A royal consort is the spouse of a ruling

monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...

. Consorts of

monarchs A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power in ...

in the

Duchy of Brittany The Duchy of Brittany ( br, Dugelezh Breizh, ; french: Duché de Bretagne) was a medieval feudal state that existed between approximately 939 and 1547. Its territory covered the northwestern peninsula of Europe, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

and its predecessor states had no constitutional status or power, but many had significant influence over their spouse. Listed are the wives of the Dukes of Brittany (some of whom claimed the title of King of Brittany) who were styled Duchesses of Brittany. Although there were six

suo jure ''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...

Duchesses of Brittany, the husbands of those duchesses were

jure uxoris ''Jure uxoris'' (a Latin phrase meaning "by right of (his) wife"), citing . describes a title of nobility used by a man because his wife holds the office or title ''suo jure'' ("in her own right"). Similarly, the husband of an heiress could becom ...

dukes and not consorts. Brittany is no longer a duchy and the title is currently not being used by the defunct Royal Family of France, so the position of Duchess of Brittany is vacant. Little is known about the duchesses whose husbands reigned prior to the year 900 besides their names. Not all wives of the monarchs became consorts, as they may have died, been divorced, or had their marriage declared invalid prior to their husband's accession to the throne, or married him after his abdication. Such cases include * Beatrice of England, the second daughter of

Henry III, King of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry ass ...

; only wife of

John II John II may refer to: People * John Cicero, Elector of Brandenburg (1455–1499) * John II Casimir Vasa of Poland (1609–1672) * John II Comyn, Lord of Badenoch (died 1302) * John II Doukas of Thessaly (1303–1318) * John II Komnenos (1087–1 ...

(as the

Earl of Richmond The now-extinct title of Earl of Richmond was created many times in the Peerage of England. The earldom of Richmond was initially held by various Breton nobles; sometimes the holder was the Breton duke himself, including one member of the cad ...

), married 22 January 1260, died 24 March 1275. * Marie, Viscountess of Limoges, the second daughter of Guy VI, Viscount of Limoges; first wife of Arthur II (as heir to the

duchy of Brittany The Duchy of Brittany ( br, Dugelezh Breizh, ; french: Duché de Bretagne) was a medieval feudal state that existed between approximately 939 and 1547. Its territory covered the northwestern peninsula of Europe, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

), married 1275, died 1291. * Isabelle of Valois, the eldest daughter of Charles I, Count of Valois; first wife of John III (as heir to the

), married 1297, died 1309. * Yolande of Anjou, the youngest daughter of Louis II of Anjou, King of Naples; first wife of

Francis I Francis I or Francis the First may refer to: * Francesco I Gonzaga (1366–1407) * Francis I, Duke of Brittany (1414–1450), reigned 1442–1450 * Francis I of France (1494–1547), King of France, reigned 1515–1547 * Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lau ...

(as heir to the

), married 1431, died 1440. * Margaret of Burgundy, the third daughter of

John the Fearless John I (french: Jean sans Peur; nl, Jan zonder Vrees; 28 May 137110 September 1419) was a scion of the French royal family who ruled the Burgundian State from 1404 until his death in 1419. He played a key role in French national affairs during ...

Duke of Burgundy Duke of Burgundy (french: duc de Bourgogne) was a title used by the rulers of the Duchy of Burgundy, from its establishment in 843 to its annexation by France in 1477, and later by Holy Roman Emperors and Kings of Spain from the House of Habsburg ...

; first wife of Arthur III (as Lord of Parthenay and Duke of Touraine (later Constable of France)), married 10 October 1423, died 2 February 1441. * Jeanne d'Albret, the daughter of Charles II, Count of Dreux; second wife of Arthur III (as Lord of Parthenay and Constable of France), married 29 August 1442, died 1444.

Queen and Duchess of Brittany

Early duchesses and queens

The succession was interrupted by the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

occupation (907–937)

House of Nantes

House of Rennes

House of Cornouaille

House of Penthièvre

House of Dreux

House of Montfort

Notes

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Breton Consorts

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

Brittany, consorts

Consorts __NOTOC__ Consort may refer to: Music * "The Consort" (Rufus Wainwright song), from the 2000 album ''Poses'' * Consort of instruments, term for instrumental ensembles * Consort song (musical), a characteristic English song form, late 16th–earl ...

Brittany, consorts Brittany, List of royal consorts of Lists of French women