Alphonso or Alfonso (24 November 1273 – 19 August 1284), also called Alphonsus and Alphonse and styled

Earl of Chester The Earldom of Chester () was one of the most powerful earldoms in medieval England, extending principally over the counties of Cheshire and Flintshire. Since 1301 the title has generally been granted to heirs apparent to the English throne, ...

, was an

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

to the English throne who never became king. Alphonso was the ninth child of King

Edward I of England Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 1254 ...

and his Castilian wife

Eleanor Eleanor () is a feminine given name, originally from an Old French adaptation of the Old Provençal name ''Aliénor''. It was the name of a number of women of royalty and nobility in western Europe during the High Middle Ages">Provençal dialect ...

. He was born in

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

Gascony Gascony (; ) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part of the combined Province of Guyenne and Gascon ...

, a duchy claimed by his maternal uncle King Alphonso X of Castile until his parents' marriage in 1254. Edward and Eleanor's friendship with the King of Castile was also confirmed when they named their son in his honour, a "remarkable choice" given the name's rarity in England. Queen Eleanor even persuaded her brother to travel to Gascony and serve as godfather at the young prince's baptism. Alphonso's eldest brother, John, had died in 1271; the death of another older brother,

Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...

, in 1274, made Alphonso the couple's only son up until the last months of his life. As his parents were often required to travel, Alphonso had a household of his own. Queen Eleanor was nevertheless invested in the upbringing of her son, who even had a Spanish cook. Alphonso Psalter

At the age of ten, Alphonso was engaged to Margaret, daughter of Floris V, Count of Holland. An opulent

psalter A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the emergence of the book of hours in the Late Middle Ages, psalters were ...

was being prepared for the marriage when he fell ill and died a few months before the wedding was to take place. The king and queen greeted the death of their son with deep sadness; at the same time, the historian

Michael Prestwich Michael Charles Prestwich OBE (born 30 January 1943) is an English historian and academic, specialising on the history of medieval England, in particular the reign of Edward I. He is retired, having been Professor of Medieval History at Durham ...

noted that in memory of the king's nephew, Henry of Brittany, who died a month later, Edward and Eleanor ordered more masses than in memory of their son. The Alphonso Psalter, now in the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom. Based in London, it is one of the largest libraries in the world, with an estimated collection of between 170 and 200 million items from multiple countries. As a legal deposit li ...

, was completed a decade later when his sister Elizabeth married Margaret's brother, John I, Count of Holland, making the pairing of arms again appropriate. Alphonso's death at Windsor occurred shortly after the birth of his younger brother

Edward Edward is an English male name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortunate; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-S ...

, who became the oldest surviving male heir of Edward I. Alphonso was interred in The Confessor's Chapel at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

, although the exact location is unknown. His heart, however, was buried at the priory of Blackfriars, London (now destroyed). As heirs apparent to the throne, both Alphonso and Edward bore the arms of the kingdom, differenced by a

label A label (as distinct from signage) is a piece of paper, plastic film, cloth, metal, or other material affixed to a container or product. Labels are most often affixed to packaging and containers using an adhesive, or sewing when affix ...

azure.

Ancestry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chester, Alphonso, Earl Of 1273 births 1284 deaths 13th-century English people English heirs apparent who never acceded Alphonso Burials at Westminster Abbey Earls of Chester Sons of kings Children of Edward I of England English royalty who died as children English princes