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Marguerite of France (born 1158)
Encyclopedia
Margaret of France was the eldest daughter of Louis VII of France
by his second wife Constance of Castile.
Margaret was a younger half-sister to Marie of France, Countess of Champagne, and Alix of France, Countess of Blois. Her older half-sisters were also older half-sisters of her future husband.
of England
on 2 November 1160. Henry was the second of five sons born to King Henry II of England
and Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine. He was five years old at the time of this agreement while Margaret was only two. Margaret's dowry
was the vital and much disputed territory of Vexin.
Her husband became co-ruler with his father in 1170. For unknown reasons, Margaret was not crowned along with her husband on 14 July 1170, an omission that greatly angered her father. In order to please the French King, Henry II had his son and Margaret crowned together in Winchester Cathedral
on 27 August 1172. Margaret became pregnant and gave birth to their only son William on 19 June 1177. The child was born prematurely and died on 22 June of the same year.
She was accused in 1182 of having a love affair with William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke
, although contemporary chroniclers doubted the truth of these accusations. Henry may have started the process to have their marriage annulled, ostensibly due to her adultery but in reality because she could not conceive an heir. Margaret was sent back to France, according to E. Hallam (The Plantagenets) and Amy Kelly (Eleonore of Aquitaine and the Four Kings), to ensure her safety during the civil war with Young Henry's brother Richard
. Her husband died in 1183 while on campaign in the Dordogne region of France.
in 1186. The difficult delivery of her only known child in 1177 seems to have rendered her sterile, as she had no further children by either Young Henry or Béla.
ed for a second time in 1196 and died on pilgrimage to the Holy Land
at St John of Acre in 1197, having only arrived a few days prior to her death. She was buried at the Cathedral of Tyre, according to Ernoul
, the chronicler who continued the chronicles of William of Tyre
.
(as a teenager) in the 1978 BBC TV drama series The Devil's Crown
, which dramatised the reigns of Henry II, Richard I and John.
Louis VII of France
Louis VII was King of France, the son and successor of Louis VI . He ruled from 1137 until his death. He was a member of the House of Capet. His reign was dominated by feudal struggles , and saw the beginning of the long rivalry between France and England...
by his second wife Constance of Castile.
Margaret was a younger half-sister to Marie of France, Countess of Champagne, and Alix of France, Countess of Blois. Her older half-sisters were also older half-sisters of her future husband.
First marriage
She was married to Henry the Young KingHenry the Young King
Henry, known as the Young King was the second of five sons of King Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine but the first to survive infancy. He was officially King of England; Duke of Normandy, Count of Anjou and Maine.-Early life:Little is known of the young prince Henry before the events...
of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 2 November 1160. Henry was the second of five sons born to King Henry II of England
Henry II of England
Henry II ruled as King of England , Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Count of Nantes, Lord of Ireland and, at various times, controlled parts of Wales, Scotland and western France. Henry, the great-grandson of William the Conqueror, was the...
and Eleanor, Duchess of Aquitaine. He was five years old at the time of this agreement while Margaret was only two. Margaret's dowry
Dowry
A dowry is the money, goods, or estate that a woman brings forth to the marriage. It contrasts with bride price, which is paid to the bride's parents, and dower, which is property settled on the bride herself by the groom at the time of marriage. The same culture may simultaneously practice both...
was the vital and much disputed territory of Vexin.
Her husband became co-ruler with his father in 1170. For unknown reasons, Margaret was not crowned along with her husband on 14 July 1170, an omission that greatly angered her father. In order to please the French King, Henry II had his son and Margaret crowned together in Winchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral
Winchester Cathedral at Winchester in Hampshire is one of the largest cathedrals in England, with the longest nave and overall length of any Gothic cathedral in Europe...
on 27 August 1172. Margaret became pregnant and gave birth to their only son William on 19 June 1177. The child was born prematurely and died on 22 June of the same year.
She was accused in 1182 of having a love affair with William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke
William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke
Sir William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke , also called William the Marshal , was an Anglo-Norman soldier and statesman. He was described as the "greatest knight that ever lived" by Stephen Langton...
, although contemporary chroniclers doubted the truth of these accusations. Henry may have started the process to have their marriage annulled, ostensibly due to her adultery but in reality because she could not conceive an heir. Margaret was sent back to France, according to E. Hallam (The Plantagenets) and Amy Kelly (Eleonore of Aquitaine and the Four Kings), to ensure her safety during the civil war with Young Henry's brother Richard
Richard I of England
Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...
. Her husband died in 1183 while on campaign in the Dordogne region of France.
Second marriage
After receiving a substantial pension in exchange for surrendering her dowry of Gisors and the Vexin, she became the second queen consort of Béla III of HungaryBéla III of Hungary
Béla III was King of Hungary and Croatia . He was educated in the court of the Byzantine Emperor Manuel I who was planning to ensure his succession in the Byzantine Empire till the birth of his own son...
in 1186. The difficult delivery of her only known child in 1177 seems to have rendered her sterile, as she had no further children by either Young Henry or Béla.
Later life
She was widowWidow
A widow is a woman whose spouse has died, while a widower is a man whose spouse has died. The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed widowhood or occasionally viduity. The adjective form is widowed...
ed for a second time in 1196 and died on pilgrimage to the Holy Land
Holy Land
The Holy Land is a term which in Judaism refers to the Kingdom of Israel as defined in the Tanakh. For Jews, the Land's identifiction of being Holy is defined in Judaism by its differentiation from other lands by virtue of the practice of Judaism often possible only in the Land of Israel...
at St John of Acre in 1197, having only arrived a few days prior to her death. She was buried at the Cathedral of Tyre, according to Ernoul
Ernoul
Ernoul is the name generally given to the author of a chronicle of the late 12th century dealing with the fall of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem.-Biography:Ernoul himself is mentioned only once in history, and only in his own chronicle...
, the chronicler who continued the chronicles of William of Tyre
William of Tyre
William of Tyre was a medieval prelate and chronicler. As archbishop of Tyre, he is sometimes known as William II to distinguish him from a predecessor, William of Malines...
.
Fictional portrayal
Margaret was portrayed by Lucy Durham-Matthews (as a young girl) and Tracey ChildsTracey Childs
Tracey Childs is an English actress, best known for playing Lynne Howard in the 1980s drama series Howards' Way. More recently, she has appeared in Born and Bred as Linda Cosgrove and as Patty Cornwell in Hollyoaks....
(as a teenager) in the 1978 BBC TV drama series The Devil's Crown
The Devil's Crown
The Devil's Crown was a BBC television series which dramatised the reigns of three medieval Kings of England: Henry II and his sons Richard I and John....
, which dramatised the reigns of Henry II, Richard I and John.