Constance of Penthièvre (1140 – after 1184) was a Breton princess, daughter of
Alan of Penthièvre, 1st
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 ca ...
, and
Bertha of Cornouaille,
''suo jure'' Duchess of Brittany.
Life
Constance was the daughter of
Bertha, daughter of
Conan III, Duke of Brittany and
Matilda FitzRoy, and of
Alan the Black,
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 ca ...
, younger son of
Stephen of Penthièvre and Havoise of Guingamp. She was the sister of Duke
Conan IV of Brittany
Conan IV ( 1138 – February 20, 1171), called the Young, was the Duke of Brittany from 1156 to 1166. He was the son of Bertha, Duchess of Brittany, and her first husband, Alan, Earl of Richmond. Conan IV was his father's heir as Earl of Richm ...
and Enoguen, Abbess of Saint-Sulpice.
On 15 September 1146, her father died and two years later her mother married
Odo II, Viscount of Porhoët Odo II, Count of Porhoet (died after 1180) was the son of Geoffroy, Viscount de Porhoët, and his wife Hawise (possibly Fergant). He became Duke of Brittany in 1148, jure uxoris, upon his marriage to Bertha, Duchess of Brittany.
On Bertha's death ...
, who became regent of Brittany during Conan IV's minority.
Marriages
In 1160, after the marriage of her brother
Conan IV
Conan IV ( 1138 – February 20, 1171), called the Young, was the Duke of Brittany from 1156 to 1166. He was the son of Bertha, Duchess of Brittany, and her first husband, Alan, Earl of Richmond. Conan IV was his father's heir as Earl of Richmon ...
with
Margaret of Huntingdon, the sister of the Scots king
Malcolm IV, a marriage between Malcolm and Constance was considered. Constance refused, hoping to wed
King Louis VII, whose wife
Constance of Castile had just died. However, Louis VII decided to marry
Adèle of Champagne
Adela of Champagne (french: Adèle; c. 1140 – 4 June 1206), also known as Adelaide, Alix and Adela of Blois, was Queen of France as the third wife of Louis VII. She was regent of France from 1190 to 1191 while her son Philip II participate ...
instead.
Constance married firstly
William FitzEmpress, a.k.a. “Tournemine”, third son of
Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou and
Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda ( 7 February 110210 September 1167), also known as the Empress Maude, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter of King Henry I of England, she moved to Germany as ...
, and younger brother of King
Henry II of England
Henry II (5 March 1133 – 6 July 1189), also known as Henry Curtmantle (french: link=no, Court-manteau), Henry FitzEmpress, or Henry Plantagenet, was King of England from 1154 until his death in 1189, and as such, was the first Angevin kin ...
and
Geoffrey, Count of Nantes. William was the founder of the
House of Tournemine. However, there is no evidence for this marriage, and no evidence of William Tournemine's exact identity either
[Anatole de Barthélemy, ''Généalogies historiques. IV. Maison de Tournemine'', in ''Revue nobiliaire, héraldique et biographique'', published by M. Bonneterre de St-Denis, 1872, Paris, pp 1-10.] If this marriage did take place, it must have been celebrated after Louis VII married Adèle of Champagne on 13 November 1160.
Constance married secondly
Alan III,
Viscount of Rohan, and founded the
Abbaye Notre-Dame de Bon-Repos
An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns.
The c ...
with him on 23 June 1184. She probably died soon after and her husband remarried.
Issue
If Constance did marry William of Tournemine, she was the mother of:
* Oliver I of Tournemine († before 1205), who married Edie (or Eline) of Penthièvre, daughter of
Rivallo Rivallo ('' Welsh:'' Rhiwallon) was a legendary king of the Britons as accounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He was the son of King Cunedagius and was noted as a young king who reigned with moderation. Geoffrey describes him as a "peaceful and fortuna ...
,
Count of Penthièvre
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New Yor ...
and sister of
Geoffrey III of Penthièvre. They had three sons and two daughters:
** Oliver II of Tournemine († c. 1232), Lord of La Hunaudaye;
** Geoffrey I of Tournemine;
** Peter of Tournemine;
** Margilia of Tournemine;
** Sybilla of Tournemine.
* Geoffrey of Tournemine.
With
Alan III,
Viscount of Rohan, she had:
*
Alan IV
* William;
* Josselin, who married Matilda of Montfort, daughter of William II of Montfort
* Margaret, who married
Harvey I,
Lord of Léon
* Alix;
* Constance, who married Odo of Pontchâteau
Notes
References
Sources
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Constance of Penthièvre
12th-century births
12th-century Breton women
12th-century Breton people
House of Rohan
Daughters of British earls
Year of death unknown