, the Pope would not accuse John of neither the death of Arthur nor the imprisonment of Eleanor. In February 1214, John campaigned in Aquitaine and Poitou with Eleanor, as well as his queen and Prince Richard, against Alix, hoping to get Breton support and establish Eleanor as his puppet duchess, but only to be defeated at de La Roche-aux-Moines. In July, John withdrew to England, with the princess still in hand. In the same year John again talked with Breton nobles about the rights and freedom of Eleanor, but after this expedition John became convinced that he could get nothing from her claim, so he also recognized Alix as duchess of Brittany and never supported Eleanor even in name, and neither did later Henry III.
The tensions between John and barons finally began to spill over into war
First Barons' War
The First Barons' War was a civil war in the Kingdom of England, between a group of rebellious barons—led by Robert Fitzwalter and supported by a French army under the future Louis VIII of France—and King John of England...
in 1215, and Prince Louis of France led an invasion to England and claimed English throne, as his consort Blanche was a maternal granddaughter of Henry II, whilst the Pope argued Eleanor had a better claim than his.When the Magna Carta
Magna Carta
Magna Carta is an English charter, originally issued in the year 1215 and reissued later in the 13th century in modified versions, which included the most direct challenges to the monarch's authority to date. The charter first passed into law in 1225...
was issued that year, it was demanded that all hostages held by John including Scottish princesses and Welsh be released, however, it had nothing to do with Eleanor, a proof that the rights of the females was somehow overlooked. At least, it seemed that in spite of their resentment to John, even the rebel barons seldom recognized the claims of the captive princess.
John had considered to marry Eleanor to a loyal subordinate, but he never did; there were rumors that the princess was starved to death by orders of King John, but that was impossible as John predeceased her as long as 25 years.
Under Henry III
John died towards the end of the civil conflict in 1216; although according to the laws of primogeniturePrimogeniture
Primogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...
the claim of Eleanor was better, English barons allowed King John's young son, Henry
Henry III of England
Henry III was the son and successor of John as King of England, reigning for 56 years from 1216 until his death. His contemporaries knew him as Henry of Winchester. He was the first child king in England since the reign of Æthelred the Unready...
, to succeed, leaving the 32-year-old princess, now beautiful and defiant, still in prison and guarded by Peter de Maulay.
As her claim to England and Aquitaine was a threat to the reign of both John and the later Henry III, before his death John believed that Eleanor should never be released, which would be agreed by Henry III and his regents. Thus, albeit never a rallying point for English discontent during the early part of Henry III's reign, Eleanor was still put under semi-captivity, or "under a gentle house arrest". Her survival was ensured according to the treaty between England and France. In 1219, her earldom of Richmond was given to Pierre I of Brittany after the recognition of William Marshal the regent of Henry, and it would never be returned even after Pierre renounced it in 1235. Henry III styled Eleanor, now with no title left, as "king's kinswoman", or "our cousin".
In 1221, it was said that some people, maybe foreigners, planned to rescue Eleanor and deliver her to the King of France. In 1225, Peter de Maulay was accused of planning with the king of France to get a ship to spirit the princess away, and he subsequently fell out of favor. In fact the allegation might be false, only to discredit Peter and Peter des Roches
Peter des Roches
Peter des Roches was bishop of Winchester in the reigns of King John of England and his son Henry III. Roches was not an Englishman, but a Poitevin.-Life:...
, who also fell out of favor in spring 1234. No matter whether the plot occurred or not, Eleanor was soon moved away from the coast. From June 13, 1222, she was transferred between Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
(July 31, 1222 to July 20, 1223), Marlborough (August 20 to October 9, 1223 and January 1224) and Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
(before Michaelmas
Michaelmas
Michaelmas, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel is a day in the Western Christian calendar which occurs on 29 September...
1224), finally settled at Bristol from June 1224 for a time. Among them, Gloucester Castle temporarily moved all its original prisoners otherwhere to accommodate the princess.
Imprisoned and closely watched by Henry III, Eleanor lived and was treated as a royal princess, and it was recorded that she received generous gifts from the royal family.Henry III himself once sent her 50 yards of linen cloth, three wimples, 50 pounds of almonds and raisins respectively and a basket of figs; he offered her another saddle; he once asked the mayor and bailiff to increase her household there. The governor there exhibited her to the public annually, in case there might be rumors that the royal captive had been injured. The fact might suggest that English people were sympathetic to her. Sometimes local mayor, bailiffs, responsible civilians and certain noblewomen were permitted to visit her to prove her safety. She once appeared in Woodstock, safe and sound towards Henry III in November 1237. In the same year she was again kept at Gloucester Castle under the custody of William Talbot, and the sheriff there named John Fitz Geoffrey paid for her expenses; when Fitz Geoffrey was given 100 shillings as payment, it was only for her expenses and maintenance rather than for the castle. On Easter or November 1238, she was transferred back to Bristol.
For where Eleanor was held, there are different versions. Some suggest that she was confined at a single place without any transfer. For example, A Child's History of England
A Child's History of England
A Child's History of England is a book by Charles Dickens. It first appeared in serial form in Household Words, running from January 25, 1851 to December 10, 1853. Dickens also published the work in book form in three volumes: the first volume on December 20, 1851; the second, December 25, 1852;...
by Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
only mentioned her twice: John had already shut her up in a convent at Bristol when Arthur was murdered, and when John died she was still arrested there while "forgotten" by barons, implying that she spent her whole confinement in the convent. Other sources say that she was imprisoned at a certain castle, some say Corfe Castle, and others say Bristol Castle, for all the 39 years.
