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 Peerage of England, England. The earldom of Richmond, North Yorkshire, Richmond was initially held by various Breton people, Breton nobles; sometimes the holde ...

, and Bertha of Cornouaille, ''suo jure'' Duchess of Brittany.

Life

Constance was the daughter of

Bertha Bertha is a female Germanic name, from Old High German ''berhta'' meaning "bright one". It was usually a short form of Anglo Saxon names ''Beorhtgifu'' meaning "bright gift" or ''Beorhtwynn'' meaning "bright joy". The name occurs as a theonym, s ...

, daughter of

Conan III, Duke of Brittany Conan III, also known as Conan of Cornouaille and Conan the Fat (, and ; c. 1093–1096 – 17 September 1148) was duke of Brittany, from 1112 to his death. He was the son of Alan IV, Duke of Brittany and Ermengarde of Anjou (d. 1146), Ermengard ...

and Matilda FitzRoy, and of

Alan the Black Alan the Black (, ; died 1098) was the second lord of the Honour of Richmond from 1093 until his death. He was a younger son of Odo, Count of Penthièvre. He succeeded his elder brother, Alan Rufus ("Alan the Red"), at Richmond. There is no reco ...

, younger son of Stephen of Penthièvre and Havoise of Guingamp. She was the sister of Duke

Conan IV of Brittany Conan IV ( 1138 – 18/20 February 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 Ric ...

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 – 18/20 February 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, 1st Earl of Richmond, Alan, Earl of Richmond. Conan IV was his fa ...

with Margaret of Huntingdon, the sister of the Scots king

Malcolm IV Malcolm IV (; ), nicknamed Virgo, "the Maiden" (between 23 April and 24 May 1141 – 9 December 1165) was King of Scotland from 1153 until his death. He was the eldest son of Henry of Scotland, 3rd Earl of Huntingdon, Henry, Earl of Huntingdon ...

, a marriage between Malcolm and Constance was considered. Constance refused, hoping to wed

King Louis VII Louis VII (1120 – 18 September 1180), called the Younger or the Young () to differentiate him from his father Louis VI, was King of France from 1137 to 1180. His first marriage was to Duchess Eleanor of Aquitaine, one of the wealthiest and ...

, whose wife

Constance of Castile Constance of Castile (1136 or 1140 – 4 October 1160) was Queen of France as the second wife of Louis VII of France, Louis VII, who married her following the annulment of his marriage to Eleanor of Aquitaine. She was a daughter of Alfonso VII o ...

had just died. However, Louis VII decided to marry

Adèle of Champagne Adela of Champagne (; – 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 participated in the Third Crusade. ...

instead. Constance married firstly

William FitzEmpress William FitzEmpress (22 July 1136 – 30 January 1164) was the youngest of the three sons of Empress Matilda and Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of Anjou. His brothers were Henry II of England and Geoffrey, Count of Nantes. Early life William Fitze ...

, a.k.a. “Tournemine”, third son of

Geoffrey V, Count of Anjou Geoffrey, Geoffroy, Geoff, etc., may refer to: People * Geoffrey (given name), including a list of people with the name Geoffrey or Geoffroy * Geoffroy (surname), including a list of people with the name * Geoffroy (musician) (born 1987), Canadi ...

and

Empress Matilda Empress Matilda (10 September 1167), also known as Empress Maud, was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war known as the Anarchy. The daughter and heir of Henry I, king of England and ruler of Normandy, she went to ...

, and younger brother of King

Henry II of England Henry II () was King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with the ...

and

Geoffrey, Count of Nantes Geoffrey VI (1 June 1134 – 27 July 1158) was Count of Nantes from 1156 to 1158. He was also known as Geoffrey of Anjou and Geoffrey FitzEmpress. He was the son of Geoffrey Plantagenet and Empress Matilda. His brothers were Henry II of England ...

. 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 eitherAnatole 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 A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is so ...

, and founded the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Bon-Repos 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 () was a legendary king of the Britons as accounted by Geoffrey of Monmouth. He came to power in 817BC. He was the son of King Cunedagius Cunedagius ( Latinized form; ) was a legendary king of the Britons, as recounted by Geoffrey of ...

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 York: ...

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,

, she had: * Alan IV * William; * Josselin, who married Matilda of Montfort, daughter of William II of Montfort * Margaret, who married

Harvey I Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit * Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards ...

, 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