Constance of Brittany

Constance of Penthièvre (Breton: Konstanza Penture, or Konstanza Breizh) (c. 1161 – c. 5 September 1201) was hereditary duchess of Brittany between 1166 and 1201, and hereditary countess of Richmond between 1171 and 1201. Constance was the daughter of Conan IV, Duke of Brittany and Earl of Richmond, and his wife Margaret of Huntingdon, Countess of Herford, sister of Kings Malcolm IV and William I of Scotland.

Reign

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 help to quell the rebellions. In 1166, as part of his agreement with Henry II, in exchange for the king's help, Conan IV had promised his daughter and only heir, to marry Godfrey Plantagenet, the fourth legitimate son of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine., and abdicated in his favor. Henry II took the girl into his custody, and administered Brittany until his son Godfrey was old enough to rule the duchy.

In 1181, at the age of twenty, Constance was forced to marry Godfrey Plantagenet. In 1186, Godfrey was trampled to death in a riding accident during a tournament in Paris. Constance thereafter became the titular ruler of Brittany, although she had to endure English interference in Brittany.

However, on 3 February 1188 or 1189, Henry II of England arranged for Constance to marry Ranulf of Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester, one of the most powerful earls in England. In 1191 King Richard I of England officially proclaimed his nephew, Arthur of Brittany, Constance's son, 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. Constance's marriage to Ranulf deteriorated, when Ranulf imprisoned Constance in the same year. With Constance imprisoned, several rebellions were sparked in Brittany in her name. Ranulf gave in to mounting pressure and had to release the duchess in 1198. Back in Brittany, Constance had her marriage annulled.

Later, in 1199 in Angers, Constance took Guido de Thouars as her next husband.

Between 1199 and the time of her death, while giving birth to her twin daughters, Constance advised her son towards an alliance with France, following the policy of her late husband Godfrey II.

Death

Constance died, at the age of 40, on September 5, 1201 in Nantes. She was buried at Villeneuve Abbey in Nantes.

The causes of Constanza's death are debated. Some historians believe she died of leprosy. Others believe she died from childbirth complications, shortly after giving birth to her twin daughters. However others believe that having leprosy led to a difficult birth, and ultimately to her death shortly after the twins were born. Thus, both leprosy and childbirth are the possible causes of her death.

When Richard I died in 1199, Philip II agreed to recognize Arthur as count of Anjou, Maine and Poitou, in exchange for Arthur swearing allegiance to Philip II, becoming a direct vassal of France. However, at the age of 13, Arthur was captured while besieging Mirebeau, and the following year he was transferred to Rouen, under the care of William de Braose, mysteriously disappearing in April 1203. After Constance's death, it was thought that Arthur I had perished in 1203 after a period of imprisonment by order of John I. He was succeeded by his mother's sister, the Infanta Alix de Thouars. Guido de Thouars served as regent of Brittany on behalf of his infant daughter Alix, Duchess of Brittany, from 1203 to 1206. During the conflicts with John I, Constance's eldest daughter Eleanor was captured and imprisoned in Corfe Castle in Dorset, where he remained until his death.

Family

William, brother of Constance

As a woman, Constance could not inherit the dukedom after her father's death, if there was a brother. A statutory letter from Margaret of Huntingdon, Constance's mother, seems to indicate that there was more than one descendant between Conan and her.

In addition, two charters of Constance and her son Arthur, written around 1200, make mention of a brother of Constance, William “clericus”. As a man, William should have inherited the dukedom after Conan. According to historian Judith Everard, Henry II of England forced Conan to abdicate in 1166 to prevent his son from inheriting the dukedom.

Offspring

Constanza and Godfrey had three children:

1. Leonor de Brittany (1182 or 1184 -1241)
2. Mátilda (1185-ant 1189)
3. Arthur I of Brittany (1187-1203) - Godofredo's posthumous son.

Constanza and Guido had two daughters:

1. Alix de Thouars (1200 – 1221) married Peter I of Brittany, the first ruler Breton of the House of Dreux.

1. Catherine de Thouars (1201 - 1237/1240), Dama de Vitré, married Andrew III de Vitré, worthy of mention for the reconstruction of the Castle of Vitré

According to several sources, Constanza had another daughter:

1. Margarita de Thouars (1201 - 1216/1220), married Godofredo I, Viscount of Rohan

Descriptions

In literature

Constance of Brittany appears in several literary works, including:

• The Troublesome Reign of King John (c.1589) anonymous tragedy
• King John (1593-1596) William Shakespeare tragedy
• Jean sans Terre ou la mort d’Arthur (1791) tragedy of Jean-François Ducis
• King John (1800) Richard Valpy tragedy
• The Mort d’Arthur de Bretagne (1826) poem by Alexis Fossé
• Prince of Darkness (2005), Devil’s Brood (2008), Lionheart (2011) A King’s Ransom (2014) novels by Sharon Kay Penman

Constance is also mentioned in the poem Le petit Arthur de Bretagne à la tour de Rouen (1822) by Marceline Desbordes-Valmore, the drama Arthur de Bretagne (1885) by Louis Tiercelin and the novels Le Loup blanc (1843) by Paul Féval Sr., Le Poids d'une couronne (légende bretonne) (1867-1868) by Gabrielle d 'Étampes, the second volume of the trilogy Le Château des Poulfenc (2009) by Brigitte Coppin and, with her daughters Mátilda, Alix and Catherine and her third husband Guido de Thouars in the novel Dans l 'Ombre du Passé (2020) by Léa Chaillou.

In theater and television

Constanza was represented by Julia Neilson in the silent short King John (1899), which reproduces the scene of John's death at the end of the play, Sonia Dresdel in the version of BBC Sunday Night Theater (1952), and Claire Bloom in the BBC Shakespeare version (1984). In the ITC series The Adventures of Robin Hood, she appeared in five episodes, played by Dorothy Alison (seasons 1 and 2), Pamela Alan (season 3) and Patricia Marmont (season 4). She was also played by Paula Williams (child Constanza) and Nina Francis (adult Constanza) in the BBC drama series The Devil's Crown (1978).