Death and legacy
Finally the captive princess died testate as a nun in 1241 at Bristol Castle at the age of 57 and initially buried at St. James' ChurchSt James' Priory, Bristol
The Priory Church of St James, Bristol is a Grade I listed building in Horsefair, Whitson Street.It was founded in 1129 as a Benedictine priory by Robert, Earl of Gloucester, the illegitimate son of Henry I. The nave survives from 1129 but the tower was added around 1374. The south aisle was...
, then reburied at Amesbury
Amesbury
Amesbury is a town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It is most famous for the prehistoric monument of Stonehenge which is in its parish, and for the discovery of the Amesbury Archer—dubbed the King of Stonehenge in the press—in 2002...
Abbey. She also donated her body there. It was also said that she died at Corfe Castle
Corfe Castle
Corfe Castle is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset. It is the site of a ruined castle of the same name. The village and castle stand over a gap in the Purbeck Hills on the route between Wareham and Swanage. The village lies in the gap below the castle, and is some eight...
.
The Chronicle of Lanercost claims that the remorseful Henry III had given a gold crown to Eleanor to legitimize himself and his descendants shortly before her death, and only three days later the crown was donated to young Prince Edward (the future Edward I of England
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
) as a gift. Another version says that she only wore the crown for one day before returning it.
Upon her death, the Annales Londonienses recorded the event, referring her to: "Alienora quondam comitis Britanniæ filia, in custodia diuturni carceris strictissime reservata" (in English: Eleanor, the daughter of the late Count of Brittany, long established in the custody of the strictest prison reserved), and approved that she was the rightful heir to England, although some years after her death Henry III was still unwilling to admit that he was initially not the hereditary king of England. The Annals of Tewkesbury record the death "IV Id Aug" in 1241 of "Alienora de Britannia consanguinea domini regis Henrici Angliæ" (in English: Eleanor of Brittany
a blood relative of the lord King Henry of England). The Chronicle of Lanercost recorded Eleanor as being a most beautiful and courageous woman, who was also determined and tactful. The limited sources about her character also agree with the assessment and proved that she never resigned to her fate, even decades of confinement could not force her to relinquish her rights although depended on little hope. The bailiffs there were commanded to provide tapers and alms for her obsequies. In 1268, Henry III gave the manor of Melksham
Melksham
Melksham is a medium-sized English town, lying on the River Avon. It lies in the county of Wiltshire.It is situated southeast of the city of Bath, south of Chippenham, west of Devizes and north of Warminster on the A350 national route. The 2001 UK census cited Melksham as having 20,000...
, Wiltshere, a place that Eleanor had been fond of, to Amesbury for the souls of Eleanor and Arthur. Thus Eleanor became a benefactress to the abbey.
Eleanor sometimes appears in historical fiction. In Thomas Costain's novel Below the Salt, the author has Eleanor escape, marry a knight with land in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, and raise a family there. In the Shadow of Midnight by Marsha Canham
Marsha Canham
Marsha Canham is a Canadian writer of historical, romance novels since 1984. She has won two Romantic Times Lifetime Achievement Awards.-Biography:Marsha Canham resides in Toronto...
was also about the rescue of the princess and rightful heiress taken prisoner by King John. Both novels suggest that William the Marshal also wanted Eleanor to be liberated. Eleanor also appeared in the novel Here Be Dragons
Here Be Dragons
Here Be Dragons is a historical novel written by Sharon Kay Penman published in 1985. The novel is the first in a trilogy known as the Welsh Princes series set in medieval England, Wales and France that feature the Plantagenet kings...
by Sharon Kay Penman
Sharon Kay Penman
Sharon Kay Penman is an American historical novelist, published in the UK as Sharon Penman. She is best known for the Welsh Princes trilogy and the Plantagenet series. In addition, she has written four medieval mysteries, the first of which, The Queen's Man, was a finalist in 1996 for the Best...
as a beautiful captive.
Eleanor was the heroine of Rik Denton's historical novel The Shimmering Sky as a lovely, beautiful, elegant and determined princess, with the background from 1215 to 1217: treated well while a captive at Corfe, upset for the death of her brother Arthur as well as her 22 knights and her own imprisonment but also knowing what King John was capable of, she had a complicated attitude towards him, and then fell in love with a former squire. She volunteered to negotiate with the rebel barons and succeeded, earning compliments from John. Hating wars and recognizing herself as the rightful heiress to England, she tried to get the crown upon the death of John, intending to be a peaceful ruler, but her plan failed, and the crown went to Prince Henry. However, as Prince Louis of France was leading an invasion to England, Eleanor again volunteered, disguised herself as a man and managed to negotiate with French invaders, making her well regarded in England after Louis was defeated. Some English thus wanted the princess to be released. Having recognized her intelligence and influence, the protectors William the Marshall and Hubert de Burgh, while calling her as "a fine young woman indeed", also feared that she would be a threat to the throne in the future for her previous trial to take the throne, so they decided to keep her confined at Bristol.