Eleanor of Provence

Ramon Berenguer V, Count of Provence (1198 - 1245), and Beatrice of Savoy (c.1198 - c.1267) had four daughters, all of whom married kings. Their second daughter, Eleanor (c.1223 - 1291), however, was not well-liked by her subjects.

She loved reading, and was well-educated. Like her mother and sisters she was considered very attractive. One contemporary English chronicler, the Augustinian canon Peter Langtoft (died c.1305), described her as "the fairest May of life."

Her older sister Margaret married the King of France, and Eleanor's uncle, Bishop William of Savoy, persuaded Henry to consider Eleanor. Such a marriage would tie him politically to France.

Matthew Paris says she was already 12 years old when she arrived in England to marry King Henry III. He had looked at several different potential brides, but she was politically the most appropriate for the 28-year-old king.

The reason for the country's dislike was the number of foreigners—called Savoyards because Beatrice's mother was from Savoy—that accompanied her. These included William of Savoy, who was made an advisor to Henry. Henry tried to make William the Bishop of Winchester to keep him close as an advisor, but there was resistance. (The chapter elected Ralph Neville instead.) Henry seemed to prefer to promote folk from the continent, and several of Eleanor's followers were given important positions in Henry's administration. This angered the English, who did not appreciate the foreign influence over Henry's policies.

The wedding took place on 14 January 1236 at Canterbury Cathedral (illustration is from a Matthew Paris manuscript), which was also the first time Eleanor had seen the groom. She wore a golden dress with sleeves lined with ermine. Immediately afterward the pair rode to London where she was crowned at Westminster Abbey, becoming Queen of England, Lady of Ireland, and Duchess of Aquitaine.

The couple seemed to truly love and trust each other. When Henry went to Gascony in 1253 to handle a rebellion, he left Eleanor as regent. She even acted as Lord Chancellor. This was the first and only time a woman was given the duties of Chancellor until 2016.

London's dislike of her might have had sound reasons, which we will explore tomorrow.

Charles & Beatrice of Savoy

Charles of Anjou became Count of Provence and Forcalquier by his marriage in 1246 to Beatrice of Provence. His attempt to rule them was challenged by his mother-in-law, Beatrice of Savoy.

Beatrice of Savoy (1198 - 1267, whose tomb is shown here) was considered not only (according to Matthew Paris) extremely beautiful (like her daughter) but also very smart and politically shrewd. A couple years before the marriage of her daughter and Charles, for instance, she had convinced King Henry III of England to lend 4000 marks to her husband.

She was also involved in the negotiations regarding her daughter's marriage, and now may be a good time to explain what I teased in yesterday's post about that matter.

Because Ramon Berenguer V managed to get his three eldest daughters marriages that led to them being queens, he left the counties of Provence and Forcalquier to his youngest, Beatrice of Provence. When this became known, many powerful men in Europe angled for her hand in marriage.

James I of Aragon was already married to Violant of Hungary, but that was after he annulled a marriage to Eleanor of Castile after eight years (!) and having a son with her. He invaded Provence, because he had designs on Provence from long ago, and actually surrounded Beatrice's castle.

Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II sent his navy to Provence to gain leverage so that he could get Beatrice married to one of his sons. Count Raymond VII of Toulouse (divorced twice already) appealed to Blanche of Castile, mother of King Louis IX of France, for her support to marry young Beatrice. (Raymond's mother and Blanche's mother were sisters, both daughters of King Henry II.)

Blanche, however, was in favor of a different approach. Her youngest son was destined for an ecclesiastical life, but this was an opportunity to give him something more prestigious and tie Provence more closely to France. Blanche, Louis IX, Pope Innocent IV, and the young Charles of Anjou met in 1245 in Cluny. Innocent had many issues with Frederick, and did not want to see Frederick gain any more territory. Innocent was happy to endorse marriage between young Beatrice and Charles in exchange for Louis giving Innocent military support against Frederick.

Mother and daughter were satisfied with the terms, but not everyone was. King Henry III of England had an issue with them, and there was the problem of James I of Aragon, who was parked outside Beatrice's residence and would need to be dealt with. How that went will be a subject for tomorrow.